Prague, Dec 23 (CTK) – The initiative Save Jezisek (Baby Jesus Christ), launched in the Czech Republic, is also promoted in Brussels by MEP Tomas Zdechovsky, a co-founder of the initiative, who has already registered interest among Austrians and mainly Slovaks, Lidove noviny (LN) writes yesterday.
The Czech word Jezisek, or the name of the mysterious figure who brings gifts at Christmas, and its various variants used in some other central European countries describes what many Western cultures call Santa Claus.
The above initiative was launched five years ago when too many figures in red appeared in the country before Christmas because the embodied Santa Claus, of whom the red colour is symbolic, sells better.
“It seemed to us that under the influence of marketers and the public´s lukewarm interest, the symbols of Czech Christmas are gradually fading away. The children of my friends told me how they spoke about Santa in the kindergarten,” Eva Fruhwirtova, a co-founder of the initiative, told LN.
She said she is satisfied after five years now. The promotion of Jezisek is also helped by the migrant crisis due to which more and more people espouse Czech traditions.
Fruhwirtova said her initiative has also taken Jezisek to kindergartens this year.
“We have prepared for children worksheets on the theme of Christmas,” Fruhwirtova told LN. She said children also get colouring books with Czech customs and they talk about them in the kindergarten.
Zdechovsky (government Christian Democrats, KDU-CSL) told LN that he has also involved MEPs from other countries in the initiative and he got the greatest response from colleagues from Austria and mainly Slovakia.
“Many Slovaks are also angry at that traditions are disappearing, but they have no similar initiative,” Zdechovsky said.
The activists also want to revive another traditional holiday – All Souls´ Day marked on November 2, when people visit the graves of their family members and friends, which has been more and more obviously marginalised by the Anglo-Saxon Halloween observed on October 31.
“If we want to change something, we should start with ourselves. It starts with what decorations we buy, what Christmas pastry cutters we use and in what paper we wrap Christmas gifts. We are the proponents of culture and tradition,” Fruhwirtova said.
