Advent

Some people still follow the tradition of lighting a candle every Sunday in the lead up to Christmas. In modern times though kids are more interested in the chocolate Advent Calendars.

St. Nicholaus - Dec 6th

On the 6th of December the children prepare for the visit of St. Nicholaus by polishing their shoes and putting them in a window or at the fireplace. St. Nicholaus may appear in person and may be accompanied by a satan-like figure with horn and tails.  He may also be accompanied by a good fairy, but usually he puts sweets and candy in the children’s shoes over night when they are sleeping. The children wake up in the morning with excitement to see what they have received from St. Nicholaus. If he appears in person he will speak to the children and praise them for good behaviour during the year. The children receive sweets and fruit; typically oranges or mandarins. Because of their round and gold-like colour they symbolise the shape of a small bag of golden coins, which according to legend St. Nicholas threw into the poor people’s homes through the window or door, most of the time landing in the shoes placed by the fireplace. These days children also receive chocolate figures in the shape of St. Nicholas in aluminium wrapping with the picture of St. Nicholaus printed on it.  He also leaves onions, garlic and coal for naughty children as a symbol that it is better to be nice all year. The children enjoy the visit of St. Nicholas by singing songs and reciting poems for him.

This occasion is a real highlight for children and typically a few families will gather at someone’s house to await his arrival. Coincidentally one of the fathers will always be stuck at work and miss out on St. Nicholaus’ visit. This is usually a father that is less familiar to the crowd. ;-)

Cookie Baking

In the weeks leading up to Christmas one or two days are devoted to cookie baking. This is a very important part of Slovak culture and many different varieties of cookies are baked. Cookies will then be exchanged between friends and neighbours and kids will always be sneaking into the pantry to steal a cookie.

Christmas Markets

Between St. Nicholaus and New Year there are Christmas markets in almost every town that sell Christmas decorations, Christmas lights, grilled sausage, Sauerkraut, Christmas punch and sugar coated almonds. This is a great social occasion for townsfolk to bump into people they have not seen in a while and catch-up.

24th - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is also the ‘name day’ of Eve (Eva) in Slovakia. This is a day of fasting where dairy, meat and animal products are avoided. A slice of toast and tea is allowed, especially for small children to tide them over.  A great deal of cooking is done during the day and the Christmas tree is erected and decorated.

The Christmas tree is the pride of the woman of the house and she will take a great deal of time deciding on a theme and how to decorate the tree. Christmas ornaments are not sold individually but come in a set of 12 or more. The ornaments usually follow a theme e.g. a set of 12 Christmas balls each with a Christmas theme painted on. Each ball may differ in detail but altogether they would represent a theme. Sometimes people may have more than one theme for their tree and it may be changed each year. For example – one year the tree may be in the spectrum of red colours, the next in a spectrum of silver and gold. Some Christmas trees are true masterpieces and decorating the tree is a well planned precision event.

The first ornaments put on the tree would be sweets and chocolates.  Salonki are the most traditional of the Christmas tree sweets. They are made of chocolate, wrapped in shiny paper,  joined by a string (like a scale). The string is hung over the branch and the shapes balance each other.

The children’s favourite Christmas tree decorations are hollow chocolates in the shape of Santa wrapped in shiny paper. Some are filled with pink or white filling. Some of the older traditional decorations like those made of straw are still used today.

Fake Christmas trees have become popular through an awareness to preserve forests as well as the convenience of not having to clean up the mess of dropping needles. The Christmas tree stays up until at least the 6th of January, but some people like to keep their tree much longer.

On Christmas Eve the farmers go to their barns, feed the animals and then lock the barn so that the bad spirits cannot enter.

Nativity scenes are mostly set up in churches but smaller scenes are sometimes placed under the Christmas tree. A giant nativity scene can be viewed in the town of Rajeck Lesna. It is 8.5m wide and 3m tall and took Jozef Pekara 15 years to carve. Many tourists travel to this town to see this masterpiece.

In the days leading up to Christmas people go to the market in the middle of town and buy live carp for the Christmas meal. Carp is the traditional Christmas food in Slovakia. Some people put the carp in the bath tub to keep it alive and fresh so the kids can have some fun. They are usually kept in the tub until the father comes home from work and “prepares” the fish for cooking. The fish can be kept in the fridge or freezer, depending how many days there are remaining before Christmas. 

But these days people can buy the carp already prepared, especially if they live in an apartment and there is no space available for the traditional “preparation”.

During the Communist regime, people would also use fruit to decorate the Christmas table. The majority of the fruit would typically be grown in Slovakia, but there would always be a small amount of imported tropical fruit which was only available for purchase at Christmas time and special occasions. 

As soon as it is dark, Christmas dinner can begin.  Appetisers include pureed black beans and dumplings with poppy-seeds (the poppy-seeds represent bountiful crops and plenty). The next course would be Sauerkraut soup with dried mushrooms and the main course would be potato salad and carp, deep fried in flour, egg and crumbs. The Slovak’s do not have a big dessert culture and prefer to finish off their meal with a selection of cheese and/ or the Christmas cookies.

A few ‘rituals’ are followed before eating. The table is set for dinner and an empty place set for an unexpected guest.

A prayer is first said giving thanks for the meal and gifts. A candle is lit in the centre of the table and then the hostess will stick two thin wafers together with honey. She will break off a small piece and then pass the wafer around the table and everyone will have a small bite. This is to show generosity and sharing. Someone will also paint a cross on everyone’s forehead using a finger dipped in honey. The father of the house then cuts open an apple. If he cuts the seed in half it means sickness, but if the seed is pretty with a nice pattern there will be health and prosperity. A mandarin is shared out and everyone gets a piece. A walnut is broken open and if it is dry it indicates that the coming year will not be good. A peanut is broken open and if it looks good it will bring good health.

After dinner the gifts appear under the tree. In the past, Christmas was all about the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Today, with globalisation and traditions seeping in from western cultures, the idea of “gifts coming from Santa Claus” is also being accepted. Santa Claus in Slovakia is still somehow similar to the traditional St. Nicholaus so to avoid confusion they simply call him “Father Winter”.  

Influenced by western stories of Santa, some parents will encourage their children to go out onto the balcony and look up into the skies to see if they can catch a glimpse of Santa travelling by. The gifts are then quickly arranged under the tree whilst the children are distracted looking for this ‘magic man’. Small children believe their gifts come from Santa but as they grow older the gifts will be recognised as coming from other members of the family.

Gifts are opened, cookies and wine consumed and popular carols like the Slovak version of Silent Night are sung. Around 10/11pm some people will leave home to attend midnight mass. Some small restaurants will be open after Mass for hot chocolate and light snacks for the people in town.

Traditions seem to be better preserved in the communist times when family was closer together and the purity and beauty of Christmas was celebrated. Today it is becoming more commercialised with an abundance of decorations, and a merging of Santa, Jesus and St. Nicholaus as one. 

25th of December 

The 25th is a quiet day at home eating left-overs. The family might take a walk to town on this day and greet other people.

26th St. Stephen’s Day

This is the name day of St. Stephen and is like a second Christmas. It will be another family gathering at a different relative’s home and it is the day when roast poultry (duck or goose) is traditionally eaten with red cabbage and dumplings. Restaurants and places for young people open again on this day so everyone can celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

New Year

New Year is celebrated with a nice dinner and a visit to the Church in the evening or on New Year’s day. Dinner could include potato salad, ham and deli foods. No poultry is eaten on this day to ensure that your happiness does not fly away.

There seems to be a competition as to who can drink the most champagne and who has the biggest fireworks. There are good shows on TV and people also like to attend New Year's events. It is also a popular past time to take a walk into town and chat with fellow townsfolk, especially when there is fresh snow, creating the impression of a fresh start to the new year.

6th January - The Three Kings

The Three Kings travel from house to house  wishing families health, happiness and prosperity for the year. People usually give the Three Kings money and food. The Three Kings will write the letters C+M+B on the doorways.

Christmas trees may be taken down and skiing enthusiasts can be seen on the slopes nibbling Christmas tree candy for an extra boost of energy.