Daily Schedule
Traditionally, Czechs are early risers. Shops open at 7 am and offices at 8. Factory workers often clock in even earlier. This dates to a last century insomniac emperor Franz Josef II. who liked to start business at 6 in the morning and this trickled down to the entire population.
On the other end of the day, everything closes down early. Shops close between 5 and 7 pm and offices even earlier. There used to be so-called ‘night shops' which would stay open till ten at night and charge 10% extra for the service.
In Prague, due to tourist and expatriate influence, opening hours are more international, but the farther one goes from the center, the more traditional time gets.
Restaurants and most pubs close between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. Some bars (mostly in Prague) close later and some stay open through the night.
Theater shows start between 7 and 8 and last movie show in Prague starts at 9:30 but typically at 8.
School starts at 8 but some classes may start at 7:15, even at the university level.
This affects the average Czech's daily schedule. Get up at 6:00 - 7:00 start work between 7 and 8. Lunch between 12 and 1. Get home at 4 or 5 p.m., have dinner at 6 or 7, and go to bed at 10 or 11.
If you want to socialize with Czechs you have to adapt to this schedule. Even the young and wild don't go out later than 8 p.m. but often as early as 6 p.m. Parties run over midnight only exceptionally, typically people go home around 11 p.m.
Week in week out
The Czech calendar starts the week with Monday. The work-week ends in a weekend. Friday afternoon is a bad time to try to get anything done. Traditionally, weekend shopping is done on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning so the shops are crowded. Many Czechs leave the city to spend the weekend at their summer house or cottage called chata or chalupa. Gardening is a common pass time and many families grow most of their vegetables. Even city dwellers may have a small garden on the edge of town.
Year round
Just like all Europeans, Czechs recognize four seasons. The year begins on January 1st with the president's address to the nation. Next important and widely celebrated holiday is Easter. The tradition on Easter is for children to go trick-or-treating on what is called koleda. A traditional treat is a painted boiled egg or eggshell or a sweet bread baked in the shape of a lamb (although the religious subtext is lost to most Czechs). In a pagan tradition, the meaning of which is lost as well, men beat women with a woven stick and women pour scented water over men.
July and August are the school holidays and also a time when most people take their vacations. Schools and many institutions are closed are have reduced working hours.
The school year starts on September 1 (October 1 for universities). There is a break for Christmas and also one week-long break later in the spring.
December starts with a holiday reminiscent of a combination of Halloween with Santa Claus, called Mikuláš. Saint Nicholas accompanied by an angel and a devil or two walks through town, visits families and gives treats or small gifts to children if they've been good.
Christmas for Czechs, is connected with December 24th, when the Christmas dinner (specially-bred carp and potato salad) takes place and gifts are exchanged. Gifts are brought by a mysterious baby Jesus (ježíšek) and there is no tale about where they come from. Except for Christians, the 25th has no special significance.
