Christmas decoration and traditions from Slovakia

 A chain was placed around the legs of the table in order to ensure family unity.

Set one extra plate for an unforeseen guest or for deceased family members.

APPLE

Cut horizontally in two halves.

If the seeds form a star, it symbolizes happiness and good health for the family.

If they form a cross, this means problems, illness or even death.

Garlic

To ensure good health for the family.

Each family member should eat a clove.

Honey

The head of the family makes a honey cross on the forehead of each family member.

It ensure goodness, everyone is nice and good.

FISH (usually a carp)

is placed in the bathtub for kids to play with until the Christmas Day morning.

Guys need to man up, kill and gut it.

It is not Santa who

brings the present.

It's Baby Jesus - Ježiško!

The Christmas tree is kept until January 6th, which is the Feast of the Three Kings.

Then children are finally allowed to eat the candies and other sweets from the tree.

Christmas wafers traditionally prepared by the school teacher or priest of the village.

The wafers eaten with honey and garlic.

Catholics were supposed to be fasting all day, or at the very least, not to eat meat.

Catholics needed to be fasting till midnight, Evangelists till dark.

During Christmas Eve, in the evening there are carol singers going door to door and you are supposed to offer them some cakes.

The First Christmas Day was and it is a day of mystery and contemplation, praying for some people, and being with family.

The Second Christmas day, also named the day of St Stephan, was traditonal to organize balls, it was and it is still a day for pure fun and entertainment.

The Slovakians chant prayers and then eat the "štedrák", which is the popular Christmas cake. Nothing could be lent, because all the family's property would then be "lent out".

Slovaks prepare four weeks in advance. During this period, called Advent, people buy and prepared gifts, decorate their homes with advent wreaths with four candles corresponding to the number of Sundays of Advent. Each Sunday they light one of the candles and on Christmas Eve table there are all four candles burning on the wreath.

All household animals should be fed after the dinner so that no one goes hungry on Christmas Eve.

People also put the carp scale or some money under the table for the luck and wealth.