How to celebrate Czech style Christmas
Christmas in Czechoslovakia is celebrated in a very traditional manner and the preparations for this grand event begin more than a month in advance.
Czechs begin preparing for Christmas around mid November as this is the time when they want to spend the money that they have saved the year round. From having an even number of place settings for the Christmas Eve dinner to not sitting with the back to the main door, Christmas in Czechoslovakia is steeped in culture and superstitions that abound and come to the fore during this time. Here are some pointers to celebrating Christmas, Czech style.
A few suggestions
- Begin preparing for the Christmas holidays with a good house-cleaning. Clean the whole house from top to bottom, washing carpets, polishing furniture and vacuuming each nook and cranny of the house.
- Next, tell the children to write their letters to Jezisek (Baby Jesus) and include what they want for Christmas in the letter. Then start buying your gifts and hide them in cupboards or other hiding places so that they remain a surprise till Christmas Eve.
- Prepare Vanoka , the traditional Christmas loaves during the first week of December along with other Christmas sweets like Linzer cookies and Vanilla roll. Vanoka is indispensable to Czech Christmas, so if you find that you cannot bake it; make sure to buy some from a store that stocks it.
- Begin celebrating the holiday season from the 1st of December, Advent day. Also take a breather to celebrate Mikulas (St. Nicholas Day), celebrated on the eve of the day on 5th of December.
- Make a list of all your friends and relatives and remember to send out Christmas greetings for them. Take care to ensure that the cards feature the Czech artist Josef Lada.
- Next, get a Christmas tree and though artificial trees are making an appearance get a natural tree if you want to remain true to the spirit of Christmas.
- On Christmas Eve, invite all your family and friends to a Christmas dinner and enjoy the festival and the fruits of your labor with a feast fit for kings.
Do’s
- Foretell the future through walnut shells, apples and by pouring lead in cold water.
Don’ts
- Don’t let the intricacies of the festival scare you, let your hair down and enjoy yourself.