ADVENT IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC.

The Advent time begins exactly 4 weeks before Christmas, when people are preparing for the celebrations and when decorations from the streets and shops are transferred to many a household. On the first Sunday of Advent, many people start decorating their homes and baking Christmas cookies, and Christmas or Advent markets appear in the town squares. 

The most common tradition of Advent in Czech households is to have an Advent wreath at home. Advent wreaths are not only carve out of wood and paint green, but are also made of conifer twigs. These living wreaths are the symbol of the eternal life promised by Jesus Christ. The round shape of the wreath express the unity of the community of people and God, the flame of the candles remind of Christ, as the light that illuminates each person with its flame of love.

Advent calendar is undoubtedly the most beautiful custom of the event. Nowadays it often becomes a tasty treat for children, because it is usually filled with goodies of all kinds. The Advent calendar should remind children of the meaning and significance of the four weeks before Christmas and at the same time shorten the wait until they see the decorated tree and the presents on Christmas Eve.

Comentarios

Publicar un comentario

Entradas más populares de este blog

CHRISTMAS CAROL: THE DRUMMER BOY.

Imagen
"The Drummer Boy" tells the apocryphal story of a boy so poor that, unable to offer anything to Baby Jesus, he gives him the gift of his drumming) is a traditional Christmas carol of Czech origin, freely translated into English in 1941 by Katherine Davis, who used in the United States the pseudonym C.R.W. Robison; although the  joint authorship of the music and lyrics of the final English arrangement are attributed to Henry Onorati ("Carol of de Drum", 1957) and Harry Simeone ("The little Drummer boy", 1958). From 1950 it began to be interpreted by different authors, such as José Feliciano, who sang it in 1995 for the program 'Christmas at the Vatican' which is broadcast in Rome and is a special that was prepared for Pope John Paul II. In Spain, the Christmas carol is a classic in Raphael's musical career. After being translated into English this Christmas carol became popular in many regions and is a very traditional Christmas carol. Its origi...
Leer más

THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC.

Imagen
The tradition of the Christmas tree in the Czech Republic came to their homes in the 19th century. Although tree decoration at that time was based on ancient pagan traditions, the tree as a symbol of Christmas came into Czech homes only for wealthy bourgeois families. The tradition of tree decoration as it is known today comes from Livonia (Estonia, Latvia) and Germany. Today it is also customary to place large Christmas trees in the squares of most of their cities. The first Christmas tree was planted in the Czech Republic in 1924, in the square of Námêstí Svobody. Gifts were left underneath the tree. Nowadays the tradition of the Christmas tree is considered a Christian custom, but this wasn't the case before. The Christmas tree carries with it the tradition that the one who has a decorated tree does not expect anything bad and will protect it from evil forces. The branches of conifers are symbols of eternal life. In earlier times trees were used for pagan celebrations by Celts a...
Leer más

ORIGIN OF CZECH CHRISTMAS CAROLS.

Imagen
In Czech, Christmas carol is "koleda". Although this word is now mainly used to refer to a Christmas-themed song, originally the magical meaning of the words and the good wishes of a group of people singing or reciting in the houses was more important. The etymology itself serves as a guide to better understand this phenomenon. First of all, the etymology comes from the Latin kalendae, which in the Roman calendar was the first day of each month, and in addition, January 1st was celebrated as the janual festivities, which is an important detail. Something that is also remarkable is that this word was taken mainly by the Slavic peoples, but the Germans, French and English did not take this word with the same meaning. This is due to the agrarian and rustic culture of the Slavs. If we focus on the practical meaning of the word, it has three main meanings: "tour", because the participants go through the houses singing; "gift", because after singing in front of ...
Leer más