Gender Discriminating Easter

How was your Easter?

Easter, is basically celebrated the same way in every countries, with some minor different traditions from various countries with different cultural background. Bunnies, eggs, chocolates are examples of internationally accepted elements of Easter. Hiding the eggs in the garden for the small kids to seek is kinda fun.

BUT, sprinkling water, perfume, scented water, or whatever you can think of (sometimes a bucket of cold water in the countryside), onto the girls is a totally NO NO to me.

If you have no clue about this celebration, let me describe the whole process of how this sprinkling ceremony works.

Guys on Easter Monday, is suppose to visit his friends/relatives/colleagues to perform this sacred action, starting with his own family members (no matter they are elderly or little kiddo). To start the process, the guy will recite...

I was walking in the woods
and saw a blue violet.
It looked a little wilted,
may I sprinkle it?

...in Hungarian, of course.

What will the girl answer? Say "YES"-lah (helplessly, that is)! Then the guy will start to sprinkle the perfume and the girls will say "Thank you". Being grateful, huh? Or just being polite? In return for the pleasure of getting soaking wet, the girls will thank the guys by rewarding them coins or Easter egg.

This tradition is a metaphor for fertility, in which the girl is a flower, waiting to be watered, believing to keep them nice and pretty.

Not that I am against the tradition of the way Hungarians celebrate this Easter. But such action as 'the guys water the girls and girls being grateful' really make me sick.

I know there are some Hungarians reading my blog here, still, I cannot help but to say this that might offend you. To a foreigner like me, this is just a kind of ritual created by a male chauvinist guy showing the superiority of their species to prove that girls are forever one level lower. Guys are masters and girls are slaves???

Wow...don't you think that poem sounds so nice? "May I sprinkle it?". The question should be, do we need you to sprinkle it???? Or why not we, girls, sprinkle it?

At times, tradition is such a wonderful thing that should be maintained and passed on from generation to generation. BUT, as far as I know, not much Hungarian girls really enjoy this sprinkles too. Have you ever seen a girl running to you asking you to sprinkle them? If not, have you ever wonder why? If yes, then you better keep a distance from her. She might be a pervert.

Try to view from another perspective, how will you feel if you are the one being sprinkled? Do you think this behaviour respects the gender of your opposite side? Stop giving me stupid reasons like 'because it's a tradition'. It is 'because it's a tradition' that makes the girls gave in and let the guys humiliating making fun of them. Continuing a tradition is more important or making everyone happy is more important? If we need to vote for perserving the tradition, I bet all the guys will contribute positive votes and girls will all reject it.

In actual fact, I did hear about some other celebrations around Poland and Czech Republic. For instance, guys in Czech are suppose to 'whip' the girls and receive some presents in return too.

I ain't ranting here, don't worry. Neither did I have a bad Easter. I'm writing this just to share my opinions about the custom here, about R.E.S.P.E.C.T! If you do not agree with me, you don't have to.

Not trying to make a big fuss, but am I the only one having such thinking? If you are also a foreigner, are you happy about girls being sprinkled by guys and girls have to give them a present in return? Does this symbolize some kind of Christian beliefs?

posted by Survon @ 5:11 PM,