Cherubs and Carp: Christmas Time in Prague

As the clock struck twelve this year on Christmas Eve, I found myself crowded shoulder to shoulder with hundreds of local Czechs in St. Nicholas Cathedral – the most spectacular Baroque cathedral I’ve ever seen. The enormous pipe organ thundered through Czech hymns while the choir, elevated high on a balcony at the back of the church, beautifully led the congregation. It was an amazing experience to ring in Christmas day – particularly when compared to last year’s vacuous Christmas experience in officially atheist China. Despite the fact that I couldn’t understand any of the sermon or songs, I was content to stand in the cold cathedral absorbing all the busy details of the ornately decorated walls and ceilings. My breath condensing in the cold air gave a mystical feel to the ornate cathedral as I stood in awe of the dizzying number of statues bearing the likeness of cherubs and biblical figures.

Deciding to spend Christmas in Prague was a bit of a gamble in the sense that it isn’t exactly known for its yuletide spirit. We had even thought of initially heading to Vienna before heading to Prague. Nevertheless, we’ve been thoroughly impressed by our time here. It was obvious as soon as we arrived. In the days leading up to Christmas, fishmongers set up shop on street corners throughout Prague to sell carp, the traditional Czech Christmas meal. These weathered men appear to be immune to the cold as they stand all day in the sub-zero weather with their sleeves rolled up. There is never so much as a hesitation as they thrust their hands into the bathtub-sized black plastic drums to seize one of the big fish that continuously swim in circles. As the next person in line steps up – there always seems to be a line – the fishmonger will display the writhing fish to his customer for inspection. Once they get the nod of approval…WHACK, goes the fish bat and slit goes the knife. I was anxious to get a taste of the stuff, but the problem is that no restaurants seem to sell it. I guess you have to get an invite into a Czech home to taste what a real Bohemian Christmas tastes like. Next time I guess!

A.