In Czech Christmas tradition, unmarried women throw a shoe over their shoulder to predict marriage prospects.
The custom is performed on Christmas Eve, usually by standing with one’s back to a door and tossing a shoe behind oneself. If the shoe lands with its toe pointing toward the door, tradition says marriage may be near; if the heel points toward the door, the woman may remain unmarried for another year.
The ritual belongs to a wider group of Central European fortune-telling customs associated with Christmas Eve. The evening was traditionally viewed as a special time when signs could reveal what the coming year might bring. Similar customs use apples, candles, or melted materials, but the thrown shoe is especially associated with Czech Christmas folklore.
This is a symbolic folk custom rather than a formal religious observance, and modern celebrations may treat it playfully. The exact interpretation can vary, but the object used in the best-known Czech version is a shoe.