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Fall traditions in Czech: it ain’t no smores! / Ceske podzimni zvyky: urcite si teda neopekame zuzu!


Summer and Fall in Czech and Slovakia are big on fireworks. We bake ‘burty’ above the fire during both seasons, however, fall becomes much more interesting. Way back when, during the time of potato harvest, the Czech and the Slovak peasants began to put leftover potatoes and apples into the burning ashes of fall campfires which they built to keep them warm at night. Both potatoes and apples were submerged into the smoking ashes completely unpeeled – and were also eaten unpeeled (that’s some fiber for ya’!). They also came up with some superstitious songs and rhymes that were supposed to keep the fire burn longer and more efficiently. Here is an example for you (it comes out really funny when translated into English):

“Burn fire, burn, or the skunk will get you. If you don’t burn we will throw you into the river. If the black crow comes around, you will burn until the sunrise.”
or
“Burn fire, burn and the God Almighty will give you one gros (an old Czech currency) and St. Peter will give you 2 krejcars (an old Czech currency). You will have a lot of money by then! If you don’t burn we will tell the chicken on you and the chicken will throw a stone at you and then you will really burn!”

People danced around the fire holding hands and many times the men would dare each other to jump over those – sometimes quite large – campfires.

If you have never had ‘brambory ve slupce’ (potatoes in skin – cooked in the campfire ashes) I urge you to do that the next time you are burning up a big pile of autumn leaves in your garden. They are the best-tasting potatoes (and apples!) ever! The American-style baked potato does not come anywhere close…..

CZ:
taken from: http://www.ceske-tradice.cz/tradice/podzim/_zobraz=podzimni-ohnicky
Podzimní ohníčky
Podzim na Chodsku býval ve znamení: „Vohníčky ha pečený jabka v kožiše“ (Ohníčky a pečené brambory ve slupce). Na podzim, kdy se sklízeli brambory, dělali se na polích ohníčky. Naneslo se suché chrastí, sláma ze strništ a suchá bramborová nať. Všechno se to zapálilo a to bylo všude kouře. Při zapalování ohně platilo pravidlo, že všichni museli být úplně zticha, prý aby oheň snadněji chytil. Aby ohníček lépe hořel, zpívalo se:

„Hoř ohníčku, hoř,
příde na tě tchoř.
Nebudeš-li hořeti,
hodíme tě do řeky,
příjde na tě černá vrána,
budeš hořet až do rána.

nebo

Hoř, ohníčku, hoř,
Pánbůh Ti dá groš,
svatý Petr dva krejcárky,
budeš míti dost!
Nebudeš-li hořeti, povíme to kuřeti,
kuře Ti dá kamenem,
budeš hořet plamenem!
(z Moravy)

Okolo ohníčku se pak skákalo nebo se všichni vzali za ruce a tancovali okolo ohně, někdy ho zas přeskakovali. Potom se přinesli z pole brambory, daly do horkého popela a upekli je.

Slunéčko zachází za hory,
pasáci pečou brambory,
slunéčko zachází za kostel,
pasáci lezou na postel.
(z Táborska)

Úryvek z knihy “Lidové obyčeje a nápady pro šikovné ruce – Podzim”

Zdroj: České tradice, knižní archív České tradice, internet

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6 comments… add one
  • milius October 9, 2010, 1:41 pm

    Ahojky, tak ja si pamatuji ze sveho detstvi, ze jsme na podzim hlavne pousteli draky, ktere jsme si vetsinou vlastnorucne zhotovili.

  • Tanja October 10, 2010, 11:44 am

    Ahoj Milus, no to samozrejme taky 🙂
    Ja si pamatuju, ze nam jednou tata ‘stlouknul’ domaciho draka a ty tyce byly tak tlusty (a ten potah by z tezkeho papiroveho pytle), ze at jsme behali po louce jak jsme chteli, vubec nam nevzlitnul. Vzdycky nam spis padnul na hlavu a pak jsme meli velkou bouli 🙂
    Nevim, co ho to napadlo, normalne sikovnej chlapik, postavil sam celou chatu, ale toho draka nejak nezvlad 😉

  • Jamie October 12, 2010, 7:18 am

    “It ain’t no smores!” I told my classes in CZ about toasted marshmallows, and I’ll never forget the strange look on their faces as they tried to comprehend the idea of barbecuing candy.

  • Tanja October 12, 2010, 10:42 pm

    Indeed, I am still absorbing the fact that you guys (Americans) make a sandwich out of graham crackers, chocolate and toasted marshmallows…SO WEIRD! Whoever came up with that recipe must have been really bored…definitely thinking outside of the box!

  • Jamie October 12, 2010, 10:55 pm

    I was kind of freaked out at a Christmas party in CZ when they had plates of luscious-looking pastries that kind of resembled heavily frosted cupcakes in the same white and pink colors. You bite into one, however, and instead of tasting frosting, you get a salmon or preserved meat taste. Now THAT’S disorienting!

    Plus, the people in Chodsko make cold pizzas with prune jam and cream cheese on them.

    Even though I’m American, I have never actually eaten a smore. I love toasted marshmallows so much that I think the smores are overkill.

  • Tanja October 13, 2010, 3:57 pm

    I don’t even think I have ever had those ‘salmon cupcakes’ – that must have been some fancy party!

    Chodsky kolac is the best!!! And I agree with you, toasted marshmallows are decadent enough so who needs to pile an extra sugar on top.

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