Czech celebrations and holidays

St. Nicholas, Angel and devils On the eve of 5th December, you will meet a strange trio -Nicholas, the Angel and the Devil All three characters walk the streets, stopping children and asking them if they were good in the past year. Children are often terrified of the the Čert because bad kids would be put into his sack and taken to hell. After singing a song or reciting poem to the trio, they are rewarded with sweets handed out by the Angel.

Christmas Celebrated in the evening of 24th of December The gifts are brought by Ježíšek Traditional dinner: fish soup, fried carp or chicken, potato salad Christmas cookies- the tradition says you should have at least 7 types Legend- fast all day and you will see the golden pig A lot of people attend the traditional Midnight mass

The Christmas dinner

Traditional Christmas cookies

Carols Traditionally sung by children and adults during the whole of advent

Masopust The date varies anywhere between the start of the new year and the start of the 40 day fast before Easter Everyone wears a mask Everyone joins the parade and goes from house to house, where men recive a shot of “pálenka”(traditional czech homemade alcohol) and women recieve a doughnut Every parade has to include these outfits – a bride and groom, a bear and a horse

Easter Traditional Easter egg painting Traditional baking (mazanec, beránek, nádivka) On Easter Monday the men should go and beat the women with a “pomlázka” so they stay healthy and beautiful for the whole year and as a thank you they recieve a painted egg and a shot of alcohol In some villages the women are thrown into water instead of being beaten The men should also sing a traditional Easter carol before recieving their painted egg

Pomlázka

Traditional food Mazanec Beránek

Painted eggs

Čarodějnice Celebrated on the night of 30th April Čarodějnice = witches People believed the witches are stronger than usual on that night so they made big fires on hills to scare them away

Dušičky Celebrated on 1st and 2nd November 1st of November - Day of all the saints 2nd November - Remembering the deceased You should visit the graves of ancestors and loved ones and light a candle for them, the graves should be decorated with flowers