PRAGUE GUIDE

If you do not want to commit a faux pas right after you get off the plane, read these tips on traditions, etiquette, and how to mingle with local people. Czechs do not have very loud personalities, so be prepared to quieten down, get used to removing your shoes, and say goodbye to everyone when you leave a restaurant.

Each day of the year except national holidays comes with a Czech name (or names) to be celebrated. It is common practice to give flowers or some other gift on a person's Name Day - you'll notice many of the flower shops around town often list name days on a blackboard outside.

Prague is a beautiful, mysterious and marvelously romantic city. It is the right place to be during the celebrations of Saint Valentine's Day. Just explore all corners of this ancient metropolis, stop at some of the typical cafés or restaurants, enjoy a ride on a horse team through a historical downtown, or get on a boat cruise featuring dinner.

The smell of mulled wine and Christmas sweets, the warmth of roasted chestnuts in your hands, the melody of carols, decorated streets, folk markets and Christmas trees on every square, that’s Christmas in Prague. And if you’re lucky, you might even see Prague covered in a snow-white blanket.

During the New Year’s celebrations there are a lot of things to choose from, no matter what age you are or what your tastes are. Here we bring you some suggestions:

A three-day festival before Ash Wednesday, which begins the 40 days of Lent, which ends on Easter. Like Easter, this feast was movable - it could happen any time between February 1 and March 7.

The tradition of formal balls lives on in the 21st-century Czech Republic. And in contrast to many other EU countries, the balls held here are not restricted to the highest social levels, but in fact attract a broad spectrum of the public. Ladies in sweeping gowns and gentlemen in their best suits dancing till dawn can be your companions in the romantic ball of your dreams.

Easter is a very important Christian holiday, and in Prague it is celebrated very much in that spirit. It is also a holiday time when families travel and get together. While walking Prague’s paved streets you will notice market stalls and flower decorations, Easter eggs smiling from shop windows.

The Christian feast of Christmas replaced the pre-Christian feast of the winter solstice. The celebration of Christmas was always associated with many non-religious customs of a magical nature: anyone who fasted on Christmas Eve saw a golden piglet.

During mass on Easter Sunday, the priest blesses food that has been brought (lamb, rabbit, Easter cake, eggs, bread, and wine). This consecrated food is taken home again by housewives and ceremonially eaten by the family during a festive lunch. From the point of view of the Bohemian people, Easter Monday was the most important day of the Easter cycle even though it was not connected with any significant liturgical acts.

On the evening of April 30th many Czechs gather to build a bonfire and prepare an effigy of the witch that kept winter around so long. Czechs used to believe that the power of witches would weaken as the weather got warmer.

On May 1, couples gather around the statue of Karel Hynek Mácha, the Czech Romantic "poet of love", in Prague's Petřín Park where they lay flowers and spend a few moments.

When you walking on the December 5 evening in Prague's streets you surely will run into a group of strange characters: St. Nicholas, the Angel who represents Good, and the Devil, who represents Evil. All wear costumes. Nicholas looks a bit like Santa Claus, whose origin was supposedly inspired by St. Nicholas.

The name of this period comes from the Latin word adventus, which means "arrival." It concerns the period of the arrival or birth of Jesus Christ, who is perceived as the Saviour or Messiah.

The Czech St. Joseph's Day is a more subdued version of the Irish St. Patrick's Day and is celebrated around the same time in March every year.

The day of Hromnice is a significant day for Czech weather-related folklore. It falls on February 2nd, the same day the popular Groundhog Day is celebrated in the United States. And no wonder - both are based on the same ancient Celtic tradition.

The last week of the 40 days of Lent is called Passion Week, in memory of Christ's suffering. All the ceremonies in this week were of a mournful nature. The Passion of St. Mark was read on the Tuesday and the Passion of St. Luke was read on the Wednesday.