The Czech Santa makes an appearance in two ways: as Svatý Mikuláš, or St.Nicholas, and Ježíšek, or Baby Jesus. Take a look at the ways in which Czech Christmas traditions involving Santa Claus differ from those in the far west.
Winter holiday usually starts on the 23rd of December for school children and university students but it might start a few days sooner based on a weekday Christmas Day falls on each year. Adults usually work even on the 23rd but most take a day off if they can. In Czech, Christmas is called “Vánoce.”
What does the tradition look like? On the evening of December 5th, Mikulas knocks on the doors of Czech households with the devil and an angel alongside him, handing out treats to good children. The devil's work, on the other hand, is to spook and symbolically punish those children who were not kind and good.
Veselé Vánoce is the standard greeting, literally meaning 'happy Christmas'. You can also say Hezké Vánoce which means more like 'nice/beautiful Christmas', the same way you can say 'Hezký víkend' (nice weekend) when leaving work on a Friday.
He is popularly associated with a deep, hearty laugh, frequently rendered in Christmas literature as "ho, ho, ho!" This image originated in the United States during the 19th century, after Dutch settlers brought the legend of Sinterklaas ("Saint Nicholas") to 17th-century New Amsterdam (present-day New York City).
Sinterklaas (Dutch: [ˌsɪntərˈklaːs]) or Sint-Nicolaas ( Dutch: [sɪnt ˈnikoːlaːs]) is a legendary figure based on Saint Nicholas, patron saint of children.
Young children really believe that Santa Claus is real. He is one of the most important people in your life. Sinterklaas has remained a very special figure in Dutch culture also for adults.
A typical Christmas Eve dinner is fried carp with potato salad. While carp is usually breaded, each family has its own recipe for salad. Those who don't like eating carp, eat either another fish or a fried schnitzel (breaded pork or chicken meat).
In Czech Republic culture, families are warm, friendly, and welcoming. They rarely have more than two children and it's common for extended family members to live together, especially grandparents. In small towns, people live in apartment blocks but enjoy visiting their country cottages during the weekend.
Jezisek is a Christmas gift-giving figure in the Czech Republic who can be translated as Baby Jesus. Jezisek is the one who brings the presents to Czech people and it has been Jezisek for centuries.
Do you wonder what the traditional Czech Christmas cookies are? Here you will find recipes for many old-world Czechoslovakian Christmas sweets with pictures, such as Linzer Cookies (linecke cukrovi) or famous Vanilla Crescents (vanilkove rohlicky), and much more.
In the Netherlands, people start celebrating on the eve of December 24th (kerstavond), and continue the the celebrations on the 25th and the 26th of December. During Dutch Christmas people spend two days with their family, playing games, watching movies and eating some traditional Christmas food.
According to tradition, St. Nicholas (Sinterklaas in Dutch), a 4th century bishop, appears on the night of December 5-6 loaded with gifts for Dutch children, accompanied by his curious pages, the Zwarte Pieten (Black Peters).
Unlike many other countries, the Dutch celebrate not just one but two days of Christmas: Eerste Kerstdag (First Christmas Day) on December 25th and Tweede Kerstdag (Second Christmas Day) on December 26th.
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara in Asia Minor. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.
While Santa Claus was Dutch, Kris Kringle came by way of the Germans who first settled in Pennsylvania and then spread out, particularly in the late 1800s. The name Kris Kringle, though, was unrelated to Saint Nicholas.
According to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (19th edn, 2012), Father Christmas is considered to be "[a] British rather than a US name for Santa Claus, associating him specifically with Christmas.
Krampus, in central European popular legend, a half-goat, half-demon monster that punishes misbehaving children at Christmastime. He is the devilish companion of St. Nicholas. Krampus is believed to have originated in Germany, and his name derives from the German word Krampen, which means “claw.”
Historical Pride: The Czechs are proud of their history, which includes periods of great artistic and scientific achievements. Engaging in conversations about Czech history, literature, and famous personalities can be a good way to connect with locals.
It's very distinct, you tend to use "long" vowels like á and such in english, where they do not exist. As well as overpronouncing letters as in czech, whilst english has a softer tone and many silent letters.
In the Czech Republic, 47.8% of the population is irreligious (atheist, agnostic or other irreligious life stances), while 21.3% of the population are believers. The religious identity of the country has changed drastically since the first half of the 20th century, when more than 90% of Czechs were Christians.
