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The tradition of the Ježíšek has been observed by the Czechs for more than 400 years.<ref>[http://www.praguepost.com/tempo/6911-local-holiday-tradition-is-tested-by-global-forces.html Scott, Thomas. Prague Post. “Local Holiday Forces is Tested by Global Forces.”] Retrieved on August 21, 2013.</ref> This is partly due to the large population of Catholics during that period. It was [[Martin Luther]] who coined the term during the 16th century, an attempt to provide a suitable name to their figure other than [[St. Nicholas]].
In 1989, after the [[Velvet Revolution]] that overthrew the communist regime, local entrepreneurs began introducing [[Santa Claus]] to the country. He appeared in shop windows and town gatherings. Czech children were surprised to learn that their toys were given to them by an old man instead of the figure they grew up with.<ref>[http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_holidays/christmas.html . My Czech Republic
In December 1996, 80 Santa Clauses held a rally at the heart of traditional [[Prague]] in another attempt to make the Western figure popular with the children.<ref>[http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1996-12-24/news/9612240278_1_santa-claus-grandfather-frost-czech-republic. Rocks, David. Chicago Tribune News. “Czech Kids Find Santa Claus A Bit Confusing.”] Retrieved on August 21, 2013.</ref> It had moderate success, which eventually paved the way for Zachraňte Ježíška’s petition to actively protect local Christmas traditions.<ref>[http://www.praguepost.com/tempo/6911-local-holiday-tradition-is-tested-by-global-forces.html. Scott, Thomas. Prague Post. “Local Holiday Forces is Tested by Global Forces.”] Retrieved on August 21, 2013.</ref>
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