/ 8 April 2004

Watch out, Easter bunny

Anyone selling traditionally decorated eggs in the picturesque Polish city of Krakow this Easter will be breaking the law.

A local World War II bylaw passed on March 28 1915 in Krakow forbids residents from decorating or selling the colourful eggs with their intricate traditional patterns known in Poland as pisanki, according to a report in the Dziennik Polski daily.

Wartime scarcity of food meant eggs were considered luxury goods and not were meant to be eaten, not merely admired. Despite the passing of nearly 90 years, the ban has never been struck down.

But according to Krakow city official Andrzej Kulig city residents can decorate, admire and sell their beloved pisanki to their hearts’ content this Easter without fear of legal reprisals.

”We certainly won’t be prosecuting anyone,” he told Dziennik Polski. — Sapa-DPA