Ash Wednesday is the first Wednesday after Masopust and it’s the first day of the Lent period. Let’s see what the Czechs used to do (and some still do) on this day.
Perníčky – Gingerbread Cookies
Perníčky, the gingerbread cookies. We all know and love them. In the Czech Republic, they are typical not only for Christmas but also Easter.
Nádivka – iconic Czech Easter dish
Nádivka is a typical Easter stuffing served in the Czech Republic at Easter. It’s also a very typical spring recipe as it makes use of all the herbs that just recently started growing.
Mazanec – Easter Bread (full recipe)
Mazanec is sweet pastry baked in the Czech Republic at Easter. This is a beginner-friendly recipe.
Czech Easter: Easter Monday
Easter Monday (Velikonoční pondělí) or also Red Monday (Červené pondělí) is the culmination of all the folk celebrations around Easter.
Czech Easter: Easter Sunday
The Easter Sunday is called Velikonoční neděle or also Boží hod velikonoční (“God’s Easter Time”). It is a time of great celebration after the long Lenten period.
Czech Holy Week: White Saturday
Bílá sobota (White Saturday) is the last day of the Lenten period and here are some of the Czech traditions connected to this day.
Czech Holy Week: Great Friday
Holy Friday or in Czech Velký pátek (Great Friday) is the peak of the Lent period. In the Czech Republic it’s a day of Christian as well as folkloric traditions.
Czech Holy Week: Green Thursday
The Holy Thursday is actually called Green Thursday or Zelený čtvrtek. And the traditions on this day are connected to food!
Czech Holy Week: Ugly Wednesday
The Wednesday of the Holy Week before Easter is called škaredá or sazometná. The first one means “ugly” while the second word would be translated as “on which the soot is swept out”.