This study analyses some customs and rituals of the German minority in central and northern Moravia. Most of the material referenced comes from field research of the Nízký Jeseník and Haná regions, conducted by the author himself during the late 1990s and early 2010s. The process of collecting empirical material was focused on the German-speaking population in central and especially northern parts of Moravia. The German minority lived in these regions from the period of great colonisation in the 13th century practically until 1946 when, following the end of World War II, the expulsion of Germans from Czechoslovakia was ordered as a part of the country’s post-war policy. In his study, the author has focused on real-life examples of traditions related to three holidays falling within the winter/New year annual cycle of customs in the regions of central and northern Moravia: namely the Saints’ days of Saint Martin, Saint Andrew and Saint Nicholas.
Aside from a description of the customs and rituals, this study attempts to offer an explanation for the origin and development of the features of winter/New year customs and the traditions related to such festivals.