Jatšy - Easter

Customs around the Easter egg

For centuries the egg has been seen as a symbol of growth and fertility. Therefore the egg-giving-custom in spring is very old and popular. It was believed that vitality which is inherent in the egg would be passed on to the person to whom the present was given. The custom of giving Easter eggs is a blend of pagan beliefs about the rebirth of nature at the end of winter and the Christian belief in resurrection. Coloring the eggs and decorating them with symbols and ornaments has always been a traditionally fun thing to do. This is probably one of the oldest forms of folklorist and artistic expression of mankind that increased the value of the egg for the giver and the receiver. We know that around 1700 Sorbian Easter eggs were first mentioned. Coloring and decorating Easter eggs has remained to be an important custom in the life of the Sorbs throughout the year. Many people use the wax technique. They apply hot wax in patterns on the clean cooked egg or the egg shell itself with specially shaped quills or pin heads. The cold wax protects the shell from the dye-bath. After the egg is dried the procedure can be repeated. Finally, the heated wax on the egg is removed and the pattern appears in its entire splendor. Thus you have multicolored eggs that differ from each other. A steady hand is needed for the scratch technique. The egg is first dyed. Next, a sharp object is used to scratch on the pattern. Another technique is called etching. Acid is applied on the dyed egg by help of a nib. In former days they used the juice of sauerkraut. Today diluted hydrochloric acid is used instead. Then you remove the color in patterns and wipe the egg very carefully. The wax bossier technique is not often used. It is similar to the wax technique in that colored hot wax is applied to the white or light-dyed egg and left to dry. According to tradition, decorated eggs are given to relatives and friends. Children visit their godparents on Easter Sunday and are given three eggs and an Easter roll.

Waleien

This custom is still very popular today. In the afternoon children meet in the garden or in the meadow for Waleien. They prepare a sloping track in which the decorated eggs roll down. Of course, the eggs do not roll down straight, but instead go into a spin. This makes the game exciting. Eggs that touch another egg win that egg, a coin or a cookie. Initially, the custom was a fertility rite that assured the growth of grass that was substantial for the farm to survive.

Bonfire on Easter Saturday

A very popular and widespread custom at Easter is the bonfire. Many people in the world believe that the fire contains a cleaning power. More than 100 German-Sorbian villages of Lower Lusatia each year preserve this custom.

During the days before Easter the village youth collect wood and other flammable material. On Easter Saturday they build a pile of wood as high and as large as possible. The fire is built on the nearest hill to the village. It is said that the farther the light can be seen the more land will be fertile. Usually around midnight the fire is lit. Some villages compete with the highest pile or try to light the fire in the neighboring village earlier and thus hold the losers up to ridicule. Therefore the fireplace is guarded. Before the fire has burned out everybody is full of high spirit and the brave try to jump through the fire. Others unhinge doors and gates and hide them, close off chimneys and do all sorts of other mischievous things. Villagers who were "mean"- that is, they did not give much to the participants in the festive procession - should be very careful and keep an eye on their house.

Easterwater

This custom apparently originates from pre-Christian times. It refers to the belief, as found in numerous religions, that water promotes health and purity. People used to wash themselves with Easter water and sprinkled it on the farm's livestock, and in some places they sprinkled it over every person they met on the way. In the past young women went to get the curative Easter water in the night between Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday before dawn. On the way to and from the spring or the river the women were not allowed to speak. They scooped the Easter water at a place where the water runs from East to West, where the sun rises and sets. The boys try to scare the girls on their way home or try to make them speak. Once a girl broke the rule and spoke, the Easter water would lose its effect to promote health and beauty. She would instead bring home "tittle-tattle-water" and everyone would make fun of her. How many people today believe in the curative effect of Easter water? No one knows, but perhaps some girls still get up early in the morning and secretly go for the Easter water which promises endless beauty.

Until the 1950's the so called Easter singing was a very popular custom in Lower Lusatia. The girls met on Good Friday or in the night between Easter Saturday and Sunday and sang all the folk songs and hymns they had learnt in the spinning room.