The First Sunday of Advent starts the four-Sunday Christian season before Christmas and, in practical Czech life, marks the moment when the festive season is fully underway. The date changes each year and falls between 27 November and 3 December.
By this weekend, Christmas markets are opening, town trees are being lit, Advent concerts begin and homes bring out wreaths with four candles.
The Advent wreath
A typical Czech Advent wreath has four candles, one for each Sunday before Christmas. Families light the first candle on the first Sunday, then add another each week. Wreaths appear in homes, churches, schools, restaurants and public buildings.
Craft workshops for making wreaths are common in late November. Natural materials such as evergreen branches, cones and dried decorations are popular alongside modern designs.
Christmas markets and town-tree lighting
The opening of major Christmas markets often coincides roughly with the start of Advent. Prague’s Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square attract international visitors, while Brno, Olomouc, České Budějovice and many smaller towns develop their own distinctive programmes.
Markets sell gifts, decorations, food and hot drinks. Concerts, choirs, nativity scenes and craft demonstrations add the cultural programme.
Advent customs beyond the first Sunday
The season quickly moves into several specifically Czech traditions: St Barbara’s cherry branches on 4 December, Mikuláš with the angel and devil on the evening of 5 December, and St Lucy customs on 13 December.
Families also begin or intensify Christmas baking. Czech cukroví involves many small varieties prepared over several weeks rather than one single cake.
Food and drink
Mulled wine, punch and hot mead are common at markets. Food can include sausages, roasted nuts, pastries and regional specialities. Some tourist markets sell foods that are more generally Central European than uniquely Czech, so the strongest cultural experience often comes from combining the market with traditional bakeries and local restaurants.
Is Advent a public holiday?
No. The Sundays of Advent are not statutory Czech holidays. Shops generally follow normal Sunday opening hours, and Christmas shopping means many retail areas are especially busy.
For visitors, the first Advent weekend is one of the most atmospheric times to arrive in Czechia—but accommodation and central Prague can also become expensive, so early booking helps.