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Sorbian Easter traditions in the Lausitz
Easter Traditions
»The egg is the symbol of fertility and emerging life.«
image author: "pixeltraeume", www.aboutpixel.com Easter Egg Decorating
Egg decorating is a very old and also wide spread tradition. In the Oberlausitz it developed to its highest form. At the decorating one differentiates between four traditional techniques: the wax-technique, the scratch-technique, the etching and bossing of the egg.
image author: Uwe Söder (SZ) Egg Pushing
Egg pushing is still today a real tourist attraction. In those days eggs, nuts, apples, oranges and other sweets were rolled down the very steep Protschenberg by well-to-do citizens. What the often poor children caught and put in their bag they were allowed to keep. In 1932 around 40.000 visitors were counted who came into town. Today no food is being rolled down the slope but egg-like balls. The children still have their fun.
image author: www.panschwitz-kuckau.de Easter Shooting
Easter shooting is mostly being practised today mostly in the upper land of the Lausitz. The tradition has its origin in superstition. In those days one believed that one could chase away bad ghosts, witches and other monsters with noise, firecrackers and racket. In keeping with the old tradition today homemade carbide canons are being fired.
image author: www.spreewald-urlaub.de Easter Water Fetching
The tradition of water fetching is only rarely practised in some villages of the Lausitz. Young girls run on Easter Sunday early in the morning, before sunrise, to a stream or spring to fetch fresh Easter water. It is said to preserve youth and beauty and has in addition healing powers. The girls are not allowed to speak one word otherwise the Easter water loses its powers. To make it very hard for the young girls, secret watcher hide along the way to scare, tease or just greet the girls.
Easter Singing
In very rural areas the Easter singing is still being observed. Little groups, mostly women, walk through the village and proclaim the Easter news. The diversity of the songs ranges from ecclesiastic to folk songs, which differ from region to region.
Easter Fire
The Easter fire stand as a symbol for the sun, which is being greeted by fire every spring. They also were seen as cult to preserve fertility, the growth and harvest. Easter fires, which have a very old tradition are still being celebrated in middle Lausitz and lower Lausitz. Fresh wood, small twigs or similar burnable wood is being collected to pile up large Easter fires and so greet the spring.
image author: www.radibor.de/braeuche/osterreiten Easter Riding
The tradition of Easter riding stems from pre-Christian times. Then riding around the filed was meant to keep the young seeds from harm and guarantee a good harvest. Today Easter riding is mostly being done in Sorbs-catholic communities. On Easter Sunday men in top-hat, frock-coat, jodhpurs and riding boots on especially decorated horses proclaim loud singing and praying the good news about Christ's resurrection. In the Oberlausitz around 1.500 riders of each church community meet in nine processions. It is common that the priest presents the church flags, the statue of the risen Lord and the crucifix to the riders. Then he blesses all Easter riders. After riding three times around the parish church and churchyard the rider turn to the neighbour community.
Weitere Informationen
Source:
Ralf Albrecht
Deutschland
