Obnovený obyčej vynášení smrti

Abstract

The taking out of the "Death" on the fifth day of fasting or two weeks before the Easter Sunday was among widespread habits, as evidenced by numerous resources, as recently as the beginning of the 20th century. At present, only the second part of the habit - the taking out of a dummy puppet or new-born baby - has survived in some rare localities in Bohemia. ln these cases it is a continual tradition. The post-war decades did not overly encourage annual habits, if we do not take into account some scenic performances by children's theatrical groups. A revival and interest in the renewal of old tradition only occurred in the 1990s thanks to schools and Children and Youth Centres to which it had been recommended from senior circles to return to local traditions. Thanks to them the habit of taking out the Death was renewed in some localities. However, unlike the past this is occurring on quite a different basis. This is no longer a spontaneous act by the children themselves, but it is initiated by teachers, who largely prepare the dummy of Death, train singing of carols from various regions or they compose them themselves. The procession with the Death is not held on Sunday, but on a weekday, while the cara! walk along local houses does not take place. The writer has described the present-day habit of taking out of the Death in Chlumec nad Cidlinou, a town with over 5,000 residents.