An old tradition

A few friends have asked me what do we actually celebrate and what do we do on April 30 and May 1st.

Well, believe it or not, we "burn the witches". It is a very very old tradition, still held in most European countries on April 30th. We make a big bonfire and create a witch (out of whatever material, shape and size our fantasy alows us).

This year Jachym made quite a nice one from an old straw, stuck on a stick. He didn´t forget to mention that the straw was old, smelly and peed on by the dogs. Wow, that´s gonna be a nice smell, I thought.

We grill sausages and all kinds of delicateses on the open fire and sit watching flames until late night. Since we are leaving tomorrow morning for a trip to Czech Republic, which is a three day drive, we didn´t sit until late night, knowing today we have to pack and finish all the last minute chores and preparations.

First of May is actually the International Labour Day. It is a state holiday in most European countries and is celebrated with a lot of seriousness. Very often, fireworks are part of the celebrations, which is something we can definitely do without and are glad we live remote. Poor dogs, in more populated areas.

The beginning of May celebrates a lot of happy aniversaries connected with the end of World War II.

It is also called the month of "love", and May 1st is actually a "lovers´ day". Girls and women must be kissed under a blooming tree today, so they don´t turn "sour" and grouchy. Jachym traditionally forgot, and forgot even after a gentle reminder... Well, when he complains about me being grouchy, there he has it!

Happy May 1st to all!

Katerina