Related articles

Lodged just before Christmas, December 22nd may at first seem a rather unremarkable day. However, it marks the anniversary of the first recorded Christmas tree being introduced on Czech soil. Today Christmas trees have not only established themselves in nearly every household but also dominate many town squares. This despite an initial struggle against Czech revivalists, who saw it as a German import.

The festive dinner on Czech Christmas Eve is mostly associated with fried carp and potato salad, but few people know that this is a fairly modern tradition, established only after the Second World War. In the old days before the tradition of fried carp and salad was established, Czechs used to eat more humble meals, although they came in a rich variety of styles.

Inspectors from the State Veterinary Authority are planning to carry out checks on around 30 percent of stands stalls selling carp, the fish that most Czechs eat for Christmas dinner. There are almost 2,400 such vendors in place around the country.

In the Czech kitchen preparations for Christmas start early. While the traditional Christmas dish of fried carp and potato salad take just a few hours to make, the wide variety of tiny, ornate Christmas cookies that are eaten throughout the Christmas holidays take weeks of preparations.

It is not just at local markets where gingerbread in all shapes and colours can be found. Baking the delicacy is a treasured tradition among most Czech families as well. On average each household bakes around eight types of gingerbreads, known as the perník, ahead of Christmas and children are often excited to partake in their preparation. To find out more about the way they are made, Radio Prague visited a museum that specialises in the baking of exquisite gingerbreads.

For the vast majority of Czechs Christmas would not be Christmas without the traditional Czech Christmas dish – carp fried in breadcrumbs and potato salad. The process of getting it to the dinner table for a nation of over 10 million presents a serious challenge for the country’s fisheries.

Higher security measures will be in place in the Czech Republic over Christmas and the New Year, Interior Minister Jan Hamáček and deputy police president Martin Vondrášek said at a press conference on Thursday.

The measures, formally in place from December 1 until January 9, will include an increased police presence in streets as well as stepped up protection of airports, shopping malls and other public places. They will also include concrete barriers installed in key public areas, such as the Christmas Market on Prague’s Old Town Square.

A first level security alert has been in place in the Czech Republic since March 2016, but according to Mr Hamáček, there are no indications of an immediate threat of a terrorist attack in the country.

More than 600,000 tourists are expected to visit Prague during December, many of them coming especially to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere in the city. Among the biggest highlights is the traditional Christmas market on Prague’s Old Town Square, which will open this Saturday with the lighting of Christmas tree. I asked Barbora Hrubá from Prague City Tourism to tell me more about what visitors to Prague can see and do during the festive season this year.

Czechs are borrowing more than ever to buy Christmas presents for their relatives and friends, suggests a survey carried out among the country’s non-banking consumer lenders. In the months preceding the festive season, loan firms are traditionally recording an increase in the number of loan applications.

This year’s Christmas tree for Prague will come from the village of Rynoltice near Liberec in the north of the Czech Republic. The 23-metre spruce was selected by experts from some thirty trees, suggested by the public.

The tree will be raised on Prague’s Old Town Square on December 1, marking the launch of the city’s Christmas markets.