"Fried Carp, For Christmas Eve Dinner" Prague Local Custom Tip by von.otter

“Czechs have eaten carp at Christmas for as long as history remembers.”
— Jan Hofbauer, whose family has been raising carp in southern Bohemia since the 16th century

CARPING FOR CARP—All day Tom hoped that around every corner we would come across the legendary Christmas carp mongers in their full-length, black leather apron with a carp-filled wooden barrel where Czechs buy their main course for the Christmas Eve dinner. Alas, no live carp; Tom had to wait until dinner at the Seven Angels Restaurant for his fried carp (see accompanying photo).

KINDNESS TO ANIMALS—Some Czechs just can’t bring themselves to kill, then eat, the live carp that was bought on Christmas Eve; some children think of them as pets! We happened upon a woman (see accompanying photo) on Christmas Day who had brought hers down to the river, and tossed it in.