The Christian holiday of Easter, which commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, has been associated with a lot of customs related to the arrival of spring. They originate in the times when the Slavic ancestors of Slovaks were not yet Christians and they worshiped nature. The custom of washing oneself or splashing others with fresh water stemmed from a belief in the ability of water to purify, to give people health and protect them from sickness. The power of awakening nature was supposed to be transferred to man through whipping with fresh twigs. The egg was a universal symbol...