TRADITIONAL CZECH HOLIDAYS AND CELEBRATIONS

gift = another word for a present

-What / Which traditions do you keep at home?
-Talk about your favourite holiday. Why do you like it?
In the Czech Republic Christmas and Easter are the biggest, the most popular holidays.
In the evening of the 5th of December we celebrate = Saint Nicholas Day.[´nik l s] = Mikuláš
Children get sweets from a person who is dressed like St. Nicholas [´nik l s] and who is often
accompanied [ ´kamp nid] = je doprovázen / by a devil[´devl]= čert / and by an angel[´eindžl]=
anděl.
Children wear angel and devil costumes and walk around / walk through their town.
-How do people in our country celebrate Christmas? What customs do they keep?
Every year we look forward to = se těšíme na / Christmas. Christmas is one of the most important
festivals of the year. Christmas is a Christian[´krisčj n]= křesťanský /festival = svátek / to celebrate
the birth [b :0] of Jesus Christ.[dži:z skraist] = narození Ježíše Krista.
In our country we celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December in honour [on ] = na počest / of the
birth [b :0] of Jesus Christ.[dži:z skraist] = narození Ježíše Krista.
Christmas Eve is a magical time. = magické, kouzelné
In our country we start to prepare for Christmas 4 weeks before Christmas Eve, before the 24th of
December. This period of time is called Advent. [édv nt]= it is the festive = slavnostní, sváteční /
special time.
Many people make or buy an Advent wreath [ri:0] = věnec /with 4 candles, one for each Sunday of
Advent. On each of the 4 Sundays during Advent people light up = zapalují /a new candle on the
Advent wreath.On Christmas Sunday all candles are lighted. = jsou zapáleny všechny svíčky /
That wreath[ri:0] = věnec / people also hang on the door. During the preparation for Christmas there
is a nice festive[´festiv] = sváteční /atmosphere[´étm sfi ]. People send Christmas cards to their
relatives and friends. People decorate their flats or houses, they put lights outside a few weeks before
Christmas. During Advent we can see in the squares Christmas markets. We can see people in the
squares eating grilled sausages and drinking hot wine. There is a huge Christmas tree in the square
in our town in Pilsen.
Children have a special calendar[´kélind ®]which is called a “Christmas Calendar”.It is usually
made of paper and it has got twenty four windows. Every day, children open a window to find a
picture or a piece of chocolate.
Traditionally during Advent [édv nt] women are very busy. Housewives start baking Christmas
sweets / cookies and Christmas cake = vánočku / and they clean their houses. The houses / flats are
filled with the smell of warm Christmas sweets / cookies. One kind of sweets, gingerbread tastes
[teists] = chutná, má chuť / much better when it is baked 1 month before Christmas. Gingerbread is
decorated with white icing.[aisin ] = cukrová poleva, glazura / It´s a thin[0in]= tenký, hubený /
brown biscuit with icing [aisin ] = cukrová poleva, glazura. It is made in different shapes, eaten at
Christmas or it is hung on a Christmas tree. In every family there are many kinds of home-made
Christmas sweets.
-Is it common for women to bake Christmas sweets / cookies in your country?
-Can you bake Christmas sweets? Do you bake Christmas sweets / cookies in your family or do
you buy them? I have to help a lot at home before Christmas. For example I do cleaning = uklízím /
before Christmas, I help to bake Christmas sweets / cookies.
-Talk about how your family celebrates Christmas (describe Christmas Eve with your family
from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep).
-How do people in the Czech Republic keep traditions and customs on Christmas Eve? A lot of
people buy Christmas tree but many people have their Christmas trees which are made of plastic.
[´pléstik] = jsoucí z plastu, plastové, umělé / Some people are religious = věřící, / so they usually go
to a church service = bohoslužba. / Many people who don´t regularly attend a church,
so they go to a midnight mass[més] = půlnoční mše.
-How do people decorate the tree? The whole family decorate the tree with Christmas chains
[čeins]= řetězy /candles[´kéndls]= svíčky, /which burn to produce light / with coloured electric
lights, rockets [rokits] = prskavky, / chocolates and Christmas glass or straw[stro:] = slaměné /
decorations. People hang up [hén ´ap] = zavěšují / the decorations on Christmas tree.
What do people put on the top of Christmas tree? They put star on the top of Christmas tree.
-When does Christmas start?
Christmas starts on Christmas Eve = on the 24th of December. The most important day of Christmas
is Christmas Eve, which is on the 24th of December. It’s an old Czech tradition = stará tradice / that
people shouldn’t eat anything all the day until the dinner comes. Because if people eat before
Christmas dinner, they won’t see the Golden pig. As a reward [ri´wo:d]= za odměnu / they will see
the Golden pig in the evening. Or at least people should avoid eating meat.
During waiting for the evening, for Christmas dinner, people watch TV because there are many fairy
tales[´fe riteils] = pohádky /on TV – for example “Cinderella”[sind ´rel ] = Popelka. It is about
a girl who lives a hard life with her bad / evil [´i:vl] = zlá / stepmother. = macecha, nevlastní matka
She falls in love with a prince [prins] = princ / and lives happily for ever. / or Russian fairy tale
“Frost“ (or “Little Frost“).
“The madly [´médli] = šíleně / sad princess” [prin´ses] = Šíleně smutná princezna / or
”The princess with a golden star on her forehead” [fo:hed] = čelo
-Who brings Christmas presents in ČR? - Who do children in our country believe in?
Children believe in Father Christmas.
Children believe that Father Christmas = Ježíšek / brings Christmas presents and he puts them under
the Christmas tree. Before Christmas some children write a Christmas wish list = seznam přání / and
send it to Father Christmas and tell him everything they would like for Christmas.
-Describe Christmas Eve with your parents, with your family from the time you wake up
to the time you go to sleep.
-How old were you when you learned it wasn´t Father Christmas bringing Christmas
presents? - How did you feel about it then?
Christmas dinner starts around 6.00 p.m. At about 6 o’clock in the evening a lot of families have
Christmas dinner. Our grandmother always spends Christmas with us. After Christmas dinner
a little bell rings = zazvoní zvoneček / and everybody hurries into the living room where the
Christmas tree stands. There are presents = wrapped [´répt] parcels under the Christmas tree.
-Do you like getting presents?
My Mum plays a CD with Christmas carols = the traditional songs, often religious that people sing at
Christmas. Children and people unwrap[an´rép]= rozbalují / their presents around the tree = open
their parcels, they listen to Christmas carols, talk and watch TV and they all are happy. The most
popular Christmas carol is “Silent Night“.
[´sail nt] = „Tichá noc“
-What do people in our country eat for Christmas dinner? The traditional meal is fish soup, /or
lentil soup [lentil] = čočková polévka / fried carp [frajdka:p] = smažený kapr / with potato salad.[sél
d] / People believe that eating lentils in the New Year will make them rich. = přinese jim bohatství
In some families people have wiener schnitzel [wi:n šnitsl]= vídeňský řízek / instead of carp. As a
dessert [di´z :t] we have home made = doma udělané /Christmas sweets and apple strudel.
[´stru:dl] /In every family there are many kinds of home made Christmas sweets. There are a lot of
Christmas sweets on the table as well as = také, rovněž / fruits: like for example: oranges, tangerines,
bananas, apples, etc. After Christmas dinner we also eat open sandwiches. = obložené chlebíčky
December 25th and 26th are 2 other Christmas holidays.
On Christmas Day = on the 25th of December many families in our country prepare roast duck [dak]
= pečená kachna /or goose [gu:s]= husa /with stuffing[´stafin ] = nádivka /and with dumplings and
sauerkraut.[´sau kraut] = kyselé zelí
-What / Which traditions and customs do you keep at Christmas? Tell me about it.
For example we buy mistletoe[´misltou] = jmelí, / which is the symbol[´simbl] of Christmas. It´s a
plant with white berries [´beris] = bobule / which is traditionally used as a Christmas decoration.
We hang it on the chandelier [šénd ´li ®] = lustr / above the table where we have our Christmas
dinner. The tradition is if someone stands under mistletoe[´misltou] = jmelí, the custom = zvyk /
is for someone else to kiss him/her.
Or we keep = uchováváme si v peněžence a scale [skeil]= šupinu /of the carp in our wallets [´wolits]
= pěněženky / and we believe according to the custom[kast m] = podle zvyku věříme / that we will
have a lot of money in New year or that we will be richer in the following year.
Or cutting apples. We have apples as a symbol of health. On Christmas Eve we cut apples across. =
přeřízneme
A regular star means good luck and health in New year while a cross means death. Or lighting
candles = zapalování svíček / in walnut [wo:lnat] shells.[šels] = skořápky z ořechů
Going to a midnight mass[més] is another Christmas tradition. Some people keep a tradition of going
to church later in the evening for midnight mass.[més] = půlnoční mše, bohoslužba
Then on the following day we usually visit our relatives and friends.
Hanging the washing= věšet prádlo /on the 24th of December or on the 31st December or leaving the
table during the Christmas dinner brings bad luck. = přináší smůlu
People believe that eating lentils in the New Year will make them rich.= přinese jim bohatství
-Do you believe in any Christmas superstitions? [su:p ´stiš ns] = pověry
-Are traditions still kept or are they disappearing in our country? I think traditions are still kept
especially in the countryside. I think it is important to keep / to remember traditions because they are
part of our culture. But now it is a commercial time which is only interested in money and profit.
[´profit] = zisk, výdělek
One week after Christmas = on the 31st of December people celebrate the New Year’s Eve. In our
country we call it “Silvester“.We celebrate the beginning of the New Year, the comming of the New
Year on the 31-st of December at midnight. At midnight people drink champagne [šém´pein]=
šampaňské, sekt /and welcome the new year and watch fireworks all around. = všude kolem / People
are singing, dancing, kissing old friends. There is a custom = zvyk / of making noise to welcome
the New Year.
People are staying up all night and then sleeping the whole next day. Many people make New Year’s
resolutions = novoroční předsevzetí /and they promise[´promis]= slibují si / themselves to give up
bad habits = aby se zbavili špatných návyků / in the following year.
-Do you have any New Year´s resolutions? What is it? / What are they? Would you like to
change anything?
The 1st of January is called New Year’s Day. = Nový rok / This day also means the beginning of the
Czech Republic = the independent Czech state. The Czech Republic started to exist on the 1-st of
January, 1993 after the separation of Czechoslovakia into = rozdělení na /2 states = the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic.
- What is your favourite custom at Christmas?
cutting apples, singing Christmas carols, mistletoe = jmelí
On the 6th of January = is the end of Christmas season. It is called Three Kings´Day = svátek Tří
králů / is The Day of Melchior [´mélkio:®], Balthazar [´bal0 za:(r)] and Gaspar [gé´spa:®].

-What traditions connected with Easter do you know? –Try to describe the main Czech Easter
traditions:
Easter: is the second most important Christian holiday[´krisčj n]= křesťanský svátek. It’s a spring
holiday. It is the beginning of spring. Easter is a time to celebrate a new beginning and everything is
coming alive [ ´laiv] = všechno ožívá / again.
The date of Easter is different every year. It is celebrated in late March = na konci března / or in
April = v dubnu. We celebrate Easter in early spring = na začátku jara / on the Sunday and Monday
after the first full moon in spring.= po prvním jarním úplňku / Easter =it´s a time of eggs and
daffodils[´déf dils]= narcisky. Daffodil [´déf dil]= narciska / is a tall yellow flower, it grows in
spring, it´s a typical spring flower. Yellow colour is a very popular colour of many spring flowers.
On Easter Sunday many people go to a church. In the Czech Republic and the UK Good Friday and
Easter Monday are public holidays with no school or work. On Easter Monday men and boys walk
from house to house = they go door-to-door = od domu k domu / from early morning until noon and
they whip [wip]= šlehají, švihají /girls and women on their bottoms [´bot ms]= zadky, zadnice /
with whips [wips] = pomlázky / so that they will stay healthy and beautiful for the rest of the
following year. In return = na oplátku / girls and women give them coloured and decorated eggs,
hand-painted eggs or money, or a drink.
In some parts of our country people decorate Easter eggs with straw [stro:] = sláma / or people
decorate eggs with bee´s wax [wéks]= včelí vosk / or people colour Easter eggs with onion [anj n]
peels.[pi:ls] = slupky z cibule.
The egg is a symbol of new life and spring. At Easter children get a lot of chocolate sweets,
chocolate eggs, rabbits and other sweet things. Sometimes they have to look for the eggs at home, in
the house or in the garden. Children sometimes paint eggs as decorations. They are called decorated
eggs = kraslice. Easter is connected with flowers and young animals, especially with rabbits, chicks
and lambs[léms] = jehňátka, beránci. / We can see them on Easter cards and on chocolate eggs.
-What food is typical for Easter? As a symbol of new life people eat Easter cakes = lamb-shaped
cakes = beránky in the form of a lamb. The Easter cake which is called “mazanec” = it’s a pastry
[´peistri] = těsto, pečivo / loaf [louf] = bochník, pecen / with raisins [´reiz ns] = rozinky / and
almonds. [´a:m nds] = mandle. It is the Easter hot cross bun [ban] = bochánek.
At Easter in our country people also prepare smoked meat [smoukt] = uzené maso / and bacon and
meatloaf [´mi:tlouf]= sekaná, velikonoční nádivka / which contain [k n´tein]= obsahuje / meat,
eggs and spring herbs [h :bz] = bylinky.
-Are you going anywhere for your Easter holidays?
-What national holidays do you know in the Czech Republic?
The 1st of January – it is called New Year’s Day
The 1st of May – May Day, International Workers´ Day = Labour Day [´leib dei] = Svátek práce.
It is also celebrated in many other countries.
The 8th of May – this day celebrates the end of the Second World War (WWII) = Liberation Day
liberation [lib ´reiš n] = osvobození
The 5th of July – The Day of Cyril[si´ril] and Methodius [´mé0 di s], who brought Christianity
[kristi´éniti] = křesťanství / to Great Moravia in the 9th century. They came from Byzantia [bi
´zéntija] to Great Moravia to spread [spred] = šířit / Christianity. [kristi´éniti] = křesťanství
On the 6th of July – is celebrated Jan Hus Day. We remember the Czech religious reformer
[ri´lidž sri´fo:m ®] = náboženský reformátor / who was burned [b :nd] = upálený / to death in
Kostnice in 1415.
On the 28th of September is celebrated St.Wenceslas Day, the day when the whole nation
remembers the main [mein] = hlavní / patron [´peitr n]= patron, ochránce / of the Czech state –
St.Wenceslas. St.Wenceslas is the saint patron of the Czech Republic. It is the day when St.
Wenceslas was murdered [´m :d d] = zavražděn.
One month later = on the 28th of October – on this day it is celebrated Independent Czechoslovak
State Day. Czechoslovakia became independent [indi´pend nt] = nezávislá, samostatná / in 1918.
Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. Until that time the Czech and Slovak countries were the part of
the Austro-Hungarian Empire.[o:strou´han ge ri n´empai ®]= Rakousko-Uherská monarchie.
The 1-st president was Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk. [toma:sga:rigmasa:rik]
The 17th of November – In 1989 was the Velvet Revolutin [´velvitrev lu:š n] = Sametová
revoluce / as a student demonstration [dem n´streiš n] against[ ´geinst] = proti / the communist
regime.[´komjunist´reiži:m]
The 2-nd of November – This day is for our ancestors. [´énsest ®z] = předci / This day
commemorates [k ´mem reit] = připomíná / family members who died. We go to the cemetery to
place flowers and candles on their graves.[greivz] = hroby