Polish Presidency of the Visegrad Group

Table decoration

In Japan, both Christmas and the New Year holidays are a time of family reunions and celebrating together. Before Christmas everyone is busy buying presents, decorating Christmas trees, and cooking. And the Christmas Eve comes at last… Below you will find examples of Christmas tables. Let us have a glimpse what they look like. 

Poland

Our Christmas Eve table is adorned with the Bolesławiec tableware. We put some hay under the tablecloth to symbolize the poverty in which Jesus was born. There should be 12 meat-free dishes on the Christmas Eve table and one extra plate left for an unexpected guest.

Slovakia

The whole family gathers to celebrate Christmas. The table is decorated with pine branches, candles, dried oranges, cinnamon sticks, and dried cloves.

Hungary

Fine and elegant Herend china excellently highlights the Christmas atmosphere. A fir decoration resembles the Advent Wreath on which four candles are placed. Four weeks before Christmas, they are lit one by one on each Sunday. Tables are often covered with lace tablecloth Hungary is famous for. Also traditional dishes always prepared for Christmas act as decorations: red-coloured fish halaszle soup spiced with paprika or a poppy seed and nut roll.

Czechia

One of traditional Christmas decorations are candles in walnut shells floating in water. Czechs also adorn their tables with mistletoe, apples decorated with cloves or orange peel and candles all producing a pleasant scent.

Christmas tree

Christmas is not complete without a Christmas tree. Decorations differ in each Visegrad country, and even from family to family. Each year, a group photo with a beautifully decorated tree in the background is a must.

Poland

Many families decide to have a real tree, but artificial ones are also quite popular. Many Christmas ornaments are handmade: gingerbread cookies, paper chains, and decorations made using tree cones and fabric. Shops and Christmas markets sell beautiful baubles.

Slovakia

Slovaks use corn husks to make lovely corn dolls, which are made with great attention to detail. Christmas trees are also decorated with gingerbread cookies and jam cookies.

Hungary

Hungarians usually decorate real trees with baubles, straw ornaments, tree cones painted in white and gold, ornaments made from stiffened lace and gingerbread cookies. Each family picks different colours and tries to create unique decorations. Another popular Christmas tree ornament are chocolates called szaloncukor, which are also placed under the tree to hide the whole stand. The chocolates are sold by weight, and have different fillings. The wrappers have various colours so that everyone can choose those that match their tree.

Czechia

In Czechia, Christmas tree ornaments are often made by hand by the whole family. The Czech Republic can also boast a glass and bead making tradition dating back to the 14th century. The beads are used to make star- and flower-shaped ornaments. Decorations are also made from straw, which is weaved to into the sweet and simple shapes of snowflakes and sun.

Christmas dishes

And finally came the time of Christmas Eve supper. In most V4 countries, only meat-free dishes are served. Meat is replaced with fish, especially with carp. Let us see what dishes we prepared for the Christmas Eve supper.

Poland

• pierogi (dumplings) filled with sauerkraut and mushrooms
• pierogi with potato and cottage cheese
• wild mushroom soup
• red borscht (a clear beetroot soup)
• dried fruit kompot (a non-alcoholic sweet beverage)
• sauerkraut with mushrooms
• gingerbread
• bread

Slovakia

• carp
• potato salad
• kapustnica  (a sauerkraut soup)
• cookies

Hungary

• the halaszle fish soup
• pancakes with cheese
• poppy seed and nut rolls
• wine

Czechia

• mushroom and barley kuba
• fish soup
• fried carp and potato salad
• vanocka (a plaited sweet bread)
• cookies

Christmas carols

Each of the V4 countries resounds with carols and Christmas songs at the end of the year. Below, you will find the lyrics of a carol that is well known not only across the V4 countries but also in Japan: Silent Night.

Poland

Cicha noc, święta noc,
Pokój niesie ludziom wszem,
A u żłóbka Matka Święta
Czuwa sama uśmiechnięta
Nad dzieciątka snem
Nad dzieciątka snem.

Slovakia

Tichá noc, svätá noc!
Všetko spí, všetko sní,
sám len svätý bdie dôverný pár,
stráži Dieťatko, nebeský dar.
Sladký Ježiško spí, sní,
nebesky tíško spí, sní.

Hungary

Csendes éj, szentséges éj!
Mindenek álma mély,
Nincs fenn más, csak a szent szülőpár
Drága gyermekük jászolánál.
Szent Fiú, aludjál!
Szent Fiú, aludjál!

Czechia

Tichá noc, svatá noc!
Jala lid v blahý klid.
Dvé jen srdcí tu v Betlémě bdí,
hvězdy při svitu u jeslí dlí,
v nichž malé děťátko spí,
v nichž malé děťátko spí!

Christmas customs

Here are some selected Christmas-related traditions.

Poland

The Christmas Eve supper should boast 12 meat-free dishes. We avoid alcohol on this evening. At the table, we share a white wafer and offer best wishes to each other. Once the first star twinkles in the sky, we open presents.

Slovakia

Christmas, a Catholic feast, should be modest and celebrated within family. On Christmas Eve, after supper, we exchange gifts. At night we all go to church.

Hungary

Besides fish dishes, like halaszle soup or stuffed cabbage, we cook many dishes with lentils and nuts. There are many cakes and other sweets as well. Santa Claus does not come on Christmas but at night on 5-6 December, so on this day we exchange presents with family and friends.

Czechia

We usually eat fried carp and a potato salad, and avoid meat. There are many old beliefs related to Christmas Eve, such as leaving a free seat at the table for the departed, whose souls return on this day, preparing an even number of dishes – odd number means bad luck – tying table’s legs with a chain to ensure the family’s unity. Baking, and then eating, of many kinds of cookies is one of the holiday attractions for children.

Trivia

Below are some interesting observations on Christmas preparations made among the V4.

Poland

During the meeting, everybody was speaking their native tongues, yet sometimes all the languages sounded familiar. Polish, Czech and Slovak are particularly similar. Some foreign names of dishes or drinks resembled old Polish or dialect words.

Slovakia

We spend Christmas peacefully in our families, and celebrate the New Year noisily with our friends.

Czechia

Christmas Eve is the day of fortune-telling using apples (1) or walnuts (2).

(1) Cut an apple horizontally into two. If the seeds form a star-like shape, it means next year we will be healthy and lucky.

(2) We make a boat out of half of a nutshell and put a candle inside. Everybody lights the candle in their own boat and we put all of them into a container filled with water. If all shells get close to each other, the family will be together. The person whose boat separates will go on a journey. A capsized boat means misfortune.

 

Merry Christmas!

Written by Polish Embassy in Tokyo and Polish Cultural Institute in Tokyo.

Photo: Maciej Komorowski