Holidays

New Years Day/Re-Creation of an Independent Czech State

New Year’s Day is celebrated in much the same way in the Czech Republic as in the rest of the world. People gather with friends and family on December 31 (Silvestr) and drink champagne, enjoy fireworks, and kiss at the stroke of midnight to celebrate the arrival of the year. January 1 has greater significance to the Czech people than just marking the start of a new year; it also is a day that commemorates the creation of the present day Czech state. On January 1, 1993, the Czech Republic was created after the breakup of Czechoslovakia. This day is thus the first of four official state holidays commemorating Czech statehood (the others being: September 28, October 28, and November 17).