Advent Time Is Here Again

The Rochus Open Air Museum presents Advent customs and traditions. The pre-Christmas season was not just the end of a year on a farm, dedicated to numerous small domestic chores, such as plucking the down and spinning. It also included various divinatory practices, the rounds and carolling of masked figures such as St. Nicholas and his retinue or white-clad mysterious Lucie. Of course, Advent also included preparations for Christmas, such as making Christmas Eve wafers or baking Christmas cakes and sweets. Freshly burnt slivovitz also used to smell (and still smells) in many farmhouses of Moravian Slovakia.