In Czech Christmas tradition, carp is commonly served as the main dish at Christmas Eve dinner.
Czech Christmas Eve dinner, called Štědrovečerní večeře, traditionally features fried carp with potato salad. Families may buy live carp in the days before Christmas, and some temporarily keep the fish in a bathtub before it is prepared, although this practice is less universal today.
Carp became especially established as a Christmas food during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, helped by fish farming in southern Bohemia. The dish is now one of the clearest culinary markers of Czech Christmas.
The meal is connected with other Czech customs, including waiting for the first star before eating and placing gifts beneath the Christmas tree. Carp should not be confused with vánočka, a braided sweet bread that is also associated with Czech Christmas but is not the main dinner dish.