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| Christmas Greetings from the Polaseks home at 6146 Bryan Parkway, Dallas, TX. |
Veselé Vánoce!
Merry Christmas!
More than likely
these words would have rung out strongly in my Czech grandparents’ homes
throughout the month of December years ago!
Although both were Texas born all of their parents and older siblings had emigrated
from the Czech Republic
a few years beforehand. I have often
wondered for how long after their
arrival did members of the family converse in their native language? My mother never learned to speak it although
she was able to understand spoken Czech until much later in life. Her sisters and she would recall that whenever
their parents would gather together with their siblings, the conversations in
Czech would flow fluently but once returning home, her parents spoke English
for the most part.
It is without a
doubt that various members of my family came to Texas between 1892 to 1904 and then remained
here forever! (And for that I am
heartily thankful!) They followed a long
line of fellow Czechs who started arriving here back in the 1820s when Texas was a Republic! Why
did they come? Well freedom from their
Austrian Hungarian rulers was certainly one of the major reasons. But the biggest drawing card by far was
LAND! Texas with it large expanses of beautiful
fertile soil certainly acted like a huge magnet to all the land-starved Europeans
throughout the entire century of the 1800’s but especially after 1850. They came from Bohemia,
Moravia, and Slovakia transporting their
Catholic and Protestant beliefs and centuries old cultural traditions including
Christmas with them!
Visits From Saint Nick!
As a whole for many
centuries, Christmas in most European countries including, Ireland and England, was celebrated for a whole
month beginning on December 6 with “Saint Nicholas Day”, (Svaty Mikuláš Day in Czech,) and
ending on January 6 with the observance of “Twelfth Night” also known as “the
Day of the Three Kings.” Back in the
day, it was on December 5, the eve of his feast day, when the great Saint
Nicholas would make his appearance and bring gifts, not on December 25! [i]
The kindly bishop Saint Nicholas
did not make his visits alone (and no, he does not bring reindeers!) In fact he comes in the company of two very spectacular
visitors: a Devil known as Cert who
knows who’s been naughty and an Angel in white known as Ardle who knows who has
been nice and can plead on the children’s behalf! Czech
children are told that Angels lower Saint Nicholas, or Svaty Mikuláš,, down
to the earth from his heavenly realm via a golden cord (not a sleigh!) The original Saint Nicholas in Czech folklore was
a 3rd century bishop known for his defense and advancement of
Christianity, as a protector of sailors and fishermen in trouble, ensuring food
during famines and a defender for those in trouble. During his visit, Saint Nicholas
can question the children on their prayer books, the Bible, but mostly about
their behavior during the prior year. The white Angel makes a notation about each
child in his book while the devil rattles his chains noisily to scare them of
their possible fate. In the meantime, the children entertain Saint Nicholas with a
poem or verse.[ii] (For
more information on how the holiday is celebrated today in the Czech Republic
check out http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/st-nicholass-angels-and-devils-visit-czech-children. )
The Saint then decides who has
been naughty and who has been nice. The
good children’s stockings or shoes are loaded with yummy things such as “tangerines,
nuts, chocolates, and small gifts.” The
stockings or shoes of the bad children are filled with very unpleasant gifts of
“old potatoes or coal.” The gift giving
does not stop there as the parents must then give a gift to Saint Nicholas in
return and after which everyone (but the children) shares a “toast” as a final
goodwill gesture. [iii]
(For more information check out the St. Nicholas Center at: From
the website for the St. Nicholas Center
online at http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/czech-republic/.)
You must agree
that this is a very interesting trio of visitors indeed. Certainly one guaranteed to make all the
children try to tread the straight and narrow for the entire year not just at
Christmas! (Even me!) In Texas
households, the visit from Saint Nick could occur anytime from December 6 until
December 25. Sometimes a local man
would dress up like the saintly bishop come calling at the door ask questions,
and then deliver all the gifts.
In some Czech
families a second day to celebrate and receive
more gifts was on December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holy
day in the Catholic Church. The Blessed
Mother, Maticka (in Czech,) would
place fruit and nuts in the shoes of good children. Now visits from Maticka and Saint Nicholas
have changed all take place on December 25 from our own beloved Santa Claus.[iv]
Other Ways to Celebrate the Christmas
Season
Groups of
carolers go door to door serenading their neighbors with songs of great
joy. Now these singers make special
visits to the sick and old to spread the spirit of Christmas throughout their communities. One of their most favorite hymn is the English
carol "Good King Wenceslas" about the martyred prince-duke of Bohemia in the tenth
century.” Other Czech Carols include:
“We are Going to the Stable.” “Come Hear the Wonderful Tidings,” “Born Was
Christ the Lord,” and “The Rocking Cradle.” Today the world renown carol
“Silent Night” is another favorite sung both in Czech or English.[v]
Preparations for
food to be consumed during this special time begins weeks in advance in Czech
homes with the making of the Christmas bread known as Vanocka, candies,
cookies, cake, strudels, and best of all kolaches (my favorite!) Another food of great importance during
Christmas time is gingerbread! During
the time span of the Middle Ages, large specially shaped cookies were made and
used as decorations for the upper classes.
Bakers developed their own special recipes and in 1419, at least 18
gingerbread makers resided in the city of Prague. As time passed, Gingerbread could be enjoyed
all the classes and even by immigrants in the frontier towns of Texas.[vi]
For church
goers. Christmas Eve had been a day of fasting and meat abstinence in the
past. So this explains why fish was the center of the supper meal and why in
the Czech Republic, carp starred as the main
dish. On the Texas frontier, people ate whatever the
local variety of fish was including: catfish, oysters and shrimp. It was served with “lentils, peas, potatoes,
barley soup with mushrooms, and apple strudel.” Other traditions had to be modified while
living in Texas
as well. The Christmas tree would be
made of cedar and decorated with natural objects, candies, stringed popcorn,
fruits, nuts, and other homemade foods. Christmas Eve ended by attending Catholic Midnight Mass in churches decorated
with manger scenes and resounding with the singing of carols and hymns.[vii]
Christmas Day
was a day to spend with family and eat!
Menus on the a Texas Czech family table might include: “soup, chicken,
or turkey, dumplings, kolaches, fruit, and nuts” as well as prune dumplings or
butterhorns, roast goose or duck, sauerkraut dressing, but now turkey replaces
the goose. [viii]
And so the day would be spent eating,
drinking and visiting with loved ones. … all in the spirit of Christmas.
Conclusion
As you can
surmise, this is just a small taste of how the Czechs and especially the Texas
Czech have celebrated the Christmas season for centuries.
Next week I will
continue with the Christmas celebrations of my Grandparents Joe and Louise
Kubin Polasek through the recollections of their daughters.
Until
then…..Merry Christmas!
[i]
Silverthorne, Elizabeth, Christmas in Texas,
number 3 in the Clayton Wheat Williams Texas Life Series, Texas A&M Press, College Station, TX, 1990, p. 94.
[ii] Barette, Kate, “St. Nicholas's, angels and devils visit Czech children,” online at Radio Praha at http://www.radio.cz/en/section/curraffrs/st-nicholass-angels-and-devils-visit-czech-children,dated 6 December 2004, 24 December 2013.
[iii] From
the website for the St. Nicholas Center
online at http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/czech-republic/,
24 December 2013.
[iv]Ibid.
p. 94.
[v]
Silverthorne, Elizabeth,
pp. 94-95.
[vi] Ibid,
pp. 95-97.
[vii] Ibid,
pp. 100-101.
[viii]
Ibid., pp. 101
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