Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Prague

Although the old days of tremendous firework displays in Prague for New Year’s Eve are over, the Czech Tourist Office still expects some 90,000 foreign visitors with the majority coming from Germany.

December 31 isn’t just New Year’s Eve for those living in the Czech Republic as it is also known as Silvestr since it coincides with the consecration of Pope Sylvester I, who later became a saint and served as Pontiff from 314 to 335.

Traditions and Superstitions

Pork is on the menu for  New Year’s Day and is served with lentils topped by a fried egg but very few people will eat poultry as to eat anything with wings could see your luck fly away.

The very traditional however will tuck in to a boiled pork head at midnight with grated horseradish and lentils which symbolise money are always popular the following day.

There are quite a few superstitions which follow on from the refusal to eat poultry and these include, no hanging of clothes on a clothes line on December 31 as that could mean a member of the family may die.

Cut an apple in half to see your future and it will be bad if the seeds form a cross but good if it looks like star.

The favourite saying on New Year’s Day is not ‘What goes on in Vegas stays in Vegas’ but ‘What you do on New Year’s Day, you’ll do every day for the next year’ which basically encourages people to do as little work as possible otherwise you’ll end up cleaning or washing for the rest of 2024.