If you are gifted sweets or an orange, then you have been good! Even though December 6th was on a weekend this year, teachers still handed out sweets to the other teachers to celebrate.
The biggest event that takes place during December is the family Christmas feast. Most Slovaks still follow the traditional ways, and only a few have switched things up. The close family gathers on December 24th, named Generous Day, to celebrate the birth of Jesus. They serve a lot of food, with favorites being fried carp (a type of fish), cabbage soup, potato pancakes, wafers and honey-spiced cookies. Each region in Slovakia has its own type of pastries and side dishes that the people enjoy, as well as customs that they follow before and during the Christmas feast. The strangest of these is how the fish they will eat for dinner is kept alive in the bathtub for a few days until it is time to cook it. In central Slovakia, they place honey in the shape of a cross on each person's forehead. In the east, they tie a chain around the table to keep the family together for the next year. They keep all the lights on in the house on Christmas Eve in northern Slovakia. Finally, in the West, they believe that if they cut an apple and the inside is star-shaped, then they will be healthy all year round.
These traditions, as many others, were passed down for many generations. Many Slovaks are practicing Catholics, so many of these traditions are rooted in Catholic or religious customs. The Christmas Eve feast was created due to the family fasting during the day in preparation for Jesus' arrival. The family is also "gifted" a Christmas tree on that night, allowing them to decorate it together before they eat.
