Mikulas in Czechia
MikulášCustomMasked St Nicholas processions in…
On the evening of 5 December, Mikuláš walks Czech streets and calls at family homes with a devil and an angel at his side, and families with young children will find him on town squares from Prague to Český Krumlov. The devil, or čert, rattles a chain and plays at frightening the children, so very small ones may need a hand to hold.
Visiting with care
- The čert's job is a gentle scare. Let the family lead with their own child, and never set a frightened child in front of the devil for a photograph.
Mikuláš is St Nicholas, and he brings company. A devil called a čert walks with him. He rattles a chain and rings a bell to back up the saint's authority, and an angel called an anděl completes the trio. Mikuláš may give a child a short warning about behaving better. The gifts are mostly sweets and biscuits today, and fruit used to be the treat because it was scarce in winter. A child who has misbehaved may be threatened with coal or potatoes, and the potatoes are a Czech touch, though in practice nearly every child goes home with sweets.
The visit falls on the evening of 5 December because people once counted a feast day from the dusk before, and the feast itself is 6 December. Games with a boy bishop are recorded in Bohemia from the 13th century, and pupils walked in masked processions of St Nicholas with devils and angels, which the Church banned several times without ending them. Ježíšek, the little Jesus of Czech homes, brings the presents of Christmas itself on 24 December.
Worth knowing
- Look out for the trio in Prague's old town and on other squares on the evening of 5 December, which falls on a Saturday in 2026. Český Krumlov's square has a Mikuláš visit for children on its own event page.
Quick answers about Mikulas in Czechia
When does Mikuláš come in Czechia?
Mikuláš comes on the evening of 5 December, the eve of St Nicholas's Day, together with a devil (čert) and an angel (anděl). In 2026 that is Saturday 5 December.
What do Czech children get from Mikuláš?
Czech children get sweets and biscuits from Mikuláš, and in the past fruit. Coal or potatoes are the joke threat for naughty children, who almost always get sweets anyway.
How should you behave at Mikulas in Czechia?
At Mikulas in Czechia: The čert's job is a gentle scare. Let the family lead with their own child, and never set a frightened child in front of the devil for a photograph.