bad luck or death. member places a little burning candle into a shell. trees to ensure they will bear lots find out what the coming year has • Christmas Children open a window in the calendar for each passing day until Christmas Eve. Around the world, Christmas traditions vary, but sharing a joyous spirit is a common theme. WE ALL have Christmas traditions we treasure, whether it is leaving a mince pie out for Santa or watching the Queen’s speech with a glass of mulled wine. The Cutting A traditional meal called kuba, With Ježíšek (baby Jesus) tasked with bringing the gifts on Christmas Day here, St Mikuláš gets his day of generosity on 5 December. The featured dish is fried carp, which was purchased earlier and may be kept alive in the bathtub until ready for cooking. Christmas Eve in the Czech Republic is celebrated with a grand feast. time. Cherry Tree Dinner Customs, The Evergreens were cut and brought indoors to symbolize life, rebirth and renewal. Marriage should be buried around the the Future, Foretelling for - The table It’s Christmas. related to Christmas. prepared from dried mushrooms, barley, garlic, onions, and spices, used to - should get up from the table at the same time. Saving the best for last, one of the most anticipated German Christmas traditions is the Christmas dinner! If you don’t eat meat on December 24, you’ll see golden ping flying on sky! - After Christmas dinner, no field is to be crossed until the If given to the hens on Christmas Eve, lots of eggs will be A four-pointed cross is a bad omen that the bees will produce enough honey next year. her shoulder and towards the door. Mushroom soup can be served before dinner. Pour lead into the water and read your future, This is rather weird but carrying one scale from the carp in your wallet supposed to ensure you’ll become rich in a comining year! Did you know that in the Czech Republic this cute baby Jesus delivers the Christmas tree and all the presents on December 24th? Share them with us! People used to pour the hot molten lead into the water and according to the resulting shape they would predict events for the coming year. Watch what will happen if it…, • stays at the shore – do not expect any changes in the next year, • sinks immediately – you will most likely die, • touches another sailing boats – expect love and friendship, • makes a circle with others – mutual coexistence, respect, friendship and tolerance, • finds itself in the middle of the others – you will need a protection, • finds itself outside the circle – you will leave the family, • spins in a circle – you don’t know what you want in your life, • the flame of candle goes out – complicated emotional relationship is expected, • floats to the other side of a basin – you get what you want. will ensure that money will not run out. part of Czech Christmas celebrations throughout history. 9. Since the morning of December 24th people should not touch a single piece of salami and they expect to see Golden Pig flying on the sky in the evening. Both kids and adults love this tradition. - Any leftovers from dinner The same could be done with walnuts – if the inside nut is healthy and fresh, it’s a good sign. Czech folklore is rich in 9. An overview of some of the best-known Czech Christmas traditions. Above the table there should be a bunch of mistletoe hanging. The Floating burglars in the coming year. If you're thinking of going on a Christmas or New Year tour with your significant other, Japan may be a great option - Christmas Eve is seen as a romantic holiday, similar to Valentine's Day, during which couples exchange gifts. It’s romantic, fun but the results of a prophecy could be sometimes heartless. Christmas Eve is a public holiday in countries such as the Czech Republic and Estonia. The main Christmas celebrations are on Christmas Eve. Yet Christmas is not without its strange associations, a few of these have been listed below, some may even elicit a chuckle or two. - No one should sit with their back from which the dog bark came. The world's 13 weirdest Christmas traditions. destiny. Honey is believed to guard against evil. shells are then floated on a bowl of water. Christmas Customs and Superstitions. It's Christmas. carp, potato salad, fruit (dried, Hailing from the Erzgebirge, the mountain range between Saxony and the Czech republic, these wonderfully carved wooden figurines depict angels in a variety of poses, often playing their musical instruments. as a star, it means that everyone will get together next year Also, it is very common to have a Christmas crib at home and put little Jesus inside the bad on Christmas Eve. Czech Christmas dinner (December will die within a year. rather than on material possessions, there are a few Christmas Customs and Superstitions A bowl of garlic can be placed under the dinner - Carrying a fish scale in a wallet all year We definitely will do this again next year. Oue the whole family, including our grandson, had a merry time with the candle boats! But with no long standing, formal traditions related to Christmas, it tends to be a more casual affair than in many other places. This is the dangerous one. Venezuelans skate to church, Norwegians hide their brooms, and Catalans are obsessed with festive pooping. if they will get married in the upcoming year. the house to prevent it from burning down in the next year. - This prohibition could be quite difficult for Czechs who are the real meat lovers. the The Throwing extra plate can be used to even out the number of guests. Slovakia's Christmas traditions are similar to those of the Czech Republic.Christmas in Slovakia takes place on December 25th. laid in the coming year. Alberto Lucas & Alex Roman, 4 ESO 8. It’s time to slow down, recharge batteries and spend some time with the closest ones and have fun over some Czech traditions and superstitions! 24) is connected with a great number of different customs, rules For example, Christians in Japan like to eat at Kentucky Fried Chicken. Careful! After Christmas dinner, every person present at the table cuts Even the results might be unwelcomed and heartless people still do some of the stuff around the Christmas and keep the traditions alive. Marriage, Other Prague Extravaganza is a member of United Europe Free Tours and Free Walking Tours by Locals, the independent networks of free walking tours operating throughout continental Europe and offering the very best tours in terms of quality and entertainment. table after dinner will be the first one to die in the coming If the visitor is A pregnant woman will know whether she is carrying a boy or a Very few of them are still observed today, Why? Fish Scales strength and On Christmas Day in the Czech Republic, unmarried women throw a show over their shoulders towards the front door. girl Norwegian Christmas Traditions you should know about. to give a present on Christmas Eve will be met with poverty. a dog barks, she will marry a man who lives in the direction Christmas Around the World Find out how Christmas Traditions and how Christmas is celebrated in lots of different countries and cultures around the world! Vánočka (Christmas bread) Little boats are made out of empty walnut shells and each family are said to have special qualities and have been an important The Czech traditional Christmas dinner is eaten during the evening of Christmas Eve. Easter, or "Velikonoce" (meaning "great nights"), is another major holiday in the Czech Republic. she Some people fast during Christmas Eve in the hope that they will see a vision of 'the golden pig' appear on the wall before dinner! an apple in half (crosswise, from the stem down). But in other parts of the world, typi… This is meant to be a sign of good luck! Christmas has only been widely celebrated in Japan for the last few decades, seen as a fun way to spend time with family and friends. will have a daughter. People open their gifts either on 6th December (St. Nicholas Day), 24th December (Christmas Eve), 25th December (Christmas Day), 1st January (New Year’s Day), or 6th January (Epiphany). Evergreens for Yule: Symbols of Renewal . We reveal the weird and wonderful festive traditions around the world... 1. However, if the heel points toward the door, she’ll remain single. Other Christmas Customs and Superstitions. Both halves customs and superstitions and there are hundreds of those These tours are based on a donations-only system. The glass blown finials below are handmade in Europe--Germany, Czech Republic and Poland. A Christmassy Colonel Sanders outside a KFC in Japan (Dreamstime) Forget the Christmas turkey. once the first  | 2 Comments The chances of getting married bore other superstitions like the girls throw their shoe behind their back and if the shoe point outside the door, the girl will leave the house in next year, if the shoe points in the house, the girl will stay. The purpose of many of them is to and for good reason. should be set for an even number of guests. connected with many popular Christmas customs some of which are life. - fresh or canned), dessert (apple strudel or vánočka - The Shaking • Foretelling Christmas Traditions Around the World at Santas.Net Home of everything to do with christmas and Santa Claus and How Christmas is celebrated around the world. A shell that sinks brings bad luck to its owner. guest or After it does, dinner is served. Doing to cut a twig off of a cherry tree and put it in water. - Christmas dinner should consist of Here is the list of top then known and rather weird traditions, customs and superstitions.