Carodejnice
April 30 is Carodejnice, Witches Day, in the Czech Republic. This celebration of the coming of spring and the purging of evil forces was originally a pagan one held on a gravemound or mountain top full of chanting of magical spells to protect animals, the banning of all trolls from houses, and the lighting of anything-- bonfires, candles, torches-- to dispel the memory of a long, dark winter.
Some of the pagan rituals of Carodejnice have survived, albeit in hardly recognisable forms. We went to Helena´s family´s neighborhood on the edge of Prague to watch the modern version - children dressing like witches and a "witch" being burned in a roaring bonfire.
Helena in costume ready to join the fun
The firefighters(!) getting it started
As the fire gets bigger, Helena's daughter Barbara gets closer
Barbara and her dad, Marek
Helena´s daughter, Laura, ready to roast a sausage in the fire
Is that a car on fire behind us?! No, just Carodejnice
Some of the pagan rituals of Carodejnice have survived, albeit in hardly recognisable forms. We went to Helena´s family´s neighborhood on the edge of Prague to watch the modern version - children dressing like witches and a "witch" being burned in a roaring bonfire.
Helena in costume ready to join the fun
The firefighters(!) getting it started
As the fire gets bigger, Helena's daughter Barbara gets closer
Barbara and her dad, Marek
Helena´s daughter, Laura, ready to roast a sausage in the fire
Is that a car on fire behind us?! No, just Carodejnice
posted by Jen and Cat at 1:59 AM
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