Christmas market at Náměstí svobody sq. (picture from last year)

The traditional Christmas markets at Náměstí svobody sq. and Zelný trh sq. launched last week. You can wander through them to get some presents, sausages, hot wine, or just to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere.

Right now I can recommend only the Zastávka café stand at Zelný trh sq., offering excellent Kokino homemade cookies. I will continue trying out the venues and will share my insights at the Facebook page of Brno Now.

Sadly, Tourist Information Centre does not offer any information about the programme in English or German. As usual, you can get only a Czech version. What a fail.

Christmas decorations at Masarykova st.

Three of the most popular clubs in Brno, i.e. Two Faces, Fléda, and Mersey open after 8 p.m. on the Christmas Eve (December 24). The admission charge is rather symbolic (around CZK 50).

Also, several pubs, like Modrá růže at Moravské náměstí sq. offer beer to anyone who doesn’t want to go to bed early on the Christmas Eve.

It is going to be much more expensive to spend the New Year’s Eve (December 31) downtown – most clubs ask for CZK 100-500 as the entrance fee.

If you are not into parties, you may call for a reservation to your favorite restaurant – each year, more and more venues offer special “New Year’s Eve menu”.

Every year, there are thousands of people celebrating at the central square all night long. The new, penis-shaped clock will be covered in a special protecting sleeve, instantly nicknamed “a condom”.

Both on December 24 and December 31, standard tram and bus lines go only until 6 p.m. You have to use the night bus lines then – but do not worry, all parts of the town are covered and you pay the usual fare.

On January 1 at 6 p.m., there will be a firework show above the Špilberk castle. I hope you will get up before that time.

Merry Christmas and happy 2011, folks!

Christmas decorations in the streets of Brno

So, last-minute Chrismas shopping as usual? Don’t sweat it, here is a list of shops and venues where you can buy presents for your family and friends.

• Get some hand-made gifts at the christmas market. Damn, that was easy.
• You can buy excellent, freshly roasted coffee at several places in Brno – like Café spolek (22 Orlí st.), U Černošky (21 Kounicova st.) or café Saggio (2 Helceletova st.).
• Also, tea is a nice present – I recommend Dobrá čajovna tea shop at Římské sq.
• Moravian Gallery runs a shop in the building of the Musem of Industrial Arts (14 Husova st.) – you can buy beautiful books on photography, architecture or design, as well as amazing, yet affordable jewelry.
• Many restaurants, hairdressers and bookstores offer gift certificates.
• Wine shop U Andersena at Slovákova st. offers some great Moravian wines, as well as Vinná galerie at Lužánecká st.
• Moravian library offers an almost unknown service: on-demand prints of Czech newspapers published any time in the last century. With a little help from the lady in the newspaper section on the 2nd floor, you can give your family prints of news from significant dates. Hurry up, it takes severeal days to make the copies.

You can always buy toys or clothes for kids for example in Vaňkovka shopping mall. Just prepare for huge crowds.

As a member of the middle class, I do not buy jewelry or expensive whiskey quite often, so if you have more tips to share, feel free to post co comments!

A lost dog found at Zvonařka st. on December 6

• Diocesan charity of Brno is helping “anyone who can not take care for himself/herself”, which means lonesome old people, terminally ill persons etc. They will be grateful for money at sent at 1583741621/0100 KB (source).
• Shopping mall “Galerie Orlí” at Orlí st. has been having a tradition of “the christmas tree of fulfilled wishes”. There are many letters to Jesus baby/Santa Claus written by children living in orphanages and similar institutions; you can buy them the gifts they want.
• Love animals? Donate the animal shelter run by the Metropolitan police or “adopt” an animal in the ZOO. You can also bring an abandoned dog or cat home.
• Got a lot of stuff (clothes, decorations, etc.) you do not actually need? Bring it to 38 Pekařská st. to a charity shop of Veronica foundation – the money made by selling it will be invested in various “green projects”.
• If you want to learn kids from poor Romani families English, contact the folks from Museum of Romani Culture (haven’t tried this one, it is a tip from a reader).
• One of my friends spends Christmas Eves by walking the streets and giving money and packs of cigarettes to homeless people. Way cool.

Of course, this list is not ultimate; I will try to update it on a regular basis. You can also get some “crowdsourced” tips at our Facebook page.

Night falling over Zelný trh.

Náměstí Svobody is not the only square in Brno that hosts a Christmas market these days. I enjoyed walking around Zelný trh sq. (a.k.a. the vegetable market; map) on Monday. The market is small, focused mostly on “local” food (pork, pork, pork) and the sellers have to wear costumes (correct me if I am wrong but I think that this is different from Náměstí svobody).

A christmas tree standing in front of the Moravian museum

There is a stand of my favorite bakery and café called Zastávka near the corner of Radnická st. (I got this tip from @kavalerie Twitter feed.) Get their cookies and enjoy the white winter!

Christmas market at the central square (image courtesy of Brno Cultural Center)

Christmas market was opened on the main Brno square on Friday, November 26. Visitors may find small presents, hand-made ceramics, natural cosmetics, bee products, products made by woodcarvers as well as other traditional handicraft.

There are many options to taste various culinary specialities and hot drinks to warm you up.

Enjoyable Christmas atmosphere is co-created by a rich cultural program. You can enjoy performances by both amateur and professional musicians and dancers on the stage in the mornings as well as afternoons. The main concert starts at 4 p.m. every day; you can listen to music of various genres, from folk through jazz to big beat.

Families with children will appreciate a small zoo corner with a live donkey and sheep or the largest Nativity scene ever seen in Brno. You can count 67 large wood-carved figures.

Visitors may enjoy a non-traditional souvenir on Brno Square of Freedom thanks to its new clock. The clockwork usually lets out a small glass ball onto which the city sign is ground at 11 a.m. every day; the ball can be caught by anyone who wishes to. During the Advent time, the clockwork will release special balls with Christmas motifs every whole hour from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The market at the central square is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and will last to December 23. But the square will not get empty after that. Some refreshment stalls will be opened till January 1 and will provide drinks and meals during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

For more see www.brnenskevanoce.cz (Czech only).

Map

Larger map

Prepare for loud groups of devils (known as krampuses in Austria) and angels, led by St. Nicholas(es), on the night of Monday, December 6. One of the most beautiful Czech traditions – masked people giving candies to good kids – takes place on the same day like every year.

In highly Catholic regions, the local priest was informed by the parents about their children’s behaviour and would then personally visit the homes in the traditional Christian garment and threaten to beat them with a rod. In parts of Austria, Krampusse, who local tradition says are Nikolaus’s helpers (in reality, typically children of poor families), roamed the streets during the festival. They wore masks and dragged chains behind them. These Krampusläufe (Krampus runs) still exist.

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia Mikuláš, in Poland Mikołaj and in Ukraine Svyatyi Mykolay is often also accompanied by an angel (anděl/anioł/anhel) who acts as a counterweight to the ominous devil or Knecht Ruprecht (čert/czart). Additionally, in Poland children find the candy and small gifts under the pillow or in their shoes the evening of 5 December. In Ukraine this tradition is celebrated on 19 December.

Source: Wikipedia

Sounds like a good reason for a party

If you prefer a shot of vodka to a candy but still want to enjoy the St. Nicholas tradition, then there are several parties for you this week.

On Wednesday, December 1, the 5th “Student party” will take place in Semilasso club (126 Palackého třída st.). People dressed as st. Nicolas, an angel or a devil will get a free entrace!

On Saturday, you may enjoy “crazy St. Nicholas party” with a travesti show in gay club Red Cat (25 Masarykova st.) and on the same day, there is a party at Tabarín (3 Divadelní st.).

I just walked through the Christmas markets in the centre of Brno and I am happy to anounce that they are focused on traditional Czech gifts and food – and full of happy people sipping their punches. What a change has happened since the last years!

Market at the central square - Náměstí Svobody

There are three markets – at Náměstí Svobody sq., Zelný trh sq. and at Moravské náměstí sq. There is live music every day, a big Christmas tree and a bell that is supposed to help your dreams come true at Náměstí svobody sq.

Market at Zelný trh sq.

I found out that there is an open-air buffet with sausages and wursts at Zelný trh sq. At Moravské náměstí sq., you can enjoy a nice skating-rink.

The markets close on December 24.

I vote for tree #3.

The rules are “so 1990s” but simple: look at the four trees (1, 2, 3, 4) and then send an e-mail to strom@ticbrno.cz with the number of your favorite tree. I recommend using a Czech subject line “hlasuji pro vanocni strom cislo…”. The deadline is set to November 15.

Attention, hikers! The pages include GPS locations of the trees, so you can find them in forrests around Brno.