In Prague, live carp are sold everywhere at Christmas
Christmas in Spain.
The last two weeks before Christmas are almost non-working in Spain. Everyone visits and goes to restaurants for joint Christmas dinners. They also build belenes – a model of the birth of Christ – near their homes. Belenes are everywhere at this time: in shop windows and on city squares. Spaniards spend Christmas night in a close family circle and give each other gifts.
Those who organize tours to Spain will of course make sure that your Christmas goes great. In Barcelona, the Christmas market is located around the Cathedral and runs from December 2 to 23. A huge variety of gifts and souvenirs are sold there. Dancers perform mesmerizing flamenco right at stalls with marzipan and anise candies. In Catalonia, it is customary to place figurines of caganers everywhere at Christmas, depicting people defecating, and funny smiling logs – Caga Tió. Children later hit such a log demanding gifts, and the figurines bring wealth and peace to the home.
Christmas in Czechia
Christmas is celebrated in Czechia from December 24; this day is considered a fast day, so the main dishes of the Christmas table are fried carp and potato salad. Czech children are incredibly lucky because they have as many as 4 gift givers: Santa Claus, Ježíšek, Mikuláš, and Ded Moroz. Czechs protect nature; all Christmas trees are sold and decorated right in pots. In every home and on every square there must be nativity scenes. At city fairs there are real pens with animals and Ježíšek's cradle. Children happily ride cute donkeys and ponies on the squares.
Christmas in Czechia is full of ancient superstitions. There must be an even number of guests at the table, under the plates – carp scales and small coins for good luck. Heading to Czechia on December 24, remember that on this day in Prague parents with children go to the banks of the Vltava – there you can buy a live fattened carp and immediately release it back into the river. And the day after Christmas, they roast a goose. December 26 is St. Stephen's Day and caroling.
Prague fairs in Czechia are considered among the best in Europe. They start working on November 26 and continue until the New Year.
PR