Christmas in Czech Republic

1. We would like to introduce to you to some basic Czech traditions and customs that are often older than the oldest written records.

2. The Christmas traditions start in the Czech Republic in the period called Advent. Since the 11th century, Advent has been the preparation for the Christmas season and begins four weeks before Christmas Eve. The most important day of the week is always the Sunday of Advent, when the lighting of all four candles on the Advent wreath begins. Decorating the Advent wreath is relatively young but very popular custom of Christmas time.

3. The Sundays has their special names – the first Sunday is called The Iron Sunday, the second one is the bronze Sunday, the third one is the silver Sunday and the last one is named gold Sunday. A beautiful moment of the beginning of the Advent season is the lighting of trees in towns and villages. In the Advent period one of the most popular Christmas traditions are held in Czech homes – it is the baking of Christmas cookies.

4. One of the first typical traditions starts on the 4^th of December – that is the Saint Barbora´s day. An unmarried girl is supposed to cut a twig off of a cherry tree and put it in water. The twig is called Barborka. If the twig blooms by Christmas Eve, the girl will marry within a year. During the evening of the 5th December, children are very excited and watch for St. Nicholas (Svatý Mikuláš) to arrive. He is normally accompanied by one or more angels and one or more devils. He asks the children whether they've been good all year and also asks them to sing a song or recite a poem, and gives them a basket of presents (often containing chocolate and fruit).

5. It's hard to imagine Christmas without a decorated Christmas tree. A green tree festooned with decorations, chains of sweets and figurines is a natural part of Christmas in the Czech Republic. The most of the Czech families decorate the tree in the evening on the 23^rd or in the morning on the 24^th of December. Traditionally, the tree was decorated with apples and sweets, as well as traditional ornaments.  After that the room with the Christmas tree gets locked, that the children can´t disturb Ježíšek. It is Baby Jesus (Ježíšek) who brings children in the Czech Republic presents on Christmas Eve.

6. The Christmas day starts with a breakfast with a Christmas bred called Vánočka. After that you should be fasting. In the evening you should see the golden pig on the wall because of the hunger. The Christmas dinner should be served after the first star comes out. It is connected with a great number of different customs, rules and superstitions. The table should be set for an even number of guests. An odd number brings bad luck.

7. Before you start to eat, you should light Frantisek the smell of it should keep the bad ghosts out of the house.  An extra plate should also be prepared in case of an unexpected guest or a person in need who might come to the house at dinner time. No one should ever stand up from the Christmas table before dinner is finished. Doing so brings bad luck and death in the family. The only person who could stand up is the woman, who serves the dinner.

8. The carp, which was purchased prior to this day and which may have been kept alive in the bath until ready for cooking, is the featured dish. Today's Christmas dinner consists of fish soup and fried Christmas carp served with potato salad. The Czechs even believe that if they put one of its scales into their purses, they will have enough money for the following year. Fish scales should be placed under Christmas dinner plates or under the tablecloth to bring wealth to the house.

9. The foretelling of the future and predicting the well-being of the family in the coming year is connected with many popular Christmas customs.  Little boats are made out of empty walnut shells and each family member places a little burning candle into a shell. Everyone's shells are then floated in a bowl of water. If the shells are together the family will stay together for the upcoming year. A shell that sinks brings bad luck to its owner or a death. After Christmas dinner, every person sitting at the table cuts an apple in a half. If the core of your appel is shaped as a star, it means that you will be healthy. An ugly core is a bad omen and means that you will fall ill or die within a year. You should eat your apple to stay healthy.

10. A piece of lead is melted over fire and then poured into a bowl of water. The resulting shape will tell the destiny for upcoming year. An unmarried girl is supposed to throw a shoe over her shoulder and towards the door. If the shoe lands with the toe pointing towards the door, the girl will marry within a year.  After the dinner and finishing the traditions the children are very nervous.

11. They are waiting until they hear the tinkle of a bell (rung by parents) indicating that Baby Jesus has come with gifts. The people are singing Christmas carols under by the Christmas tree and they are unpacking the gifts. Christmas Eve may culminate with midnight mass. And now we will sing one Christmas carol just for you! It´s called Nesem vám noviny!