Traditions, holidays, religion and everyday life
What this domain covers
This domain tests public holidays, religious landscape and everyday customs: what is closed, what is celebrated, how people greet, eat and mark life events. Questions often ask which day is a public holiday or which custom belongs to Easter or Christmas.
Core rules and customs
- Public holidays include 1 January (New Year and Restoration Day of the Independent Czech State), Good Friday, Easter Monday, 1 May (Labour Day), 8 May (Victory Day), 5 July (Cyril and Methodius), 6 July (Jan Hus), 28 September (St Wenceslas), 28 October (Independent Czechoslovak State Day), 17 November (Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day), and 24-26 December.
- Christmas is celebrated mainly on 24 December (Štědrý den), with a carp dinner and presents in the evening; 25 and 26 December are also public holidays. Easter includes pomlázka, decorated eggs and traditional foods.
- 5 December is Mikuláš, when Saint Nicholas, an angel and a devil visit children. Name days are widely noted. Weddings, baptisms and funerals often have religious or civil forms.
- The largest religious group is Roman Catholic, but a large share of the population declares no religion. Religion is constitutionally free; registered churches receive certain rights.
- Everyday etiquette: people shake hands, remove shoes in homes, and often use formal address with strangers. Punctuality is valued. Tipping in restaurants is common, often around 10%.
Worked example
A visitor asks whether shops and offices are open on 24 December. It is a public holiday, so many offices and shops close or shorten hours; the main Christmas meal is that evening. By contrast, 25 and 26 December are also public holidays. Planning should treat 24-26 December as a closed period, not a normal working day.
Traps
Good Friday became a public holiday relatively recently; do not omit it. 24 December is a public holiday, not only Christmas Eve. 17 November commemorates the 1989 student protests and the struggle for freedom, not the founding of the state. Not everyone celebrates religious customs, and 'no religion' is a common response.