svátek

Svátek is a Czech term that denotes a holiday, feast day, or holy day on the calendar. It covers religious feasts of saints as well as secular public holidays observed by a country or community. In practical use, svátek can refer to major national holidays, religious observances, or local festivals. The term is used mainly in Czech and related languages, with cognates in neighboring Slavic languages.

Etymology: The word derives from svatý, “holy,” with the suffix -ek, and historically referred to a sacred day in the church calendar.

Name days are a related concept in everyday Czech: the day associated with a person’s given name is often celebrated as a svátek, though the more technical term is jmeniny. People may greet the celebrant or give small gifts on such a svátek.

Regional use and scope: In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, svátky include national holidays, religious feast days, and local cultural celebrations. The concept also encompasses personal observances, especially those tied to a name day, which remains a popular social custom in Czech-speaking areas. While svátek broadly means holiday, it carries nuances tied to tradition, religion, and community identity, distinguishing it from casual days off or secular events in some contexts.

See also: public holiday, saint’s day, name day.