Christmas Time at Charles University in Prague












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            * Christmas Time at Charles University in Prague
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            Decorating Gingerbread Biscuits to Commemorate the 25th Erasmus Anniversary, Making Czech 

            Trying out the Handicraft of our Great-grandparents
            For many, the Erasmus exchange is too short – especially if they arrive at their host univ
            for the few short months of the winter semester – and their home university requires them 

            the start of the next term already in January. For these students, the month of December i
            preparing for and attending exams. The more lucky ones, allowed to stay longer – be it til
            of the winter semester in February or even until the end of the summer term in June – can 

            programs of the International and Erasmus Clubs prepared especially for the Christmas seas
            the obligatory parties and trips to popular cities within the Czech Republic and neighbour

            smaller excursions are offered to the open-air museums surrounding Prague which show tradi
            in the Czech villages. Also on offer to the students are Christmas theatre visits or Czech
            Afternoons during which the students can find out more about Czech seasonal traditions.

            The Christmas season in the Erasmus Club at the Faculty of Arts usually starts with a trip
            air museum (usually Přerov nad Labem, since it’s the closest museum of this type to Prague
            students are able to explore the well preserved Central Bohemian country houses neatly dec

            Christmas season such as was typical in the late 19th and early 20th century. Usually, the
            are also invited to try out the handicraft of our ancestors. This year it was e.g. possibl
            to create wooden decorations; last year they learnt how to work with felt. The making of l

            candles or metal products such as horse shoes is also usually shown.   
            As the days grow shorter with the coming winter season, the ideal time comes for theatre a
            visits. The traditional event of the Christmas period in the Erasmus Theatre Club is to vi

            Nutcracker / A Christmas Carol ballet performance in the National Theatre in Prague in whi
            Christmas story by Charles Dickens is combined with the traditional libretto and music of 
            ballet. This year it was attended by over 70 Erasmus students.

            As for the Christmas concerts, all Charles University students are each year cordially inv
            Christmas concerts of Charles University Chorus and Orchestra, offering Jan Jakub Ryba’s f
            Christmas Mass, fondly nicknamed “Rybovka“ by the Czechs. The first public performance in 

            semester 2012/13 is held on 19th December 2012 at 7:30 p.m. in the Catholic academic churc
            Křižovnické náměstí. You can read more about this event in the article about the Charles U
            [ URL "http://iforum.cuni.cz/IFORUMENG-267.html"] .

            Czech Christmas traditions are mostly introduced to the interested students during Czech C
            Afternoons. At the Czech Christmas Afternoon offered by the Erasmus Club of the Faculty of
            December 2012 the students learnt that the typical Czech Christmas Eve dish was fish soup 

            with potato salad and were also able to learn how to make the potato salad and taste it.
            As Czech people are very fond of Christmas biscuits, the production of the non-cooked sort
            sweets was also part of this event (milk and cocoa coconut balls were made) as well as the

            gingerbread and butter biscuits in shapes well suited  to the season (stars, good-luck-wis
            four leaves, hearts, fish, etc.). Since the year 2012 is also the year when we are celebra
            anniversary of the Erasmus programme, the students were also asked to decorate some of the

            commemorate this anniversary. You can judge how well they managed in our picture gallery.
            Another Czech Christmas Afternoon was held by the Erasmus Club of the Faculty of Education
            Christmas seasonal traditions such as casting lead were introduced to the participants.

            Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our international students and staff as well a
            Charles University.