by Tanya Davis
The Czech Christmas season begins on the 6th day of December, with the feast and visit of Svaty Mikalas (St. Nicholas). The main celebrations last for three days. Czechs believe that Svaty Mikalas climbs down from heaven by means of a gold rope, accompanied by an angel and a whip-carrying devil. He brings the children gifts, and the devil is said to lash bad children. The children get apples, candies, chocolates, and nuts – and the farm animals get their favorites treats like apples and carrots. If you would like to celebrate in this style, hang the stockings on December 5 and serve a Christmas feast around 5 p.m. Tell the children they must clean their plates in order to please St. Nicholas. They go off to brush their teeth and that is when he arrives on the scene, leaving gifts under the tree which they can immediately open.Czechs believe that St. Nicholas’ visit brings good luck; his visit also symbolizes the kickoff of the holiday season, two weeks of religious and family traditions. One popular tradition that takes place around the Christmas season involves young unmarried girls. The legend says that on the 4th day of December, a young girl should place a cherry twig in water; if it blooms by Christmas Eve, the girl will marry during that year.
Interestingly, even if Americans don’t know much about Czechoslovakia, they probably know a Christmas carol about it. The Christmas carol we know as “Good King Wenceslas” is about a Czech King. He was a good, devout Christian, but because of his Christianity his brother murdered him on the church steps. Wenceslas was later crowned the patron saint of the Czech Republic.
One of the most important parts of your Czech celebration will be the nativity. Nativity scenes are made from many types of materials, which may include wood, paper, porcelain, and gingerbread. The nativity scenes in the Czech Republic are some of the most intricate the world.
Christmas wafers, oplatky (which means blessings) are common in many villages. The oplatky is baked for the entire village on December 13, the day after the Feast of St. Lucy. Everyone contributes a measure of the flour, then the wafers are blessed by the priest and sent home with each child who was sent with the flour.
Czech Christmas dinner is eaten on Christmas eve, Dec. 24 after the tree is decorated. Everyone is expected to finish dinner and clean their plate, according to the custom. Some villages use a table cloth set over clean straw; in other areas, straw is laid on the floor to represent the Chris child. A lighted candle is brought to the table by the mother and father. A festive toast is offered. The candle represents Christ, the light of the world. The mother sprinkles holy water on the table, then the father offers the wafer to his wife, then each family member. This symbolizes the giving and sharing in their lives; it is eaten while wishing one another Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Some of the honey may be used by the father to make a small cross on each family member’s forehead.
Slovak pizza is often served at the Christmas Eve dinner. It is baked with sweet cabbage or mashed potatoes on the crust, then baked, brushed with butter, and slicked in pie-shaped wedges. Other traditional foods include dried fruit, nuts, and traditional pastries filled with nuts, lekvar, or cheeses. Red wine is often served.
If you want to have a Slovak Christmas, consider serving wafers with honey as a family blessing, then a soup made of sauerkraut brine and dried mushrooms. Next offer fish, cold potatoes soaked in vinegar and sugar, and sweet bread sprinkled with poppy seed. Alternatively, you could serve Pirohy, or dough pastries filled with cabbage, sauerkraut, prunes, or potatoes with cheese. These are boiled and served hot. The order of the courses matters because it signifies life: sweet, sour, sweet. Walnuts tossed into the corners of the room will bring good luck for the year.
One extra place is set at the Christmas table; who this is for will depend on which village you’re from. Many say Christ as the traveler; others say for a dead relative or for the hungry or homeless. Whichever your reasoning, be sure to set the extra space at the table as well as gather some fish scales. Fish scales are thought to bring wealth and are often placed under Christmas dinner plates or even under the tablecloth. If you carry a fish scale in your wallet all year long in the Czech manner, you can be sure that they money you have will not run out.
At midnight, a Holy Mass called Pasterka takes place. The church is decorated with evergreens and Christmas Trees. Beautiful music is played in a special concert. The next two days are restful, spent with family and friends.
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