Our cultural heritage is something we have to share from generation to generation. We try to keep our Slovak traditions in school, we learn about them and also present them abroad. During the month of December our pupils decided to show our project partners how we prepare for Christmas and New Year. There are several days when we have special traditions such as St. Lucia, St. Nicolaus, Advent traditions and of course Christmas time. In Slovakia preparations for the most beautiful time of the year starts on December 1st. 24 days before Christmas eve the Advent starts.

1st Advent Sunday - On the first Sunday we light the first candle on the Advent wreath. Every next Sunday we light another one. 

At school we prepared the Christmas decorations, and we made Advent calendar - it is made of  little boxes filled with a little chocolate. One chocolate a day. We also make Christmas postcards. We send them to our beloved and to all Erasmus project partners.

6th of December - St. Nicolaus Day

On that day, we were excited and couldn´t wait to welcome St. Nicolaus in our classrooms. We sang songs and told poems to him. He always comes with two friends - a devil and an angel. They bring sweets to good children and colour the bad ones with black :)

13th December - Saint  Lucia day or better said St. Lucia night

Lucia´s Day is one the most magic customs and it ranks among the “witches´ days” preceding Christmas. People believed that they could see witches on this night. 

Foretelling of the future and various love wishes were also popular. According to the best-known of them, girls prepared 13 pieces of paper. They wrote different male names on twelve of them while the thirteenth one was left blank. The pieces of paper were then folded and every day one of them was burnt. The one before the last one was burnt on Christmas Eve in the morning and the last one was opened on the same day in the evening. The name on the last piece of paper was to be the name of the future husband. The girl, whose last piece of paper was blank, was not to be married the following year.

The most typical custom associated with this day is marching of Lucias, i.e. disguised women, in some regions also men. The most frequent clothing of a Lucy is a white dress or a white blanket.

With a piece of goose wing they swept all bad ghosts from all corners of the rooms. We keep this tradition in school too. 

Christmas is here soon. The Sunday is called gold and normally all shops are full of people who buy presents for their beloved. Christmas holidays begin on 23rd December (this year it is 18th because of Covid). At school on last day of the lessons we usually have Christmas parties in classrooms, we exchange little gifts and sing Christmas carols. 

In our school we have a nice annual tradition during Christmas time. With help of pupils, parents and teachers, we gathered little things and presents to give out and cheer up lonely old retired people in our town. Our volunteers went to their homes and wished them merry Christmas. 

24th December - Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is the most important day during Christmas for Slovaks. It is called 'Stedry den' (the Generous Day). The actual evening is called 'Stedry vecer' (the Generous Evening) and the Christmas season is called 'Vianoce'.

More information about our December traditions:  https://twinspace.etwinning.net/112239/pages/page/1227482

 

 

 

 

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