
The New Year is celebrated in the Czech Republic similar to traditions we see around the world โ with friends, and relatives, at pubs, concerts, and restaurants.
You can watch the countdown on major TV networks and it is traditionally followed by the Czech national anthem.
In the Czech Republic, New Yearโs Eve is called Silvestr, for the anniversary of the consecration of Pope Sylvester I, a saint who served as Pope of the Western Church from 314 to 335.
Since the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582, the December 31st feast date has coincided with New Yearโs Eve.
Czechs often gather around to watch the Presidentโs New Years Speech (1p.m) โ where he evaluates the previous year, and announces his predictions and expectations for the coming year.
These days, pork is eaten on New Yearโs Day with a side of lentils (ฤoฤka) topped with a fried egg (eating anything with wings is also said to make your luck fly away!).
The dish is eaten for prosperity โ and it makes for a pretty good hangover cure as well, as celebrations include a healthy share of Pilsner or Bohemia Sekt, the most well-known ลกampaลskรฉ in the Czech Republic and, with a 70-year tradition.
Czech New Yearโs table
On the table, you will find the Czech open-faced sandwiches chlebรญฤky of various kinds, nuts (oลรญลกky), crisps (or chips) brambลฏrky and other snacks.
Some people still keep the tradition of eating a boiled pork head at midnight with grated horseradish.
Those who are awake at lunchtime should eat lots of lentils (ฤoฤka) because in Czech tradition lentils symbolize money. Instead of lentils, some families cook broth โ broth with semolina (vรฝvar s krupicรญ).
New Yearโs Eve and Day superstitions
Certain superstitions are connected to New Yearโs Eve and New Yearโs Day in the Czech Republic.
- There must not be any clothes hanging on a clothesline during the last night of the year, otherwise, a member of the family will die next year.
- People are careful about the way they treat each other since they tend to believe that the way New Yearโs Day is will determine the rest of the year.
- Eating poultry on New Yearโs Day is not recommended โ your luck might fly away from you!
- Pouring lead is also a tradition for looking into the future in the Czech Republic. The custom of cutting an apple in half and reading oneโs fate from the shape of the core is even older. If the seeds form a cross, bad things are coming; stars represent luck.
Czechs have a saying on New Yearโs Day: โJak na novรฝ rok, tak po celรฝ rokโ which means something like โWhat you do on New Yearโs day, youโll do every day the next year.โ
That means that doing any work whatsoever is said to be bad luck.
No cleaning the house or washing the dishes and really whatever you do, if youโre at all superstitious, donโt hang up laundry or you could experience personal unhappiness in the New Year.
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