Czech Christmas vs US Christmas

Written by Nick

Saint Nicholas Day (Mikuláš)

Mikuláš night (December 6th) sees the appearance of Saint Nicholas (Mikuláš), an angel (Anděl), and a Krampus (Čert), roaming around towards homes to judge the children. If the children have been good, the angel may gift candy to the kids; if they were naughty, the Krampus may gift coal, or even threaten to drag the child to hell.

The night before Mikuláš, Krampusnacht begins (‘Krampus Night’) where these Krampuses may go around town wearing huge costumes with scary, elaborate face masks, horns, ropes and chains, frightening both children and adults. Other festivals during this week may occur: I personally got an opportunity to see a Krampus festival/parade in Riegrovy Sady Park, where they invited a metal band to play, had a Krampus parade, followed by a fire show.

Christmas Celebrations

Unlike the United States where Christmas Day is the main day of celebration, Czechs perform their main festivities on Christmas Eve. On the Eve of Christmas, Czechs will eat a dinner primarily consisting of fish soup made of carp. During the dinner, children are told that Ježíšek – Baby Jesus rather than the American Santa Clause – will come and place gifts beneath the Christmas tree.

In the United States, the main Christmas traditions start on Christmas Day. Christmas

Eve instead is a day for being with family, eating dinner (i.e. ham, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie), and exchanging just one present per person. According to tradition, Santa Clause will visit on the night of Christmas Eve, bringing presents to place underneath the Christmas tree. Families will then wake up early in the morning to exchange gifts with each other.

Christmas Markets

While Christmas markets exist in the US, they are not quite as popular as they are in the Czech Republic. Before coming to Prague, it is possible that you may have seen pictures of Prague in the winter, with a huge Christmas tree and market in the Old Town Square, warm Christmas lights, and maybe even a light covering of snow; these pictures only scratch the surface of Czech Christmas markets. Prague is home to many of these markets – my favorite of which being Na Kampě Square – where mulled wine (Svařák), sausages, trdelník, and even potato dumplings (halušky) are served.

Christmas Trees (Vánoční Stromek)

In the United States, a Christmas tree isn’t usually decorated until after Thanksgiving Day (late November), but these decorations stay up until at least New Years. However, in Czechia, home Christmas trees are normally decorated during Christmas Eve morning, and will stay up until Three Kings’ Day (Tři králové), January 6th.

Decorations are also much more traditional and handmade in the Czech Republic than in the United States. Czech ornaments are typically of glass, wooden, and even ribbons. The United States tends to instead be much more modern and extravagant, with vibrant ornaments, powerful glowing lights, and a star or an angel tree topper. Many American ornaments will be collected over time as either gifts or souvenirs.