Holy Thursday Slovak Traditions
Magical Spring Water, Cleansing Rituals, Green Food & Anthills!
Traditions in Slovakia associated with preparing for the Easter holiday on Holy Thursday.
Holy Week, the days before the beginning of the Easter season, represents a very special time in traditional Slovak folk culture. During Holy Week, Slovaks fasted and cleaned as they made ready for the Easter feast. Slovak businesses and offices are all closed on Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Monday.
Zelený Stvrtok -- Green Thursday (Maundy Thursday)
In Slovakia, what we call Holy Thursday is called Green Thursday because of the tradition of eating lots of foods made from green vegetables on that day. Greens would keep a person strong and healthy, according to old folk wisdom.
Green Thursday was also associated with tradition of cleansing. People would clean themselves thoroughly that day and preferred to use running water from a spring, stream or river, since that represented living water. Just as holy water would cleanse their souls when they attended church services, moving water would purify their bodies.
Young girls, who desired a beautiful complexion and long flowing hair bathed in the spring early in the morning, usually before the sun rose. Drinking spring water on Holy Thursday was believed to help make one healthier throughout the year. In times before fluoride toothpaste was available, Slovaks thought that they could head off toothaches and have a sparkling smile if they rinsed their mouths with water.
Everything that could be cleaned with this pure running water would benefit from its cleansing power. Since most Slovaks owned one or more cows, they made sure they cleaned their milk jugs so that the cows would produce more milk.
One of the stranger Slovak customs concerned anthills. A superstition had it that a household could have a happy year if they would bring an anthill, complete with ants, into its house! Those carrying the anthill only had to be careful to avoid carrying this prize over any water, for that would nullify the magic. How odd to be hauling ants into the house when the women were already so busy cleaning on this day!
Of course, the most important custom on Holy Thursday was attending Holy Mass. The entire village would empty into the church and commemorate the Last Supper of Christ with his apostles. A cleansing of feet with water took place after the sermon. Following Mass, the faithful would begin a fast.
Another noted custom was the tying of church bells, a tradition which many of us are familiar with in our own churches. No church bells sounded after 10 a.m. in order to remember the tying down of Christ. Only a rattling of wooden sticks would sound from the church tower and at Mass. The bells remained silent until Holy Saturday evening at the Easter Vigil.
