"Vesele
Vanoch"
In
the Czech Republic Christmas celebrations begin with the visit of St. Nicholas on 6th December. On that day Czechs hold parties at which there are three important guests - an angel, a devil and St. Nicholas. The devil rattles his chain at naughty children and gives bad children a lump of coal. The Angel smiles at the good children and helps St. Nicholas to give out presents.
The famous King Wenceslas of the
carol "Good king Wenceslas" was a real King in the Czech Republic (formerly Czechoslovkia). He really was a good man who helped the poor. His jealous brother murdered him on the Church steps in Prague. Before dying, he asked for God's mercy for the brother's evil act. He is now the patron saint of the Czech Republic.For Christmas, the traditional Czech dish is carp. Carp are rather like large goldfish. Many Czechs want their carp to be as fresh as possible, so when they go to buy it they take a bucket of water and take their fish home in. They often put it in the bathtub and let the fish swim around in it until they are ready to cook it. You might have to wait until the carp is roasting in the oven before you can take your bath on Christmas Eve!
Father has the important job of putting up the Christmas tree, decorating it, putting the presents in piles underneath and lighting candles on it. When the tree is ready, the father rings a bell and the children come running to see the tree shining brightly. They open presents that the baby Jesus has left. Then the family stands around the tree singing Christmas carols. At midnight, most families go to Pasterka (Holy Mass).
