It’s the most wonderful time of the year and for those celebrating Christmas in the Czech Republic, typical traditions and superstitions come to light.

Christmas eve day is mostly celebrated in the Czech Republic. The day usually begins with the TV turning on as soon as the family wakes up to enjoy the fairy tales being played all day long by local channels.

Then you are challenged to fast all day until Christmas dinner is served, to see who the “golden piglet” at the end of the day will be. Czech’s Christmas dinner is served just after sunset and consists of nine courses including carp, potato salad, bread with honey, fish soup, fruit, and for dessert an apple strudel, or Christmas bread. A famous Czech superstition is that if you carry one scale from the carp in your wallet, you will become rich in the coming year.

For Czechs, Christmas is the perfect time to foretell the future. One superstition says that girls are supposed to throw a shoe over her shoulder at Christmas. If the tip points towards the door, the girl will be married within a year. Another way to foretell the future, is to cut an apple in half. All you need to do is cut an apple lengthwise and, in the middle, you will see a symbol. If you see a star, you will be healthy next year!

After dinner, it’s time for everyone to gather around the Christmas tree to open presents. In Czech Republic, it is baby Jesus who delivers the presents to children on Christmas Eve while they’re still eating dinner.

There you have a little insight into how Christmas is celebrated in Czech Republic, with just some of their intriguing superstitions and traditions.

Veselé Vánoce! (Merry Christmas!)