Despite my good intentions, I’ve once more been very slow in writing the promised post about my first Holy Week and Easter in the Czech Republic. Although we are still in the Easter season I’m all too aware that my comments will be somewhat dated if I don’t write a blog post soon.
As in the UK, one has to distinguish between the way Easter is marked in the predominantly secular commercial world, as against the way it is celebrated in the Christian Churches. One initial observation is that the commercial world does not start displaying its Easter goodies as early as it does in Britain. In Britain, I have many times cringed seeing hot-cross buns and Easter Eggs on sale before even the Feast of the Epiphany on 6th January has passed. Here in Prague, Lent had at least begun before any Easter goods were on display.
However, the so-called Easter goods seen in Prague supermarkets seemed to me to bear very little relation to Gospel accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Various floral decorations, artificial and real, together with rabbits of every shape and description, mostly made of chocolate, filled the shelves. Other than vaguely representing new life, I could see very little relevance to the greatest festival of the Christian year. The Easter Bunny was what mattered, not the risen Christ.
Unlike in the UK, many people decorate their houses, flats and gardens for Easter. The Czechs love to paint and decorate eggs, then tie them with ribbons to trees in their gardens or attach them to sticks stuck into window boxes of their flats and shops. Similar traditions can also be found in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, one peculiar Czech tradition is also to place such decorations on family graves which Sybille told me she had never seen whilst she lived in Germany.
With regard to Church tradition and practice, one thing I soon discovered was that distributing palm crosses on Palm Sunday is something peculiarly Anglican! Not initially realising this, I made enquiries about purchasing palm crosses at a Roman Catholic shop that sells books and Church supplies and from where we obtain our communion wafers. My request was met with a look of complete bewilderment, even when a helpful customer translated my English into Czech. I rapidly emailed the English company I had previously dealt with when in Oxfordshire, who were happy to oblige.
Another difference between the UK and the Czech Republic is that Good Friday is not a public holiday here. Therefore, it is not really worthwhile to try and hold a service beginning at 2pm to mark the last hour of the cross, as most people have to be at work. Instead, I conducted a devotional service of Bible readings, prayers and times of silence for reflection, starting at 7.30pm in the evening.
Whilst the Good Friday service and our Eucharist on Maundy Thursday evening were reasonably well attended, as was my experience in Britain, many more people turned out on Easter Day. Yet for me, celebrating the joy of the resurrection on Easter Day is so much more meaningful if I have first sought to enter into and tried to understand the sense of betrayal and the depth of suffering that Jesus experienced on the first Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
Easter Day saw my largest congregation since arriving in Prague in September 2008. We had approximately 110 adults and a dozen children and I had to consecrate additional bread and wine to communicate all those who wished to make their Easter communion. About half were regular members of the congregation bearing in mind that quite a number of our regulars go ‘home’ for the Easter break. The other half were mainly visitors, enjoying a long weekend in Prague, together with some ex-pat ‘festival worshippers’ whom we last saw at the Carol Service in December! We ended our worship with a rousing rendition of ‘Thine be the glory’ to the wonderful tune by Handel called ‘Maccabaeus’.
Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
