Christmas and new Year celebration in Czechoslovakia in the late 1940s - mid-1950s (based on the Rudé Právo newspaper)

Abstract

The article deals with the process of creating a new festive culture in Czechoslovakia after the communist coup d’état. The analysis of the topics presented on the pages of Rudé právo helps to show how Christmas celebrations, which had a long tradition in Czechoslovakia, began to be incorporated into a new framework of values, and also that New Year celebrations gradually acquired their own heroes, rules and norms. Attention is also paid to the selection of gifts and the festive meal preparations of the Czechs and Slovaks which were carried out in a difficult socio-economic situation in the country. Also analysed is the assistance - from the state, state-owned enterprises, public organisations and individual Czechoslovak citizens - to the most vulnerable segments of the population. The characteristics of the seasonal decorations of homes and city streets are examined. The place of Ded Moroz (Father Frost) in the festivities is determined. The article shows how new ideological attitudes and values, as well as the standard of living of the population are reflected in the Christmas and New Year celebrations.