| Christmas in Slovakia
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Folk culture and high end life seems to have merged in Slovakia.
Don’t let old history books temper your opinion about Slovakia as the country, which featured as the bone of contention in the European power struggles and its ruin following the subsequent Communist onslaught.
Its picturesque castles and snow-capped summits have barely failed to impress a soul ever. Slovakia’s entry into the world economy and its laid back | |
rural idyllic setting is precisely what attracts tourists in millions to Slovakia. So, set aside your inhibitions stemming from unreasonable bias and prepare to enjoy yourself thoroughly while you celebrate Christmas in Slovakia.
Christmas in Slovakia has a lot in common with the American traditions but certain features are unique and so very characteristic of Slovakia. First and foremost, a Slovakian Christmas lacks the excesses of a typically lavish American Christmas. Slovaks are content with one confection only; the one and only flat gingerbread number known as medovníky or perníky. (Extremely frugal in comparison to the whole lot of peanut butter balls, almond candy cane cookies etc) A whole range of Christmas goodies are not required for the Christmas tree decoration, mere tinsel or blinking lights would go great guns. Nativity scenes are there but mistletoe is rare.
Veselé Vianoce (Merry Christmas) is the standard seasonal salutation. Most Slovaks consider the 25th and 26th as the first and second days of Christmas but 24th December is celebrated with gift giving and eventually followed by a rocking dinner which constitutes of traditional foods like kapustnica or lentil soup (šošovicová polievka), potato salad (zemiakový šalát) and carp (kapor). Round wafers called oblátky are passed round the tables, which are either steeped in honey or scraped with garlic cloves. Ježiško- little Jesus and communist Dedo Mráz (Father Christmas) distribute gifts Santa doesn’t feature at all. Churchgoers attend midnight mass (polnocná omša) in the evening, which is technically the 25th.
For more details on Christmas in Slovakia log on to our site 123Christians.
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