Well,
I promised everyone a real email, about all the traditions and things
for the holidays here in the Czech Republic. I ask you all to forgive my
typos, because I'll be writing really fast so I can fit everything in.
:)
CHRISTMAS IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC:
Christmas
is mainly celebrated on December 24th. Czechs fast all day long, so
that they can eat lots at dinner, and one tradition is that if they
fast, after dinner they will see a golden pig on the wall, or in their
dreams, and if they see it, it means they will have good luck and
fortune in the next year.
For dinner on Christmas Eve, they usually have carp and potatoe salad, and some kind of soup, we had pea soup.
After
dinner, the parents ring a bell, letting the kids know that Ježíšek
("Little Jesus") has come and brought them presents, so they run into
the room where the tree and the presents are to open them.
Traditions: (different families tell them differently, so bare with me)
1. Cutting of the Apple
This
happens usually on Christmas Eve, you slice an apple in half
(cross-wise/horizontally) and look at the two halves. If the seeds in
the middle make a star (five seeds) then you will be happy and healthy
in the new year. If the seeds make a cross (four seeds), you'll have bad
luck and die.
2. Leaving the dinner table
No
one can leave the dinner table during dinner. Once everyone is ready to
eat (including going to the bathroom, washing your hands, and having
everything you might need during dinner within reach) everyone sits down
at the table together, and once the meal is over, everyone stands up
together. If someone stands up before everyone else, they'll have bad
luck in the new year and die first out of the group.
3. Money under the plates
At
the dinner table, everyone recieves a few coins under their plates. The
family we had dinner with had put them there before we got there, and
we couldn't look at them until after dinner was over. Some of us got 20
crowns, some of us only 2.
4. Carp scale in wallet
From
the carp that they use for dinner, everyone takes a scale (usually
laminates it/protects it) and keeps it in their wallet. If they do this
they will never run out of money. (I have one in my wallet right now!)
5. Cukrovi
Cukrovi
are little cookies of various shapes and sizes that Czech women make
each year around Christmas. It actually gets pretty intense and is like a
competition. You'll hear Czechs asking each other how many different
kinds of cukrovi they made and try to one up each other. And it takes
entire days to make cukrovi. The most I think I heard was one woman made
40 different kinds of cookies. Some are really good, some have alcohol
in them, you just have to be careful. ;)
Our
Christmas was spent with the Kolkovi. We got there and sang hymns and
carols until the food was ready, they we all sat down and ate together.
We had pea soup, fried carp (fried chicken was available for those who
didn't like the carp) and potatoe salad. We also had some cukrovi and
pastries for dessert. Under our plates were some coins, and then we
spent the rest of the evening singing Czech folk songs. It was so fun,
and such a joyful atmosphere!
Another thing we
did, just as missionaries, was we bought, and killed (by ourselves) a
carp. Around the city, before Christmas, you can find street vendors
with giant tubs full of live carp. And then you can have them kill it
for you, or you can take it home and kill it yourself. We, of course,
wanted to try to kill it ourselves. So a few days before Christmas, we
bought a carp, took it to the elders' apartment, and tried to kill it.
Elder Breyman was put in charge and it was kind of a slow and painful
death. But eventually it died, we got some scales off of it, and the
elders finished filleting it. So that was our adventure. :)
NEW YEAR'S IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC:
For
New Year's, I don't know as many traditions, sorry. I can only share
with you our missionary experience. :) As missionaries, we had to be
inside by 5:30pm
on New Year's Eve, which means inside the church, or inside anyone's
apartment for dinner or something. And then we had to be home at our own
apartment by 7:30pm.
Fireworks started I think around 6pm on New Year's Eve, and continued at a steady rate all the way until midnight,
when there were thousands of fireworks going on all around us. And then
I think they continued to die out, but still go, until around 1am. Then every night since New Year's Eve there have been fireworks going on around 6pm. I still heard them last night, so I have no idea how long that will last.
Funny
story: Ses. Hale and I were watching the fireworks from our apartment
window, when a man went to light a firework in our front lawn. We got
excited because we were definitely going to be able to see it. A few go
off, and we're watching them, and then BANG! something explodes right
next to our window! Turns out, the arial firework the guy had lit, had
fallen over, shot our building, and then the force of that shot caused
it to fall the other way, and a few seconds later it shot the building
accross the street from us! And to make everything better, I caught it
all on video! If it's not too long, I'll try to send it home. :)
Well,
I hope that this email kind of makes up for all the shorter ones I've
been sending lately. I promise I'll try to be better. :) This email
pretty much explains everything we've been doing for the past couple of
weeks, amongst street contacting and visiting members.
This
gospel is true, and Christ is our Savior. My testimony has really grown
over the past couple of weeks. God lives and loves His children
everywhere, and He wants them to have His gospel. He also really loves
His missionaries, He even protects them from being killed by fireworks.
;)
I love you all, and I hope that this new
year brings lots of health, happiness, and joy to everyone. Thank you
for your love and prayers, HAPPY NEW YEAR!
s laskou,
Sestra Schaerrer
PS - I'll try to send pictures and videos :)
I FORGOT ONE!!!
Tradition #6: Candle on the water
You
take a walnut shell, only one half, and you but a candle inside of it.
Then you light the candle and float the shell on water. Everyone does
this at the same time, and if two peoples' shells go together, then they
will be together some way in the new year (married, business partners,
etc.). The last candle still burning will have the most luck in the new
year.
Elder Hanis and the carp. Before dinner at the Kolkovi. Our Christmas tree from Bro. Moravec. :)
The firework video was too big to send, so here are some pictures of Ses. Hale and me. :)
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