Death Stalks the Land

The craziness just keeps coming here in Europe. We didn't realize that we arrived in Olomouc on the main festival week in the town. So after a fun day of seeing the city we headed down to the town square at night to see the festivities. Last night was celebrating something that happened back in 1643. Olomouc was being ravaged by the plague and there seemed to be no end in sight. So they brought the relics (the remains) of Saint Pauline up from Rome in an attempt to ward off the evil that was causing the plague. So to commemorate this the entire town lights laterns, which Dzido and I did as well (those are ours on the left) and the town is gathered together. A girl dressed in a white dress riding a horse then rides around us, but soon Death comes.

Three guys dressed as Death, carrying flaming scythes and walking on stilts come out and surrond the crowd and move through it. I must say, there were some kids there and I was suprised that they weren't more scared. It was spooky. They continued to move around the crowd with those large flamming scythes as every huddles together. But soon our saviour came. A little girl dressed in white appeared at the top of the staires of the town hall and yells down and music begins to play and Death falls to the groud. To be honest, the little girl was kinda creepy too.




So with Death banished the lady on the horse appears and leads us to the big church down the street. If you can imagine all of these people carrying laterns and walking through these old, cobble-stone streets, it was quite something. So we arrive at this church and the organ (the largest in Eastern Europe) is playing as loud as it can. Everyone takes their place in the Church and the priest beings out the actual relics of Saint Paulina and says a short prayer. Afterwards everyone gets to take a tour of the crypt beneath the church. There wasn't much down there, but it seems that this is only done once a year. We did find a cardboard box that had actual bones in it. I wasn't able to find out what that was from, but it did add to the atmosphere. And thus ended the ceremony. It was really amazing to participate in something like that. And I guess that I am plague free now!

Today we leave for Poland where I will give a full and unbiased account of Dzido's homeland.... :)