Easter eggs. (source: TASR)
EASTER IN SLOVAKIA
An egg hunt
Between March 29 and April 1, the premises of Smolenice Castle in the Trnava Region will host an Easter egg hunt - eggs will be hidden within the picturesque castle to be found. In addition, there will be workshops, tutorial on how whips are made, face painting and more. Get your tickets for individual days here.
What Easter looked like in the past
The folk Museum of Orava Village in Zuberec, northern Slovakia, has prepared a special event for Easter, showcasing what traditions used to look like in the past. Between March 30 and April 1, craftsmen will show visitors how whips, candles and decorated eggs called kraslice were made, as well as various tinkering and carving techniques. There will be a special folk programme on Sunday as well. For more information, click here.
The folk Museum of Orava Village in Zuberec. (source: TASR)
The ins and outs of Easter cuisine
Canadian Naomi Hužovičová was at first indignant when she learnt about the Slovak tradition of pouring water on girls and whipping them. However, she likes Slovakia's Easter cuisine. Listen to this Easter-themed podcast from April 2019 featuring Naomi to learn what "Lost Chicken" and "Lick a Finger" are and find your favourite Easter recipe.
More Easter reading
Five foreigners living in Slovakia share their opinions concerning the Easter traditions.
Traditional Slovak Easter customs can be difficult to understand. Here is a primer on them and a suggestion or two as to what to do instead.
Memories of a meditative Easter in Bratislava by former Fulbright scholar and author Andrew Giarelli.
Since that crash course in Slovak traditions, Emily Heinz Vargic has became much more familiar with how the holiday is celebrated.
Easter in village of Chlebnice, Orava region (source: Sme)
ART
Concert in an ice temple
The final concert in the Tatra Ice Cathedral in the Hrebienok resort in the High Tatras will take place this Sunday at 15:00, with the Brioso Children's Choir performing its repertoire. The choir has received international recognition in several competitions both in Slovakia and abroad.
MISCELLANEOUS FUN
Parenting in nature
If you're a parent, you most probably love your children to bits, but once in a while you most probably can't stand them as well. Does the same apply to animals? A new exhibition in the Tihányi Manor House in Banská Bystrica is dedicated to the parenting strategies of animals, the many ways they take care of their young, and family life. Click here for more details.
TIP: Skiers at Chopok Peak miss out on a great rarity, many discover it by chance.
Constellations and their stories
Many constellations are no longer visible due to severe light pollution. One has to get out of cities to see the beauty of the night sky to be amazed. This Saturday, the Košice-based Steelpark science park will hold two astronomy workshops dedicated to constellations and their stories - their relation to mythologies, origins and more. For more information, click here.
The Orion constellation as seen from ESO's La Silla Observatory in Chile. (source: Zdeněk Bardon/ESO)
UPCOMING EVENTS
April 5-6: The end of the winter season at the Štrbské Pleso resort
April 6: Cleaning of the Bratislava riverbank
April 13: Plastic Model Show in Svit
April 20: The historic Samove Hry (Samo's games) event in Bratislava
April 25-27: The Sharpe music festival in Bratislava
BEFORE YOU GO
WHAT TO DO FOR FREE: Almost 10 museums and galleries in Bratislava are open, free of charge, on the first Wednesday of the month.
WHAT TO EXPLORE IN BRATISLAVA: Another special workshop, this time with laser; come and enjoy several parties or take part in a marathon.
WHAT TO TRY: This year's Bratislava Coronation Days will taste of carrot and mandarin. You can make it yourself by following the recipe in the article.
WHAT TO LEARN FROM HISTORY: Since that crash course in Slovak traditions, author of this piece became much more familiar with how the holiday is celebrated.
That's it for this week. Take care, and have a nice weekend!
