Easter in the Czech Republic is an important feast for everybody and is linked not only with Christian ideas, but also with interesting folk traditions. Christian Easter lasts for one week, called Holy Week. It ends on Easter Sunday, the most important day of the week, because on that day Jesus returned to life.

Monday is the most important day here in the Czech Republic. Our folk traditions and customs are mostly of pagan origin and celebrate a new start of life in nature.

The following information about Easter, will maybe seem to you strange, because it is different from your Easter.

Before Easter, boys have to prepare plaited willow canes decorated with ribbons. Girls have to colour, decorate or paint eggs. On Monday morning, boys with their canes go from house to house, chase girls and whip them saying traditional rhymes and asking for Easter eggs. The girls try to hide and pretend to run away but all have a lot of fun together. Sometimes they also pour water on each other. The boys collect their rewards (eggs, sweets, chocolate etc). Small children are given chocolate eggs and small presents from the Easter Bunny.

But don't think, that this tradition is just for children. The adult enjoy it too. The reward for men is usualy a shot (of alcohol). On easter you can see many funny drunk men in the streets.

Let's speak about traditional meal.

At Easter, people eat many traditional meals: a special mixture of smoked meat, eggs, sweet cakes called "mazanec" with a cross on the top, small plain cakes called "Jidáše" and a sweet cake in a shape of a lamb called "beránek".

And don't forget to notice, that all the houses and flats are cleaned and decorated. In each house you can see colourful eggs and grass in flowerpot.

Christmas is one of those holidays that most czech people look forward to Christmas as in other countries.

About a month before Christmas holidays Christmas decorations start appearing in the shops. Green, gold and silver decorations awaken the holiday spirit in us. Christmas is said to be a holiday of peace and calm. At this time we think more about other people and look for presents for them, which we hope they will like.

Advent begins four weeks before Christmas Eve. Others prepare special Christmas sweets - the most typical are vanilla rolls, ginger bread and sweets with nuts, almonds, coconut, raisins and chocolate, and of course Christmas cake. On Saturdays and Sundays we like to go to Christmas market and drink there mulled ( hot whine with cinnamon) The third Sunday before Christmas is called Bronze Sunday, the second one Silver Sunday and the last Sunday before December 24th is Gold Sunday.

On December 6th we celebrate St. Nicholas Day. Many people look forward to this day but some children are afraid of it. That is because the nice St. Nicholas is accompanied by an angel as well as a devil. The children must say whether they have been good the whole year. Then they sing a song or recite a poem. If the children had not been good, the devil rattles with his chains. Good children get a bag or a sock full of sweets, bad children get only coal and potatoes.

Tne week before Christmas, everybody looking for christmas tree - we can choose from a pine, spruce or fir. We usually decorate a christams tree in the morning on December 24th - Christmas Eve.

In this day we meet with family members, wish healthy and love and all day are in television many fairy tale for children, but the adults like it too.

For Christmas we also have a typical meal. For Christmas dinner, we eat fish soup, fried carp with potato salad and sweets. After dinner daddy lights candles on the Christmas tree and rings a little bell. Then we unwrap the presents, listen to or sing Christmas carols and do some old customs. We can pour lead, cut off apples and send walnut shells on the water in order to know about our future. At midnight both believers and unbelievers go to the midnight mass at the nearest church.

NAMEDAY

The birthday you all know very well, in our country it is quite same like in others countries. What you don't know is the fact, that we also celebrate nameday, We celebrate our birthday on the day we were born on and the name day on the day when there is our first name in the calendar. We invite our relatives and friends to a party or eat some food like sandwiches, salda, sweet, ice cream etc. The guests usually bring flowers and some really small presents for us.

May First, the Time of Love

Whole world know, what is Valentine's day, but in the Czech Rebublic we prefer to celebrate the time of love on May 1st. The couples go out to find a cherry trees in bloom. Under the tree they kiss.

For those, who live in Prague, is the best option to go to Prague's Petřín Park where they lay flowers and spend a few moments. The park is a particularly romantic place in May when its cherry trees are in bloom.

In this day a couples gather at the statue of Karel Hynek Mácha, the Czech Romantic "poet of love. He became a symbol of this day.

Karel Hynek Mácha (1810 - 1836) was a great Czech Romantic poet and author of the epic poem Máj (May). The poem, written in a remarkably beautiful style, tells about the tragic love of two young people and has become a poetic masterpiece of the Czech Romantic period and Czech literature in general.

The Burning of the Witches, April 30

On the evening of April 30th, Czechs gather to build a bonfire and prepare an effigy of the witch that kept winter around so long. This czech people do becouse they believe, tha the power of witches would weaken as the weather got warmer. When the witch is burnt, the people start to roast sausages and sing their favorite songs accompanied by guitars.