Easter tradition and the art of deception
It's been warm and sunny for a few days, with spring in full swing here in this country. Last Monday was Easter Monday but Prague seemed sleepy and uninterested. On my way to wish my mother a happy Easter, I was surprised how few people seemed to care about the holiday. No, I'm not talking about Easter fairs where you can buy all sorts of things, from traditional dyed eggs called "kraslice", to items related to Easter only in the vaguest sense of the word.
It's been warm and sunny for a few days, with spring in full swing here in this country. Last Monday was Easter Monday but Prague seemed sleepy and uninterested. On my way to wish my mother a happy Easter, I was surprised how few people seemed to care about the holiday. No, I'm not talking about Easter fairs where you can buy all sorts of things, from traditional dyed eggs called "kraslice", to items related to Easter only in the vaguest sense of the word. I'm talking about the true Easter customs, like "pomlazka" - I counted only four young men with this wicker whip boys traditionally use to thrash girls in order to make them lively and alert all year round. Not many years ago one could see gangs of boys going on pomlazka, door to door, whipping girls and housewives alike, getting dyed eggs and chocolates in exchange. But nothing of the sort this year. Did everybody leave the city to visit the old folks in the country? Or do people find this and other originally pagan customs celebrating re-creation too barbaric these days? I am too much of an optimist to believe that traditions are dying out.
The sleepiness of the long weekend was translated into the news this week. Hot news is as scarce as snow these days but searching for potentially interesting stories, I came across an article in the San Francisco Chronicle, that the world-famous hacker Kevin Mitnick was about to visit the Czech Republic to sign his book "The Art of Deception" for his fans. Having spent five years in prison for breaking into corporate and government computer systems, Mitnick is now being considered a celebrity in the world of technology. His planned visit is definitely something the Czech media will be interested in. In his new book, Mitnick gives advice on how to protect systems against hackers like himself. But does he mean it or is it only business, compensating lost profits over the years he spent doing time? No, we don't want to promote criminal activities, but taking just a little peek will do no harm. Or will it?
