Three-quarters of Czechs will sit down at the table between 5 and 6 p.m., with the largest number of them (34%) at 6 p.m. A total of 94% of people will dine with their families, mostly at home. Forty percent of respondents stated that they attend midnight mass at least sometimes. Half of Czechs express their Christmas wishes to their family and friends by calling them on the phone.
On Monday between 5 and 6 p.m., the Czech Republic will go silent as if by command: people in three-quarters of households will sit down at the Christmas Eve table within this one-hour period. Czechs have dinner relatively early; in this case, it is compounded by the “factor of children’s impatience”. Six percent of people are thus made to start their dinner before 5 p.m. Conversely, those who begin their dinner after 6 p.m. are mainly people without children, who are stuck by the window, asking in one-minute intervals when baby Jesus is coming with presents.
The background for Christmas Eve dinner mostly is recorded music – it is preferred by nearly half (46%) of Czechs. Nearly one-quarter of respondents said that the only background to their Christmas Eve dinner is small talk. For the same number of people, the background to dinner is TV. Radio as a background to induce a festive atmosphere was cited by 7% of respondents.
The fact that Czechs spend Christmas Eve with their immediate family and, in most cases (84%), at home certainly is no surprise. Only 2% of people spend Christmas Eve with friends and 4% of respondents said that they spend it alone. Contrary to the often legitimate beliefs about diligence bordering on workaholism, not a single respondent claimed to spend one of the most beautiful days of the year with colleagues from work.
"In the ever faster-changing world, Christmas is for us an anchor to which we hold on: we spend it in a traditional way, with family,” says Martina Kemrová, Senior Head of Communication at T-Mobile Czech Republic, adding: “It is great that personal contact is still the highest priority at Christmas – unless people sit together at one table, they most often call each other. Half of people say that they express their Christmas wishes to their family and friends by calling them. Seventy-five percent say that it is the best way to express their best wishes.”
Legend: When people sit down for Christmas Eve dinner: Before 5 p.m., 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 6 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. or later All; No children; Children younger than 6; Children aged 6-18; Children 18+ Young people sit down at the dinner table later – 17% of people younger than 24 start their dinner at 7 p.m. or later, whereas this is true for only 8% of people in the other age categories.
According to the survey, nearly half of people call their loved ones to express their best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. For two-thirds of respondents, this is also the most preferred way to receive holiday wishes. The other forms of Christmas wishes that please people the most are personal wishes sent by means of text messages (viewed very positively by 59% of people) or postcards (viewed very positively by 56% of people). In addition to calls and text messages, 40% of Czechs use their mobile phones to take photos of Christmas Eve events. Every fourth person then sends these photos during the evening to their friends or shares them on social networks.
Legend:
With whom people will spend the holidays Christmas Alone; With their partner/spouse and children, if any; With their immediate family (parents, siblings, mother-in-law/father-in-law); With their extended family; With friends; With colleague(s) from work; With someone else (restaurant, club, etc.)
The survey was conducted by Kantar TNS in October 2018 on a sample of 766 respondents.