Holidays Summary

Updated: 27.10.2020

Holidays Summary

Christmas: commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, Twelvetide is celebrated from 24th December to 6th January
          British: Father Christmas, presents opened on 25th December in the morning, turkey, roast potatoes and Christmas pudding
          American: Santa Claus, presents opened on 25th December in the morning, turkey or roast beef
          Czech: Ježíšek, presents opened on 24th December after dinner, traditional baked cookies cukroví, fish and potato salad

Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a religious and cultural festival observed all around the world. In most countries, the celebrations last for twelve days, they start on 24th December in the evening and end on the 5th or 6th January. It is typically celebrated by singing carols and having a Christmas Tree. Typical decorations are nativity scenes, Christmas lights, jingle bells, stockings, candy canes and snowflakes. Whole cities are decorated, you can hear carols averywhere and traditional Christmas markets are popular. Families bake traditional cookies and make typical sweets, such as gingerbread.

          British Christmas is celebrated by a family feast in the evening of 24th December. They usually eat a turkey with brussels sprouts and roast potatoes, other traditional meals include pudding and mince pies. In the morning, on 25th December, presents brought by Father Christmas are unwrapped. Boxing Day is the name of 26th December, it is connected with charity, because servants and poor people received small presents or money. On Twelfth Night, Christmas decorations should be taken down, because it brings bad luck to leave them up.

          American Christmas season starts with Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. On 24th December, families get together to have dinner, usually turkey with stuffing or roast beef. The presents are brought by Santa Claus and his flying reindeer. They are put in stockings or under the tree and opened on 25th December in the morning.

          Czech Christmas are very specific and we have many old traditions. Czech Christmas season begins with Advent, which lasts four Sundays before Christmas. Czechs bake traditional sweets called cukroví. Štědrý den is the name of 24th December and the most common tradition is to not eat until dinner to see the Golden Piglet. For dinner, Czechs eat fish, pea or lentil soup, carp or any other fish, and potato salad. The presents are brought by Ježíšek, put under the Christmas Tree and opened right after Christmas Dinner.

Easter: commemorates the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, a moveable feast, celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or sooner after the spring equinox, the most important days are Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
          British: bank holidays, decorated eggs, sweets delivered by the Easter Bunny, egg rolling and pace egging, Morris dancing
          American: not a federal holiday, but a part of the spring break, Easter parades, Easter Bunny and the Easter Basket, egg rolling and egg hunts
          Czech: public holidays, decorated eggs kraslice, a special handmade whip called pomlázka with ribbons

Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus from the dead after his crucifixion. It is determined by a lunisolar calendar and celebrated the first Sunday after the full moon after the spring equinox. It is a Christian holiday and it is celebrated by many religious customs. Typical Easter decorations include Easter Eggs, Easter Bunny and Easter Basket.

          British Easter is celebrated by two bank holidays, on Good Friday and Easter Monday. Eggs are decorated and on Easter Sunday morning, children search for them in the garden, this is called the Egg Hunt. The Easter Bunny brings chocolate eggs and sweets in a basket and many families attend Sunday Mass. A Sunday roast is typical, often of roast lamb or ham. Egg rolling is traditional game with hard-boiled eggs and Pace-Eggs are traditionally decorated eggs, boiled in onion skin.

          American Easter is not a federal holiday, but it is a part of the spring break. Many customs are similar to British Easter, but the holiday is mainly celebrated by the Polish minority and Catholics. The Easter Bunny also brings the Easter Basket, egg rolling and egg hunts are also common, and there are also Easter parades on Easter Sunday.

          Czech Easter is very specific and both Good Friday and Easter Monday are public holidays, and children get an Easter break on Thursday too. Kraslice are eggs decorated in a traditional way, including wax and gentle drilling. A traditional sweet cake is called Beránek, because it is in the shape of a lamb. Pomlázka is a special handmade whip, made of eight or twelve willow rods. On Easter Monday morning, boys go door to door and spank girls with pomlázka in exchange for ribbons, kraslice, alcohol and money. 

Halloween: celebrated on 31st October, commemorates the dead and wards off evils spirits, typical things include carving jack-o'-lanterns, wearing costumes and trick-or-treating, apple bobbing and eating candy corn

Dušicky: celebrated on 2nd November, commemorates the dead, typical things include visiting graveyards, cleaning graves, bringing flowers and wreaths, lighting a candle and praying for dead family members

Allhallowtide is the Christian observance of three holidays, All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls's Day, from 31st October to 2nd November. It is a time to remember the dead, saints and martyrs. This Christian tradition comes from the Middle Ages and there are many similar holidays celebrated all around the world, they are usually happy festivals with costumes and family celebrations. The most known is Dia de Muertos, a traditional Mexican holiday.

          All Saints's Eve, commonly called Halloween, is celebrated on 31st October. It is originally a British festival, but it gained most popularity in the United States. In the past, the main goal was to ward off evil spirits and pray for the dead, and the traditional activities included souling and guising. Special soul cakes with a cross were baked and turnips were carved into lanterns with a face.

          Today, it is a popular holiday celebrated all around the world. Children usually go trick-or-treating, they dress in costumes and go door to door asking for candy. A pumpkin carved into a lantern with a scary face is called a jack-o'-lanters, and it is one of the symbols of Halloween. Apple bobbing is a traditional game where players try to catch apples floating in a bucket with their teeth. Visiting haunted houses, watching horror films, having costume parties and lighting bonfires are other popular activities.

          Houses are decorated with scary things, such as skeletons, cobwebs, blood and body parts, graves and ghosts. The traditional colours of Halloween are black, orange, purple and bright green. Supernatural beings are very popular and people like to dress as witches, vampires, warewolves, zombies, reapers, fairy tale characters and even aliens. Traditional food includes caramel apples, candy corn, barmbrack, bonfire toffee and roasted seeds.

          Some people believe that Halloween has pagan roots and is connected to the Celtic holiday Samhain, which ends harvest season and marks the beginning of winter. Celtic beliefs influenced many folk customs in Europe, and for example in the Czech Republic, the custom of Pálení čarodějnic, or St Walpurga's Night, on 30th April, is very similar to the Celtic Beltane festival.

          All Saints' Day, also called the Feast of All Saints, is celebrated on 1st November. People usually attend church and bring flowers to cemeteries. It is mainly a holiday observed by Christians and the general public does not celebrate it.

          All Souls' Day, also called the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, is a holiday celebrated on 2nd November. Christians pray for their dead loved ones and also attend church. In the Czech Republic, this holiday is called Dušičky and it is widely celebrated. People go to the cemetery and clean the family grave, they bring flowers and wreaths and light candles.


Typical British holidays: St Patrick Day - 17th March, Guy Fawkes Night - 5th November, Poppy Day - 11th November

Typical American holidays: Independence Day - 4th July, Veterans Day - 11th November, Thanksgiving - the fourth Thursday of November

Typical Czech holidays: St Václav's Day - 28th September, Independent Czechoslovakia Day - 28th October, Fight for Freedom and Democracy Day - 17th November

International holidays: St Valentine's Day - 14th February, April Fools' Day - 1st April, Mother's Day, New Year's Eve - 31st December

There are many holidays typical only for one country and are not celebrated anywhere else in the world. They are usually connected to some historical events and commemorate some important dates in the history of the country.

          In the UK, public holidays are called bank holidays, because the banks are closed. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated on 17th March, mostly in Ireland. It commemorates the death of the Patron of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the island. It is celebrated by parades and festivals, wearing green clothes, shamrocks and leprechaun outfits. Guy Fawkes Night is celebrated on 5th November by bonfires and fireworks. It commemorates the Gunpowder Treason of 1605, when a group of people tried to blow up the House of Lords and kill the king. Today, Guy Fawkes is the symbol of anti-government resistance. Remembrance Day, commonly called Poppy Day, is celebrated on th November. It commemorates all dead soldiers since the First World War. There are many ceremonies and remembrance poppies are worn and put on clothing.

          In the US, a federal holiday is celebrated in all fifty states. Independence Day commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on 4th July, 1776, when the Thirteen Colonies were declared free and independent. It is typically celebrated by fireworks, parades and displaying national flags. Veterans day is celebrated on the 11th November to honor all Amerian veterans. It is celebrated by parades, displaying the American flag and visiting war memorials. Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It is a harvest festival celebrated by a family feast. The typical dinner is stuffed and roasted turkey with mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn and pumpkin pie.

          There are thirteen Czech holidays. Statehood Day, usually called Saint Václav's Day, is celebrated on 28th September. It commemorates the Czech patron saint Václav, the Duke of Bohemia murdered by his brother in 935. Independent Czechoslovakia Day is celebrated on 28th October. It commemorates the day Czechoslovakia became independent on the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918. Fight For Freedom and Democracy Day, also called  Students' Day, is celebrated on 17th November. It commemorates several events when people, especially students, rose up against opression.

          International holidays are celebrated all around the world, but they are usually not public holidays. Saint Valentine's Day is celebrated on 14th February as a holiday of romantic love. People usually give Valentine cards with hearts, chocolate and flowers to their loved ones. April Fools' Day is celebrated on st April by playing pranks, practical jokes and spreading hoaxes. New Year's Eve is celebrated on 31st December by parties and fireworks.

equinox and solstice