In Czech Christmas superstition, a carp scale is kept in a wallet to attract money in the coming year.
Carp is a traditional centerpiece of Czech Christmas Eve meals. Families commonly buy live carp before Christmas, and a scale from the fish may be placed under a plate or carried in a wallet as a symbol of financial prosperity.
The custom connects the fish’s scales with coins: both are small, shiny, and associated with abundance. Some households release or keep the fish before the meal, while others prepare it as the main Christmas dish.
The wallet practice is symbolic rather than financial advice. It should not be confused with the separate Czech Christmas custom of cutting an apple to interpret the shape of its core, another form of seasonal fortune-telling.