Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends and readers in the States!

In the Czech Republic, we give thanks for a bountiful harvest too, but for us it's called Obzinky, and it's celebrated in late August/September.  People in countries throughout the world set aside certain times of year to give thanks and usually these harvest holidays coincide with when the harvest occurs in that particular country.

Czechs and Slovaks celebrate the harvest with a folk festival, Obzinky, which was originally held to celebrate the end of the harvest and to honor landowners, who in turn treated their farm servants to a feast.  Farm workers make wreaths of rye, wildflowers, straw or ears of wheat.  These wreaths are placed on the heads of  girls as well as on the landowner's head...then they all dance and feast!  The landowner's wreath is then placed in an honorable place until the next harvest.

Czech potato dumplings stuffed with smoked bacon and served with sauerkraut

Poppyseed kolache