PragueBuzz!

Don’t forget to eat a lot of chocolate lamb-shaped and sweet cakes, Czech typical at during Easter.

Good Friday (Jesus Christ’s Execution): On this day, boys make loud noise with their rattles believing that all sound will lead to Rome.

Big Monday (Resurrection): Boys go around the neighborhood before 12 pm, ring on door bells, and knock on houses to spank. They greet: “Hody hody doprovody, dejte vejce malovany kdyz nedate malovany dete aspon bily, slepicka Vam snese jiny!” This means “Good day, give us painted eggs. If you don’t give painted one, give us at least white ones. The hens will lay you other ones.” Normally, the girls give the boys the eggs, in return for smacks on their butts, thinking that, according to tradition, this egg-giving practice brings youth, beauty, luck and fertility. However, if the boys whip the girls after 12 pm, the girls can pour a bucket of water to the guys, and these mischievous ones prepare really cold water.

Though celebrated during Easter, Egg-giving and butt-spanking had nothing to do with Christianity. Perhaps, it based on ancient tribes’ welcome-Spring celebrations after surviving another harsh winter.

Prague’s Easter Markets
Easter markets in Prague are located in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, boasting many wooden stalls with souvenirs, cookies, sausages, wooden toys, painted eggs, traditional Czech Easter willow whips and rattles, and metal coins. They run from ate March to mid April.

Easter-cum-medieval markets are impressive in many villages and castles outside of Prague too.

Street-food is very important in Vietnamese culture. Vietnamese eat out a lot because the food is cheap, delicious and sold everywhere in the country, on the street where it is prepared and in front of your eyes. Some vendors have small tables and chairs, most don’t and you have to either stand or squat. When Vietnamese migrated to Western society, they took a bit of this street-food culture with them, minus the squatting part. To experience a miniature of the street-food culture, hop on the tram and subway to Prague’s Market, only 15 to 20 minutes by tram from the Old Town Square.

The food stands locate inside this Vietnamese market. Just ask for “Pho,” pronounced like “fur”, and the local Vietnamese will show you around. If you are really adventurous and want real Vietnamese food, take a trip to Sapa, the largest Vietnamese market and community in Prague. (Many Praguans don’t even know about Sapa’s existence.)

Prague Market, Website: http://www.prazskatrznice.cz/plan.htm.

How to get there: If you’re from Wencelas Square, take tram no. 3 and stop at Prazska Trznice (Prague Market). See schedule.

The nearest metro stop is Vltavska, C line.

Add water to the powder
Split into 2 pieces

Let the mixture sit for 5 min
until thicken. Boil for 20 min

Peel and cut onion

Into small cubes

Prepare and chop the pork

Mix onion with pork

Add paprika mix

Cook in low temperature

Slice the dumpling loaf.

I have a new, real bed today instead of a mere pitiful mattress on the floor. While testing the bed’s bounciness, I discovered dim lights outside, from the window, on the street and from the opposite apartment complex. Then I realized, this was the first time I ever noticed any other source of light except from the light bulb. Normally, the moment I entered the room, I jumped right away on the mattress, went to sleep and never paid attention to the surrounding.

Hooray IKEA. This revolutionary store not only brings cheap furniture but also bright light to my Panelak [1] life.

How to get to IKEA
There are two IKEA shopping centers in Prague: one near Zlicin and the other near Cerny Most. Both are the two opposite end-stops of subway B, yellow line. There are free IKEA buses waiting to take you to the stores. Website: www.ikea.cz.

[1] An apartment complex normally built from concrete block of panel, a typical Communist styled housing.

Tags: PragueBuzz, czech republic