Most Czech Christmas traditions that we now consider age-old are younger than they seem – while many of the genuinely old ones have faded away. What's interesting is how often wood appears in them. That's no coincidence: in a country that was forested for centuries and where wood was the main material for craftwork, it was the material to hand.
Nativity scenes: older than the Christmas tree
A surprising fact for most people: nativity scenes spread across the Czech lands considerably earlier than the Christmas tree. While churches were already setting up nativity scenes in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Christmas tree only arrived in the 19th century.
The turning point came at the end of the 18th century, when an imperial decree banned nativity scenes in churches. People began building them at home – and it was this very ban that unintentionally sparked the development of folk nativity-making, which has survived in the Czech Republic to this day. A church affair became a home craft in which whole families took part.
Regional traditions differ considerably. Nativity-making has its strongest roots in Třebechovice pod Orebem, home to the Nativity Scene Museum with the famous Probošt nativity scene – a mechanical work its creators spent decades on. Králíky in the Orlické Mountains, the Podkrkonoší region at the foot of the Giant Mountains and Wallachia also have strong traditions of their own.
The material was almost always the same: a softwood that was easy to carve – lime (linden), or sometimes spruce or poplar. Lime has fine, even fibres and can be carved in detail, which made it the number one carving wood. A wooden nativity scene is thus one of the few Christmas items with a genuinely long and documented history in the Czech lands.
🎄 A craft with a long tradition. Wooden nativity scenes, ornaments and decorations from a Czech sheltered workshop.
Browse the Christmas collectionThe Christmas tree: an import that quickly settled in
The Christmas tree reached the Czech lands from the German-speaking world, and according to tradition the first one in Prague was put up in 1812 by Jan Karel Liebich, director of the Estates Theatre, for his guests at his small chateau in Libeň. But it took decades for the custom to spread.
At first it was a custom of middle-class town households. The tree reached the countryside only at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century – and in some areas even later. So generations who remember always having a tree actually remember a custom barely a hundred years old.
An interesting detail: the tree was originally hung upside down from the ceiling above the table rather than placed in a stand. It saved space in a small cottage room, and in some areas the practice lasted a long time. Today some people are returning to this version, because it takes up minimal space in a flat.
At first the decorations were edible – apples, nuts, dried fruit, gingerbread – complemented by paper chains and candles. Glass ornaments came later. Wooden ornaments also appeared in folk settings, usually as small carved pieces made by someone in the family.
Wood in the home: why it was everywhere
To understand why wood appears in almost all Christmas customs, it's worth recalling what an ordinary Czech household looked like a hundred and fifty years ago. Porcelain and glass were expensive and appeared on the table only on special occasions. Most everyday tableware, tools and furnishings were made of wood.
Woodworking was also a skill that almost every farmer had at least at a basic level. The winter months, when there was no work in the fields, were traditionally a time for small handicrafts – carving, repairs, making tools. Christmas items were therefore often made at home rather than bought.
This also explains a lesser-known fact: Christmas presents in today's sense were long the exception. Children received fruit, nuts, gingerbread and a small carved toy. The custom of exchanging gifts on a larger scale belongs to the 20th century.
Fortune-telling: the largest group of customs
In folk belief, Christmas Eve was the day when the boundary between worlds grew thin – and that's why it was the time for fortune-telling. Most customs we now do for fun originally had a serious purpose.
Walnut-shell boats. A candle is placed in half a walnut shell and the little boats are set afloat in a bowl of water. The future was read from how they sailed – a boat staying near the edge meant staying at home, one that sailed to the middle meant going out into the world. When two boats came together, it foretold a marriage.
Cutting an apple. The apple is cut crosswise and the core is examined. A star meant health and happiness, a cross illness or misfortune. The custom survives to this day, although most families treat it as a game.
Pouring lead. Molten lead was poured into cold water and the future was read from the resulting shape. Today wax is used instead of lead – lead is toxic and you should never melt it at home. Wax is hot too: leave the heating to adults and be aware of the risk of burns.
Throwing a shoe. An unmarried girl threw a shoe over her shoulder towards the door. If the toe pointed to the door, it foretold a wedding and leaving home; if the heel did, another year at home.
Customs at the table
The Christmas Eve table carried more rules than any other of the year. An even number of diners, one extra plate for an unexpected guest, not getting up from the table during dinner. Money was placed under the tablecloth for wealth, and grain or a mushroom under the table for a good harvest.
There was also a widespread rule that no meat could be eaten from the morning – hence the golden piglet, which was said to appear in the evening to those who had fasted obediently. Incidentally, the fast was more practical than it seems: it saved supplies and heightened the festive feeling of the dinner.
Wood appeared at the table in the form of tableware, which was more common than porcelain in a rural household. Bowls, spoons, boards and trays were used every day, so on the festive table they didn't look at all exceptional – unlike today, when wooden accessories are more of a deliberate choice.
Carving regions and their signature styles
Czech nativity-making was never uniform, and individual regions could be recognised by their style. Today this is mainly appreciated by collectors, but it's also worth mentioning to understand why woodworking was so intensive in the Czech lands.
Podkrkonoší was characterised by smaller figures and striking colours. In a region with plenty of wood, where farm work came to a standstill in winter, carving became a supplementary income for entire families.
Wallachia has a more robust tradition, with larger figures and an emphasis on form rather than detail. This is connected with sheep farming and the fact that carvers often worked outdoors while tending their flocks.
The Ústí nad Orlicí and Králíky area is among the regions with the strongest nativity tradition of all. Many surviving large nativity scenes come from here, worked on by whole generations of a single family.
The common denominator was always the same: a softwood that carves well, and long winter evenings. The tradition didn't arise from artistic ambition, but from a combination of material that was to hand and time that needed filling.
Mistletoe and other greenery
Mistletoe is a relatively late custom in the Czech lands that came from the English-speaking world. The older Czech tradition was evergreen greenery in the home in general – branches of spruce, fir or pine hung from the ceiling or laid on the table.
The reason was both symbolic and practical. At a time when everything else was bare, evergreen plants were proof that life goes on. And they smelled lovely in a room that was heated through the winter and rarely aired.
This also includes Barbara branches – cherry or sour cherry twigs cut on 4 December, St Barbara's Day, which were meant to blossom by Christmas Eve. For unmarried girls, a blossoming twig foretold a wedding. The custom is easy to revive and very vivid for children.
A tip for reviving customs: There's no point in reviving everything at once – the evening becomes a list of obligations. Choose one custom and keep it for several years in a row. Only repetition turns it into a tradition that children associate with home. Customs that involve doing something work best: walnut boats, Barbara branches, building up a nativity scene step by step. Ones where you just wait for something don't hold children's interest as much.
What has survived
| Custom | Origin | Status today |
|---|---|---|
| Nativity scene | 17th–18th century | Alive, especially in some regions |
| Christmas tree | 19th century | Universally widespread |
| Cutting an apple | Folk tradition | Alive, now more as a game |
| Walnut-shell boats | Folk tradition | Fading, mainly because of the effort involved |
| Pouring lead | Folk tradition | Replaced by wax |
| Barbara branches | Folk tradition | Rarer, easy to revive |
| Extra plate | Folk tradition | Alive, with a shifted meaning |
Why it's worth knowing
It's not just a historical curiosity. When you know where a custom comes from, it's easier to decide whether you want to keep it, adapt it or let it go. Many families fret that "this is how it's done", without knowing that half of it is a hundred years old and the other half was done differently in every region.
Christmas in the Czech lands was never uniform. It was celebrated one way in Podkrkonoší, another in Wallachia and another in Prague. Tradition isn't a set of rules – it's a layer of customs from which each generation picks what makes sense to it.
And that's exactly why it's worth passing one thing on. Whether it's a nativity scene built up gradually, a wooden ornament added every year, or simply sitting at the table for longer than an hour.
From our workshop
Frequently asked questions
Where does the custom of putting up a Christmas tree come from?
It spread to the Czech lands from the German-speaking world only in the 19th century. The first documented Christmas tree in Prague was put up in 1812 by Jan Karel Liebich, director of the Estates Theatre. At first it was a custom of middle-class households, reaching the countryside only at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century.
Why were nativity scenes built in the Czech lands before Christmas trees?
Nativity scenes spread in the Czech lands as early as the 17th and 18th centuries. When an imperial decree banned them in churches at the end of the 18th century, people began building them at home – and that is what sparked the development of folk nativity-making, which has survived to this day.
Where in the Czech Republic is nativity-making strongest?
The strongest tradition is in Třebechovice pod Orebem, home to the Nativity Scene Museum with the famous Probošt nativity scene, followed by Králíky in the Orlické Mountains. Wallachia and Podkrkonoší also have their own carving traditions.
What does the custom of floating walnut boats mean?
A candle is placed in half a walnut shell and the boats are set afloat in a bowl of water. The future was read from how they sailed – a boat near the edge meant staying at home, one that sailed to the middle meant going out into the world.
Why was lead poured in the past, and wax today?
Lead is toxic and melting it at home is not safe – it releases harmful fumes. Wax produces similarly irregular shapes and is far safer in terms of composition, so the custom moved over to it. Caution still applies, though: hot wax causes burns, and heating it is a job for adults, not children.
What traditional products does AMADEA offer?
In our sheltered workshop we make wooden nativity scenes, Christmas ornaments, candle holders and decorations from native woods. We continue the craft tradition of woodworking, albeit with modern methods.
🌳 A tradition worth passing on. Nativity scenes, ornaments and decorations made from Czech wood – handmade in a sheltered workshop.
Go to Christmas decorationsAuthor: Martin Portych – specialist in wooden products, gift advice and shop content
Editorial policy: Our content is based on the day-to-day practice of the AMADEA shop, the real needs of our customers and a commitment to clear, useful and trustworthy information.