Holidays of the Czech Republic: state, church and memorial days

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Holidays in the Czech Republic are celebrated together and fun. Czechs love fun, loud songs, dancing in the squares, various festivals and fairs. Cities are changing beyond recognition, so many tourists tend to get into this wonderful country for some kind of folk festival. But many people worry that if the Czechs have a day off, then everything around will be closed: it will be impossible to change currency, go to a museum or simply buy medicine at a pharmacy.

This article provides information about the main public holidays in the Czech Republic, interesting memorable days and church holidays. When do tourists come to the Czech Republic to get to a festival or fair with numerous shops with goodies or souvenirs?

New Year

1 January Czechs celebrate not only the beginning of the next calendar year, they have this day coincides with the Day of the Restoration of the Independent Czech State. Many tourists want to celebrate this holiday with the Czechs. Cities are decorated with decorated Christmas trees, luminous garlands,trade fairs. And in the evening, people always gather in the squares to watch the fireworks.

The Czechs call the New Year St. Sylvester's Day. The main dish of the festive table is carp baked with lentils, which is served with horseradish and apples. Residents of the country celebrate the holiday with their families, but it is not customary to give gifts on this day.

The President congratulates his fellow citizens on television at 13.00. On this day, all small shops, pharmacies, banks and post offices are closed. If you urgently need to buy something, you will have to go to a large supermarket. There are exchange offices in the central tourist cities, and if you need to buy medicine, there are pharmacy stalls in large stores.

All tourist sites are open on weekends and holidays. Their schedule is fixed. Institutions are closed only on Mondays, so that even on holidays, tourists can see the beauties of this country.

There are no more holidays in the Czech Republic in January, but memorable days are celebrated on the 16th and 27th. First they remember Jan Palach, who on January 16, 1969, committed self-immolation in protest against the Soviet occupation. And on January 27, the victims of the Holocaust are commemorated.

February festivities

Myasopust takes place in January and February. This is the carnival period, which begins with the celebration of the Epiphany on January 6 and comes to Lent. People dress up in different costumes (the main ones are a chimney sweep, a bear, a grandmother with a basket, a Jew with a bag), installations from life are held on the streetsancient artisans, you can also see scenes from the past. Before fasting, Czechs eat their fill, so during this time they prepare traditional fatty and nutritious dishes.

On February 14, young people prepare gifts for their soul mates: on Valentine's Day, loving couples present each other with traditional "valentines" - heart-shaped gifts.

March holidays

Although many Czech politicians want to cancel International Women's Day, but traditionally on March 8, all men congratulate their beloved ladies on the holiday of spring and give them bouquets of flowers. Nobody associates this day with the communists and awarding the editorials of production with red carnations. This holiday in the Czech Republic has long been associated with love, flowers and smiles of girls on the streets. Flower stall sellers are especially looking forward to this holiday, as their revenue increases many times over in one day.

And March 12 is considered a memorable day in the country. In the late 1990s, Czech politicians began to consult with prominent US figures on the country's entry into NATO. It was a long process, but already in mid-April 1998, at a session of parliament, the majority voted in favor. And only on March 12 next year the country officially joined NATO.

March 28 is remembered in the homeland of the great teacher Jan Amos Comenius. His system of didactics is still used by teachers, although the famous Czech lived at the beginning of the 17th century, and according to the class-lesson system he invented, schoolchildren from all over the world are engaged innow.

Easter Days

Easter is celebrated at different times, approximate dates are the end of March - the beginning of April. Priests these days hold religious processions, people paint eggs and go to church services.

City streets are filled with fairs and colorful Easter eggs. Children are given a gingerbread in the shape of a lamb, and there is always a hare on the table.

What Czechs celebrate in May

1 May is Labor Day in the Czech Republic. On this day, there are no demonstrations with a large crowd in the streets and squares, processions with flags and portraits of rulers. People go to relax in nature, roast meat, spend time with friends, family and loved ones.

Memory of the war

May 5 citizens remember 1945. After the Soviet troops had already entered the territory of Moravia, the Czech militias organized an uprising against the Nazis, which was supported by the troops of General A. A. Vlasov. The Czechs gave them armbands in the color of the national flag, so that in skirmishes they would not confuse the soldiers with the Fritz. Almost 1,700 Czechs and 300 Vlasov's soldiers died in the battles for the city. The fighting went on until surrender. Thanks to the uprising, Soviet soldiers lost only 30 people during the storming of Prague.

What is the holiday in the Czech Republic on May 8? Day of Victory over Nazi Germany. Grateful descendants bring flowers to the monuments to soldiers, lay wreaths on the graves. Like all of Western Europe, the Czechs celebrate the great victory on the day the Germans signed the surrender, and that was on May 8th. This is the stateholiday in the Czech Republic. Citizens do not work on this day.

Very fun for a two-week beer festival in the Czech Republic. Since 2008, numerous tents have been set up on the outskirts of Prague every year, delicious natural Czech beer flows like rivers, meat is fried, both Czechs and tourists from all over Europe have fun. Brewers put on national costumes, musicians perform, folk music sounds, groups from all over the country dance.

Memorable dates in June

On June 10, people remember the terrible tragedy of the inhabitants of the village of Lidice. Since the Czech patriots destroyed Reinhard Heydrich, the Nazi protector, the Fritz decided to show the Czechs their ruthlessness. They chose a village not far from Prague, drove all the inhabitants together, most of them were shot, the children were killed in the gas chamber, and all the women were sent to concentration camps. The village was burned to the ground. In many European cities there is Lidice Street, named after the terrible massacre of innocent people.

June 17 is the celebration of the Five Petal Rose Festival in Český Krumlov. It was this rose that was painted on the coat of arms of the last rulers of the castle - the Rožmberks. On this day, people seem to fall into the Middle Ages: knights on horseback, equipped with armor and swords, ride around the streets, tournaments are held, all people put on old clothes, and beer flows like a river.

June 27 is considered the day of remembrance for the victims of the communist regime. On this day in 1950, Milada Gorakova was executed. It is believed that the communists killed about 20 thousand citizens of the country. In thatday in Prague (on the banks of the river) candles are lit. Commemorative events are held throughout the country. A memorial to the victims of communism, created by Olbram Zoubek, was erected in the Mala Strana district of Prague - 7 sculptures symbolize the suffering of a person going to the death pen alty.

July

The only official holiday in the Czech Republic, which is both state and church, is the Day of Slavic Saints Cyril and Methodius. Cyril and Methodius created the Old Slavonic alphabet, which made it possible to develop writing and convey the word of God to the masses. The brothers were elevated to the rank of saints by both Orthodox and Catholic priests. This holiday is celebrated on July 5.

The next day they remember Jan Hus, national hero of the country, preacher and church reformer. For his ideas, he began to be persecuted by the Catholic clergy and was burned along with his printed works on the square in Constanta, after which the Hussite wars began. The day of the execution of Jan Hus is celebrated on July 6, and a monument is erected in memory of the hero on the Old Town Square in the center of Prague. In all cities, bonfires are lit in memory of Hus, and sermons are held in chapels.

St. Wenceslas Day

This holiday is celebrated on September 28th. It is also called the Day of Czech Statehood. Popular among the people, Wenceslas, who lived at the end of the first millennium, was a very fair, honest and pious ruler. It was he who issued the decree to build St. Vitus Cathedral.

Vaclav was an unusually educated personand believed that only the rise of morality and education can make the people strong and united. The pagan rulers did not like his worldview, so they killed him. However, his death only contributed to the final establishment of Christianity in the Czech Republic. Grateful Czechs named the central square in Prague Wenceslas.

Independence Day in October

The correct name of the holiday is as follows: Day of the emergence of the independent Czechoslovak Republic. It is celebrated on October 28th. The reader can rightly note that there is no longer a state with such a name. In 1918, the Czechs, along with the Slovaks, gained independence from Austria-Hungary.

Even after the Velvet Revolution, saying goodbye forever to the communist past, after the division of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, people celebrate Independence Day in October. This is a public holiday, which is also a public holiday.

Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy

November 17 can also be called Students' Day. Tragic events took place in 1939: Czech young people rebelled against the German occupation. After the funeral of student Jan Opletal, who dared to protest at a student meeting, Nazi repression swept across the country. Many universities were closed, students were executed or sent to concentration camps.

Protest events were repeated in 1989: students took to the streets against the communists. After that, a revolution took place that crossed out the Sovietcountry's past.

Favorite Christmas holidays

In the Czech Republic, the year ends with St. Nicholas Day. This holiday is celebrated on December 6th. The children are waiting for him, as they traditionally receive gifts on this day.

The 24th is Christmas Eve, and December 25th is Christmas (Vanotse). The streets are decorated with nativity scenes showing scenes of the birth of Jesus Christ. People have fun on the streets and at home, cook carp, drink beer, relax and watch movies.

Here are all the main holidays in the Czech Republic: both state and church.