Traditions in the Czech Republic have origins in Christian, Slavic Pagan, and regional folk traditions. Some spring traditions include celebrating Morana, the Slavic goddess of death and winter, by burning an effigy of her. Easter is celebrated by painting eggs, whipping as a fertility ritual, and burning witches on Walpurgis Night. Summer traditions include regional fairs and harvest celebrations. Autumn traditions include vintage celebrations of wine, remembering deceased loved ones, and kite flying. Winter traditions include Advent wreath lighting, St. Barbara and St. Nicholas bringing gifts, Christmas Eve carp dinner, pig slaughter, and carnival celebrations like the famous Hlinsko carnival parade.

1. TRADITIONS IN THE CZECH
REPUBLIC

2. Origins of traditions
 Christian
traditions
Christmas, Easter
 Slavic traditions of Pagan origin
Morana, Witches burning
 Folk traditions from different regions
Vintage – Moravia
Pig slaughter, Kites, Harvest, Carnival – different regions

3. SPRING
Morana (Marzanna) and welcoming of spring
Easter
Burning of witches

4. Morana and welcoming of spring

Slavic goddess of death and winter

People in the country make a straw figure, boys and girls carry away from the village

Tradition of burning and drowning Morana belongs to the last Sunday before Easter

ilness and winter disappear with Morena

In May, construction of „májka“ - single men in the village have to watch out day and
night, men from neighbour villages try to steal it

5. Easter
-
painted Easter eggs
-
The Easter whip and carols: the boys and men
Whipping symbolises health and
fertility for girls and young women
After the noon, boys can be poured
by cold water (they came late)
In some regions, once in 4
years girls and unmarried
women whip boys and men

6. Burning of witches

Walpurgis night in English

on 30 April at night, we burn the figures of witches

The celebrations of spring

We trust in a magic night

Once, the people believed that the witches had a sabat (meeting)

7. SUMMER


Fairs
Harvest home

8. Fairs and harvest home
Fairs
Once the fairs were associated with a religion festivals
 At present, only believres go on pilgrimage
 The atractions

Harvest home
In the end of Semptember
 The processions dressed in traditional costumes


9. AUTUMN



Vintage
All Souls
The kites

10. Vintage celebration and All Souls
Vintage

Celebration of wine

There is a cultural programme, music and market places

We taste the different types of wine and stum (burčák)
All Souls
Remberance of deads
We set on fire the candles and think of decedents

11. Kites

The children (and also adults) make the kites

The competitions with kites

12. WINTER




Advent
Christmas
Carnival
Pig slauther

13. Advent
Advent wreath
- four candles, one candle for every week
Saint Barbara
-
in some regions she puts the gifts and sweets
-
The children prepare the socks on the window
-
in the morning, the children open the socks and take what is inside
Saint Nicolas
-
Saint Nicolas comes in with devil and angel
-
The children must sing or say the rhyme
-
The gifts and sweets to kind children

14. Christmas

Decoration of tree

Traditional songs

Baking of candies

Invisible small Jesus (Ježíšek) carries and gives the gifts (?) in the evening on 24th
December

Christmas-Eve dinner - we eat the potato salad and carp

A lot of different traditions in regions and in the families: we cut an apple, we trust
to see a gold pig, we put a hot lead into the water

15. Pig slauther and carnival
Pig slauther
-
slauthering of domestic pigs at home
-
tradition in different seasons (autumn, winter)
-
guláš, soup, klobásy, jitrnice
Carnival
-
The people take the masks and they walk in procession (especially in countryside)
-
The period of Carnival is since 6 January to Ash Wednesday

16. The Hlinsko carnival
- held the second weekend in February every year since
1830´s
- parade with masked people in costumes
- since 2010 – signed in the UNESCO heritage

18. Thank you for your
attention!
Eliška Glatzová and little Barunka
Tomáš Stehno and Lenka Špačková
Pictures
Class 7.B (teacher Blanka Bouchnerová)
Josef Lada (famous Czech painter)