How was my Christmas holiday?
Hi guys and sorry for the little time off. Oh, nearly one week without an article :O
I went to my mum's home for the holidays. And since I only have a desktop computer, it was impossible for me to work there.
I am a bit of a workaholic, so the first few days doing nothing was hard. But I quickly got used to it - used to doing nothing.
Today, the day I am writing this article, 27.12.2021, I got back to my own because I got to go to work tomorrow. To be honest I am kind of sad that Rusty totally forgot on my last two articles, but never mind.
And since many of you probably don't know how Christmas works here, in the Czech Republic, so that's what today's article is about.
Christmas in the Czech Republic
Christmas begins four Sundays before Christmas Eve. This is when Advent begins. There are advent markets in the towns, advent decorations everywhere, and every day we take a little chocolate from the advent calendar. Advent is probably the same in more parts of the world - the interesting stuff is yet to come.
Christmas Eve is 24.12. That's the day we have Christmas Eve dinner, lots of traditions and then the unwrapping of presents.
As for the dinner itself, traditionally we eat carp with potato salad. But what's interesting is that you can buy carp everywhere, there are vendors on the streets with big tanks full of carp. You just show which one you want.
Then you decide if you want it alive or dead. Put like that, it sounds pretty ugly. But if you take the carp already killed it saves you the work. But a lot of people prefer living one.
What do they do with the carp before dinner?
I'm sure you've thought of that question. They usually take him home and give him a bath. Where he is waiting in the bathtub until Christmas Eve itself. Because the carp is bought early, I think it's forbidden to work on Christmas Eve. That's why it can't be bought on the day.
It is then made into schnitzels. But people who don't eat fish or carp, in particular, are also thought of. They usually get a chicken schnitzel. Some families, like mine, eat soup before the schnitzel and potato salad, but that varies a lot from family to family.
And this is where our traditions begin. We put a carp scale under the plate for luck and money.
After Christmas Eve dinner, the bell traditionally rings and the whole family goes to the Christmas tree, where baby Jesus has already brought presents.
This is the part common to all families, so to speak. It also varies a lot in tradition. For example, we don't follow any other traditions.
Czech Christmas traditions:
Mistletoe
The kiss under the mistletoe is meant to bring the couple love for the whole year to come.
Slicing of apples
If you discover a star in the apple after cutting it open, it will bring you good luck.
Throwing the slipper
The single girls in the room throw a slipper over their heads. If the tip of the slipper points out of the door when it hits, it means that she will get married in the coming year.
Lead pouring
The lead is melted and poured into a container with water. By the resulting shape, one learns what the next year holds.
Golden Piglet
This tradition consists of fasting. According to tradition, a person will see a golden piglet if he does not eat meat during Christmas Eve until Christmas dinner.
Boats made of walnut shells
A candle is inserted into the shell and the boat is released into a container of water. The way it sails symbolizes your life's journey.
Thank you for reading! Would appreciate any tips!
You can read my other articles about the Czech Republic, crypto, and many others topics on my publish0x profile here.
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