How Slovakia Celebrates Christmas

“Veselé Vianoce“ or Merry Christmas!

Christmas in Slovakia was so unique and interesting! We want to bring some of these traditions back with us, well, except the Christmas carp.

We had no idea that Christmas traditions would be so different from America to Europe.

It all starts four weeks prior with the Roman Catholic celebration of Advent. Originated from the Latin word Adventus which means the “coming” of Jesus Christ. They have a pine wreath and light the tallest candle the first Sunday and the last one the Sunday before Christmas. We saw a lot of Advent wreaths and candles for sale in the outdoor Christmas markets. We even had four candles burning in our home.

December 5th is when children put their shoes out on the window sill and hope St. Nicholas

puts some sweets in them. On December 6th there are visits from St. Nicholas in the village square as he visit the children along his way. He wears a long beard and a long red robe with white fur along the edges. We noticed he was accompanied by an angel and a devil characters. At least St. Nicholas is based on a true person who lived hundreds of years ago and secretly gave gifts to others.

One day, outside a grocery store we noticed a medium tub with fish swimming inside.

Several men bought one or two carp and left with their catch. They supposedly take them home and place them alive in the bathtub full of cold water. We actually had an opportunity to watch a couple guys put a carp in their tub. On Christmas Eve morning you are to kill it and fix it for dinner.

The drawings are Josef Lada, one of the most celebrated painters and illustrators in Czech history.

All businesses are closed for three days. Nothing was open from December 24 - 26; as we are near the town square and it was like a ghost town. 

No bars, restaurants, or stores were open for any reason, so all the employees were home with their families. Very little traffic was on the roadways. We really appreciated the peace and serenity over Christmas holidays with snow on the ground.

Throughout Slovakia we noticed lights in the town squares and villages and along streets and roads.

The simple lighted Christmas displays hang from lamp posts and strung across the roads. Each shaped like candles, wreaths, bells, and angels. Although, there are not Christmas decorations on homes, only in the town squares did we see lights.

Because churches are always in the center of towns we did notice several Christmas mangers displayed. No stores had big Christmas sales or even mad rushes to buy everything, but we did noticed the shopping carts full of seasonal food and drinks.

The most special Day of Christmas is December 24th, and here is how it works. One parent keeps the kids occupied while the other puts up and decorates the tree placing presents underneath. A bell is

rung telling the children Jesus has visited, and they run to see him. Then they are told Baby Jesus left gifts under the tree and they can open them. One grown woman stated she still loves to think of baby Jesus bringing gifts to all the children.

Christmas day is for the family to gather. The “bounty” of this special evening lies in the wide assortment of traditional festive dishes,

while the whole family gathers around the dinner table. A paper thin wafer known as oplasky with honey is always the first course served followed by “kapustnica” or cabbage soup, potato salad and other traditional dishes. After dinner, the family goes into the living room to open and exchange small wrapped gifts. Before retiring to bed, the Catholic families may attend midnight mass service.

St. Stephen’s Day is celebrated on December 26th – the time is spent similar to Christmas Day with family finishing Christmas Eve dinner leftovers.

Later in the evening St. Stephen parties are organized and the streets are full of party-goers.

Three Kings Day is January 6th - the day the Bible mentions that the Tree Wise Men visited baby Jesus with gifts.

Children are allowed to eat the treats hanging from the branches of the Christmas tree before it is taken down until next Christmas. Christmas time to Slovak people is indeed a very special time of the year. When the Christmas tree is lit, some of the almost forgotten customs and rites of their ancestors come to life once more, their thoughts return to their family friends and to love.

Just for fun, I re-wrote the popular Christmas carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, to fit our holiday experience in Slovakia. And it goes something like this:

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me ...

twelve missionaries skyping, eleven angel ornaments, ten Elders in one apartment, nine bottles of Kofola, eight donated children’s toys, seven blocks of walking, six plates of cookies, five church bells ringing, four Advent candles, three hours of train rides, two stockings hanging, and A star atop our artificial tree.