Many of the millions of Ukrainian refugees in central and eastern Europe plan to mark Christmas early this year in solidarity with their hosts, learning carols in new languages to generate holiday cheer despite fears for relatives back home. Ukrainians generally celebrate Christmas on January 7 in common with Russians, but the country’s Orthodox church has gradually shifted from Moscow’s orbit in recent years. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year, the church has said congregations can now also celebrate on Dec. 25 — something many refugees said they would embrace. Vasil, 45, and Marina, 36, Khymyshynets who fled their village near Kyiv in March with their two children after a missile or artillery round exploded near their house, now live in a two-room flat in Prague. The family — who could not afford a tree because they were saving to send gifts to relatives in Ukraine — baked Christmas cookies and taped pine branches and Christmas lights on the wall while the children practiced singing carols in Czech. “We decided to just use some pine branches for the decoration so that it looks good and makes the children happy,” Khymyshynets, who was allowed to leave Ukraine after the military...
According to the State Veterinary Administration spokesman Petr Vorlíček, about 3000 points of sale have been registered in the Czech Republic. Compared to last year the number has slightly increased. There are approximately 210 points in Prague. The country’s largest fish farms in South Bohemia have raised prices for Christmas carp by an average of CZK 10-30. It is a forced measure associated with an increase in production costs amid high inflation. The industry leader, Rybářství Třeboň, has recommended its wholesale customers to set the retail price at CZK 140 per kilo (CZK 20 more than last year). The company published a list of addresses of certified retailers. You can find it here. For the first time, supermarket chain Lidl is not selling this year live carps in front of its stores for “humane reasons”. The tradition of eating carp for Christmas is particularly alive and well in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. But some families in Hungary, Austria, Germany and Croatia may also be fond of it and indulge in that delicacy at Christmas time. According to most, this tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. “Fish became popular for Christmas Eve dinner during the 13th century, because Catholics considered fish as...
Every European country has its own spin on the classic Christmas cookies, but in the Czech Republic, they’re a time-honored (and time-intensive) tradition. If you’ve ever been to a Czech home over the holidays, chances are you’ve been inundated with plate upon plate of fresh, homemade Czech Christmas cookies made from recipes dating back generations of grandmothers. But seasoned pros know you don’t just go diving in: delicious as each may be, not all Czech Christmas cookies are equal. 10. Vanilkové rohlíčky (Vanilla rolls) If you’ve ever come across a tray of Christmas cookies after it has been picked clean, chances are a bunch of these are still there. There’s a reason for that: while Vanilkové rohlíčky are easily the most common Czech Christmas cookies, they are also live up to their name: typically dry and somewhat bland (though good with a cup of coffee) they can pale next to some of their more interesting companions. 9. Máslové kokosky (Coconut Cookies) Traditional butter cookies usually made with a hearty helping of the namesake ingredient, these can move up higher on the list based on your fondness for coconut. Chocolate base not usually present. 8. Pracny Alongside Vanilkové rohlíčky, these seem...
The Senate of the Czech Republic on Wednesday recognized the Holodomor as a genocide of the Ukrainian people. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has already responded to this decision, thanking the Czech deputies for restoring historical justice. “I welcome the decision of the Czech Senate to recognize the Holodomor as a genocide of Ukrainians. I am grateful to my Czech friends for affirming the truth and restoring historical justice,” Zelensky said on Twitter. According to him, the punishment of Russia for all the crimes of the past and present is “inevitable.” In November, the parliaments of Romania, Ireland, Moldova, and Germany recognized Holodomor as the genocide of Ukrainians. Ukraine has been fighting to get Holodomor recognized as an act of genocide internationally. So far, 20 countries have recognized Holodomor as such. Ukraine annually commemorates the Holodomor victims on the fourth Saturday of November. The famine, known as the Holodomor, took place in 1932-33 as Soviet leader Josef Stalin’s police forced peasants in Ukraine to join collective farms by requisitioning their grain and other foodstuffs. Historians say the failure to properly harvest crops in Ukraine in 1932 under Soviet mismanagement was the main cause of the famine. It is estimated that up to 9...
A 2022 survey by the Swiss international education company EF Education First, which measures the English proficiency of people in 112 non-English speaking countries and regions, found that over the last year Czech had improved their English, most notably those in their forties. The Czech Republic ranked 23rd with 575 points. The survey gathered and analyzed data from free tests taken online by a total of 2.1 million people worldwide for EF’s English Proficiency Index. By region, 35% of test takers were from Europe, 24% from Asia, 20% from Central and South America, 20% from Africa, and 12% from the Middle East. The median age was 25. After a significant drop from 19th place last year to 27th, Czechs have returned to the level they have been at since the first survey. This shows that they have been stagnating in English for at least the last eleven years. The level of proficiency is still generally high, so Czechs can present themselves in English at work, understand TV programs, or read newspapers without particular difficulty. However, all neighboring countries rank significantly higher than the Czech Republic, with Austria ranking third. Slovakia ranks 15th, – just one step away from moving into...
Prague is allocating 8.5 million euros in financial assistance and equipment for Ukraine to get through the cold period, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said. According to Ukrainian media reports, he said at the Standing with the Ukrainian People conference in Paris on Tuesday the Czech Republic was supplying generator systems and heaters to the Kharkov region, Dnepr, Kiev, schools and hospitals. He noted that this aid amounted to 5 million euros so that people would have electricity and heat during the blackout. The Czech Republic is also allocating 2.5 million euros for the indestructible centers and 1 million euros to back doctors, Fiala said. The country will also provide pontoon crossings and bridge technology. He also noted that the public and private potential in Ukraine has been used effectively, and Ukraine itself has shown great progress on its way to the European Union under these extraordinary conditions. The chief of staff of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, said that “the speed of destruction exceeds the speed of repair”. Visibly concerned about one of the “harshest winters in the country’s modern history”, he said that “the risk of a total blackout is very high”. The EU has already provided 500...
The state prosecutor on Monday charged former TOP 09 MP Dominik Feri with two counts of rape and one of attempted rape. According to earlier information, Feri can face up to ten years in prison because he is also being prosecuted for the rape committed against 17-year-old girl. Police became interested in the now 26-year-old Feri last year after the Deník N and A2larm servers reported the testimony of several young women on whom the now-former MP was alleged to have committed sexual violence. “I welcome the fact that after a two-year wait I will be able to present evidence to the court proving my innocence. Until now, I have not been able to comment publicly on the ongoing proceedings in any substantive way, which has resulted in the media being reduced to one-sided statements. But that will soon finally change,” Feri told Seznam Zprávy. Prague police have launched an investigation into the allegations, which date back to 2015 when he was a student at the Faculty of Law at Charles University, and continue up to 2020. Mr. Feri resigned from his seat in the lower house in June last year after multiple accusations of sexual misconduct about him appeared...
Highly-trained Ukrainian workers could fill thousands of job vacancies in the Czech arms industry to help meet demand triggered by the war in Ukraine, a Czech defence official said on Monday. The Czech Republic has been one of the top weapons providers to Kyiv among NATO allies since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. Deliveries, though, have badly depleted inventories, and officials have warned it could take years to restock. Some Czech arms producers have already signalled that they need to boost their workforce. “(There) will be thousands of jobs,” said Deputy Defence Minister Tomáš Kopečný, suggesting that workers could come from Ukraine, whose own arms industry has been targeted by Russian attacks. “It depends on how the production capacities of Czech companies or the production of joint Czech-Ukrainian arms factories will be increased.” According to him, the agreement was reached during the meeting between Prime Minister Petr Fiala and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in October. Besides, according to the deputy minister, these agreements will be beneficial for both parties, as Czech defense industry enterprises lack qualified workers. As an example, the deputy minister gives Tatra company from the Czechoslovak Group holding company that lacks five hundred workers. At the...
Czech Boy and Girl Scouts collected the Bethlehem Light on the Austrian border on Sunday morning. They will now distribute the Peace Light across the country, placing it in churches and various institutions, from where people can light their own lamps. The Bethlehem Light is a Scouting tradition dating back over 30 years. As a symbol of peace and friendship, it is considered a modern symbol of Christmas time. “The message of hope that the flame brings, the light that transcends the darkness, is even more relevant this year than ever before,” said Zuzana Hrbková, a spokeswoman for the Bethlehem Light project. Scout couriers will travel with the flame around the Czech Republic by train. The organizers believe the delivery is possible, as the size of the courier groups will be reduced to a minimum and all volunteers will use protective equipment. The flame is traditionally taken to homes and retirement homes, but these deliveries will be limited this year and all deliveries will be made without contact. The Scouts have been bringing the Bethlehem light to the Czech Republic for 30 years. For their first time, they brought the light under the statue of St. Wenceslas in Prague during...
Czech Boy and Girl Scouts collected the Bethlehem Light on the Austrian border this past weekend. They will now distribute the Peace Light across the country, placing it in churches and various institutions, from where people can light their own lamps. The Bethlehem Light is a Scouting tradition dating back over 30 years. As a symbol of peace and friendship, it is considered a modern symbol of Christmas time. “The message of hope that the flame brings, the light that transcends the darkness, is even more relevant this year than ever before,” said Zuzana Hrbková, a spokeswoman for the Bethlehem Light project. Scout couriers will travel with the flame around the Czech Republic by train. The organizers believe the delivery is possible, as the size of the courier groups will be reduced to a minimum and all volunteers will use protective equipment. The flame is traditionally taken to homes and retirement homes, but these deliveries will be limited this year and all deliveries will be made without contact. The Scouts have been bringing the Bethlehem light to the Czech Republic for 30 years. For their first time, they brought the light under the statue of St. Wenceslas in Prague during...
The authorities of Karlovy Vary, the Czech spa city close to German borders, face criticism for a campaign attracting Russian-speaking tourists. The Russian clientele was crucial, but the number of Russians in Karlovy Vary has dropped significantly due to sanctions. The campaign was intended to be online-only so that it would only appear on computers and phones in Europe and only to people who have Russian set on their devices. Among the suggestions for a suitable slogan was the motto: “Karlovy Vary understands you,” but it was withdrawn later, Deník N reported. Mayor Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová, from the Renew affiliated ANO party of former Prime Minister Andrej Babiš, defends the campaign, saying it targets EU citizens. “It is not aimed at Russia, but at people who live within Europe, most of all in Germany, and only speak Russian,” the mayor told Czech News Agency. “We are not targeting Russians in Russia to come to us. That needs to be differentiated,” she added. Opposition councillors have called on the authorities to end its marketing campaign. “Populations of Russian origin in European countries, traditionally very strongly linked to their homeland, are mostly not actively opposed to the war, and on the contrary, some Russians...
Czech choreographer Yemi A.D. will be among the eight crew members to join Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s crew on a trip around the Moon next year on one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets. Four years after announcing that he’d lead an around-the-moon mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has named the eight people he wants to fly with him. In 2018, Maezawa said he’d fund a mission aimed at letting creative artists on the level of the late Pablo Picasso or Michael Jackson experience a trip beyond Earth orbit. Some of the people he’s picked are making use of creative channels that didn’t exist when Picasso was in his prime. The eight crew members — and two alternates — were chosen out of more than a million people from 249 countries and regions who registered their interest via Maezawa’s DearMoon website. Here’s the eight primary crew members: Steve Aoki, an electronic dance music artist, DJ and record producer, born in Miami. TOP (Choi Seung Hyun), a South Korean rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Yemi A.D., a Czech choreographer, art director and actor. (Video) Rhiannon Adam, an Irish-born photographic artist specializing in portraiture and social documentary projects. Tim Dodd, a...
Don’t have an account? Register
[swpm_registration_form level=”6″]
Already have an account? Log In
How Would You Like to Promote Your Business? PR ArticleDisplay bannersVideo productionNewsletter adsJob ListingsInfluencer Marketing
Your Email
We will come back to you within 24 hours with our proporsal
