Listen to some Czech Christmas Carols :

* Christmas Eve in the Czech Republic is celebrated with a feast. * Christmas tree is usually decorated this day or earlier. * Baby Jesus (Ježíšek) brings children presents on Christmas Eve. * On Christmas Eve, children leave the room where the Christmas tree has been put up until they hear the tinkle of a bell (rung by parents) indicating that Baby Jesus has come with gifts.

* A traditional Christmas meal in the Czech Republic is fried carp and potato salad which are eaten during Christmas dinner in the evening of 24th December. * Many households also prepare a great variety of special Christmas cookies to offer to Christmas visitors. These are prepared many days prior to the feast and take a long time to decorate, with the remainder usually ending up on a Christmas tree as a decoration.

* Fish scales should be placed under Christmas dinner plates or under the tablecloth to bring wealth to the house. Carrying a fish scale in a wallet all year will ensure that money will not run out.

* The Floating of Walnut Shells * 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 on a bowl of water. If the shell makes it across the bowl, its owner will live a long and healthy life. A shell that sinks brings bad luck to his owner. * The Cutting of the Apple * After Christmas dinner, every person present at the table cuts an apple in half - If the core is shaped as a star, it means happiness and health.

Czech teachers and students from Most, Základní škola, Okružní 1235, Most, Czech Republic