Culture of the Czech Republic
Encyclopedia
This article is about the culture
of the Czech Republic
.
every year, beginning with a dinner on 24 December. The tables for this dinner can only be set for an even number of guests, because an odd number will bring bad luck
. All of the lights in the house must be turned off until the first star comes out, and when it does, the dinner may commence. The first person to leave the table when the meal is finished will be the first person to die that year - this is why everyone must stand up at the same time.
Easter
, or "Velikonoce" (meaning "great nights"), is a very cheerful and lighthearted holiday in the Czech Republic. Red is a very commonly-worn colour during this time, because it symbolizes joy, health, happiness, and new life that comes with spring. Families decorate Easter eggs elaborately together. Another Easter tradition is the whipping of other's legs with the pomlázka, or pussy willow twigs. Pussy willow twigs are braided and painted with bright colours and then are used by young boys to beat the back of girls' legs. This long-standing tradition is thought to bring health and youth to young girls.
1st January is holiday New Year. After a late morning start the main meal of the day is prepared which should include pork for good luck and lentils for prosperity in the new year. It’s bad luck to eat fish, your luck could swim away or poultry, your luck could fly away.
January 6th is the Feast of the Three Kings. In many Czech and Slovak villages, boys dress up as the three wise men “Kaspar, Balthazar and Melchior”. With a piece of chalk blessed by the village priest the boys write K + B + M above the doorways on a home. Which brings blessings on that home and its family for a year. The chalk letters should never be cleaned off, but only replaced the next year. This is also usually the day the Christmas tree
is taken down.
A Czech diet usually consists of a lot of meat such as pork, beef, poultry, and a lot of organ meats like liver, kidneys and brains, also tung. The meat is frequently prepared with gravy and then eaten with dumplings, cabbage or potatoes. Vegetables are consumed daily, like carrots, peas, and cabbage. They also really enjoy their sweets such as fruit dumplings, buchty (buns filled with jam or chocolate/pudding), koláče (small poppy seed cakes), and apple strudel.
Music is the most popular form of art in the Czech Republic and there is even a saying, "Co Čech, to muzikant", which means "Every Czech is a musician".
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
of the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
.
Festivities and traditions
Czech people celebrate ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
every year, beginning with a dinner on 24 December. The tables for this dinner can only be set for an even number of guests, because an odd number will bring bad luck
Bad Luck
Bad Luck may refer to:* Harmful or negative luck* Bad Luck , a 1960 film directed by Andrzej Munk* "Bad Luck" * "Bad Luck" * Bad Luck, an album by Trophy Scars...
. All of the lights in the house must be turned off until the first star comes out, and when it does, the dinner may commence. The first person to leave the table when the meal is finished will be the first person to die that year - this is why everyone must stand up at the same time.
Easter
Easter
Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...
, or "Velikonoce" (meaning "great nights"), is a very cheerful and lighthearted holiday in the Czech Republic. Red is a very commonly-worn colour during this time, because it symbolizes joy, health, happiness, and new life that comes with spring. Families decorate Easter eggs elaborately together. Another Easter tradition is the whipping of other's legs with the pomlázka, or pussy willow twigs. Pussy willow twigs are braided and painted with bright colours and then are used by young boys to beat the back of girls' legs. This long-standing tradition is thought to bring health and youth to young girls.
1st January is holiday New Year. After a late morning start the main meal of the day is prepared which should include pork for good luck and lentils for prosperity in the new year. It’s bad luck to eat fish, your luck could swim away or poultry, your luck could fly away.
January 6th is the Feast of the Three Kings. In many Czech and Slovak villages, boys dress up as the three wise men “Kaspar, Balthazar and Melchior”. With a piece of chalk blessed by the village priest the boys write K + B + M above the doorways on a home. Which brings blessings on that home and its family for a year. The chalk letters should never be cleaned off, but only replaced the next year. This is also usually the day the Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
is taken down.
Food
- Main article Czech cuisineCzech cuisineCzech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries. Many of the fine cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated in the Czech lands. Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis on meat dishes. Pork is quite common, and beef and...
A Czech diet usually consists of a lot of meat such as pork, beef, poultry, and a lot of organ meats like liver, kidneys and brains, also tung. The meat is frequently prepared with gravy and then eaten with dumplings, cabbage or potatoes. Vegetables are consumed daily, like carrots, peas, and cabbage. They also really enjoy their sweets such as fruit dumplings, buchty (buns filled with jam or chocolate/pudding), koláče (small poppy seed cakes), and apple strudel.
Customs
- Sitting in pubs and drinking Czech beer such as Starobrno, Budvar and Gambrinus.
- Czech people like to have barbecueBarbecueBarbecue or barbeque , used chiefly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of...
s in the summer. - Pointing at someone with their index finger is considered rude.
- Often take shoes off when entering a house (guests are offered "pantofle" which are house slippers)
- Playing ice hockey.
Music
- Main article Music of the Czech RepublicMusic of the Czech Republic- Traditional and Classical :The traditional music of Bohemia and Moravia has been well documented and influenced the work of composers like Leoš Janáček, Antonín Dvořák, Bedřich Smetana, and Bohuslav Martinů. Janáček made his recordings at an auspicious time...
Music is the most popular form of art in the Czech Republic and there is even a saying, "Co Čech, to muzikant", which means "Every Czech is a musician".
Art
The Czech Republic is known worldwide for their outstanding art glass and crystal. Each piece is individually made, mouth blown and decorated. Art glass collector’s value glass made by master Czech glass blowers in the Bohemian region of the Czech Republic.Architecture
Most houses are constructed of cinder blocks or bricks and the rooms tend to be quite large.See also
- Holidays in the Czech Republic, Flag days in the Czech Republic, Name days in the Czech RepublicName days in the Czech RepublicIn the Czech Republic, each day of the year except national holidays corresponds to a personal name. People celebrate their name day on the date corresponding to their own given name....
- National anthem of the Czech RepublicKde domov mujKde domov můj? is a piece of music written by the composer František Škroup and the playwright Josef Kajetán Tyl.The piece was written as a part of the incidental music to the comedy Fidlovačka aneb Žádný hněv a žádná rvačka . It was first performed by Karel Strakatý at the Estates Theatre in...
, Flag of the Czech RepublicFlag of the Czech RepublicThe national flag of the Czech Republic is the same as the flag of the former Czechoslovakia. Upon the dissolution of Czechoslovakia the Czech Republic kept the Czechoslovak flag while the Slovak Republic adopted its own flag.... - Heraldry of the Czech Republic
- Czech cuisineCzech cuisineCzech cuisine has both influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of surrounding countries. Many of the fine cakes and pastries that are popular in Central Europe originated in the Czech lands. Czech cuisine is marked by a strong emphasis on meat dishes. Pork is quite common, and beef and...
- List of Czechs
External links
- Czech culture- Culture of the Czech Republic
- Current Czech events abroad