Christmas in Slovakia - volume 2

A golden pig or a little piglet – one of the most frequent thoughts of the majority of the Slovaks on December 24.

In the previous blog, you’d learned about typical Slovak folk music and carol singing, about Advent, and how we decorate our comfy homes to get ready for Christmas Eve. Now I would like to share how one of the most important days of the year looks like in my family.

No, it’s not an ordinary day, even though it might seem like that. It feels like everything is possible, and magic may happen if you want to. I am not sure if it comes from early childhood memories or something else. I have no clue, but I wish it was Christmas every day or every other day at least. I reckon that most of you feel the same, at least those who celebrate this day the way we do.

Well, where to start? On December 24, we usually wake up early because we want to make this day the longest ever, so every minute of sleep wastes your time. You can hear Christmas carols and typical Christmas songs everywhere, and it creates a perfect atmosphere from early morning.

There is a religious tradition that dictates to fast throughout Christmas day. The rumor says that if you manage to get by without a single bite the entire day, you will see a little golden pig in the evening. Honestly, I have never managed it because I incredibly attract sweets and everything made of chocolate, and this law of attraction is always making it hard to succeed in fasting. I may try to fast this year, ouch, wait, it’s 2020, I’d rather not take a risk by doing unusual things. Well, when it comes to fasting, I don’t set a good example.

During the day, we usually go skiing if there is enough snow on the ski slopes. If not, we just go for a walk and spend time with our beloved ones. If it’s rainy, we watch some Christmas movies we have seen hundreds of times, but surprisingly we still enjoy them – I told you, this day is special. We do things we wouldn’t do on an ordinary day and appreciate moments that we normally take for granted throughout the rest of the year. It’s food for thought.

The golden pig is no in sight, and it’s time to prepare Christmas supper. As a starter, we have waffles with honey and egg-nog. The main course consists of mashed potatoes flavored with melted butter and grated smoked cheese on it. Its smell is mouth-watering. We eat the mashed potatoes with a delicious sauerkraut soup.

After dinner, it’s time to unwrap Christmas presents, which always mysteriously pop up under the Christmas tree when no one is watching. It’s the most adrenaline moment of the day to make them appear under the tree, especially if there are some little people in your family. After unwrapping the presents, we can officially make a beeline for the fridge and nosh all the gingerbread we’ve been trying to ‚avoid’ during the day.

It’s clear this Christmas is different this year, and that’s why it’s important to be thankful for being safe and healthy, especially during these difficult days. Thus let’s call these hard corona days overcome in health ‘little Christmas.’

In the fotos can see some hand-made ornaments.

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas may be a day of feasting or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.

Augusta E. Randel