Celebrating Christmas in atheist Czechia: A surprisingly spiritual experience

As an American expat living abroad, I have spent much of the last decade away from my homeland during the holiday season. Life in Prague, the Czech capital, is magical this time of year. Dark winter skies and chilly air are to be expected, as is gratitude for a warm, dry apartment. Familiar Christmas hymns resonate in the streets of Old Town, while the long, dark nights are illuminated by the soft glow of streetlamps and candles in windows.

You might assume that Czechs struggle with the contrasting elements of being one of the most historically atheist cultures in Europe while celebrating Christmas, but this is not the case. There is no internal conflict here.

The Czechs embrace the holiday season with open arms and celebrate with genuine enthusiasm. This celebration goes beyond merely catering to tourists seeking a picturesque Christmas backdrop; it is a heartfelt acknowledgment of their religious heritage and a time when family and home take precedence over all else. You will see Czechs attending Christmas Mass and singing carols, even if they don’t regularly attend church.

Blending ancient pagan traditions from their Slavic ancestors with the Christian rituals introduced by missionaries from Rome, Czech Christmas traditions carry deep historical significance, even if modern Czechs tend to be less religious than their forebears.

For this reason, you might expect that Christmas would be an afterthought, focused solely on the material aspects of gift-buying and celebrating New Year’s Eve. However, for many Czechs, this isn’t the case. Churches and cathedrals fill with parishioners singing joyfully, and live nativity scenes decorate many town squares.

The centuries of religious conflict and church divisions that have scarred the Czech people have not dampened their holiday spirit, nor have the decades of communism that frowned upon religious symbols.

In the U.S. the Christmas season kicks off with Thanksgiving on the last Thursday of November, or some might argue it starts with the shopping frenzy of Black Friday. In Czechia, however, it’s more of a liturgical observance that signals the end of autumn and the arrival of the holiday season—Catholic feast days in late autumn and winter mark how close we are to Christmas Eve. A curious thought, considering the nation's atheistic past.

Nestled between Protestant Germany and Catholic Austria, Poland, and Slovakia, the Czechs have collectively chosen to move past the religious battles that fragmented the region for centuries. The communist regime worked diligently to suppress organized religion for more than 40 years, leading to a contemporary society that is largely indifferent to traditional Christian practices.

That said, one might not recognize this religious juxtaposition if they visit Czechia during the holiday season. As Christmas draws near, the Advent season truly begins. Like many Catholic customs observed today, these traditions carry traces of ancient pagan rituals. To ensure Catholicism took root, pagan practices were often woven into Catholic observances. You can see this in how Czechs engage in divination activities during saint feast days throughout Advent. 

You can see this in how Czechs engage in divination activities during saint feast days throughout Advent. The Christmas date in late December was chosen to align with pagan winter solstice celebrations. Traditional English and American Christmas symbols, like the wreath and tree, have their origins in German pagan customs, and Czech traditions share similar elements. Divination games, like throwing cooked peas against the wall to count how many stick, have roots in these customs.

People also interpreted candle flames, seeds in apples, and cracked nuts to foretell marriages, future harvests, and weather for the following year. Midnight on Christmas Eve was particularly magical, with beliefs that the boundary between the living and the afterlife thinned, allowing spirits to mingle. Offerings like soul cakes or breadcrumbs were made to appease these spirits. 

Caroling and ringing bells also predate Christianity and were meant to ward off unwelcome spirits. The Czech tradition of the “Golden Pig” reflects this ancient connection, with its origins in lighting a bonfire to welcome back the sun and roasting a hog. Today, Czech Christmas celebrations blend these pagan practices with their Slavic heritage, creating a festive atmosphere rich in both tradition and magic.

For Czech children, the thrill and anticipation of Christmas Eve is a feeling that resonates with many around the world. However, the bringer of gifts isn’t Santa Claus; it’s the Son of God himself—Baby Ježíšek. This embodies the true spirit of the Christmas season, a fact that the Czechs wholeheartedly embrace. While Father Christmas, or Saint Nicholas, has his own feast day on Dec. 6, Christmas Eve is reserved exclusively for Jesus, thank you very much!

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, Czech children write letters to Baby Jesus, letting him know if they’ve been good throughout the year and what gifts they hope to receive. The excitement builds to a fever pitch during the Christmas Eve dinner until a bell rings in the distance, signaling that Baby Jesus has arrived and the tree and presents have magically appeared in another room. It might seem a bit far-fetched to have an 8-pound, 4-ounce Baby Jesus bring in the Christmas tree and all the gifts underneath it, but that’s the tradition, so we accept it.

To a foreigner’s ear, the Czech word for Jesus, “Ježíšek,” can be challenging to distinguish from other similarly sounding words with vastly different meanings. Also essential to the Czech Christmas meal is breaded pork schnitzel, or řízek.

If you want to bring a smile or giggle from a Czech, ask when Baby Řízek (schnitzel) is coming, or marvel at how Baby Ježek (hedgehog) can manage to bring the Christmas tree all by himself. The Czech language is not for American tongues, especially during the Christmas season.

One Czech Christmas tradition not all expats embrace is the Christmas carp. It might seem strange that a country with such a historical backdrop of religious divides holds on to this custom so tightly, but it carries a noble purpose—a remembrance of both Jesus’ suffering and the plight of those less fortunate. Thus, fish is chosen as the Christmas meal, similar to the tradition of Catholics around the world observing fish on Fridays during Lent.

However, Czechia is quite far from any ocean, and that posed a challenge. Several theories explain why carp became the centerpiece of the Czech Christmas dinner. Some link it to Christian symbolism, referencing New Testament parables about Peter as a fisher of men. Others point to medieval royal decrees promoting carp farming as a sustainable protein source for peasants. The tradition solidified in the 19th century when Magdalena Dobromila Rettigová included a carp recipe in her popular 1826 cookbook Domácí Kuchařka.

For the Czechs, Christmas Eve—called Štědrý den, which translates to “Generous Day”—holds even greater meaning. It is a true cornucopia of food, family, gifts, and goodwill.