Socrates - Comenius 1: 
School Project “We are all living under the same sky”


English

Project 3Customs and Traditions in the Czech Republic

CHRISTMAS TIME

Saint Nicholas coming accompanied by an angel and a devil.Saint Nicholas comes to children’s homes in the evening before his name day. It is on 5th December. He is followed by an angel and a devil. There can be more devils than only one. A lot of children are afraid of them. St. Nicholas’s tradition is also popular with the students of our school. St Nicholas’s company consists of the fourth form students, the oldest ones, who go from classroom to classroom. They are dressed in special costumes, the devil has a chain or bell and a sack. He wears a hairy coat and has horns on his head and a tail. The angel is dressed in white, she has wings and a gold star on her forehead. Saint Nicholas brings chocolate, fruit and sweets for good children, and for naughty ones he has potatoes and coal.

The child has to recite some rhymes, or the devil will carry him or her away to hell in his sack.

After St Nicholas’s Day Christmas is coming near and our school changes its look. Christmas decoration in the school is made of paper snowflakes and chains. The snowflakes are put on the windows and the chains decorate the banisters. All the decorations are made by the students in their art lessons. A nicely decorated Christmas tree is on the first floor.

Czech Christmas cards Czech Christmas cards

What do you like best about Christmas? There are many things to enjoy. But does everybody know why Christmas is celebrated? Let us have a talk about it. It is a Christian celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Many special songs are sung in the days before and during Christmas, they are called carols. In the Czech Republic we sing carols like “We Are Bringing You Some News”, “Jesus Christ Was Born”, “Silent Night” and others. To Christmas belong traditions. One Czech custom relates to the Three Wise Men - Kaspar, Melchior and Balthazar, who collect money for charity. The Nativity scene is a symbol of Christmas. It is a reminder of the three kings who gave presents to the Christ-child - incense, myrrh, gold and jewellery. Another Christmas tradition is cutting apples. On Christmas Eve you cut an apple in two halves. If the apple core makes a star, you will be healthy in the next year. If there is a cross, you will fall ill or even die. On 4th December girls break off a cherry twig. If it bursts into blossom by Christmas, the girl will get married. Four weeks before Christmas the Advent comes. Christmas preparations start long before 24th December. Christmas trees are really traditional these days. The Czechs decorate them with sparklers, candles, sweets and other decorations. They put a star or a comet on the top of the tree. It is in memory of the comet in Bethlehem. Some people decorate a real tree, others prefer an artificial one.In some families housewives bake traditional small iced gingerbread. Here is the recipe:

1000 g of plain flour some milk

400 g of sugar 3-4 spoonfuls of cocoa

120 g of bicarbonate of soda 2 egg-yolks

160 g of margarine a little gingerbread spice

150 g of honey

Heat and mix the ingredients on the cooker. Work the mixture thoroughly and roll it out with a rolling-pin. Cut out various shapes and bake them in a hot oven. Brush the gingerbread with a whisked egg and decorate with egg-white icing (mix one egg-white with 200 g of sugar). These cookies should be baked three weeks before Christmas. Many years ago such sweets were used for decorating a Christmas tree. We have Christmas holidays in December. They usually last about twelve days. We go skiing and skating or we watch TV.