National traditions of Prague. Czech Republic. Wedding in the Czech Republic

On this page we will introduce you to some features of Czech etiquette, holidays, traditions and norms of behavior in the Czech Republic.
First, a few words about the general character traits of the Czechs as a nation.
In the Czech Republic it is not customary to demonstrate your wealth. Especially if he is tall. If you see a woman in an expensive fur coat on the street, most likely she is not a Czech, but a foreigner. Looking at Czech girls, you will not notice the amount of jewelry and cosmetics that you are used to in Russia or Ukraine.
Display an expensive phone, car, etc. - is a sign of bad taste.
Czechs will be very reluctant to communicate with such dudes, and not out of envy, as many might think, but rather because of misunderstanding. They weren't raised that way.

How to address a person, “you” or “you”?

At first glance, the difference with Russian etiquette rules in this regard is not so great. Both there and here, addressing, for example, “you”, is a manifestation of a kind of friendliness and sympathy for the interlocutor. However, it is necessary to switch to “you” at the right moment and from the right side.
Czechs switch to “you” after agreeing in advance. Those. There cannot be a situation where one person suddenly, somehow spontaneously, on his own initiative, addresses another as “you.” For Czechs, this happens in such a way that there should always be a question or sentence like “let’s switch to “you”.” And the second person should say “come on.” It doesn't happen without this. Moreover, there is also a rule that a woman should always take the initiative. Those. she must actively agree that she wants it.
When meeting a woman, she should also shake hands, just like a man.

Upbringing

In schools in the Czech Republic, your desk neighbor may well not know how his friend is studying. They are rarely called to the board, and obvious failures, unlike successes, of classmates are voiced by teachers even less often. The same rules apply to parent meetings. If a child is not doing well academically, his parents talk to the teacher face to face. According to many parents, Czech schools are much easier than studying in the CIS countries. Mainly due to a more loyal and gentle approach to learning.
Unlike our schools, in the Czech Republic it is not customary to put pressure on capable students to strive for any achievements. If he is tired or tired, no one will reproach him.

Manners

Residents of the Czech Republic are not prone to showing strong emotions - they are restrained, tolerant and tolerant. For example, when young people live together, they will never say about their relationship “we love each other”, “we cannot live without each other”, etc. Most likely, they will say something like “we are good together”, “we are dating”, etc. When talking about their country or city, the phrase “I love Prague” will never come from their lips - any positive feedback on their part will be more reserved.
The same is true when talking about people. Czechs are unlikely to say: “fat”, rather “full”, not “old”, but “senior”, etc. And so it is in everything. In conversations, Czechs do not welcome speaking too quickly, raising conflicting topics, or vulgar expressions.

Czech politeness

The politeness of the Czechs will become noticeable to you immediately after your arrival. As soon as you leave the apartment, your neighbors will already greet you. Even if you meet a person several times a day, it won’t bother anyone at all that you’ve already said hello – you’ll be greeted again.
Wherever you go - be it a store, a bakery or some office center - they will certainly say to you: “Dobrý den!” that is, Good afternoon!
If you accidentally push someone on the street, this person will apologize to you, despite the fact that you are to blame.

Holidays

The most favorite family holiday in the Czech Republic is Christmas. It, like throughout the Catholic world, is celebrated on December 25th. Before the holiday - December 24th, on Christmas Eve it is customary to tidy up the house, bake pies, in general, prepare in every possible way for the holiday. An important symbol of Christmas, like ours, is the Christmas tree.
The festive Christmas dinner, as well as the appearance of the main character of the celebration - Hedgehog (the local Father Frost), also happens on the 24th. It is customary to serve potato salad, carp, pork and chicken schnitzels, and fish soup.
On the evening of the 24th after dinner, they ring the bell and call Hedgehog, who comes and gives everyone gifts.
It’s interesting that Jerzyszek is essentially Jesus. And he looks like Santa Claus. The celebration lasts from December 24th to 26th.

Easter

During Easter, celebrated in memory of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as in Russia, it is customary to paint eggs as a symbol of the spring resurrection of nature.
True, in Muscovy this custom is associated with the Resurrection of the Savior, and not with the spring resurrection, and a red-painted egg is a symbol of eternal life. They prepare pies with filling, Easter cakes, and lamb. Willow branches are placed in vases.

Wedding in the Czech Republic

If a guy and a girl decide to get married, the rules of decency require that the future spouse with a bouquet of flowers ask the parents of his future wife for consent to the marriage.
In the Czech Republic, marriages are most often concluded on Saturdays, in the municipality, but it also happens in a church (wedding).
In general, a wedding in the Czech Republic is almost no different from ours - exchange of rings, white dress, flowers, etc. However, such a thing as a wedding feast is rare in the Czech Republic.
The main treats at a wedding are usually wedding cake, drinks and sandwiches. The reasons for such a modest table are not stinginess (although the Czechs are quite stingy), but upbringing and traditions that do not allow the Czechs to boast.
As guests leave the wedding hall, they throw paper confetti or rice at the newlyweds as a symbol of fertility. At the beginning of the wedding feast, before the bride and groom enter the restaurant, a plate or glass is broken for good luck. Then the newlyweds work together to remove the fragments. During lunch, the first meal is served to the newlyweds in one plate, and they feed each other. Then the newlyweds receive wedding gifts and go on their honeymoon.
The bride, as a rule, takes her husband's surname, but can keep her maiden name if she wishes.

Birthday

In Czech families, only children's name days are celebrated at home. Starting from the age of 13-14, children celebrate birthdays with friends.
Adults celebrate this holiday, as a rule, in restaurants or taverns. Typically, a Czech pub or tavern “hospoda” is a cozy establishment where you can have a tasty and satisfying meal and, of course, drink the famous Czech beer and other drinks.
So, a birthday is usually celebrated in a Czech catering establishment, but at the same time, the birthday person does not undertake to feed and water everyone at his own expense. He can buy drinks for everyone, or order the same dishes for everyone, and those present order the rest at their own expense.

Czech cuisine

Because The Czech Republic is located far from the seas and oceans; fish products and dishes are presented here rather sparingly. As a rule, this is either carp (kapr), salmon (losos), or river trout (pstruh). Other fish are also on sale, but in a deep-frozen state. But Czech cuisine is full of meat and poultry dishes, and is based mainly on them.
Famous national dishes include goulash with dumplings, duck with stewed cabbage, pork knee, grilled ribs, various sausages, etc.
You usually don’t have to order salad in restaurants - chopped vegetables are served directly on the plate with the main dish.

Drinks in the Czech Republic

Czechs drink little tea - they prefer coffee. It is poured with boiling water and after a few minutes they drink not only instant coffee, but also ground coffee. But tea is almost always presented in different forms that you may not have tried in your native land - with ice cream, with milk, with cream, black in a Turkish tea, or simply diluted with boiling water in a cup.
As for the pride of the Czech Republic - beer, for the Czechs it is not just a drink, but part of the national worldview, a peculiar character trait of the nation, just like vodka for the Russians or wine for the French.
Beer in the Czech Republic is inexpensive, has an amazing taste, and has many varieties, the most popular of which are “Staropramen” and “Zlato Pramen”, “Gambrinus”, “Velikopopovicky Kozel”, “Pilsen Urquell”.
Bottled beer usually costs from 6 to 20 crowns per bottle (the bottle can then be returned for three crowns); in bars and pubs a glass of beer usually costs about 25 crowns.
However, in expensive establishments in the center of Prague you may have to pay up to 100 CZK for a glass of this drink.
In addition to beer, it is worth mentioning the Karlovy Vary “Becherovka” (sweet liqueur with 42 herbs), “grushovitz” and “slivovitz” (pear and plum vodka) and the legendary 72-degree “Absinthe”, sung by Van Gogh, Remarque and Hemingway, banned in many countries due to its “illusory” effect.

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Czechs: their customs
Almost every European people has a universal word-epithet that characterizes their mentality. Probably only the lazy have not at least once in their life experienced the pedantry of the Germans, the love of the French, the restraint of the British or the love of life of the Italians. And we don’t even have to talk about the numerous anecdotes about the inseparable trinity in its various variations. It’s a completely different story with the Czechs: in relation to this nation, the apt folk thought has not yet come up with any capacious characteristics. The eventful history of the Middle Ages, the long period of power of the German Habsburg dynasty, the German occupation, the convulsive years of the communist regime, and finally, the geographical location - the very center of Europe - these are the main factors that influenced the formation of the Czech mentality. The result is that the Czech national character is very multifaceted and it is impossible to clearly identify any dominant feature in it. Czechs are very calm and reserved, friendly and hospitable. They love order and cleanliness and are generally quite pedantic (which makes them similar to the Germans). Czechs (especially the older generation) are quite conservative in their views; they are characterized by a zealous attitude towards traditions and customs. A specific feature of the Czech character is a love for chilling stories and black humor; there were so many tragic moments in the history of the Czech Republic that its inhabitants had to develop a somewhat ironic attitude towards death.
There are not so many subtleties regarding the everyday customs and traditions of the Czechs, but they still exist. For example, it is generally accepted that when a couple enters a restaurant or bar, the man enters first. In traditional Czech cafés, if there is free space at your table, other people can join you, of course, asking in advance if you would like it. When entering a closed space (with a limited number of people, for example, an elevator, small shops with one or two sellers, a doctor’s or notary’s office, a company’s office, etc.) it is customary to say hello. Typical address: “Dobré den!” [Dobri dan!].

Czech holidays
First, let's list the official holidays of the Czech Republic:
January 1 New Year.
January 6 Epiphany (Epiphany of the Lord, Day of the Three Magi Kings, Epiphany).
End of January beginning of February Masopust (in our opinion Maslenitsa).
February 14 Valentine's Day (Valentine's Day).
March-April Catholic Easter.
May 1 Labor Day.
May 8 Day of liberation from fascism.
July 5 Day of the Slavic Apostles Cyril and Methodius.
July 6 honoring Jan Hus.
September 28 Czech Statehood Day.
October 28 Day of proclamation of independent Czechoslovakia.
November 17 Day of the struggle for freedom and democracy in the Czech Republic.
December 4 St. Barbara's Day.
December 6 Catholic St. Nicholas Day.
December 13 Saint Lucia Day.
December 24 Christmas Eve.
December 25 Christmas.
December 26 St. Stephen's Day.

If public holidays are celebrated in the Czech Republic in the same way as in any other country in the world, then many interesting national traditions and customs are associated with folk holidays, which will be discussed.
December 4th is celebrated feast of St. Barbarians, one of the saints who helps people in their earthly affairs. On this day, it is customary to cut sprigs from cherry trees and place them in water. There is a folk superstition: if the barborki managed to turn green for Christmas, it means that everything planned will certainly come true. They also use barborki to determine which month in the coming year will be the happiest. For example, if the twig blossomed on the sixth day, good luck will come in June.
December 6 is celebrated in the Czech Republic St. day Nicholas, or in Czech Mikulas, who is considered the patron saint of sailors and protector of children. For obvious reasons, we will only talk about the latter. On this day, the first children's matinees are held. The traditional setting of these events is as follows: the devil (“parkel”) appears among the angels along with Mikulas, they all approach the parents and ask how their children behaved during the year. Only after this the kids receive gifts - sweets and toys. The role of Mikulas is usually played by a school teacher. Dressed in bishop's vestments, with a long gray beard and a staff, he somewhat resembles our Father Frost.
The most magnificent and beautiful celebrations are, of course, timed to coincide with the main European holiday Christmas. It is preceded by a three or four week period of fasting called Adevent. During this time, all believers must prepare, both spiritually and materially, for the upcoming holiday. The streets are decorated with countless lanterns and garlands, richly decorated Christmas trees stand everywhere, and an absolutely indescribable atmosphere of anticipation for the upcoming miracle reigns in the air.
As in the old days, Christmas markets are held in all cities of the Czech Republic. The most famous, of course, are those that take place in the Old Town and Wenceslas Squares in Prague. More than a hundred variously decorated tents open their hiding places to visitors. What is there: intricate Christmas tree decorations, painted Christmas gingerbread cookies, fragrant candles, knitted scarves, hats and mittens, handmade toys... You can drink hot punch or mead, enjoy old Bohemian buns (they have a funny name “trdlo”), grilled sausages or roasted chestnuts. And, of course, there are concerts and performances everywhere.
Christmas Eve is associated with many interesting customs and signs. Making Christmas cookies becomes a whole ritual. Every family member should definitely take part in this event. A traditional Christmas dish in the Czech Republic is baked carp, and replacing carp with any other fish, especially sea fish, is considered a bad omen. Buying carp is one of the favorite events among Czech children: a few days before the holiday, huge wooden barrels with fish appear on the streets. Finding the most well-fed and golden among them is not an easy task! However, carp is bought not only to eat; another interesting Czech custom is associated with it. In Prague on December 24, before sitting down to the table, townspeople with children come to the banks of the Vltava and release purchased carp into the water, thereby showing mercy and generosity. By the way, Christmas Eve in the Czech Republic is often called the Day of Generosity.
Christmas is usually celebrated at home, with family. No one should celebrate this bright holiday alone, so lonely people are invited to visit by friends, acquaintances and neighbors. Now about the holiday itself. Around six in the evening everyone sits down at the table, which, according to tradition, should have nine dishes. The meal opens with carp ear, followed by the highlight of the program with potato salad. There are many ancient signs associated with the Christmas feast. So, for example, it is still customary to put a carp scale under each plate (sometimes a small coin is also added to it) - then the whole next year will definitely be happy. Sometimes the scales are put in a wallet and carried with you all year. There is also a custom of gathering only an even number of guests at the table (if the opposite situation nevertheless arises, an empty plate is placed on the table). During dinner, you cannot leave the table until everyone has finished eating. This rule also applies to the mistress of the house, so she should have everything at hand.
After dinner, many Czech families perform traditional apple fortune-telling: they cut an apple crosswise and look at the pattern of the core. If the bones form a regular star, the coming year will be happy, but if the star turns out to be cross-shaped, there may be troubles and illnesses. In addition, it is customary to place lighted candles in walnut shells into a container of water. If the candle does not sink, then happiness awaits the fortuneteller next year.
While Christmas is celebrated with family, the following year New Year's Eve accompanied by folk festivities. December 31 in the Czech Republic is called Sylvester after one of the first popes to be canonized. Residents of Prague celebrate the New Year under a giant metronome on Letenska Square. From the observation deck you can see an absolutely enchanting panorama of the city with the sky sparkling from the festive fireworks. Until now, many people follow the old tradition: they smear their whiskey with honey to be loved throughout the year.
Easter in the Czech Republic they call it the second Christmas, and they celebrate it no less magnificently and beautifully than the main Christian holiday. Easter celebrations begin in the last days of Lent. The holiday is preceded by three holy days: Green Thursday, Good Friday and White Saturday. Green Thursday is so called because on this day the priests celebrate Mass in green vestments. In the Czech provinces, the custom of eating only green vegetables on Green Thursday is still preserved in order to be healthy all year round. On Good Friday, the clergy organize a religious procession - in memory of how Christ carried his cross to Calvary. On White Saturday, services begin in churches glorifying the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter fun begins on Monday, which the Czechs call Red.
Easter is a very bright and warm holiday, and the customs associated with it delight with their sincerity. It is customary to give lamb-shaped gingerbread to children, and adults give each other brightly painted eggs. A must-have dish on the Easter table is the hare, since it is he, and not the chicken, that hatches the eggs. Because chickens are considered not holy enough for such an important event.
The main fun begins on Red Monday. This day is accompanied by folk festivities and all sorts of pranks among young people. On Red Monday, Czech men wear so-called “pomlazkas” - braided willow twigs with ribbons at the end. In the old days, such branches were woven independently; now they can be bought in any souvenir shop. Why, exactly, are sweets needed? It is believed that if a man lightly spanks a girl he meets with them, she will become healthier and more beautiful, because the strength and freshness of the young branch will be transferred to her.
Just like Christmas, Easter is accompanied by numerous fairs. You can use them to buy all kinds of goodies, Easter eggs and gingerbread, sweet twigs and, of course, just have fun. The largest fair takes place at the Old Town Square in Prague.
In addition to the major holidays that the whole country celebrates, there are a great many different kinds of festivals, carnivals and entertainment events that take place in Czech towns and castles. So, for example, if you come to the city of Cesky Krumlov in mid-June, you can witness a truly stunning spectacle called Feast of the Five Petal Rose. This is a bright, colorful, noisy medieval carnival that takes place over three days. The streets are full of beautiful ladies, gallant knights, joyfully laughing landsknechts, medieval fairs, knightly battles, historical games are held everywhere, and in taverns and restaurants they serve dishes prepared according to ancient recipes.

Traditions of the Czech Republic

The traditions of the Czech Republic are primarily associated with music: the Czechs fill each of their holidays - be it a wedding celebration or a religious ceremony - with cheerful dances, songs and other folk rituals.

Christmas is perhaps considered the most important religious holiday in any European country, and Czechs treat it with no less trepidation. Preparations for the feast involve the whole family: mother and children are usually busy baking Christmas cookies, and father is busy searching the market for carp for dinner. By the way, another interesting Czech tradition is connected with this: on December 24, on the so-called “Generous Evening”, the family will not sit down at the table until they take a walk to the bank of the Vltava. There, it is customary to buy several carp from live fish traders and immediately release them into the river. Having completed this touching ritual, the Czechs return home to Christmas dinner, for which it is not customary to eat meat: the traditional holiday menu includes potato salad and fried carp.

But if Christmas is considered the main date of the religious calendar, then, undoubtedly, the most striking event in the life of any girl is her wedding. In the Czech Republic, it is celebrated especially noisily and cheerfully in villages and hamlets: here it is customary to celebrate all holidays together, which means that the bride and groom are expected to receive congratulations, gifts, folk dances and songs from numerous guests.

However, despite such noisy celebrations, hospitable and welcoming Czechs are considered to be calm and not hot-tempered people who value order and a practical approach to everything. Always friendly, they not only sincerely rejoice at tourists, but also understand that these guests bring good profits to the Czech Republic.

Czech culture.

Today's Czech culture is a bizarre synthesis of folklore and modernity. Folk art is especially clearly reflected in musical traditions, which have brought to this day the romance of the original song, which is still popular here. Since ancient times, every folk festival has been accompanied by national dances, round dances accompanied by traditional Czech drums, trumpets, zithers, flutes and kettledrums. The influence of foreign music on the work of Czech composers has been noted since the 16th century, when, having lost political independence, the country was overrun by foreigners. This, oddly enough, ultimately led to the development of original Czech music, which gave the world such famous composers as Dvorak and Smetana.

The influence of neighboring countries also affects the history of Czech architecture. For example, in Prague the traditions of Italian architecture are especially noticeable, and the widespread use of baroque is usually associated with the reign of the Habsburg dynasty. Modern trends such as empire style, functionalism, socialist realism, modernism and cubism also played a big role in the formation of the architectural appearance of the Czech Republic.

The development of the culture of this unique country is best observed by visiting more than 130 historical complexes located on its territory. Many of them today are under the protection of UNESCO, which indicates their importance for world culture. It is not surprising that more and more tourists from all over the world are seeking to visit a country with such a rich historical heritage.

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Each state differs from each other with its own special language, traditions and rituals. Taken together, all this constitutes the culture of the people. The culture of the people arose in ancient times, only to then, after many centuries, be transposed, acquire new colors and turn into a distinctive feature of the state. When going to travel to an unfamiliar country, it is extremely important to get acquainted with its culture, otherwise the architecture, lifestyle and mental characteristics of its inhabitants will not be understandable to foreigners.

The culture of the Czech Republic originated in the Stone Age. Interestingly, for several centuries people considered this country to be the center of Europe. Perhaps this opinion was formed due to the fact that the Czech Republic has always been a huge shopping center, which attracted people from all over the world. The best way to understand the culture of a state is to attend folk festivals and rituals. Any significant event in the Czech Republic was accompanied by music. Back in the Middle Ages, traveling musicians came to fairs in the Czech Republic, who entertained the crowd by playing mandolas, guitars, accordions, organs, and any objects that could make sound. And even now, not a single folk festival is complete without sonorous musical accompaniment. At any time of the day you can hear the enchanting sounds of live music from Czech cafes and restaurants.

This country is the birthplace of many famous composers. Particular attention should be paid to Antonino Drovak and Bedrik Smetana. Antonino Drovak became the creator of the 9th symphony in E minor entitled “For a New World”. This composition was first performed in 1894. And Bedrik Smetana is the author of the work “My Fatherland,” which for many years has been associated with Czech patriotism and an amazingly strong spirit.

For many foreigners, the culture of the Czech Republic is primarily associated with the unique Czech theater. It is difficult to determine in what period of time the love for theatrical art arose in this country. In chronicles dating back to the 11th century, there is a mention of puppets that are used for entertainment purposes. The fact that the theater is a national Czech feature is also evidenced by the fact that after the fire of the National Theater, all residents of the city raised funds for its restoration. For many years there has been a debate about the fact that the world theater championship is occupied by cities such as Moscow, London and Paris. But in fact, Czech theater cannot be limited by any framework or canons. Theatrical performances in the Czech Republic are a completely different art. This country became the birthplace of puppets; here, for the first time, lighting design began to be used during performances and, moreover, for the first time in the Czech theater, not religious, but mystical themes were touched upon.

Also, the culture of the Czech Republic has left its mark on national literature. Each state has its own library of sonnets, poems, stories, chronicles and memoirs. It is interesting that the Czechs began to create literary works at a time when the country did not have its own language. To do this, they used a mixture of Latin and Church Slavonic. It is believed that the Czech language was formed by mixing these two dialects. Literature written in the original Czech language appeared in the 13th century.

Czech culture surprisingly combines European aristocratic culture and traditional Slavic folklore. The culture of the Czech Republic was formed and developed under the influence of Polish, Austrian, German traditions, and each ruler and conqueror introduced something new.

The Czech Republic is rightfully proud of a huge number of monuments and exquisite architecture; in no other European capital will you find such a number of ancient castles and monasteries; there are about 2.5 thousand of them, many of them are under UNESCO protection. The culture of the Czech Republic is, of course, not only architectural monuments, but also music, theater, and literature. For example, the works of such Czech authors as Franz Kafka, Bohumila Hrabala, Milan Kundera, Jaroslav Seifert are translated into all languages ​​of the world. Music has always played a big role in the life of the Czech people. They say that there is a musician in every Czech. In the Czech Republic, music can be heard almost everywhere: on the streets, in cathedrals, beer halls. And even the first steps of man on the Moon were accompanied by the music of the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. Thus, we can say with confidence that a special national spirit is manifested in all spheres of cultural life in the Czech Republic.

The traditions of the Czech Republic are directly related to the character of its inhabitants. Czechs are easy-going, friendly, calm and very hospitable people. Almost all of the old generation know Russian very well. Youth in the Czech Republic are very sporty and enterprising. Czechs love to tell various legends about their country, and they really believe in them. By the way, in comparison with other Western European populations, Czechs devote a lot of time to rest.

Holiday traditions are also observed quite strictly by the Czech people. In the Czech Republic there are public holidays, other holidays, memorial days and weekends. Public holidays in the Czech Republic are regulated by Law No. 245/2000. Public holidays and other holidays are days off. Memorial days are working days.
1. Public holidays
January 1 - Day of restoration of the independent Czech state
May 8 - Victory Day
July 5 - Day of Slavic Saints Cyril and Methodius
July 6th - Jan Hus Execution Day
September 28 - Czech Statehood Day
October 28 - Day of the establishment of the independent Czechoslovak Republic
November 17 - Day of the Fight for Freedom and Democracy
2. Other holidays
January 1 - New Year
Easter Monday (no exact date)
May 1 - Labor Day
December 24 - Christmas Eve
December 25 - Christmas
December 26 - Christmas
3. Memorable days
January 16 - Jan Palach Memorial Day
January 27 - Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Holocaust and Crimes Against Humanity
March 8 - International Women's Day
March 12 - Day of entry of the Czech Republic into the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO)
March 28 - Birthday of John Amos Comenius
April 7 - Day of Education
May 5 - May Uprising of the Czech People
May 15 - Family Day
June 10 - Destruction of the village of Lidice
June 27 - Day of Remembrance for Victims of the Communist Regime
November 11 - War Veterans Day
The most important holiday in the Czech Republic is . Christmas Eve is associated with various rituals and customs, such as making Christmas cookies or buying carp for the Christmas table. By the way, according to tradition, the festive table for Christmas should consist of nine dishes. They still put scales under it, and according to this tradition, next year will definitely be happy. If Christmas is usually celebrated with family, then the New Year is always accompanied by folk festivities. Czechs celebrate the New Year under a giant metronome on Letenska Square.

The next main holiday for the Czechs is. The holiday is preceded by three holy days: Green Thursday, Good Friday and White Saturday. Only bright and soulful traditions are associated with Easter: children are given gingerbread cookies in the shape of a lamb, and adults give each other painted eggs. In addition to traditional holidays, there are various festivals, carnivals and entertainment events. In Moravia, for example, they celebrate the beginning of autumn fishing in ponds, or during the holiday of the end of the harvest, entire carnival processions take place.