Merry Christmas!
The Czech Republic is not without its share of Christmas traditions. Dinner time in particular has more than a few. The meal itself is fish based. Carp. The first dish is a light fish soup with the main dish of breaded and fried fillets and potato salad on the side.
You pick it out of a bucket. If dinner is in the next day or two - kill it then. If you are way ahead of the game, feel free to take your fish home in a bucket and keep it in the bath tub for a few days. It can be a pet AND dinner. A scale from this fish is placed under each plate before Christmas dinner begins. After the meal the scale is supposed to be placed in your wallet to protect you from money woes.
There is no particular Christmas dessert. Plates of assorted cukroví (pronounced tsukrovy) are constantly available this time of year. It is a sugary minefield in any household communal space. Sugar or meringue cookies with chocolate, coconut, walnuts, jam, some sort of creamy fluff or combination there of. They are so enticing. Constantly. So much yummy sugar...
Between dinner and presents (presents are after dinner) those who have withheld from eating meat prior to dinner go on a hunt for the golden piglet. When children are little this gets them out of the house long enough for adults to set up a Christmas tree, put on the decorations, and put the presents under it. A bell is rung to call the children back in to say baby Jesus (no Santa in the Czech Republic) has come with all of their gifts.
As a bunch of old folks in this celebration the decorations had already been put up. The extent of our hunting the golden piglet was everyone taking turns firing a shotgun after dinner. It was my first shotgun usage!
Major Christmas celebrations in the Czech Republic take place on the 24th of December leaving the 25th as a time to relax with the family.
To my family- I miss you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas day!
The Czech Republic is not without its share of Christmas traditions. Dinner time in particular has more than a few. The meal itself is fish based. Carp. The first dish is a light fish soup with the main dish of breaded and fried fillets and potato salad on the side.
You don't just buy this fish at the store...
You pick it out of a bucket. If dinner is in the next day or two - kill it then. If you are way ahead of the game, feel free to take your fish home in a bucket and keep it in the bath tub for a few days. It can be a pet AND dinner. A scale from this fish is placed under each plate before Christmas dinner begins. After the meal the scale is supposed to be placed in your wallet to protect you from money woes.
There is no particular Christmas dessert. Plates of assorted cukroví (pronounced tsukrovy) are constantly available this time of year. It is a sugary minefield in any household communal space. Sugar or meringue cookies with chocolate, coconut, walnuts, jam, some sort of creamy fluff or combination there of. They are so enticing. Constantly. So much yummy sugar...
Cukroví at Tom's mother's house
Cukroví at his grandparent's house
Between dinner and presents (presents are after dinner) those who have withheld from eating meat prior to dinner go on a hunt for the golden piglet. When children are little this gets them out of the house long enough for adults to set up a Christmas tree, put on the decorations, and put the presents under it. A bell is rung to call the children back in to say baby Jesus (no Santa in the Czech Republic) has come with all of their gifts.
As a bunch of old folks in this celebration the decorations had already been put up. The extent of our hunting the golden piglet was everyone taking turns firing a shotgun after dinner. It was my first shotgun usage!
Major Christmas celebrations in the Czech Republic take place on the 24th of December leaving the 25th as a time to relax with the family.
To my family- I miss you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas day!
