Czech Republic Holidays - 2014

New Year's Day is the first day of the year. On the modern Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on January 1.New Year's Day is a secular celebration in the Slovak and Czech lands.All offices and stores are closed.It is the time for parties, more food, and some drinks, including wine for the midnight toast. A midnight kiss, the first of the year, is reserved for the loved person.Firework is very popular among people so many of them coming to watch the event. Firework is always very spectacular and impressive. This event is organized by town council together wit best firework specialist.

Easter is one of the prominent festivals in Czech Republic and calls for full fledged celebrations.Easter in the Czech Republic is a fun time. In the Czech lands, this Sunday used to be called "Roast Sunday" after a simple fast meal was prepared by roasting unripe grain ears or individual grains.Many traditions are still observed and practiced, especially in villages, and different regions may have their own Easter traditions and customs.The hand-painted or otherwise decorated egg (kraslice) is the most recognizable symbol of Czech Easter. Girls decorate Easter eggs to give them to boys on Easter Monday.

Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday.In Czech Republic, the traditional name for Easter Monday is 'Whipping Monday', because on this day, the village boys symbolically 'whip' girls on the legs.

In Czech Republic the first of May traditionally marks Labour Day, a national holiday which is celebrated , in commemoration of various historic achievements of the Labour movement.Alternatively, they celebrate May Day as a symbol of spring and love.

The day commemorates the liberation of the Czechoslovakia by the Allies in May 1945.The liberation of the former Czechoslovakia from Germany was led by an anti-Hitler coalition which scored victory in World War II.

Saints Cyril and Methodius are two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century.They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Great Moravia and Pannonia.This day commemorates the creation of the Slavic Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets by the brothers Saints Cyril and Methodius.In the Czech Republic it is celebrated on July 5 as a national holiday.

Jan Hus was a Czech priest, philosopher, reformer, and master at Charles University in Prague.Jan Hus was a significant Czech religious reformer who was burned at the stake in 1415. His death sparked the Hussite wars of the 15th century.He advocated church reforms, such as using Czech as the liturgical language, aligning the church's practices with teachings contained in the Bible, limiting the power of the church to spiritual matters, and stopping the sale of indulgences.

Official Czech National holiday. Czech Statehood Day. Commemorates the anniversary of the death of Prince Wenceslas, who was murdered at the age of 21 by his brother in about 935 AD. He soon became St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of the Czech Nation. He has become well known outside the Czech lands as "Good King Wenceslas" from the old English Christmas carol.

The Independent Czechoslovak Day celebrated on October 28th of every year in Czech Republic. On that date in 1918, Czechoslovakia became an Independent country from Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Czech students gathered on November 17, 1989 to commemorate a protest held on the same day fifty years earlier in opposition to Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. The student demonstration rapidly turned into a protest against the oppressive communist regime, and it marked the beginning of the so-called Velvet Revolution. Sometimes referred to as World Students Day, this holiday celebrates the political role of students. In the Czech Republic the holiday has greater significance because it also commemorates the end of communism in Czechoslovakia.

The Christmas season starts with the feast and the visit of St. Nicholas or Svaty Mikalas on 6th of December 6th and visit of the Three Kings on 6th of January. However, the main celebrations last only for three days.Christmas is a quiet and peaceful religious time here. They fast for one day, and have baked carp for Christmas dinner. St Nicholas visits, and brings good children gifts, and for those children who are bad, the devil is said to come with switches.At midnight, most families go to Holy Mass or Pasterka as it is known. On Christmas Day, the churches are filled with evergreens and Christmas Trees. Celebrations go on for three days.

December 26th celebrated as Saint Stephen's Day in Czech Republic.It commemorates Sv. Stephen - the first Christian martyr. He was the first to exclaim Christ as the Messiah and, as a result, was stoned to death.Today's the day when children, students, teachers, and the poor would go around to people's homes singing Christmas carols.