Czech language

Since I have been living abroad people have been asking about my mother tongue: "Is Czech difficult to learn?", "How does it sound?" etc.
At first it was hard for me to judge, I am Czech, it is easy for me but after learning other languages, I was getting the idea, it is probably pretty difficult for some people. If you are an English speaking person, I am guessing it will be a nightmare for you. To demonstrate, I am going to borrow a paragraph from the book "Me, Myself & Prague" written by Rachael Weiss, an Australian woman who was once living in Prague in search of her Bohemian roots.

This is her experience with the Czech language:-)

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" I'd tried valiantly to teach myself Czech with my guidebooks but I was struggling. The language seemed to be nothing but difficult consonants -ž's, j's and rolled r's -strung together. Ordinary everyday words were incredibly long and complex. The word for 'of course' is samozřejmě. It's pronounced samozrrrrrzzhayemnye - a truckload of consonants and tongue rolling for a word that in essence means 'yes'. It took me three weeks of practice to get that one word right. Knowing the words, though, wasn't enough. The words change completely depending on where they are placed in a sentence, which is why I hadn't been able to find anything in the dictionary when I was shopping or trying to make conversation. Every noun is either feminine, masculine inanimate, masculine animate or neuter. There are four different forms of feminine, four of neuter and two each of masculine animate and inanimate, and each form has a different ending, depending on its declension: twelve different noun types, each declined seven different ways. That's eighty-four altogether, and double that number because that's only singular and every noun is either singular or plural. So there are one hundred and sixty-eight forms a noun can take. All the adjectives have to have different endings too, because they have to agree with the nouns. Verbs take different endings depending on who you're speaking about or to, and how you're speaking to them. There are twelve different endings for verbs just for speaking in the ordinary way, and then another set of endings if you're ordering someone about. In short, the whole business is a nightmare.
Teaching myself Czech had got me as far as, ' His bicycle is clean but her car is dirty'; as useful as that might be in certain circumstances, it hadn't featured heavily in any of my conversations with the locals...."
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Czech Alphabet

And there is more.
There are many words that do not have vowels: zmrzl (frozen solid), ztvrdl (hardened), scvrkl (shrunk), čtvrthrst (quarter-handful), blb (dimwit), vlk (wolf), or smrt (death).
My husband shakes his head when he hears these words.

The consonants l and r can be the nucleus (nucleus is usually the vowel in the middle of a syllable) of a syllable in Czech. For examples we use these tongue-twisters to practice: strč prst skrz krk  (stick a finger down your throat) and smrž pln skvrn zvlhl z mlh (morel full of spots was dampened by fogs).

And then there is the consonant ř. It is unique to the Czech language, and I have no idea how to describe it. One thing is for sure, it is very difficult to pronounce.

I will stop here, yes there is much more! For now, have fun watching this video. ALEX is perfect with his -ř- . Well done!

Czech Tongue Twisters By American Diplomats in Prague

Goro - Ôgon no inu



My today's post about dogs reminded me about this Japanese series that was very popular in my country when I was a girl. It is about Reiko Kitamori from Tokyo and her dog Goro. I am sure if you are around my age and from the Czech Republic you will recognize the song from the YouTube immediately :-)

 

(I hope I have the names right)

 

 

Director: Shigeyuki Yamane
Stars: Koji Tsuruta, Yôko Shimada Isao Natsuyagi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Czech Christmas sweet bread 2013

I was writing about vánočka in my other post some time ago, and this is the result of my baking this year.

My new oven performs great, and I managed to get the right ingredients as well. It tastes delicious.

stage 1

stage 2

stage 3

Czech Christmas

When I lived in Nebraska I wrote an article about Christmas in the Czech Republic, and I think it is a perfect time to publish it now in my blog.

Here it is:

"Our Christmas starts on Christmas Eve – 24^th December. On that day we should eat only meatless dishes. My mother used to say that who fasts all day will see the golden pig – a symbol of happiness. Traditionally the meal consists of fish soup as starter and main course of fried carp and potato salad.

Raising carp has a long history in the Czech Republic. In the middle of October the fisherman begin to fish out the ponds and the fish is then sold swimming in huge wooden barrels on the markets in the cities before Christmas. You can choose the carp you want and then take it home alive where it is kept in the bathtub until Christmas Eve. In my family however, we were not buying fish in the market. My father’s hobby is fishing therefore we used to have our own fish. And it was not usually carp either but trout instead as we liked it better.
 

After dinner we hand out the Christmas presents. These are, according to tradition, put under the decorated Christmas tree by the infant Jesus – Ježíšek. So Santa Claus does not come to the Czech Republic.
In families with small children parents put presents secretly under the tree and after dinner one of the parents disappears to ring a small bell. It is a signal for the little ones from Ježíšek, announcing that he already visited the family and they should look if he left any presents for them. The tree is normally also decorated in secrecy by the parents. All this creates a magical atmosphere for the children. In my family it used to be exactly like that. Only later on when my sister and I were older, we decorated the tree ourselves and we always really looked forward to it.
We take down the Christmas tree on 6^th January with the arrival of Three Kings – Tři králové  .

Another traditional part of Christmas is baking Christmas biscuits – Vánoční cukroví, small cut out shapes from Linz, nut, coconut, marzipan or cocoa dough which has jam or buttery cream between them and is decorated with sugar icing or chocolate. They are baked well in advance so that they are soft and fragrant just at the right time. There are the traditional ones but also the special ones in each family. Just to mention some…. Medvědí tlapky, Vosí hnízda, Kakaové ořechy ….and for many there would not be Christmas without Vanilla Rolls – Vanilkové rohlíčky.  In my family we also used to make every year Ginger nuts – Zázvorky, specially formed cookies made with ginger exactly how our grandmother used to make them. They are one of my favourites. Everybody knows honey gingerbread- Medové perníčky, small gingerbread biscuits, decorated with sugar ornaments which can be placed on the Christmas tree. Together with special chocolate figures in different shapes related to Christmas time. You can buy them in the shops before Christmas and naturally these are eaten from the tree during the holiday season.  There are tens of other types of biscuits some of which are specific to a region and others to a family.

Of course I have to mention the most traditional Christmas sweetbread – Vánočka made with raisins and sprinkled with almonds. In our family we enjoy a slice or two for breakfast and to make it even more delicious we spread it with butter and homemade jam.

If you are in the Czech Republic during Christmas you must visit our Christmas markets. There you have an opportunity to shop for unique gifts and enjoy the Christmas atmosphere. The markets begin with  switching on Christmas tree lights during the first week of  Advent running until end of December. Tens of decorated stalls appear in the cities where you can buy Christmas decorations, fragrant candles, special warm scarves and hats, toys etc. You can go back in time seeing craftsmen (blacksmith, glass blowers…)  practicing  their trade as they did generations ago dressed in their traditional clothes. You have an opportunity to try your hand at it or just buy the beautiful craftwork, for example blown glass Christmas ornaments. It is hard to resist the refreshments those markets offer. Aromatic mead - Medovina (made of alcohol, honey, water and yeast) mulled wine – Svařené víno (wine combined with spices and served warm) or roast chestnuts, gingerbread, corn on the cob, grilled sausages and others. Choirs and children’s performances can be watched on the stage throughout the day singing the Czech carols. 
 

 

In my country people say that Christmas Eve is a day when magic can happen. And there are various ways to find out if this is true. For example a fish scale placed under your plate during dinner is said to bring wealth and happiness in the coming year and I have already mentioned the golden pig.

We also try to foretell the future by:

 

- Cutting of the apple - You cut an apple open across the core and if the pips are in the shape of a perfect star you will have a wealth and good health in the coming year.

- Floating of walnut shells – We make little boats out of empty walnut shells and place a little burning candle into it. The shells are floated on water in a bowl. If your shell gets across the bowl you will live a long and healthy life. A sunk shell on the other hand brings bad luck.
- Pouring of lead – We pour melted lead into water and then read the shapes it forms
There are many other customs, rules and superstitions......"

I will not be baking the Christmas biscuits this year as we are still remodeling and there is so much else to do before Christmas, but these are some of the biscuits I baked last time.

 

 

 

 

I will definitely make Vánočka. I am planning to bake it sometimes next week in my new oven. I will let you know how it went:-)

 

Vánočka

 

Christmas Markets

 

in Brno - my hometown



in Brno - my hometown

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dual & multiple nationality

Earlier this year I heard that there could be some possible changes regarding the nationality legislation of the Czech Republic and it is now confirmed.

It will definitely make my life abroad much easier!

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"Starting from 1 January 2014 Czech nationals will be permitted to have dual and multiple nationality. In line with the trend prevailing in the EU, the Czech Republic will no longer insist on single nationality. ...Czech nationals will no longer automatically lose their Czech nationality upon obtaining foreign nationality." - mzv.cz -
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Here you can learn more about new Czech nationality legislation

...of Czech origin

There are many foreign words that we use in the Czech language...from English, French etc., but did you know that there are some words you use that actually come from the Czech language?
Here are two examples:

1. ROBOT

This word comes from the Czech word robota which means labour/drudgery/work and was first used by Karel Čapek in his science fiction play R.U.R - Rossumovi univerzální roboti (Rossum's Universal Robots) in 1920.
The play became famous (by 1923 had been translated into thirty languages), and the word 'robot' was introduced to the English language.





2. DOLLAR

Dollar comes from the Czech word Tolar, the Czech name for the silver coin mined in today's Bohemia * - silver mine in Jáchymov first minted coins in 1519.

* Until 1918, the town (named JOACHIMSTHAL before 1898) was part of the Austrian monarchy (Austria side after the compromise of 1867), head of the district with the same name, one of the 94 Bezirkshauptmannschaften in Bohemia - Wikipedia

 

 



Jáchymov thaler -souvenir

Later the name was used for similar coins minted in central Europe, Spanish peso and the Portuguese eight-real piece. An old slang term for the 25-cent coin is a piece of eight. The coin is still almost always called a quarter in everyday speech. The first US dollar was minted in 1794/75 and is known as flowing hair dollar from the image of a man with long flowing hair featured on the coin.

Flowing Hair Dollar

Mustard from home

I have found another Czech product - mustard. There are many other brands and types on the market here - anything you can really wish for, but this one brings back memories.
It simply tastes 'Czech' :-)



Where is home? Brno...

I was born (later also worked) in Brno which is, after Prague, the second largest city in the Czech Republic, but grew up in the countryside about 26 km (16 miles) north west from Brno on the border of Brněnský kraj /Brno region and Kraj Vysočina /Highlands region.

 

My "backyard"...

Pernštejn Castle

Pernštejn Castle

 

 

Brno is about 200 km (125 miles) from Prague.

I miss my home in the heart of Europe. My downtown coffee sipping and catching up with friends after work, surrounded by historical buildings which I took for granted, the cobblestones that were killing my feet in the heel shoes - you get used to it eventually :-), swimming in the Brno dam and dreaming about the ocean we didn't have, hours of forest hiking and the madness of the mushroom picking that we Czechs are so famous for, and so many other things that I gladly, for the time being (?!), exchanged for other experiences elsewhere.

 

Brno and the area is one of my many homes and I will write about the other ones next time. In the meantime you can find out what is life in Brno like in this video.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Brno Dam - would you believe that you can get right to the dam by a tram from the Brno downtown!

 

 

 Lednice Castle

 

 

 

THE HOME OF THE HUSKERS

The Huskers or The Cornhuskers is the name associated with a football team  (for the Europeans: 'football' here means American football. 'Football' is called soccer in the USA... and the UK) and the home of The Huskers is the US state of Nebraska. You will see this logo and the coulours everywhere.







Nebraska and its capitol city of Lincoln became also my home for one year.

This state was crossed by many historic trails and the most important was the California Gold Rush trail, but before that many Native American tribes lived in Nebraska : Omaha, Missouria, Ponca, Otoe, Pawnee, Lacota (Sioux). Nebraska became a state in 1867.

Ethnically, the largest group of people in Nebraska are German-Americans and Czech-Americans which I have to mention because I am Czech.
Well, I would hear so many times "I am Czech too!" when I mentioned I was from the Czech Republic, but don't expect the person to speak Czech or know much about the Czech Republic, many of them still call it -Czechoslovakia-. To be fair, I did meet some people which knew a lot about their ancestors' origins, even visited the country, but there were not many.
On another Czech note, there is a town in Nebraska called Wilber, it is the official 'Czech Capital of the USA' and it hosts an annual Czech festival.

Lincoln was my first home here in the USA as my husband worked there on a project.
I had visited other parts of the USA before I moved to Nebraska, but it was on the east and the west coast. So, what was waiting for me here was a big shock.
It wasn't so much of a cultural shock ( I love to explore other cultures) as it was an 'environmental' shock for me. I will not be lying, it was a very traumatic experience.
Nebraska is part of the region called the Plains and it is part of the Great plains region that can be described as a land covered in prairie, steppe and grassland.

 

I come from the region of the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands and lived in the wooded mountain range region of the Black Forest in Germany, Midi-Pyrenees region with its range of mountains The Pyrenees in France etc. In other words, totally different environment.
What I am trying to say is that I am an outdoor person (...with many other interests) who loves hiking, cycling etc. and I wasn't settling well in this part of the world. Some locals called it a "cows and corn" place and that pretty much describes it. The only outdoor activity that you could possibly participate on was hunting and fishing and I am not big on these.
The summer and winter temperatures are not pleasant and get ready for possible tornadoes and violent storms too.
Also, I am sorry, but Lincoln isn't particularly an international hub either and after living in London for example, it wasn't an easy transition in any sense. Not to mention that everything/anything was so far away....I felt like a prisoner, from many angles.

It was definitely the most difficult relocation for me (for other reasons as well) and I don't want to remember much about that time, but I tried to make the most of it and do have some amazing memories even from Nebraska.
One of them is the Annual Spring Migration where estimated 500 thousand, about 80% of the world's population of  Sandhill Cranes pass through the Platte River valley when they are heading north every year and make a stopover near Grand Island and Kearney. I was lucky to witness this spectacle.

I will add more pictures from Nebraska in my next posts.

 

 

 

 

 

SPRING EQUINOX - EASTER IS COMING

As I don't belong to any religion, to me and many other people, Easter is the time to celebrate Spring , but Easter is definitely religious holiday with its customs and traditions.

Generally I love traditions, but I am just about to make a statement here. I hate Easter time, well particularly one Easter tradition in the Czech Republic where I come from. Before I tell you about it, I would like to talk about Easter in general and the traditions of other countries I also lived in -the UK, Germany, France and now the US, so that you understand that it was really nothing to look forward to – FOR A GIRL! when I still lived in the Czech Republic. 

 

Where does the word 'Easter' come from? It is believed that long ago some people in Europe worshipped the Goddess of Spring 'Eostre' and that Easter got its name from her. They thought that the sun died in winter and was born again in Spring and the goddess brought the spring and with it the sun would get stronger. Others believe that the word comes from two old pagan spring festivals. The old European pagan festival of 'Ostara' that celebrated new life and Arabian Sun festival of 'Ishtar'.

The early Christians took over the festivals and turned the pagan festivals of new life to mean the new life that Jesus gave the world when he rose from the dead. 

 

Easter is the time of the Christian year when Christians remember the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Unlike Christmas, when Jesus's births is celebrated, Easter is celebrated around the same time of year that Jesus was killed. This is because Jesus died at the time of the Jewish Passover festival. The fist Jewish Christians added Easter celebrations to the Passover festival and because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday, Easter Day became the first Sunday after Passover.

Over the years, the Christian festival moved in date slightly from the Jewish Passover, so they don't now have the same date, but sometimes they are very close. The Christian date for Easter also follows the moon, so it aslo changes every year. To make things even more complicated, Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, like Christmas, on a different day to Catholic and Western Christians.

Easter officially starts with Lent. LENT is the period of 46 days before Easter (Lent last for 40 days but you don't count the Sundays). It starts on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Day - Easter Saturday. It is a time to prepare for Easter. The last week of Lent is called Holy Week.

The day before Lent is SHROVE TUESDAY which is also known as MARDI GRAS in other countries.
Mardi Gras begins on or after Epiphany and finishes on the day bofore Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras season is festival season, also known for eating richer, fatty foods before the fasting rituals of Lent. It means 'fat Tuesday' in French.

HOLY WEEK starts on Palm Sunday and finishes with the celebration of Easter Sunday. In many churches, during Holy Week, special services are held on everyday up to and including Good Friday. Holy Week is a special time for Christians. Although every day is important, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday are very special.

PALM SUNDAY is the first Day of Holy Week. It is called Palm Sunday because the people were so happy to see Jesus, they took branches from the Palm and Olive Trees and waved them in the air. Today, to remember that day, Christians all over the world go to special Palm Sunday Church Services. They often receive small crosses made from Palm leaves or other local woods.

GOOD FRIDAY is a very important day when Christians remember that Jesus died for everyone. The 'Good' in Good Friday comes from old English when Good meant Holy. So you could call Good Friday 'Holy Friday'. There are parades all over the worls to celebrate and remember Good Friday.

EASTER EVE or HOLY SATURDAY is the day between Good Friday and Easter Day. It represents the one full day that Jesus was dead. It is also sometimes known as Holy Saturday. Most churches do not have any services on Easter Eve until the Midnight service to start the celebrations of Easter Day. It is also the last day of Lent. This day si also sometimes incorrectly called Easter Saturday. Easter Saturday is the Saturday following Easter Sunday, not the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

EASTER MONDAY is the day after Easter Sunday and is a national holiday in many countries. In some places it is called Ball Monday.

Rabbits and hares, eggs and chicks are often associated with Easter because, in Pagan times, they were signs of fertility and new life.


Here are some of the Easter traditions and customs I remember or was told about when I lived in:

 

GERMANY
Germans enjoy a very long Easter weekend. Good Friday (Karfreitag) and Easter Monday (Ostermontag) are public holidays and banks, offices and shops are closed. The schools are closed for usually two weeks around the Easter weekend.

Several days before Easter you will see spring flowers on display and traditional Easter trees – decorated with hanging eggs. The eggs are hollowed and decorated in many different styles.

 

 

 

 

There is a custom of boiling eggs, the symbols of new life, which began in Germany. The bright colours represent sunlight and growth. Nowadays, the Easter eggs are also exchanged as presents.

Other symbol is the rabbit – Easter bunny (der Osterhase) which symbolizes fertility (It was imported to America as Easter bunny by Dutch settlers in Pennsylvania). The first edible Easter bunnies were made in Germany around 1800.

Easter Sunday  is the most important of the holiday weekend. Families gather for the Easter lunch that includes coloured eggs and a lamb-shaped cake among others.  In the morning, parents hide baskets filled with coloured, hardboiled eggs, chocolate bunnies, sweets and other little presents for the kids and many families attend an Easter service. I is a good day to visit a local market in search for arts and crafts.

Egg races (Eierlauf) are held in some villages on Easter Monday.

The celebration of Mardi Gras is called Karneval, Fasching or Fastnacht and the most famous parades are in Cologne and Düsseldorf. Easter bonfires are lit in the north regions of Germany to chase away the winter and prepare for the spring.

Frohe Ostern! Happy Easter!


FRANCE
Different regions have different traditions, but one in common  - children Easter hunts for eggs hidden in the gardens, homes and playgrounds. Children prepare nest in their gardens and houses for the Easter bunny (le lapin de Pâcques) who will arrive during the night, bringing chocolate eggs. On Easter Sunday the children look for the eggs left by the Easter bunny.

The children also throw the raw eggs up in the air  and catch them so long until someone drops one. Sometimes the raw eggs are rolled down a gentle slope and the surviving egg wins.

 

Some traditional food are doughnuts (les beignets) , pancakes (les crepe) or waffles (les guagres).

 

Church bells do not ring on Good Friday or Easter Saturday. Sometimes children are told that the bells have gone off to see the Pope. The bells ring again on Easter Sunday and children are sometimes told that they are coming back to deliver their eggs on Easter morning. So, in  the candy shops you can also find chocolate flying bells.

 

 

 

There is also something else you can find in the shops around Easter – a chocolate fish - poisson d’Avril - April fish. It is not originally related to Easter , but to the 1^st of April –Fools Day. Children try to stick a paper fish onto the backs of adults and run away shouting “Poisson d’Avril !”

 

 

 

Joyeuses Pâcques! or Bonnes Pâcques!  Happy Easter!


UK
Special Easter parades are held  as well and the Battersea Park parade in London is a very popular one.
Easter Monday is a favourite day for funfairs with rides and roundabouts, one of the oldest is held on Hampstead Heath in London.

Morris dancing is a traditional English form of folk dance which is also performed in other English-speaking countries such as the USA and Australia. The roots of the dancing are probably dating back to the Middle Ages. In the dance men dress up in costumes with hats and ribbons and bells around their ankles and dance through the streets.

Easter bunny made it to the UK as well :-). Also here, the eggs are painted, decorated or dyed, and then hidden around the garden for an Egg Hunt. Egg rolling competitions take place too.

 

Hot cross buns were first baked in Englang to be served on Good Friday. These sweet yeast buns contain raisins or currants and sometimes chopped candied fruit. Before baking, a cross is made on the top of the bun. The cross is filled with sugar icing after baking. I really like them.

 

 

USA
I am sure that everybody have heard about Mardi Gras in the New Orleans which features lots of fun activities.

Otherwise, the Easter traditionas are very similar to the ones in the UK and Germany. 

Easter egg hunts and egg rolling are two popular traditions. The White House Easter Egg Roll, a race in which children push decorated, hard-boiled eggs across the White House lawn, is an annual event. The first official White House egg roll occurred in 1878.

I believe that top-selling Easter candy have been the marshmallow Peeps which are coloured marshmallows in the shape of chicks.

CZECH REPUBLIC
So, the German, French, British and American kids seem to have lots of fun during Easter…..and Czech girls... well they get whipped!
 

Easter in the Czech Republic lasts two days – Easter Sunday and Monday.

The Easter tradition is not so popular in the cities anymore, but in the country and regions with strong folklore like Moravia, where I come from, it is very different.

Girls make Easter eggs and boys make Easter whip (pomlazka) which is made of willow branches and decorated with colourful ribbons. Its original meaning is to chase away illness and bad spirits and to bring health and youth for the rest of the year to the person who is whipped with the young willow twigs. On Easter Monday (Velikonocni Pondeli) young boys would whip young girls lightly on the legs and in some regions douse them with water which has a similar meaning.  As a reward, the girls would give boys decorated eggs (kraslice) or candy.

The whipping should be symbolic, but let me tell you, I still remember “the symbolism” on my legs. We are not talking only about young boys. Anybody of the male gender can participate on this. Unfortunately, today the men are also given shots of plum brandy (slivovice)  and as the men progress through the village, by early afternoon,  they don’t seem to remember anything about the symbolic meaning of the tradition. So you stand there with the fake smile on your face waiting to be whipped and then reward the men with eggs, alcohol  and nowadays even with some money. 

How would you like this tradition? 

 

What saves my Easter is the art of egg decorating which I really enjoy. There are many ways to decorated them. You can dye egg shells different colours if you hard boil them in water with differnt things in it. 'Spinach leaves' make them green, 'beetroot' red, 'tea bag' dark brown, 'onion skin' yellow and 'red cabbage leaves' light blue. You can also use food colouring powder, but this is more fun.

 

If you want to keep the decorated eggs, you first have to empty them by blowing the content in a bowl through small holes that you make on both ends of the egg with a needle or a pin. Hollowed eggs can be decorated in so many beautiful ways!
 

 

We also bake a cake shaped like a lamb, and Mazanec which is a sweet bread made with rum soaked raisins and topped almonds.

"Mazanec"

 

 

Vesele Velikonoce! Happy Easter!

 

I hope you enjoy your Easter! I am looking forward to Spring!