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Christmas Eve is the most important festive day of the holiday according to Czech tradition. Although known as the “generous day” – Štědrý den – when it comes to food, one is meant to be quite modest. Few fast all day on December 24 but many do follow the Christian custom of eating meatless dishes for lunch that day, spruced up with a plaited Christmas sweetbread – vánočka.

Despite the practice being stopped by City Hall earlier this year, Praguers will get to see a special fireworks show on New Year’s Eve, albeit privately organised by an initiative that seeks to keep the tradition alive. According to Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib, City Hall is not banning anyone from using fireworks, but simply wants to set a good example in not using environmentally damaging pyrotechnics that are also a cause of stress for many people and animals.

Despite a growing economy and higher salaries, many Czechs are still taking loans to buy Christmas gifts for their nearest and dearest. According to a survey carried out by the Czech Banking Association, some seven percent of Czech consumers will borrow money to cover their seasonal expenses. What is more, around one-third of those are willing to take high-risk loans.

Prague is one of just a handful of cities in the world to still employ lamplighters – and only then during Advent, the liturgical season which begins four Sundays before Christmas. Personally lighting the way on Charles Bridge and cobblestone streets along the Royal Route is a man of great stature, head of the Czech Lamplighters guild, Jan Žákovec.

A reset in Czech-Chinese relations in 2014, that included a commitment to the “One China policy” promised to bring huge economic benefits, with President Zeman saying he wanted to make the Czech Republic “China’s gateway to Europe”. Five years on, the promised investments have not materialized and there is growing concern in Prague over Beijing’s effort to increase its influence in the country.

Events are being held in the Czech Republic on Wednesday in honour of Václav Havel, who died on December 18, 2011. Among them has been the annual A Candle for Václav Havel in central Prague, where associates of the late president and members of the public have read from his work.

The extensive renovation of Prague’s historic State Opera building has been completed. The building should re-open its door to the public on January 5, exactly 132 years after its first inauguration, with a special show, including a gala concert presenting key moments of its history.

Referred to as a key document, the government’s National Investment Plan has been years in the making. On Monday, the long awaited concept was finally unveiled. It counts on some CZK 8 trillion being spent by 2050 on investments in all branches of state infrastructure. The prime minister says it could help in EU funding negotiations with Brussels. However, the opposition has mocked it as a simple wish list with no clear implementation strategy.

Plans are afoot to move the remains of General František Moravec from the US to his hometown of Čáslav in central Bohemia. If the funding can be raised, the local authorities are offering a new site for the ashes of the man who headed Czechoslovak military intelligence before and during WWII and is said to have ordered Operation Anthropoid.

The consumer loans provider Home Credit, which is owned by Czech billionaire Petr Kellner, is facing scrutiny after reports it could have tried to create a positive image of China in the Czech Republic. In response, some politicians are calling for a special commission to look into the possible influence of authoritarian regimes on Czech affairs.