Home Article: Christmas in the Czech Republic

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Christmas in the Czech Republic

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lluminated streets, the cheerful rush of Christmas fairs, festive decorations and omnipresent carols don’t leave anyone in doubt that Christmas in the Czech Republic is one of the most beautiful seasons of the year. Old folk traditions include having a look at a Nativity scene or listening to an Advent concert in a church, castle or square.

The appearance of St Nicholas means Christmas is on its way

For children impatiently counting the days on the Advent calendar before Christmas presents, the arrival of St Nicholas offers some respite. He visits every child in the country on the eve of St Nicholas day December 5, and is traditionally accompanied by an angel and a demon. He may scare the children a bit, but his main task is to give them some small gifts, fruit and sweets.

The traditional Christmas fair

vanoce2.jpgThe largest Prague Christmas fair (www.prague-info.cz) takes over Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square from December 1, 2007, to January 1, 2008. At the stalls, you can buy Christmas decorations, traditional Christmas corn dolls, straw decorations, gingerbread, fragrant candles, warm hats and gloves… Hot punch, aromatic mead, roasted chestnuts, corn on the cob, old Bohemian sweet bread called a ‘trdlo’ and grilled sausages build stamina to face the Christmas rush. The traditional Christmas tree, a nativity scene with real animals, Christmas concerts, special performances and carol singing can all be found on Old Town Square.

Smaller Christmas fairs will also be held on Náměstí Míru (Peace Square), Náměstí Republiky (Republic Square), the Fairground in Holešovice or at Kampa.

Czech Nativity scenes are unique objects worldwide

The Czech Republic has a tradition of making Nativity scenes – whether from wood, paper, plaster, ceramics or gingerbread – since the 16th century. The museum in Jindřichův Hradec (www.museum.esnet.cz) houses the largest mechanical scenes in the world – the Krýza Nativity Scene. It took the creator more than 60 years to complete this gargantuan undertaking which holds almost 1400 figures! In Třebechovice pod Orebem (www.betlem.cz) the villagers have even created a Nativity Scene Museum housing Nativity scenes from across the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Their most valuable exhibit is the Třebechovice mechanical Nativity scene. The prized possession at the Nativity Scene Museum in Karlštejn (www.obeckarlstejn.cz) is the Karlštejn royal nativity scene containing figures representing Czech kings. Annually from December 24 to February 2, you can admire the work of handy citizens of the town Třešť na Vysočině (www.trest.cz), directly at homes of the authors or in the local museum.

Christmas in historical towns

vanoce3.jpgČeský Krumlov (www.ckrumlov.info), a UNESCOlisted town, marks the beginning of Advent with a ceremonial lighting of the tree and carol singing on December 2. Every Sunday in Advent there are cultural events in the town square and on December 23, the locals act out a live Nativity scene. On Christmas Day, the Bears’ Christmas is celebrated when bears from the moat around the castle receive gifts; for Boxing Day (or the Feast of St. Stephen as it is known in the Czech lands) expect much fine food and merrymaking.

In the historical town of Telč (www.telc-etc.cz) (UNESCO-listed site), you can enjoy Christmas to the sound of medieval and Renaissance music, as well as carol singing at the town’s Christmas markets and at the chateau.

Christmas and Advent music

Czech classical music is some of the world’s finest cultural heritage. These will often feature the Czech Christmas Mass called ‘Hej mistře, vstaň bystře’ composed by Jakub Jan Ryba at the end of the 18th century. The State Opera in Prague (www.opera.cz) will hold its traditional Christmas concerts on December 25 and 26, 2007. You can attend organ concerts with Christmas motifs in the Basilica of St. James in Prague’s Old Town from December 26 to January 1, 2008 (www.auditeorganum.cz).

Christmas Eve is a timefor telling the future

vanoce4.jpgChristmas Eve is an important Christian festival, but it is also a day when people say magic can be done. There are various simple ways to find out if this is true. A fish scale placed under your plate during the Christmas Eve dinner is said to bring wealth and happiness in the coming year. If you fast all day until the evening, you should also see another symbol of happiness, a golden pig. After a belt-busting meal it’s a good time to try to foretell the future. Cut open an apple, and if the pips are in the shape of a perfect star, you will enjoy wealth and good health in the coming year. Finding four healthy walnuts in their shells is also said to bring sound health. Pouring molten lead into water, then reading the shapes it forms is fun for the children, and throwing a slipper over the shoulder is of interest to girls and women who want to know if they are destined to be married in the coming year.

What would Christmas be without carp and cookies?

vanoce5.jpgPreparations for Christmas usually start several weeks beforehand, when biscuits are baked and presents bought. Traditionally, the first course is fish soup (or potato soup) with a main course of fried carp and potato salad. Many Czechs eat carp just once a year at Christmas. This is why at this time of year you will see huge tubs full of fish brought from the famous fish farms of South Bohemia. However, the carp does not necessarily have to end up on your plate. It can be released back into a river on Christmas Eve. Christmas biscuits are another integral part of a Czech Christmas. Some of the ever-presents are vanilla rolls, Christmas sweetbread sprinkled with almonds, Linz biscuits, and honey gingerbread.

New Year’s Eve

In Prague, you can take part in New Year’s Eve celebrations in the magnificent surroundings of the State Opera. When Strauss’s opera ‘Die Fledermaus’ ends, the stage is turned into a dance floor with a swing orchestra, and you dance the night away (www.opera.cz). On Old Town Square, the New Year’s Eve show starts in the afternoon, and reaches a climax with a firework display to welcome in 2008. If that isn’t enough, Prague holds a truly spectacular fireworks show on the first day of the new year.

Start the New Year in the mountains

An alternative worth considering is a holiday in the mountains. There are kilometres of cross-country skiing trails, downhill slopes of varying standards, sledge and bobsleigh runs and more winter activities. There are excellent resorts in the Krkonoše, Beskydy, Jeseníky, Jizerské, Krušné and Orlické Mountains and in the Šumava area. Some of the best are Špindlerův Mlýn, Harrachov and Pec pod Sněžkou in the Krkonoše Mountains, Bedřichov in the Jizerské Mountains and Praděd in the Jeseníky range. You can find all the information about the Czech mountains at www.holidayinfo.cz and www.ceskehory.cz, or visit www.CzechTourism.com.

(Fotos courtesy of Czech Tourism Agency)

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