The first of the monthly, Friday thematic lessons was held in April 2014. It focused on Czech Easter customs, and a total of six students and two small children participated in the lesson. The thematic lessons will continue every month and students of all nationalities, levels and ages are welcome!

This particular lesson was all about getting to know about the lives of Czech people (including Czech food, Czech history, public holidays, etc.). Naturally, we don't avoid relevant vocabulary or grammar, but everything included is focused on the given lesson topic. In addition, courses are taught by two lecturers at once, guaranteeing an individual approach to every student.

Although Easter in the Czech Republic is not as popular as Christmas, foreigners usually find this tradition appealing. This is probably because the ancient traditions involved may sound incredible when heard for the first time. Some are appalled (mostly women) when they discover that men spank women with Easter whips (pomlázky), and some smile mischievously with a desire to try it (mostly men). Foreigners usually don't know these Easter customs unless they have Czech relatives.

At the beginning of this particular thematic lesson, special objects were placed on the table for students to guess what they were and what they are used for. There was a whip and ribbons; eggs and colours; a rattle and a bunch of willow branches with buds (kočičky). Of course, the biggest discussion occurred around the whip when students discovered that it is not just an Easter decoration.

Students learned new verbs that relate to the objects and describe Easter activities: weave (the willow whip), spank (with Easter whip), decorate (eggs), bake (Easter cake), pour (water) or drink (a shot). They also learned the names of individual Easter days and what food is typical for Czech Easter. They were very surprised that Czechs drink green beer on Maundy Thursday.

During the lesson, students tasted some Czech Easter dishes, including a whole butter lamb and an Easter cake — and naturally no one forgot to wash it down with a shot of Slivovice (Moravian plum brandy). The icing on the cake was when we provided everyone with the possibility to dye their own eggs using onions. In the end, everyone took home their beautifully decorated creations.

There was a great atmosphere in the lesson, and the aim was to convey the experience of a traditional Czech Easter — and in that we succeeded.