Feed

Slovak Christmas Cookies

Posted by Margarete on Dec 12

It’s a little less than 2 weeks before Christmas and time to start planning for the Christmas baking. You might think it’s too early to start, but in my family of Slovak in-laws, since there are so many different kinds of cookies to make and they tend to have a long shelf life, a week before Christmas is just fine to begin. The most common cookies in our family are:

  • medovniky – honey cookies
  • vanilkové rožky – vanilla-roll cookies
  • linecké kolieska – Linzer cookies

Armed with my grandma-in-law’s recipes and having the experience of helping with these in the past, here’s how to bake them.

Decorating a Slovak Christmas Tree

Posted by Margarete on Dec 19

This year, my husband and I are staying in California for Christmas. For my Slovak husband, this will be his first Christmas in the US.

We’ve decided that we would like to keep as many Slovak Christmas traditions as possible for the Christmas season and while I am going to be responsible for the traditional Christmas dinner of kapustnica – cabbage soup, kapor – carp (though we may go with trout instead), and zemiakový šalát – potato salad, my husband is going to be responsible for the Christmas tree and its decorations.

Svätý Mikuláš is coming

Posted by Margarete on Dec 03

December 6 is the feast of Mikuláš. It’s not a holiday but it’s ranked high by most children in Slovakia as a special day to look forward to. Children often wake up to finding a chocolate figure or some other small gifts in their shoes that have been cleaned the night before. It’s also common to receive peanuts or tangerines if they are available in stores. If someone has not been a good boy or girl they might receive a potato or a wooden spoon in place of the good stuff. Traditions vary from region to region.

Actually festivities begin the night fall before, on December 5. I remember when I lived in my small town in Slovakia seeing two teenagers dressed as an angel and the other as a devil. They walked down neighborhood streets to remind children the consequences of being good or bad. It’s also possible that children dress up as angels or devils on the 6th.

The Christmas Market in Bratislava

Posted by Margarete on Nov 24

It’s that time of year when the Christmas markets around Europe are starting. In the five years I lived in Slovakia, I’ve visited vianočné trhy – Christmas markets in Bratislava and Nitra but almost all the larger towns and cities will have one, usually from the weekend beginning with Advent until December 24th.

Kraslice - Painted Easter Eggs

Posted by Margarete on Mar 20

I’ve always loved decorated Easter eggs. Usually at home in California my mom would buy one of those egg coloring kits where you dropped tablets into a glass of vinegar, or something like that, and once we colored the eggs a solid color, we’d put stickers on them or draw a design with crayons. That’s great fun for kids. But later on I learned that painting and decorating eggs could be an art form.

When I was in high school, my best friend at the time, who was of Ukrainian descent, brought traditional Ukrainian Easter eggs to school one day for something like a show and tell. Ukrainian style pysanky – decorated eggs, are absolutely gorgeous.

Watch Out, Girls. Easter Monday is Coming!

Posted by Margarete on Mar 10

I am constantly impressed by Slovakia’s rich folk culture. Over the years that I lived in Slovakia I have enthusiastically participated in all the holiday rituals and cultural events, big and small, that I learn about.

There’s one day in the year, however, that I am not so fond of and have little to do with, if I can—the Easter Monday practices of boys pouring water over girls and lightly whipping them with braided branches.

Czechoslovak Films over the Holidays

Posted by Margarete on Dec 30

Over the Christmas holiday there are always a slew of classic films to watch on TV. These movies are shown year after year, and it’s really just a matter of having a TV schedule on hand to make sure you catch the ones you want to see.

When I first moved to Slovakia, students would tell me what I shouldn’t miss. Over the years of spending Christmas holidays in Slovakia, the list has grown. Here’s a basic run down of the most popular film classics that are shown on Slovak TV through the Christmas season (fairytales are marked with a *):

Zemiakový Šalát

Posted by Margarete on Dec 23

There are many traditional Christmas foods that are prepared in Slovakia. Depending on the region, the traditional Christmas dinner varies slightly, but over all it consists of the following listed below. Interpretations also vary. The interpretations are those from my Slovak family in the Nitra region.

All Saints' Day in Slovakia

Posted by Margarete on Oct 23

While living in Slovakia, I was enthusiastic about taking part in customs and traditions, particularly surrounding the holidays. I expected that Christmas and Easter would be significant occasions of the year, and they were, but I never imagined that the holiday that would touch me the most would be All Saints’ Day.

The first of November is a national holiday in many European countries, including Slovakia. On this day of All Saints it is customary for people to take time during the day or evening, to go to the cemetery where relatives, friends or neighbors have been laid to rest.