CZECH vs. USA CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS: Santa vs. Ježíšek and much more!

[@BonelessEar]

kopr do bramborovyho salatu? To bych si nechal zavolat kuchare.

To teda.... to musi bejt nejaka uchylna tradice. :-D

[@Chefiik]

Taky to slyším poprvé, ale už jsem viděl, že do toho lidi dávají větší extrémy :D

[@Milonova1]

@@Chefiik Me vadí i jablko :D

[@MirexCZ]

@@Milonova1 Jablko?!? Ty vole, to už radši ten kopr :D

[@kamenkrofta8703]

Mě uš štve hlášek

[@danielzacek6927]

I am also amused that Santa Claus has its logic. Like a fat old man who runs through a chimney, has an army of elves around him and flies a flying sleigh around the world is logical? :) Baby Jesus may seems to be illogical at first sight, but that's what Christmas is all about. It is about the "miracle" and I would not really look for logic.

[@cheeseontoast3434]

Baby Jesus zní jako baby Yoda.

[@hidashincz2813]

@@cheeseontoast3434 baby Yoda je druhý příchod Ježíše

[@maestrozelva5082]

Santa has his own magic, but on the other hand he was created by cola for comercial use

[@doudyk7692]

you got it, brother.

[@annaweber26]

Samozrejme ze Santa ma logiku!!! Prodava Colu!! 😂😂😂. A nebo Cola prodava Santu??????🤔🤔 Tak ted fakt nevim............🙁🙁🙁. 🤣🤣

[@Petkow66]

I am Czech, but living in Chicago. My son is 10 y/o, he's half Czech and half Mexican.He knows Mikuláš, čert and anděl. His presents brings Ježíšek, not Santa, and he loves potato salad with fried fish!

[@notaheareronly8105]

I want to decorate a czec home as a gift, can you show me some decor ideas?

[@podivejsename]

do you really need to know who brings presents? if jezisek flies? if Jezisek has delivery service? NO, just use your imagination. That is the magic. And do not forget to leave the letter with your wishes and Ježíšek will read them and might bring them under the tree. Deda Mraz is russian santa :) we hate Santa, we hate deda Mraz. We love our unvisible Jezisek :)

[@mariesekaninova3403]

Jo, ať se jde děduška moroz bodnout i se santou (jména jim przním malými písmeny schválně) na severní pól nebo na Sibiř. A můžou si dát spolu vodku 😂 Ať žije Ježíšek!!!!

[@CZEPolice]

To je pravda, děda mráz a santa prostě vypadají takhle a takhle, podle reklam... Ježíšek, je každého z nás naše představa, pro každého vypadá trošku jinak.

[@Kyra_of_Kerkyra]

Well written, I agree that the mystery around Ježíšek is what creates the Christmas magic for children. Nobody has ever seen him, we don't know how he looks, where he comes from or how he travels. Oh, and we don't consider Sv. Mikuláš a Christmas tradition, it's just an unrelated holiday in early December. Naughty kids get cole and potatoes, if not taken to hell by 👿 Čert. Usually though kids get only one potato or cole and a lot of sweets, of course. So far, no children have been reported taken by Čert either 😀

[@paveltrachta]

Přesně! :)

[@mkDaniel]

Santa se prodal kole...

[@michaldragoun8430]

Co je nelogického na tom, jak Ježíšek dá dárky pod stromek? Vždyť dokáže (podle Bible) vodu proměnit ve víno, proti tomu jsou nějaký dárky jak nic. 😀

[@zdenkakrenkova9557]

Jako jo no 😅🙂

[@vanes7769]

jenže to byl už dospělý ježíš, ne mimino v jeslích :Dd

[@tajfuntesi]

@@vanes7769 Ale no tak vždyť má andílky😁.

[@mrwestsk]

Jo no

[@veronikarezacova5050]

@@vanes7769 Vždyť to snad není definované, jak starý Ježíš/ježíšek nosí dárky. Já si ho vždycky představovala jako dospělého chlapa.

[@F100cTomas]

I love fried carp, but I only eat it on Christmas

[@DreamPrague]

I have to admit, I've only tried it once and I didn't like it very much. Perhaps I need a proper Czech babička to make it for me. :)

[@danchmelar7111]

@@DreamPrague Yeah, Christmas dinner. You eat food you and your family doesn't even enjoy, but it is our way. You stick with it and don't aks questions :D

[@petergraywolf5765]

@@DreamPrague lemon is a must, alot lemon. I only eat it once or twice a year (christmas and rarely some other time) and i like the fatty taste yet i cant eat it / hate it if that makes any sense :D (for example i like fatty meat with fresh uncooked vegetables, to balance it out) and alot of fresh lemon is a must for me for carb that is fried like schnitzel. Then with potato salad it is very tasty and not so incredibly oily so i would suggest dont forget to try it both with and without lemon :) Btw: just like any meat, it isnt always absolutely the same. Therefore some years carb tastes delicious, some years it isnt so good.. that meat differs in quality and also depends alot on how you prepare it, since you are basically dealing with whole fish that oyu need to prepare. So there are multiple ways of getting rid of bones, getting rid of fish smell etc :)

[@studenapolivka5652]

​@@DreamPrague Yeah, carp is not like the most tasty fish :D but I like it. It depends a lot on age and size of carp, the older it is, the more it tastes like a "mud". Also big ones are usually fat, and always seemed to me like fat=very "muddy". Always buy your carp fresh and alive, or have it murdered for you, frozen from store are "fuj" XD Fry it in roasting pan in stove, not just in regular pan on hotplate. So, If you choose right shaped and aged carp and fry it well, it can taste quite good :D And if you´re lucky enough, you won´t end up in hospital with bone stuck in your throat... but whatever, our medical system is prepared for that XD Traditions i remember: single girls throwing their shoe behind them, if the tip points to the door, it means she will get married next year, or move out the house. Cut the apple in half (horizontal) and the shape of "star" will predict your health in next year. More pretty it is, healthier you´re gonna be. And one very old tradition, that nobody´s probably doing these days, young girls go to the near lake, cut the hole in the ice, look in there and try to predict the future from the water. This one is nicely described in one of K.J.Erben´s ballads "Štědrý den". If you haven´t read his book "Kytice", I highly recommend it. You can read a lot about czech folklore and traditional stories there... It´s more like tragic, but it´s also very beautiful and emotional, i would say it´s my favourite book of all times :D There is also movie based on that book, very good too, but it doesn´t include all ballads, just the most famous.

[@sarah-dt4hp]

IKR!!! Carp is so good! But you mostly eat it on Christmas, but you can eat it any time of year(but it’s of course most common on Christmas)

[@anezkaskolova6545]

🤣 Super! Jinak miluju rybí polévku a řízky z kapra s bramborovým salátem ( bez kopru) ;)

[@Hopelek]

I loved the analytical questions about Ježíšek 😀 Šťastné a Veselé!

[@DreamPrague]

Šťastné a Veselé to you too!

[@tomvalusek]

Ještě jedna věc, která tu nepadla. Po štědrovečerní večeři se hlavně v rodinách , kde mají někoho, kdo umí hrát na klavír nebo jiný hudební nástroj, zpívají koledy

[@pav85rez]

nebo se pusti z gramofonove desky a kdyz se jde ke stromecky tak idealne aby hralo Narodil se kristus pan :)

[@sharpshooterCZ200S]

Já, když na to přijde, tak umím hrát na nervy, ale blbě se na to zpívají koledy...

[@patizon7569]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5DQg4tjm9-ra9E&ab_channel=mejhna

[@xqxiv1559]

Nebo se o to alespoň pokoušeji, protože jsou nacucani grogem a vaječnym koňakem. Ha,ha.🤣

[@breznik1197]

Tak koledy se snad zpívají skoro všude, i v naprosto nemuzikálních rodinách. Aby to někdo nahrazoval reprodukovanou hudbou, to už musí být hodně řešení z nouze. Spíš se hodně liší žánry těch "koled", respektive ne všechny vánoční písničky jsou koledami v pravém slova smyslu.

[@johnnygomez7063]

Ježíšek (translated as baby Jesus) is an abstract (person) that brings the presents under the christmass tree, he always rings the bell in the room , or rings appartment corridor door bell and you never catch/see him in your life :-D Nobody has ever seen Ježíšek when delivering the presents.. thats why nobody can say how does he look like.. nobody care .. evrybody has been looking forward for the bell ringing and running to the living room to see what he has delvered - thats the point. So when the children reach the living room, he is always gone.. in this very unique case Ježíšek is not understood as a real person - but as abstract, something spiritual - simply as a "delivery magic" called Ježíšek :-)

[@annar6294]

that's so intresting. In Poland in my family the presents were delivered by gwiazdka ( a star as in in the sky) i guess it's kinda similar concept as i don't remember ever wondering what does she look like or where the presents come from I just new they were brought by gwiazdka and that was enough for me. Gwiazdka was magic. Depending on the region apparently some people do get they presents from juzusek (baby Jesus) too, but I think it's the baby Jesus as in from the bible but I couldn't be sure. Other resiond do get their presents from santa. So Poland has got it all lol

[@ivanagrimova7559]

It's very tricky with the Christmas tree. Some families decorate it all together day before Christmas (23th) or before the dinner, just to let Ježíšek know that this is the place, where he is supposed to put all the presents. Some families decorate it during december, randomly. Some children find christmas tree decorated in the morning of 24th, when they wake up. And some of them see it for the first time just after the bell.

[@itd8916]

When I was little, we used to decorate christmas tree all together as a family to help Ježíšek out with this job on December 23rd.

[@prastevnikprastevnik3140]

When I was little, the room, where christmas tree was suppousted to be, was locked for all the day, and the tree was one of the presents. Mother was saying ,,Baby Jesus is working there. And don't knock, you'll frighten him away."

[@martinakoudelkova3060]

Our family decorate Christmas tree on December 24th after breakfast. Our children love it.

[@Alicent156]

I think Ježíšek is like a ghost of christmas. He present family, children and past, when people of Czech were more religious. In my mind he was look like gold ghost whitout age. He was baby, adult, and old man in same time.

[@rozvik]

Im from cz Ježíšek is not ghost

[@Alicent156]

@@rozvik Já též. Popisuji jen moji představu z dob kdy jsem byla dítě.

[@sendr5968]

Já si ho představoval jako zlatého ježka s pytlem na zádech

[@durimuramon1620]

myslim si, že jako duch Vánoc je to dobré přirovnání, ale i tak máme betlémy a v jesličkách spoře oděného kida.

[@Alicent156]

@@durimuramon1620 :D To jo. Ale pro mou dětskou mysl nešlo dohromady aby malé mimino vylezlo z jeslí a šlo rozdávat dárky. Ve skutečnosti jsem si malého Ježíše nespojovala s Ježíškem... Už jsem tu psala že jako kid jsem byla z Vánoc dost zmatená?

[@jayxfrost8987]

"Don't ask any questions and eat your carp" :DD that's... extremely accurate.

[@RadioCraftZ]

Maybe that's the point. The big mystery about him, how does he look like, how does he get into house or where does he take the presents. Afrer all, Jesus was mysterious person.

[@TheWarelon]

Christmas need the Spirit ;-)

[@baxta23]

So interesting! I had no idea about the save jezisek movement! Brilliant stuff! In my Czech wife's family everyone eats fried carp - it's not just for show.

[@DreamPrague]

I know the "Save Jezisek" stuff was new to me too! It's a constant clash of culture, but I enjoy it :)

[@drakulkacz6489]

@@DreamPrague It was more fun than real movement.

[@alaalfa8839]

The singer is like pop, rock singer....he is some sort of comedian rebel....You have to take some jokes easy.

[@ShadowStormCZ]

But if the carp is properly made it's really good, the only dowside are the bones

[@robinsebelova7103]

That´s true. The secret is to put raw carp meat into milk for few hours, so it does not have too much of muddy fishy taste

[@Harri2006]

All of you are right. Depends on where you buy a carp, how long is it in fresh water before they kill it and for very sensitive people milking it overnight really helps.

[@Je1imanek]

ježíšek nevypadá nijak, nemá definovaný vzhled, je to spíš symbol, děti musí použit představivost. Tím je to vánoční kouzlo o něco ..kouzelnější:) Když se zeptáte deseti dětí jak vypadá ježíšek, každý odpoví jinak a to je na tom krásný .)

[@toyena8290]

My ho mame jako mikulase, jen ma zlate doplnky misto stribrnych))

[@SaichiroThe1st]

Jako malá jsem vůbec netušila, kdo je to nějaký Ježíš a myslela jsem si, alespoň tak jsem si ho vybájila, že Ježíšek je prostě přerostlá veverka v modrém hábitu. :-D

[@TheWarelon]

Ježíšek prostě vypadá tak jak ty chceš . Já jako malý jsem si ho představoval jako velkého ježka , ale bylo mi jedno jak se tam ty dárky dostaly , byl jsem šťastný , že je mám a jsem do teď . Jen je krásný i v dnešní době vidět ty dětský oči které koukají na stromek pod kterým je spousta dárků .

[@tajfuntesi]

Já si ho představovala jako andělíčka, jenom bez křidélek.

[@breznik1197]

Ježíšek že nemá definovaný vzhled? Vždyť ho máte na křížku na každém rohu, máme o něm hromadu historických svědectví, máme jeho rodokmen i životopis, v podstatě i základní anatomické rysy se dají zjistit. Pravda, portrétní malířství se v židovské Palestině přelomu letopočtu moc nepěstovalo, ba bylo dokonce i trochu tabu. A že by nějaké dítě nevědělo, kdo to Ježíšek byl? Že by v životě nevidělo jesličky s Josefem a Marií a neslyšelo ten příběh? To by muselo být nějaké dítě těžce izolované od vzdělání. A vůbec to není podmíněno náboženskou vírou - příběhy o Odysseovi nebo o perníkové chaloupce taky známe odmala všichni.

[@krematorak]

I don't know, while Santa seems more real at first when you think about him in detail the illusion crumbles rather easily since he is much more rooted in physical world, like he is a physical person who has a physical workshop runninng all year long on an iceberg, I suppose. Jezisek is more like a kind supernatural spirit in its nature and isn't bound by the rules of reality so much and so is easier to comprehend. But that is just my opinion. Also, I personally find Jezisek to be a much cuter fantasy. But than again, both bring happiness and little bit of magic into children hearts in an otherwise mundane world so both traditions are nice.

[@kiralax3179]

vánoční večeře: možnosti: 1. kapr 2. kuřecí řízek s bramborovým salátem ježíšek ty dárky nějak donese, nikdo se nezajímá jak, prostě to tak je.

[@toyena8290]

Na Stedry den se nema jist drubez, ze ti uleti to a to.

[@PavlaRiedelova]

Já se od dětství zajímala a nikdo mi to nikdy nevysvetlil 😃

[@loltadynicneni913]

3. vinná klobása a brambory

[@christinapoppin]

Nesnáším kapra takže já mám rybí prsty a ostatní řízek. Ten kdo dává kopr do bramborového salátu je barbar

[@evabalga6133]

ChristinaPoppin Jill, “rybí prsty” are fish sticks.

[@christinapoppin]

@@evabalga6133 Yes

[@RichieLarpa]

Já osobně nesnesu lidi, co říkají, že existuje jeden pravý recept. Jestli nesnášíte kopr, nesnášíte potom procento lidí, kteří dělají tradičně svůj vlastní bramborový salát, co se drží tradic a posouvá se přes generace. Tímto Vás neurážím, jenom bychom měli respektovat různorodost české kuchyně, čímž ji dělá krásnou. Neexistuje jeden boršč, bramboračka, eintopf, guláš, halušky, neexistuje jeden unikátní pravý recept....je to v rodinách a to dělá kuchyně všech zemí krásné!

[@doudyk7692]

jo jo, já jsem ochutnal, ale nic moc. klasika je nej.

[@patricie_kesy]

@@doudyk7692 já třeba od malička bramborový salát nesnáším. Dřív se pro mě vařila brambora ve slupce, když jsem byla starší, zkoušela jsem dělat vlastní, který mi chutnal, ale jelikož jsem byla líná ho dělat, naučila jsem se jíst ten maminčin. Dodnes je to ale pro mě tak, že ho přetrpím, ale že by to pro mě bylo slavnostní jídlo, na které se těším, to fakt ne. Takže já bych klidně ten s koprem ochutnala.

[@karelmlcousek558]

...čistě pro zajímavost poznamenávám skutečnost, že onen Santa Claus, je totéž co Svatý Nicolas, čiže Svatý Mikuláš, z čehož plyne, že Češi mají také Santu a je to právě ten, co chodí s anděly a čerty...

[@toyena8290]

No to tedy neni!

[@karelmlcousek558]

@@toyena8290 kde jsou jaké argumenty podporující toto tvrzení..?

[@intlidave]

Santa i Mikuláš jsou oba inspirovaní skutečnou osobou: cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svatý_Mikuláš Ale k Santovi se nabalilo docela dost pohanských severských tradic...

[@lida7529]

As far as I know, Santa Claus & Father Christmas & the Russian “děda Mráz” (Grandfather Frost) & the Czech Mikuláš are all based on the same semi-historical figure: St. Nicolas, bishop of Myra in Asia Minor in the fourth century (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas). He bringing presents to children originates from the legend that St. Nicolas in three consecutive nights left a purse of money behind a window of a bankrupt father, who’s three daughters (thanks to this money from St. Nicolas) could marry and didn’t have to become prostitutes. Knowing his origins made me a bit less resentful of the Santa Claus character - though I still make fun of him. And I like carp and I like fish soup.

[@michellemaine2719]

When my brother, sister and I were growing up in CR, we thought Jezisek had a tiny spaceship. Not sure where we came up with that idea.

[@alexanderkinzel3371]

To be honest, I've never seen anyone regard vánočka as a dessert. :D It's more of a sweet bread than anything else. Some might take it as a dessert, I guess, but really, it's just a sweeter spin on our classic hard bread you'd hardly find anywhere in the US. :DD

[@Larion1]

to je poprvé v životě co slyším o kopru v bramborovým salátě, většinou se řeší salám, hořtice, jogurt, hrášek atd ale kopr?

[@weriot3446]

salám ??! xD jogurt ? hořčice ??? sakra to slyším zase já poprvé :D :D

[@Neumini.s]

@@weriot3446 tak jogurt se dává 1:1 s majonézou, není to špatné

[@toyena8290]

No hlavne celer)))

[@tajfuntesi]

My máme 2 saláty jeden s hráškem a hořčicí a druhý s majonézou a salámem.

[@Flying_Coon]

Gor the longest time i tought santa was just a renamed mikuláš. It felt so obvious that everyone had ježíšek.

[@michaelataborova4704]

We always eat carp in our family and we love it.

[@TheLucius33]

Most popular czech dish for 24.12.across the country is still carp. Also schnitzels or salmon. I personaly prefer salmon, but rest of the family eat carp. And as you said, potato salad is must have. About traditions like lead pouring etc., we all know them, but to be honest, dont know anyone who realy do them. About vánočka, it's not actualy dessert. More likely is eaten for breakfast in christmas days. Or just like a sweet snack. Great video as always, thanks and merry christmas.

[@DreamPrague]

Aha, that makes more sense about Vanočka-it's like an Italian pannetone, perhaps. Maybe I'll try to make Vanočka this year! Thank you for your comment and Merry Christmas to you!

[@Neumini.s]

@@DreamPrague Vánočka is sort of like German Stollen

[@honzabalak3462]

Neuminis Well yes, but actually no. The concept is similar - so is the food (to same extent), but still different.

[@ArepasforDinner]

This is sooooo great I did one comparing Venezuelan with Czech. And most recently made one about how Czech Christmas looks like. And explaining some of the traditions

[@jaroslavbenes3963]

the children do decorate the tree (or we did) in the x-mas eve morning or the evening before and the bell is not at some point in the day, it is usually right afterthe x-mas eve dinner

[@ptakopysk42]

Questions on "Dow does Ježíšek work?". In my home I used to go outside the house with one of my parents to litteraly shout loud to Ježíšek. To let him know, that we are ready for his arrival and visit. I had to be dressed nicely, my room had to be tide up, finished my fried fish (I knew the drill). Once me and parent got back, we have found present already deployed under our christmas tree and Ježíšek was nowhere around to be seen. He works fast I guess. And some more traditions we follow: Cutting an apple in half to see if the seed inthere are "star shaped" (which bring you luck in year to come) Fun fact* Cross shape means that you will most likely die We put carp scales under our dishes (so money stick to us next year) We start the "Štědrovečerní" dinner once the first star rises in the skies

[@TheMonis25]

We decorate the Christmas tree even two weeks ahead of the Christmas Eve. And the bell ringing we hear at the Christmas Eve only (after the dinner) not at any time of the day.

[@Luxie84]

We all eat carp in our family. When someone don´t like carp, get another fish. But it has to be fish. It came from the history. It´s not allowed to eat MEAT on the day, that was Jesus born, because he sacrificed for us. Back in the past, fish was not meat - in the real sense as pig, chicken... Christmas are celebration of Jesus born and his sacrifice for us - so we sacrifice too, that´s why we supposed not eat whole day (also to have empty belly for big dinner...) to see the lucky golden pig. Althrough, there are some dishes, you could eat (Kuba - groats with mushrooms, lentils, stuff like that - but without seeing the golden pig...) Children write to our Ježíšek, too. They write / paint the letter with their wishes and leave it in the window. Our Ježíšek could fly, so he will pick the letter up during nights before the Christmas. Ježíšek = parents :D, just like in US the tooth for the dollar. And the gifts, we open after the dinner. The whole family eat and talk togher (for hour at least). When we start eating, nobody supposed to get up off the table before everyone finnish the meal - no matter what. Then, kids heard the bell. They can see the whole decorated tree with the lights in the dark for the very first time. And there are presents under it! I think (and remember), how magical is it for them... :) Anyway, Merry Christmas to all of you! :)

[@Pidalin]

No, it doesn't have to be fish, only in families which are taking traditions very serious, but most of people are eating just chicken or pork schnitzel. But I have no idea why is schnitzel tolerated but better fishes like salmon are considered non christmas food. :-)

[@DreamPrague]

I think that the tradition of Ježíšek and the bell is great! It's closer to the real spirit of Christmas than Santa Claus. I just thought it was funny how we are very specific about the logistics of the Santa Claus myth, but Czechs are more vague about Ježíšek (he flies! somehow...). It's a great tradition though. Thanks for your comment!

[@DreamPrague]

Excellent point about the Salmon, which I would prefer to schnitzel! Thanks for your comment!

@@DreamPrague I actually was given a salmon fried in a breadcrumb (similar to a carp) this year and honestly, You'd prefer chicken schnitzel. :-D Myself I like the carp and a good fish soup too, but lots of people have chicken, pork or even beef schnitzel instead, because they never grown to like the carp. Some meals do have a point but you can't always recognize it with a first bite, so you should try more.

[@tereziedorrerova2234]

The same tradition in our family ;)

[@klaraleblochova]

I do eat the carp. I love it, I'm looking forward to it all year long, because it's a "Christmas meal" Btw, baby Jesus doesn't need a factory, elves, or anything to fly with. He's Jesus, he can do anything, c'mon!😂

[@TheWarelon]

Yeah , this is the Czech Christmas :-D Just a spirit and Familly ;-)

[@ivapolansky8004]

Hi Jen! This video was about Christmas Eve which means that you left out a big chunk of Christmas traditions. There is the Bozi Hod (Chrismas Day) with a roasted goose for lunch or dinner and, for the Pragers, an afternoon stroll from church to church to see the nativity scenes. The nativity scene (or Betlem) is a huge part of the Christmas traditions. The churches compete for the best display. Then there is Svaty Stepan (Boxing Day) with its carolers and then, on January 6, come the Three Kings, another day filled with carols, fun, and charity. And that's the final dot after Christmas. In all, the celebrations span exactly one month, starting on Dec.5 with Saint Nicolas' Eve. As for food, there is the carp for Christmas Eve (because it is still Lent and no meat should be eaten), the aforementioned goose for Christmas Day and venison for Boxing Day. So you see, you have plenty of unexplored material fo your next Christmas video.

[@baramenhardova3583]

Vánočka is more like a kind of sweet bread, rather than a dessert.

[@rebbecalinhart8308]

Teď naše zvyky, tradice a co všechno jako Češi děláme začlo znít o moc zajímavěji a veseleji :D *Ale tedy u nás se stromeček zdobí, tradičně na Štědrý den 😄

[@veronikapeckova999]

That's a great video! Its so fun, the way you put it and look at it from both sides, I really loved it. Ježíšek je nejlepší, certainly better than Santa. I actually like the mystery about him, it didn´t really make much sense, when I was very little, how a tiny baby in a crib can bring all the presents but you parents would just send you out to play in the snow (back than the winters were real) and after you ate your dinner (carp with potato salad), the bell would sound and you would rush to that room - and that would be it. The room would smell like the tree, and there would be beautiful lights and underneath all the presents... I guess it did not really matter how Ježíšek managed it, just how perfect it was... Now that I am adult, we don´t eat carp (I don´t like it, but my parents do, apparently its ok if you just eat it that one day out of the whole year) we just make something special. Oh, and about the golden pig... The tradition is, you should actually eat nothing until the dinner in order to get to see the little golden piglet but since everybody has at least a breakfast or something light for lunch, nobody gets to see it... One nice and slightly scary tradition that is part of Czech Christmas is the cutting of apple... You need to cut it across (not from the stern down like you would normally do) and look at the pattern the seeds will create - usually its a star shape. Everyone needs to cut their apple and if they get a star, it's alright, but if they get cross instead, they will not meet with the rest the next year (aka they will die in a year). There are others besides the walnut candles and lead pouring, like throwing your shoe (if you are a young girl and want to know if you get married) or placing a carp scale under a plate during the Christmas dinner (which is supposed to bring the person money).

[@robinsebelova7103]

Yes, we eat fish soup and carp schnitzels with potato salad (kapie peper (strips), celery, carrots (both cubed), pickled cucumber, peas, potatoes and mayonnaise - surely no dill and no eggs). Look out for bones! But I like both. My friend's family is vegeterian, so they eat fried cheese with potato salad. XD Worse thing is that carp usually weights about 3 to 4 kilos, so when I eat it with my parents alone we eat about 3 days. But the potato salads saves it all! And there is roasted duck with cabbage and homemade dumplings on 26th, so that is a change too. Christmas Eve is the special evening. There is a lot of other food except carp - cukroví (sweets), apple rolls (jablečný štrúdl; with nuts and raisins inside, dough is made from quark:smooth flour:butter in 1:1:1 ratio (250g each)), vánočka (sweet dough with almonds, candied fruits inside) and lots of fruit. For christmas tradition we cut apples, sail candles in a sink, pour lead, sing and play christmas song). During the dinner we have tv with classic czech fairy tales on. Tree nuts for Cinderella (Tři oříšky pro Popelku) and Give devil his due (S čerty nejsou žerty) are must watch. Well, there is Morozko (Mrazík) too with excellent dubbing by František Filipovský as Baba Yaga.

[@lenkahorackova6462]

We don't eat nothing until the christmas dinner to see a golden pig. And yes we're actually eating a carp and fish soup 😉

[@FreesiaFlower79]

Že se tak ptám,viděl někdy někdo z vaší rodiny to zlatý prase? Já jednou poctivě hladověla,ale žádný prase jsem neviděla akorát mě bolel žaludek z hladu 😏od té doby žádné hladovění,už jen obžerství.😁😁😁

[@barbora88610]

@@FreesiaFlower79 ani si neviděla tu reklamu na kofolu v televizi?😄

[@evabalga6133]

Excellent video on Christmas. I am laughing out loud. There is no fishing with grandpa for carp. Potato salad has no dill, but there might be regional differences. We had no spare room for Christmas tree so living room was just locked in preparation for Ježíšek. Killing carp with meat mallet was done by my dad, as my mom and I were covering our ears. Basically Christmas we’re not as opulent as American, but moms were competing in variety of cookies. Part of my family tradition was mushroom and potato soup for lunch and cake and apple strudel served before cookies. 6 or 7 varieties was norm. Rest is just as I remember. Just a few deviations as we had to adjust here in US. We still eat fish, but not carp, which is frown upon as scavenger fish. So we buy catfish. Family potato salad has about 12 ingredients. We added appetizers and seafood and cut down on sweets. We celebrate on 24th, eat roasted duck, dumplings and sweet and sour cabbage or any other festive food on 25th. Also, with Mikuláš and čert also comes angel. 26th js also holiday in ČR and It’s dedicated to visiting family and friends. Ježíšek is really vague figure but small children don’t bother with technicalities of his transportation. They are in awe of the whole event. By the time they start school they usually know that parents buy their presents. Word of mouth from older siblings I guess. oh, Iforgot vánočka - rich coffee cake studded with raisins and walnuts. Again, I truly enjoyed your video.

[@MikeGill87]

WTF? Fried karp is by far the most delicious food there is. By FAR! I flippin love it and it's easily the high point of every x-mas.

[@uroboroh]

Very well informed! Good work summarizing the Czech traditions. You should do also the comparison of Easter celebrations! As a child I had my own theory of Ježíšek. Because od the closeness of Ježeček (Little Hedgehog) to Ježíšek (Baby Jesus) I imagined Ježíšek as a small cute golden hedgehog, shining with light (the rays being its golden spines) and making a soft jingling sound. I even thought that the "golden piglet" you are supposed to see if you fast during the 24th is actually the same creature as Ježíšek, only called by a different name. In the end hedgehog is a little hog, a little piglet.

[@mazvirataaja9397]

A nice view on what czechs think about Santa clause is in this video- SANTA DISS TRACK - Ježíšek. About the food. In the past people wanted a nice dinner and 24. december wasn't much left, so that's why we began eating fish and for example Kuba. Nowadays we could eat tasty food, but many people keep the tradition.

[@janhavlis]

the golden pig is a metaphor for a new sun, as christmas coincide with winter solstice. before modern era, winter was quite tough part of a year and discipline in eating helped to survive. carnival in february, a "farewell, meat" festival, points on the shortage. february was the harshest month in year, not much of a food, damn cold and spring still far away. takže zlaté prasátko je příslib lepších časů, naděje, že prežijeme zimu i letos. tedy my ne, my máme obchody a ledničky :-)

[@petacz6690]

Taky se koukáme na hodně pohádek including děda mráz. And i like děda mráz more than the other pohádky.

[@walbrecht326]

I'm from Chicago; born 1964. Our traditional holiday meals were usually pork with brown gravy, sweet sauerkraut (not the tart German style), sweet cabbage, and homemade dumplings (dense, heavy, boiled dough). If Mom and I cooked the meal, we'd also offer frozen dumplings (BIG difference in texture--light and fluffy). Or roast duck, which was never greasy--she was an amazing chef as is my Mom (not all Czechs have tasty food). And lots of caraway in everything (except the dumplings). My maternal Gramma made molasses cookies (that taste like gingerbread) with powdered sugar icing all year long. And my favorite kolach was plum--a re-toasted slice in the oven before eating it. Mom and I would make thumbprint cookies with grape jelly or mint jelly, crescents with ground almonds covered in powdered sugar, and kolachky with apricot preserves. Even if we didn't go to Catholic mass every weekend, we'd go on Christmas eve--sometimes starting at midnight. Christmas eve for my Mom who was born in 1941. She said they'd be having dinner and she'd hear a bell. They'd go to the tree and there were presents. To this day, she said she never determined which neighbor or whomever delivered the gifts! We'd hang our stockings on doorknobs (because we didn't have a fireplace mantel) on the evening of December 5th. In the morning, St. Nick would have delivered in our stockings: fruit (if we were good all year--I was so happy to see fruit in my stocking) and little toys. If you were "bad" sometime that year, you'd see coal in your stocking...which was sad because I'd wonder, what did I do bad?

[@JaxonsDd007]

I have been told by my Cz friends the scales of the carp are good luck and they dry them and each take some for good luck.I was given some,but they feel apart about 2 years ago

[@weriot3446]

because u change it for new one every year :D

[@javik_z]

Hi! Pretty interesting facts! We always eat fish soup (often made from carps heads) and then fried carp with potato salad (honestly my grandma had the best fish soup I ever had!). But most people don't like fish soup or carp, so pea soup and schnitzel could be made instead of it. And as I got older I started to eat through the day, because I always see the golden pig in my mirror, haha! Also Czechs are conservative so Santa Claus, Valentine etc. is pretty dangerous topic, I have few arguments against Czechs opinion, but that's long story! Are staying in Czech Republic or are you celebrating christmas in the USA? In the case you are staying in Czech Republic which way are you celebrating, Czech or American? Merry Christmas!

[@DreamPrague]

We'll be in Prague for Christmas, and probably celebrate a mix of both traditions! (although I might substitute salmon for Carp ;) Thanks for your comment and Merry Christmas to you!

[@JakubMasek]

I loathe carp. As a kid, I had it once a year, on Christmas night. Now I don't even do that. My mum in law makes some shrimp as an appetiser, then there's some schnitzel, potato salad... The family is fairly chill about the menu which I really appreciate :D

[@kristadolejsova461]

In my family christmas tree was always brought by Ježíšek the night before christmas eve as a sign that we might get some presents. My mum is always telling us how nervous she was trying not to wake us up while midnight christmas tree decorating with my dad. It was so magical to find that beautiful tree in the livingroom at christmas eve morning!!❤️

[@vladimirasalaskova4132]

In my childhood when I asked about "Ježíšek", my parents always answered: "Nobody knew". :-D

[@nuffnuff418]

Ahoj. Ježíšek nosí dárky nejen u nás v Čechách ale taky na Slovensku, v jižním Německu (hlavně v Bavorsku), v Rakousku a taky například v Lucembursku.

[@evalosonska9785]

a aj v Madarsku, cize cele uzemie byvaleho Rakusko - Uhorska

[@andrewpanagiotis342]

He goes by st nicholas

[@tombroz6643]

@@andrewpanagiotis342 I thought St. Nicholas was "Mikulas"

[@Niusereset]

Some christmas traditions... you described the lead thing quite precisely. That is what is the tradition about. The candle in the nutshell has a different meaning. You put hem in the water in the wash-bowl and then you watch. If your nutshell remain at the center, it is a sign of a traveling in the next year. But if it floats to the edge and stayed there, it means you will stay at home next year. There is also tradition of cutting the apple. Not the usual way from top to bottom. But horizontaly, by its "equator". And then you check the seeds at the center. If they are at the shape of star, that is a good sign for the upcoming year. But it the seeds at the center forms a cross, that is a sign of approaching death (not recomended for people with any heart-related dificulties) There is also a tradition of throwing a slipper over your shoulder to the front door. And then it depends on the position of the sliper on floor. If its tip (or front part, I don't know the propper terminology here :-D ) points out of the door... you are going to leave the home during the next year. And if the sliper points the oposite direction, you stay at home. That is all the traditions I know about. There are probably more ;-)

[@dashadavidson1669]

Ježíšek descent on golden thread from heaven and leaves the presents under the tree that your parents decorated night before the Christmas Eve. At almost end of the dinner there comes the sound of bell. This is a cue, Ježíšek ascended back to heaven on the golden thread. The living room door by “some magic”opens up, the tree is fully lit and presents are underneath it... that was our tradition when I was growing up in Prague.. I live in North America now a days, but still keep this tradition... and I am happy to say, my both children are doing the same for their children... The only exception is? We don’t eat carp, but we never ate it in Prague either... Merry 🎄Christmas! Šťastné a veselé Vánoce vynčujem Všem .....

On Christmas I always eat fried carp and I realy like it :)

[@otakarlojkasek488]

It doesn´t have to be a fried carp, there are many traditional recipes, we always have "the miller´s Carp" or there can be also "the blue Carp". It is also pretty popular, but maybe not so much in Prague.

[@Royal8k]

9:08 true story, but for me as a child Santa (Jezisek) was the same person, he brought presents over the open window and the bell was ringing right after the Christmans dinner

[@mari.be.86]

Nice one :D My mom told us that baby Jesus got presents from three kings and that is why he carries gifts every year to all children and what does he look like? Hmm he is a little boy in a white nightgown that appears, leaves gifts and disappears like a ghost in in glittering light. We had carp the last time 25 years ago, otherwise it was cod or schnitzel and, last years also salmon. Otherwise, dill in potato salad? I've never and never seen that before.

[@DreamPrague]

Thanks for your comment, Mari :) The more everyone explains Ježíšek to me, the more I find the traditional charming. Cheers!

[@philliprosol6093]

Šťastný nový rok! Loved your story about Santa vs. Ježišek! Growing up in Chicago in the 50s and 60s with Czech ancestry on my Dad’s side, we had some Czech traditions, especially during holidays. We didn’t eat carp at Christmas, although my grandparents who lived upstairs sometimes did, but we had many wonderful cookies and pastries. We had varieties of iced cutout cookies, thumbprint cookies with jelly in the middle, these little yeast dough “horns” with icing and chopped nuts on the outside. My Mom made houskas and German-style stollen, and my aunt made delicious kolacky (not the same as the kolaches that are popular in Texas). The main Christmas meal was more standard American fare - ham or beef, or occasionally a goose (a la Dickens), or maybe roast duck with dumplings and sauerkraut. One of my favorite treats was on December 6 (St. Nicholas Day) we would get these wonderful thick, chewy gingerbreads in the shape of a human figure, with icing and a picture of St. Nicholas stuck on top of the icing. I wish I could find those today, but they are nowhere to be found in the U.S. I’ve tried making my own from a German Lebkuchen recipe. They are close, but not quite the same.

[@pmpcpmpc4737]

You often hear abroad that carp has a muddy taste. To those who haven't tried, it's very similar to a sea bass. Thanks to Jen, she is wonderful.

[@jackondrys]

Nechápu jak někomu nemůže chutnat vánoční večeře❤️🥔🍗🍽️

[@breznik1197]

Jak někomu nemůže chutnat, nebo jako někomu může nechutnat?

[@michalm2429]

I must say your videos are fantastic and for me there´s so many things I don´t even think about (in our language, culture, behaving), but we do it and when you speak about it I feel much prouder to be Czech. :) Thank you for that. As many people mentioned before, there is a lot of differencies between families in those traditions. I´m from eastern Moravia and for example we decorated the Christmas tree always together. On the Christmas Eve you shouldn´t eat anything (to see the golden pig and have a good luck then) until you can see the first star on the sky (usualy Evening star is the first bright enough to see). Then we have our family dinner. Part of family have fish soup, for the rest (who don´t eat fish soup) we cook leek soup. Then we have potato salad (we don´t use dill, but we add an apple to it - gran-grandmother´s recipe) and fried carp or schnitzel. When I was a kid, parent´s did a small trick on me and brother - one of them went out with us to do small firework (to "call" a baby Jesus), the other one stayed at the windon and "watched" on us (so we had the feeling that they are all the time with us and could´t bring the presents under the tree). And out of the traditions we also cut an apple into halfs (if you have a star-shape inside, you´ll have a good fortune and stay healthy). And instead of pouring the lead we pour candle wax. Then for girls there is tradition to throw a shoe over her shoulder and doorsill. Then if the tip of the shoe aims inside (to the room), the girl stays at home for the next year. If it aims outside, she´ll probably get married and leave the house within a year. Uff... I got carried away a little bit. :D

[@annar6294]

that's interesting. Czech christmas sounds like a mix of christmas and andrzejki we have in Poland. Pouring the candle wax to predict your future and throwing shoes we do all those during andrzejki which is a day just before the advent starts. Andrzej's name day, do you guys have name days btw? There's usually parties as it's supposed to be the last party before the advent starts and there's lots of different future telling traditions that I do not remember except for the ones I mentioned. When it comes to christmas eve we also wait for the 1st star before we start our dinner of carp and then after we eat dinner we're allowed to open the presents.

[@MushroomDinoNugget]

In my family we always woke up on 24. Who wanted to see golden pig didn't eat until dinner. We always decorated the tree day before or early that day. We spent day watching tv 😅 Then everyone took nice dress and it was dinner time. We always had carp and potato salat ( who doesnt like carp eat fillet with chips) Its always hard to fight all the bones in carp 👀. Noone can leave the table before everyone finish all the food. Then we always went to our room with everyone listening Christmas carols and sometimes we prepared perfomance for everyone or we just watched out from window to see Ježíška 😂. Then someone needed,, to go toilet,, then we heard bell sound and run to the living room where suddenly under tree are all presents. We suspected our parents every time but it was hard to find evidence 👀 Now the presents lay under the tree all the day and we just do our stuff then get nice dress eat dinner get the presents then back to do whatever we were doing 😂🎮

[@cecikjanuli]

For our family its little bit different We decorated Christmas tree together or just my self when I was a child. Dinner: mushrooms soup🤤😍, schnitzel amd potato salad (without a dill), later instead of schnitzel it was carp, or the english way of fish amd chips but without chips..always potato salad❤️ in another families girl throw a slipper, behind her back and she must stand in front of open door, really dont know how the slipper must come off on the floor but the result is she will marry or not. And Ježíšek, we used to let a letter behind the open window, and he could read what are our wishes for christmas - so parents can easily read it when kinds are out. And how he looks like? Its always fantasy of children, that is the point! Childrens imagination is endless, sou they can can be more excited for him and presents. And Cukroví, is everywhere, seriously and everybody love it (in our family).

[@msmichellewinchester]

You don't want to start the potato salad wars :D. There's a ton of different recipes and people feel very strongly about this topic. It's like pineapple on pizza or Monopoly. You stay away from these around people you wanna stay friends with because if you find out your friend puts apple in their potato salad, you just have to start wondering if you know them at all. :D

[@martinkuchar9575]

Vyprávění o Ježíškovi skvělé. Takhle jsem se dlouho nezasmál. Děkuji. Jo a já jim kapra samozřejmě. Jako celá naše rodina.

[@milh4us]

I love fried carp, and not only on Christmas. We make the whole fish and we eat fish leftovers on 25th. We make schnitzels as well, but not much, this is mostly because of tradition - or better to say superstition, that you need to have at least 9 different kinds on the table on 24th for dinner, to ensure affluence for you in the next year.

[@ladysendy2711]

My family and I we eat fish soup and fish with potato salad and for breakfast we have vánočku.After dinner we have linecké cukroví and vanilkové rohlíčky.

[@kippyq]

CAARRPP! Totally, i love it! It's speisial christmas food and i like it. I don't feel like you know other foods aren't tradition

[@turqoiseketchup4414]

Always schnitzel. With potato salad. I've had carp once... and never again. BTW I do actually like fish, but carp? Just no.

[@DreamPrague]

I'm with you on Carp, Turquoise Ketchup.

[@Igiginaki]

Ahoj Jen. S tím Dědou Mrázem je to tak, že komunisté nám chtěli vnutit sovietského Diedušku Maroze. Což nemělo nic společného s pohanstvím. Tam si sovietští soudruzi jen vypůjčili postavu. Pohanský Pán mrazu a Severu byl krutovládce. Děda Mráz je konstrukt z konce 30. let. Chtěli nahradit křesťanského Ježíška hodným Dědečkem. Santu, jak ho známe dnes, stvořila CocaCola. A co se Ježíška týká. Já si ho představoval jako kouzelného malého andělíčka ve zlaté záři silné tak, že skrze ni nebylo možné jeho podobu vidět. Defacto byl jen zlatým světlem, které slétlo z oblohy k oknu a pod stomkem vykouzlilo dárky. 😉

[@jirinakotkova1641]

Igiginaki a také za sebou nechal zapálené prskavky? :) Měla jsem podobnou představu jako hodně malinká :)

[@janavalentova2143]

I had to smile when you mention "ježek" - that's exactly what I imagine as a kid. And if I remember correctly my sister thought about him as pinecone with eyes, because she had one as a toy, I think it supposed to look like an owl. We always decorate our tree in the morning or before lunch on 24th with our father, probably as a way to not bother mother when she was cooking. After dinner, we kids went outside to look for ježíšek use "prskavky" (firecrackers) and parents would bring presents under the tree. When we get home we listen near the door for bell ringing from the room with the tree, which meant that ježíšek was there and was just leaving. My father has it nicely made up, he hang the bell near the tree and use thread guided throw keyhole to make the bell ring. But I soon discover it's all lie, because one year I found that thread - and I think I was actually quite young, my 4 years older sister still believed in ježíšek when I found out. But best family Christmas tradition for me was when we visited other half of family next day (25th) and have other presents there - obviously ježíšek leave presents for us at grandparent's home as well. And everyone in school really envied me, because they didn't do it that way.

[@evazavodna7492]

to mě fakt pobavilo, na Ježíška jsem nevěřila od pěti let ale Vánoce jsem měla ráda a také vánoční prázdniny.

[@ondrej1893]

There is nothing logical about Santa either. It only “makes sense” because it’s familiar.

[@KairiRatten]

Oh no you're spot on with the carp business.... love your way of storytelling!

[@DreamPrague]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@holylibor]

Hi, I´m from western Bohemia, precisely from Sudetenland, near to the Bavarian border, hawing both Czech and Germen roots. For Christmas evening, since it is the last day of the Advent fasting period no meat is allowed. But at the same time, it is the vigil of Christmas day, so the meal should be a bit festive:-) Therefore fish/carp and in our region also lens sup, which may bring luck and money to the house the next year. You should also keep some carp scales in the wallet for the same reason:-) Carp is served with bramborový salát wit majonéza:-) For desert cukroví, vánočka or the german Stolle.

[@WelsyCZ]

In my family, we decorate the tree in the morning of 24th, we then proceed with our day (we do various stuff). When it comes to dinner - you never eat in the room with the tree. You are usually expected to leave a window open in the room with the tree and close the door to the room (atleast slightly, so kids cant peek). We set the table, bring the fish soup, carp and potato salad (my mom does cooked potatoes, hard boiled eggs, pickles (ghurkins), točený salám (a sort of meaty sausagy thing, its also called junior, basically like ham kinda) and mayonaisse) and we get to eating the dinner. Now some families bring cukroví and tea after the dinner and eat that, some skip it. Any time after everyone finishes the dinner, the kids will hear a bell - that’s ježíšek signalling he brought the presents, children rush into the room with the tree (usually a living room) and the presents are right there under the tree. For those curious how do the parents get the gifts under the tree without children knowing - this varies a lot. My parents did it like this: when dinner was like 10 minutes away and the room with the tree was about to be closed, one of our parents would go with us kids outside and we would light sparklers for a few minutes and have fun with them. We always looked forward to it. And while we were out, the rest of the family snuck the gifts under the tree within minutes. We then proceeded to get back inside and have dinner. Some families even put the lit sparklers on their tree, but this is not as common due to the obvious fire hazard.

[@renatahorackova8045]

Hi Jenn I from Vancouver but born in Czech republic and the Christmas in Canada is almost same like US. I always make Czech Christmas tradition food of course bakery a lot (cukrovi) Potato salat with schnitzel and white roll sausage in Czech is name Vinne klobasy my family and my friend love my Czech Christmas food and not just Christmas food but all Czech food. I never or my family put in potato salad dill but is everything about people. Thank you for your video wish you all the best enjoy my beautiful Praha 😊👍🌞

[@andrearozkovcova5055]

Kopr ne,to je určitě extrémně výjimečné :-) Zvyky se hodně mění,polévka může být hrachová, jí se losos misto kapra nebo řízky. Tradice - ještě se hází pantofle - když ukáže špičku ven, tak jde daný člověk z domu, původně do manželství😀 a jako desert se jí cukroví,vánočka hlavně ráno 25.a 26.12. Obvykle.

[@pav85rez]

very cool video this time, really enjoyed it. Btw, the christmas bell (calling the kids to the tree) will only ring once everyone at the table finished eating the christmas dinner and also had a chance to have few pieces of cukrovi :)

[@lupa2020]

5:09 It's just a hallucination from hunger.

[@DreamPrague]

😂😂😂

[@ajaenes5005]

Children write or draw a letter for Ježíšek as well. They put it on the window or in front of the door. There is a relatively new tradition - Ježíškova pošta (post Office) - the parents can send a letter to Boží Dar - the letter gets a special Christmas stamp from Ježíšek and it is sent back. So the child gets a letter from Ježíšek with a stamp. (I'm not sure about the way it works. Because children can send their letters too. But how does it return to the parents?) Boží dar (God's gift) is a small town in Krušné hory and this tradition woks from 1994, I think.

[@VeronicaBrokesova]

I fell in love with your videos, I am on a binch watch right now. Carp is traditional, but not everyone likes it, so they substitute it with chicken schnitzel. But they are people, who actually like and eat all the weird fishy meals, for example I love the carp soup and the fried carp. The baby Jesus thing is more like a magic mystery. It's part of the tradition, that we don't see him, we don't know, how he does it, or how he looks like, but it's awesome.

[@SupraAlpha]

Great video :) thanks! In my family we have both, carp and schnitzels. But the potato salad is the most serious topic in Czech republic, because every family has it's own unique recepie and there are serious disputations what belongs in traditional salad and what does not. It's a hot topic especially for a newly married couples, beacuse one is from a family who ads mayo, the other one believes that add peas to a bowl should be ilegal and so on :) and it's not rare that a lot of families prepare actually two different salads :) And Baby Jesus? It's exactly as some other comments say :) IT'S MAGIC! Don't analyze it! It's a christmas miracle! And why is he giving presents in general? There is a theory that says that he is giving back. When he was born, not only kings were the ones who brought him presents, but ordinary people were coming to the cradle too with what they could give. Including kids, who brought him a baby lamb, some sheep fur to keep him warm etc. And now he is giving back :) (And some families I know are saying to their kids that some of of their presents are from Baby Jesus, but we can also can give a presents to our loved ones too. And if an older and therefore smarter child is asking about that principal? I was impressed with the answer of one of the parents: The Baby Jesus is not bringing the presents in person, he just MAKES THAT HAPPEN. He makes sure that we can achieve that and he is blessing us with his power so we can make it :) cheers)

[@DreamPrague]

Thanks for your take on the Christmas tradition. The more I hear about Ježíšek from these comments, the more I appreciate the tradition! But I have one question for you....Peas in potato salad? Can it be true??? Actually it sounds good, but not traditional at all! 😜😂

[@phcz6717]

@@DreamPrague Why not traditional? Peas were eaten in our country long before potatoes were imported from America :-)

[@irenabartova4549]

Peas and carrot, eggs, potatos in our salad

[@katerinafolvarcna1698]

@@DreamPrague peas are honestly very traditional for Christmas. A lot people have peas soup instead of the fish one cause if you eat peas or lentils (lentils more for new year...) you will be rich in the new year. So yeah absolutely would add peas in my potato salad.

[@aldebarantauri]

@@DreamPrague O hrášek v salátu se vedou velmi vážné spory, které se někdy blíží válečnému konfliktu. Z mého pohledu je hrášek v bramborovém salátu zločin. A kopr? To už je zločin přímo hrdelní :-)

[@karolinabartonova6156]

Miluju kapra 😍😍 vždy se sní velmi rychle a tak děláme i řízek a vinné klobásy 😍😍

[@jammmy30]

Thank you for another great video

[@karelmarkvart1517]

Santa has it hard here in czech... mostly because we dont have chimneys :D fish soap is used as lunch, so you have left room for big dinner with carp/schnitzel and salad (we eat carp)... if the soap is done using fish head depend on personal preferencies and there isnt one single recipe for it, everybody hav its own different version (and claims his one is best while others soap is barely eatable :D) that thing with Santa/Ježíšek struglle is kinda in stalemate now. we are kinda used to it in imported christmass stuff, but nobody uses him as deliverer of presents. Also tree is decorated with kids and that bell rings after some time after dinner... but you know, also depend how traditions are held in particular family)...

[@JohnyShepp]

Já už byl jako 90's dítě "nakažený" Santa Clausem, takže jsem si Ježíška představoval jako mix Santy a Mikuláše - tlustého chlapíka v červeném, co umí lítat (akorát bez elfů a sobů). Amazing channel anyway, glad I found it! :)

[@michellemaine2719]

Thank you for the chocolate Linzer cookie recipe, I am so trying that! We are not doing fish because I am the only one who eats it, so I am breaking with tradition (sort of) and having duck, sauerkraut, and potato dumplings on Christmas Eve, since I have to work on Christmas Day. Also having British canapes and premade chocolate mousse yule log dessert with brandy cream, to incorporate a few British things.

[@anniepavlovova2369]

Hah, found this video a little bit late, but I have to say this - as a kid, I honestly thought that Ježíšek looked like ježek (more specifically, as the one from Krteček, with the blue spikes). Never questioned it, until years later. :D

[@johanaondruskova1983]

The stories about Ježíšek are different in each family. We always wrote a letter for him and left it in the window, and when the letter changed its position, we knew, that he read it. About the tree, we always decorate it as a family like week or two before Christmas and I've never heard of anyone saying, that the Ježíšek decorated it. On the 24th I always thought, that he was walking around with presents, eventually with little sled and some candle, and he brings the presents through window. Later on, when I couldn't see anything sledge like around, I just supposed, that he bought a car, so he won't get that tired. But my friend had a different story, that he has a golden thread that goes down from the sky and that is, how he gets to higher windows. It was just all left for our imagination. And I love it. I personally don't have any problem with Santa, but Ježíšek, even if he doesn't make any sense, is just better.

[@lazenazenskelazneproteloidusi]

Díky za pěkné video :) O kopru do br. salátu taky slyším poprvé :) U nás se Štědrý den/večer slavil tak, že ráno k snídani vánočka, pak společně nazdobit stromeček, koukat na pohádky, k obědu jen lehká polívka, odpoledne procházka na hřbitov (zapálit svíčku na hrobě), pak vykoupat a nachystat se na večer. K večeři jsme už polévku nemívali. Jedla se rovnou ryba (pstruh, losos) nebo řízek popř. vinná klobása - jak kdo chtěl. Smaženého kapra jsem poprvé jedla až na Vánoce u mé tchýně (doma to nikomu nechutnalo). No a po večeři jsme jako děti šly s jedním rodičem vyprskat před dům prskavky a druhý rodič zůstal doma pod záminkou mytí nádobí a nanosil dárky pod stromeček. Když jsme se vrátili z venku, někdo zazvonil a otevřely se dveře do obýváku, kde už byl rozsvícený stromeček s dárky :) 25. a 26.12. se jezdilo za příbuzenstvem :)

[@vladimirhercik4464]

V životě jsem neslyšel, že by do bramborového salátu dal někdo kopr! :D To jí řekli nesmysl. A kapr na Vánoce musí být, bez toho nejsou Vánoce.

[@jakubotevrel7921]

Ono ve skutečnosti řízek je z masa, kapr se bere jako sváteční jídlo se řízkem, a nejí se maso pouze do Večeře ! In fact, it says it's meat, it's like a holiday meal with a steak and the meat is only poured until Dinner!

[@crashiek]

And also in our family we decorated tree altogehter (if our father let us, because we always "did it wrong" :D ) then we went outside with one of the parents to look for golden pig, while other parent put presents under the Christmas tree and lit candles and sparklers.

[@Filistajn]

The golden pig is a reflection of light with a mirror for example. It's a story for the little ones.

[@terezakubickova4717]

I am Czech, and we celebrate Christmas Eve a bit differently. The Christmas tree is not decorated by Ježíšek, but actually we decorate him. On December 23rd we get up and go to the living room, where usually The Christmas tree is, which is brought here by Ježíšek, and then we decorate it, so Ježíšek can put the presents underneath it. I am catolic, too, and we always thought that Ježíšek is like baby Jesus, but idk if that's right. We usually skip the fish soup, my dad doesn't like it, so my mum doesn't cook it. He also doesn't like fryed carp, so he and my brother and grandpa usually eat schnitzel (řízek in czech - pork or chicken), but me, my mother and my grandma always eat fryed carp. And yes, it's not my favourite food, I don't like the potato salad either, but I have to eat it, otherwise I can't open the presents, so my dad gives me just a little bit, so I don't have a stomacheache. We also never add kopr in potato salad, but my dad used to add celery instead of it, but I don't like celery, actually I hate it, so my dad avoids it while making the potato salad. Also I've never heard these songs before, we listen to the more traditional christmas carols, like Štědrý večer nastal, Štěstí zdraví pokoj svatý, Tichá noc, Chtíc aby spal, Nesem Vám noviny and more.

[@qwe5qwe566]

Řízek is very often made instead of carp but our family and interestingly even the side from my wife and their grandparents serve"vinná klobása" - wine sausage (kind of white bavarian style or English/Irish one but with wine and usually served in spiral shape). We used to make it similar way as carp - coated in breadcrumbs but nowadays we usually bake them plain in the oven.

[@evar7395]

Fun video, as always. Got me into the mood for making potato salad - no dill, no meat but yes eggs. We do eat sea fish but not carp in our house... Happy Christmas to all!

[@DreamPrague]

Merry Christmas! (or Happy Christmas, if you prefer British English) to you Eva!

[@johannessugito1686]

I used to get some carp scales from my Czech mother in law, to be kept in my wallet. It symbolizes coins and hopefully will fill my wallet with lots of coins in the coming year. In The Netherlands, where we live, we celebrate Mikulas on December 5th. too. We call him Sinterklaas and he has a black assistant. This assistant will come down the chimney to bring presents for the good kids and leave them in their shoes which are placed in front of the fire place.