Christmas Day in Czechia

Legal status and date

The Czech Holidays Act lists 25 December as 1. svátek vánoční, or the first Christmas holiday. It is an “other holiday,” rather than one of the dates legally classified as state holidays, and the law makes both categories days of rest.[1]

The date remains 25 December when it falls on a weekend. The law names the calendar date but does not specify a replacement weekday. Employees who work on a holiday are entitled to their earned wages and compensatory time off, or an agreed wage supplement instead.[1][2]

Christmas in Czech family life

Christmas in Czechia is associated with the Christian celebration of Jesus’s birth and is a family holiday observed by people of different denominations. Czech Christmas celebrations begin on 24 December, Christmas Eve, when families commonly have their festive dinner and exchange gifts.[4]

The Christmas Eve meal often includes fish soup, carp or another fish, schnitzel with potato salad, and Christmas cookies. Many people attend midnight Mass after the meal and gift-giving; services are held at churches including St Vitus Cathedral in Prague and the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul in Brno.[4]

How people observe 25 December

Christmas Day is part of a two-day period when families, friends, and neighbours visit one another and spend time together. Lunch on 25 and 26 December is often roasted duck, goose, or chicken served with dumplings and cabbage, giving the day a meal tradition distinct from the fish commonly served on Christmas Eve.[4]

Shops and practical planning

Retail sales are prohibited on 25 December in shops with a sales area over 200 square metres. The law exempts smaller shops, petrol stations, pharmacies, shops in specified transport hubs, and shops in health-care facilities, so these may open; the law does not require them to do so.[3]

The retail restriction applies to sales, not every kind of activity in a building. Check individual businesses for opening hours, and arrange essential shopping before the holiday. Check opening hours with offices, banks and restaurants, and check public transport with the operator.[3]