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.
Czech Holy Week: Grey Tuesday
There’s not much known about the traditions of the Grey Tuesday. Compared to the later days of the Holy Week Tuesday – just like the Blue Monday – is an outsider.
Czech Holy Week: Blue Monday
Holy Week is called pašijový týden or also svatý týden in Czech and it’s the last week of the 40 day fasting period. Each day of this week was given special names because of the very specific traditions. Let’s learn more about Blue Monday.
Mazanec – Czech Easter Bread (recipe and more)
Easter is nearly here and the Easter Bread is an important part of the holiday in the Czech Republic.
Masopust: Fat Thursday and Master Pronobus
Czech Masopust or Fašank starts with the so called Fat Thursday (Tučný čtvrtek) and its prominent character Master Pronobus (pán Pronobus).
St. Agata’s Day and the Fire Protection Ritual
To our ancestors, St. Agata was the one that protected them from fire. Her day was February 5 and it was the day to perform the ritual to secure protection for the upcoming year.
Vánoční kolekce – Edible Czech Christmas Tree Decoration
Almost every Czech Christmas tree is decorated with edibles, that is probably not so uncommon but have you heard of vánoční kolekce? It’s something you won’t find outside of the Czech Republic or Slovakia.
Candle in a Nutshell – Czech Christmas Tradition
Czech families place a small candle in a walnut shell for each member and let the candles float on water on the Christmas Day and Eve.