We’ve talked about the advent traditions, the traditional Czech Christmas food and about how the Czech celebrate the most important day of Christmas. What’s left is to tell you what happens during the last days of Czech Christmas.
Table of Contents
Family meetings
December 25 and 26 are holidays in Czech Republic. And since many families celebrate December 24 just in their inner circle, the next two days are usually reserved for larger family gatherings.
Don’t Make the Bed and Don’t Hang Laundry
You’re not supposed to make the bed or hang the laundry on December 25 because it brings bad luck.
Czech Christmas Mass
On December 25 and 26 you can experience a beautiful event in many places of the country. Musicians come together and perform publicly the Czech Christmas Mass by Jakub Jan Ryba. Amateur choirs participate as the chorus and sometimes the public joins as well as the mass is very popular among people.
Burning incense cones and spices
There’s a very strange yet pleasant scent that the Czech households have at the turn of the old and the new year. People believe that at the end of the year one must smoke out all the bad things. For that they use special incense cones called františek and a mixture of spices, herbs, wooden fillings and resin called purpura.
New Year
The Czechs celebrate the transition from the old into the new year in a similar way like many. January 1 is a holiday. Many people decide to take New Year’s resolutions and there’s a Czech proverb that says “Jak na Nový rok, tak po celý rok”. It means that whatever you do on New year (that is the name of the holiday on January 1), you will do all year long.
The traditional lunch or dinner on the first day of the year should contain lentils. They are the symbol of wealth for the upcoming year.
To read more about the traditional and contemporary ways to celebrate New Year in the Czech republic, continue to Czech New Year Celebrations.
Three kings
On January 6 the Czech celebrate the Day of the Three Kings (Tři králové) in honor of the kings (Wise Men, Magi) from the Orient who brought presents to baby Jesus. Groups of three dress usually in white robes and paper crowns, one paints their face black. They go around wishing people happy and properous new year. They write the letters K + M + B and the year at the door with a piece of chalk. Many people think that letters stand for the kings’ names: K – Kašpar (Caspar), M – Melichar (Melchior), B – Baltazar (Balthazar). However, they actually stand for Christus mansionem benedicat, a wish for the Christ to bless the home.
Browse the Christmas cathegory to learn all about Czech Christmas!
