Holidays, festivals and celebrations in Czech repbulic

1st January Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State The independet Czech republic was created in 1993 after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia

New year We celebrate the ending of the past year and the comming of the new one We usually make New years‘s resolutins Celebrations are connected with drinking alcohol and eating lots of food, and fire work of course

Easter This is the most important Christian holiday It celebrates the resurection of Jesus Christ He was crucified by Romans It is held the first Sunday after the first spring full moon In the Czech republic we paint eggs, make „pomlázky“ wchich are braided willow twigs decorated with colourful ribbons, and girls are whipped with them to be young and healthy

1st May Labour day Held from 1889 (1890 in Czech republic) Commemoration of the worker‘s strike in Chicago in 1886 Huge parades during the previous political system

8th May Liberation day One of the most important holiday of the Europe It celebrates the end of the WW II. in Europe (1945), Wermacht units capitulated Prague was freed on the 9th May by the Russian army

5th July Saints Cyril and Methodius Day Cyril (Konstantin) and Methodius came to Great Moravia in 863 to propagate christianity and literacy

6th July Jan Hus day The priest, writer, religious reformer Jan Hus was burnt at the stake in Kostnice in 1415

28th September St. Wenceslas Day (Czech Statehood Day) This holiday reminds us of the murder of Wenceslas by his own brother Boleslav the Cruel in 935 in Stará Boleslav

28th October Independent Czechoslovak State Day Creation of Czechoslovakia in 1918 after the dissolution of Austria-Hungary Our first president – Tomáš Garigue Masaryk

17th November Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day Commemorating the student demonstration against Nazi occupation in 1939, and the demonstration in 1989 that started the Velvet Revolution

24th December Christmas Eve It is the day we give each other some presnts It is usually connected with a Christmas Eve dinner – it is often a potato salad with fried fish or wine sausage Baby Jesus brings us those presents (beautiful lie told to children to not misbehave), we sing carrols at the christmas tree, wchich is decorated Some people are fasting whole day to see the golden pig in the evening or we cut some apples to see a star inside or we make little nutt boats with candles inside and we float them in a sink

25th December Christmas Day The day of the birth of Jesus Christ For atheists it usually means just visiting relatives

26th December St. Stephen's Day ("The Second Christmas Day") St. Stephen was on of the first martyrs In Czech republic boys used to be given a braided circle pie from girls decorated with ribbons, nuts and rosemary