• Home
  • Our Shop
  • About Us
    • About MKB
    • Our Shop
    • MKB Board
    • Editorial Board and MKB Administrators
    • Our Contributors
    • For Bloggers: Join MKB
    • Books and Products from Our Members
    • Cultural Resources
    • Contact Us
  • Product Promotion Services
  • Blog Hops & Series
    • Holidays Around the World
      • Martin Luther King Day
      • Chinese New Year
      • Purim
      • Passover
      • Easter Around the World
      • Ramadan
      • Hajj (Eid al Adha)
      • Rosh Hashanah
      • Day of the Dead
      • Diwali
      • Hanukkah
      • Christmas in Different Lands
    • Heritage Months
      • Black History Month
      • Women’s History Month
      • Asian-Pacific Islander Heritage Month
      • Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Month
      • Hispanic Heritage Month
      • Native American Heritage Month
    • Blogging Carnivals
    • Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop
    • Global Learning for Kids
  • Resources for Raising Global Citizens
  • Privacy Policy

Multicultural Kid Blogs

For families and educators raising world citizens, through arts, activities, crafts, food, language, and love.

A Very Czech Republic Christmas

December 22, 2014 by Ryan Cole

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather
A church in a small village in South Bohemia
A church in a small village in South Bohemia

The kitchen timer softly chimed, its numbers half worn away by years of use. Two bubbling pots now playing the lead in the chorus of Christmas dinner sounds. A red and white dish towel lay spread under the window covered by dozens of small gingerbread angels, fish, stars and moons. This latest batch will soon join the Vanilkové rohlíčky (vanilla rolls), Linecké cukroví (Linzer cookies) and Išelské dortíčky (Išel’s tarts) in the shoe box on the dining table. Cookies we’ll be eating for the next two months.

The smells in the house are undeniably festive. Děda (grandpa) is bringing up more coal from the basement to refill the heater in the living room, while I prepare alternative heating measures with a round of plum brandy. There’s a Carp swimming in the bathtub. This is Christmas in the Czech Republic. Soon we’ll be gathering around the Christmas tree to sing along with a cassette of Czech Christmas hymns. When we’re done singing, the tape will be rewound, ready for next year. It hasn’t left the tape player in twelve years.

Obora Hvezda, a nature reserve near Prague
Obora Hvezda under a blanket of new snow

Most people get their tree from a tree vendor in the city. The scene is pretty much what you would find in any western country. However we get ours from the woodsmen that manage the forest in Divoka Sarka, a big nature park near our house. At the end of bumpy dirt road a booted and heavily bearded fellow with a red nose and a big axe points out the trees they have on offer. Czech Christmas Trees are shorter than their American cousins. We take one of the bigger ones, and it still barely matches my 5 feet and 8 inches. Back at home we decorate the tree with the mishmash of ornaments we’ve amassed over the years. Among them are traditional woven straw stars and angels, hand-blown glass balls that were produced in the communist era, and other decorations purchased in Prague’s famous Christmas markets. My older son Oliver gets the honor of donning the tree topping star.

Ad-hoc Hockey games in Liboc, near Prague
Ad-hoc hockey games form on the frozen lake near our house. Kids learn to skate just after learning to walk.

Dinner on Christmas Eve is simple and wonderful. Fried Carp with potato salad, preceded by fish soup and some type of tasty liquor. There’s a coin under each plate to bring luck in the coming year, as well as a scale from the visiting Carp for each wallet. It’s festive and memorable for everyone. Except perhaps the Carp.

Christmas Carp in a bathtub
2 Carp patiently awaiting Christmas dinner.

A week or so before Christmas the fish mongers from South Bohemia come to every town, filling giant vats of water with their most prized fish. Queues of eager shoppers line up to purchase their traditional dinner. In earlier days most would take the fish home alive in a large plastic bag where they would keep it in the bathtub for a few days. The fresh water in the bath cleansing the fish, and the fish entertaining the kids. Then a day or two before Christmas Eve, a mallet and an hour or so of gutting and cleaning transform the would-be pet into a memorable dinner. However now fewer people are willing to undertake the mallet routine themselves, so the fish mongers offer to do the deed for a small additional fee. A modern twist on the traditions.

Many Czechs go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve, despite that fact that the Czech Republic is one of the least religious countries in the world. Even though most people are atheists, the church remains deeply woven into the culture. Christmas today is much like Christmas a hundred years ago. Of course now there’s more shopping, but the traditions live on.

 

About the Author

Ryan Cole of Little Lexicon

 

Ryan Cole is the father to two Czech American boys who are growing up in Prague. He is also the creator of Little Lexicon, an online phrasebook for bilingual toddlers.

 

 

 

Facebooktwitterredditpinterestlinkedinmailby feather
The following two tabs change content below.
  • Bio
  • Latest Posts

Ryan Cole

I'm father to two Czech American boys who are growing up in Prague. I'm also the creator of Little Lexicon, an online phrasebook for bilingual toddlers.

Latest posts by Ryan Cole (see all)

  • A Very Czech Republic Christmas - December 22, 2014

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays Around the World Tagged With: Christmas around the world, czech christmas, fish in a bathtub, traditions

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Comments

  1. Marie-Claude Leroux says

    December 22, 2014 at 5:39 am

    Thank you for sharing these traditions – a carp in the tub is certainly memorable!

  2. JaniceCole says

    December 22, 2014 at 11:07 pm

    Wonderful rich traditions, very important in the life of a family! I’m a lucky grandma of those two Czech American boys. See you soon!

  3. Audrey says

    December 27, 2014 at 2:19 pm

    Loved learning a few traditions from my family’s heritage!

Follow Us!

Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on Google+Follow Us on TwitterFollow Us on PinterestFollow Us on RSSFollow Us on Instagram

Anti-Bullying Resource FREE Download

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Grab Our Button!

grab button for Multicultural Kid Blogs
<div class="multicultural-kid-blogs-button" style="width: 200px; margin: 0 auto;"> <a href="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/" rel="nofollow"> <img src="https://multiculturalkidblogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/button-take-3.jpg" alt="Multicultural Kid Blogs" width="200" height="200" /> </a> </div>
Multicultural Children's Book Day Co-Host

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT