Christmas in the Czech Republic

Seeing The Nutcracker; photo credit Alexa Berry

Merry Christmas everyone! While I am currently celebrating the holidays back in the States, I was able to see and experience some Czech Christmas traditions! One tradition that I sadly missed out on (because I was in Italy) was the celebration of St. Nicholas Day. On this holiday, there are many people dressed up as Angels, Devils, and St. Nicholas walking around the city. These characters come up to kids and ask them to sing a song, and if they do, they are typically rewarded with candy. You can read more about the holiday here.

The Nutcracker at Národní Divaldo

Throughout the semester, our program offered free tickets to go see different cultural events. December’s cultural event was The Nutcracker! The show took place at the beautiful National Theatre (Národní Divaldo). However, this was not a traditional production of The Nutcracker, but rather a new combination between The Nutcracker and A Christmas Carol. Yes, there was a Scrooge character dancing around the stage. None of us knew the production would follow this new plotline, so we were all confused, and did not fully believe it was a true production of The Nutcracker until we looked online afterwards. I am glad I was able to get the chance to go and see another performance in the National Theater, but I wish it had just been the traditional Nutcracker instead of the new experimental theatre.

Gingerbread at a Christmas Market stall

Even before leaving for Prague, I had been looking forward to going to the Christmas markets. Prague has multiple Christmas markets throughout the city, and I visited all of the major ones. The products at these markets range from souvenir stands, to soaps and lotions, toys, and handmade goods, along with food. While most of the markets were similar, it was nice to be able to walk around the different markets and do my Christmas shopping in Prague instead of a Walmart or Target. All of the traditional Czech street food can be found at these markets, including sausage, fried potatoes, and trdelnik, which is a delicious almond and cinnamon pastry that comes in a spiral.

Christmas Market at Old Town Square;
photo credit Nikki Johl

What comes to mind when you think of traditional Christmas food? Probably not carp and potato salad, right? Well, those are the two main foods typically associated with Christmas here in the Czech Republic! Our program had a Christmas dinner for us, where in addition to carp and potato salad, they also provided us with traditional Czech Christmas cookies (which typically includes lots and lots of gingerbread). Overall, while there were some Christmas decorations throughout the city, it still did not really feel like “true” Christmas, mostly because I was not at home (and partially because it was 50 degrees, too warm for Christmas!).