Otázka: Czech holidays
Jazyk: Angličtina
Přidal(a): Veru
We celebrate many holidays in Czech Republic. I will describe the most popular.
Easter
Before 1989, the meaning of Easter (Velikonoce – from Veliké noci or Great Nights) was limited to the welcoming of spring. Nowadays, Easter is again a serious religious holiday. This holiday is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We celebrate on Monday in April. Easter in the Czech Republic is also a fun time. Many traditions are still practiced, especially in villages, and different regions may have their own Easter traditions and customs.
Many Czech Easter symbols symbolize spring and the beginning of new life: Easter eggs (girls decorate Easter eggs to give them to boys on Easter Monday), pussywillow-pomlázka ((from pomladit or „make younger“, ),the boys prepare willow canes and on Easter Monday they go from house to house and whipp girls on the legs and pour water for her health. They get an egg, money, a drink or a ribbon. When I was young, I was decorated eggs or I just bought chocolate eggs and now I’m not at home or don´t open the door.One Easter tradition is also to bake a lamb.
The Days Before Easter Sunday: Ugly Wednesday (Škaredá středa), Green Thursday (Zelený čtvrtek), Good Friday (Velký pátek) and White Saturday (Bílá sobota)
Christmas
Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Main Christmas day here is December 24 (Christmas Eve). It is called Generous day (štědrý). Before this day, we bake some sweets. In every family we buy presents, we decorate the house with advent wreaths, candles, springs and Christmas tree with chains, balls, chocolates, stars, angles and other ornaments. Our dinner is carp with potato salad and we get our presents on Christmas Eve in the evening after Christmas dinner. Our favourite tradition is cutting apples. I love watching fairy tale stories on Tv, eating and relaxing. I’ve never seen a golden pig, because so many delicacies which I eat a lot. On the following two days people visit their family and test other kinds of sweets.
St Valentine´s Day
It is a lovers´ feast. The day on which people express their love for each other. The Holiday is on 14th February and people give presents to the people they love. I don´t like this holiday, because it is English Holiady and I think, that it is unnecessary because I profess my love for my darling every day. And when I want do his happy, I bought chocolate or small present to him and I don´t need holiday for it.
May Day
It is Czech nice holiday. In the Czech Republic, May 1st is the Day of Love. On this day you were supposed to kiss czech boys under the cherry trees.
April Fool´s Day
It´s time for jokes. It´s very popular for children.
Mother´s Day
The day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May. On Mother´s Day children give flowers, small gifts or cards to their mothers.
Všech svatých, or All Saints Day
On All Saints Day, we go to visit the cemeteries. Each grave is cleaned and put in order. We lay flowers and also light small candles that are left burning on the graves. The effect is very beautiful because of the flowers and the lights from candels .
