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For centuries, families throughout much of central Europe have relied on one simple main course for Christmas Eve dinner: the common carp.

But getting from river (or carp farm) to table is not so simple. As the tradition goes, the Christmas carp must first swim in the family bathtub for at least a day or two before being killed, cleaned and prepared.

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This is part of a series of stories exploring the rich diversity of Christmastime edibles around the world, and the stories behind the food.

Explore All The Stories In This Series: The 12 Days Of Quirky Christmas Foods Around The Globe

I grew up in Maine and Massachusetts and, I will admit — back before my mom decided she couldn't bear dropping a live lobster into a boiling pot — there was more than one occasion in which my siblings and I took the lobsters out of the bag and attempted to race them across the kitchen floor before they became dinner.

But in Slovakia — and other nearby nations, including Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Germany and Croatia — the fish actually live in the bathtub for days. Kids name them. People can't bathe.

"In my childhood, I remember thinking 'poor carp,' " Bratislava resident Mima Halokova tells me. Others admit to actually letting the fish go free, unable to go through with their plans to transform it into dinner.

Carp are bottom feeders, so a few days swimming in clean water is believed to help flush out the "mud lines," so to speak. Some note that the tub time was a practical way to store fresh fish before refrigerators became common.

Bathtub carp is one of several traditions tied to Christmas Eve — a day that is the centerpiece of holiday celebrations for Slovaks and some others in central Europe. It is also the day, children are told, when baby Jesus brings a Christmas tree. (This requires some elaborate subterfuge from parents, who must hide and decorate the tree behind closed doors). Later in the day, the little ones get their gifts.

And as magically as the fully decorated Christmas tree appears, the pet carp's life not-so-magically ends. Traditionally, the father takes the live fish from the family tub and, in most cases, slices its head off with a knife. It can be more difficult than it sounds.

"These are strong fish that move quickly," says Matt Yoder, an American teaching at an international school in Bratislava. Yoder, whose wife is Slovak, explained that, many times, it is necessary to first stun the fish with a mallet or a baton.

These days, at least in Slovakia's capital city, more and more people are deciding to buy the fish ready-to-cook from a fishmonger, rather than worrying about the potentially messy job of killing it at home.

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This guy is about to become someone's Christmas dinner. But probably not before he swims around their bathtub for a couple days. Meghan Collins Sullivan for NPR hide caption

itoggle caption Meghan Collins Sullivan for NPR

This guy is about to become someone's Christmas dinner. But probably not before he swims around their bathtub for a couple days.

Meghan Collins Sullivan for NPR

Once the fish has been killed, it is cleaned, then soaked in milk (and sometimes salt) to dull the smell, lessen the "fishy" taste and sweeten the meat. It is sliced top-to-bottom, creating pieces in the shape of horseshoes, intended to bring good luck. Legend has it that the carp itself brings luck, too, one of the reasons it is said to have become the Christmas meal of choice. Fish has long been a symbol of Christ and Christianity.

The carp is usually served breaded and fried. Also on the menu is a cabbage soup that generally has at least four types of meat, including sausage. Traditionally, the only other dish is potato salad. Strictly observant Catholic Slovaks prepare a vegetarian version of the soup, and fast all day before the Christmas meal. (Drinks — including spirits — are fair game).

In Slovakia, the holiday is steeped in superstition and symbolism. The table is set with all of the foods for the feast before everyone sits down, as no one is permitted to get up during the meal. If someone leaves the table — even to go to the bathroom — it means there will be a death in the family before the next Christmas arrives. Families also set an extra place for either an unexpected visitor or a departed relative.

Once the meal ends, everyone checks under their plates to retrieve fish scales from the family carp. The scales signify luck for the year ahead, and people put them in their wallets and carry them until the following Christmas Eve.

Ask most people and they will tell you that the common carp is not a delicacy. It's fishy. It's full of little bones. Some say they only eat it on Christmas Eve because it's a tradition. A few have gone so far as to say it is "gross."

But carp crosses cultures — as does the bathtub ritual: Some European Jews have a similar tradition, as carp is often the gefilte fish eaten at Passover. And it seems that Jewish children, too, can get caught up befriending the carp in the bathtub.

Meghan Collins Sullivan is a journalist based in Bratislava, Slovakia. She is a former supervising editor at NPR and edits the 13.7 Cosmos and Culture blog.

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A crackdown on protesters at a Chinese-backed copper mine project in Myanmar has left at least one person dead, the company that runs the project said today in a statement.

The statement from Myanmar Wanbao said the company had "just been informed of the death of a female resident from Moe Kyo Pyin village," adding: "The events leading up to her death are still unclear." [Some news sources call the village Mogyopyin.]

Democratic Voice of Burma, a local news organization, reported that the death of the 50-year-old woman came following a clash between protesters and riot police near the site of the Letpadaung copper mine project, in the northwest part of the country that is also called Burma. Myanmar Wanbao workers and police arrived to erect fences on land claimed by the protesters. The demonstrators threw stones at security forces and, when gunfire erupted, the woman was shot in the head, the news organization said, citing a local villager. The Associated Press noted that it is unclear whether she was shot by police or security personnel from the mining company.

Democratic Voice of Burma said at least four people were seriously wounded.

The AP adds: "The massive project, a joint venture between a Myanmar military-controlled holding company and China's Wanbao Mining Copper Ltd., drew international attention two years ago when police forcefully dispersed protesters, injuring more than 100 Buddhist monks. Many suffered severe burns from smoke bombs that contained white phosphorus, a substance not generally used to contain civil unrest."

The protests led to a suspension of work at the mine. The company compensated many of the villagers who had complained of health and environmental problems. But many other villagers had refused to take the money, and said they would hold on to their land. The statement from Myanmar Wanbao noted that the majority of the villagers had given their assent for the project to move forward.

In a separate statement earlier today, prior to the deadly protest, Myanmar Wanbao said it will be "extending its working area in the Letpadaung copper project to comply with requirements of its investment permit."

Amnesty International in a statement last month, to mark the second anniversary of the protests, noted that no one had been held accountable. It urged the government to stop work on the project "until a thorough environmental and social impact assessment has been carried out, which genuinely consults all the people affected."

China is the largest foreign investor in Myanmar, but ever since President Thein Sein launched economic and political reforms three years ago, other countries, including the U.S., have set their sights on the Asian nation.

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No one saw this one coming. When 2014 began, a barrel of crude oil was selling for about $110. It hovered there until late spring, when the price ticked up to nearly $115.

And then, down, down, down went oil. Month after month, the price plunge continued until a barrel got below $55 this month.

Seeing oil prices cut in half has left economists stunned and rethinking their predictions for inflation. Most consumers are thrilled to see cheap gasoline, but oil-producing companies and nations are scrambling to cope.

Wage Stagnation

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Shantel Walker stands outside a fast food restaurant June 19 in Brooklyn, New York. Walker, who made $8.25 per hour at a Brooklyn pizzeria, was part of a broad campaign by fast food workers to advocate for higher minimum wages. Julie Jacobson/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Julie Jacobson/AP

Shantel Walker stands outside a fast food restaurant June 19 in Brooklyn, New York. Walker, who made $8.25 per hour at a Brooklyn pizzeria, was part of a broad campaign by fast food workers to advocate for higher minimum wages.

Julie Jacobson/AP

Despite strong profits for corporations, raises for workers remained meager.

Month after month throughout 2014, the Labor Department's jobs report showed no meaningful increase in average hourly earnings. Congress did not raise the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and most employers provided only tiny pay increases for more-skilled workers.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said average hourly earnings in November were $24.66, up just 51 cents from last year. Adjusted for inflation, that increase amounted to 0.8 percent for the year.

U.S. Economy Soars Above Others

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A craft beer fan picks up a six-pack of Goose Island Beer Co.'s limited Black Friday release of Bourbon County Brand Stout on Nov. 26 in Chicago. Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

A craft beer fan picks up a six-pack of Goose Island Beer Co.'s limited Black Friday release of Bourbon County Brand Stout on Nov. 26 in Chicago.

Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

The year started poorly for Americans, thanks to unusually harsh winter weather that derailed plans for building, spending and traveling. But with the spring came an economic warming.

In fact, by summer, growth was running hot. The Bureau of Economic Analysis says it advanced at an annualized 3.9 percent over July, August and September. That growth generated many more job openings, as well as new revenues that helped shrink the federal budget deficit.

Even as the U.S. economy was expanding, other nations were struggling. In Europe, Japan, China, India, Brazil and elsewhere, companies saw profits shrivel and gloom spread. Russia's economy vaporized. As everyone else fell back, the dollar strengthened and the United States emerged as the world's only real engine of growth.

Stocks Shoot Up; Interest Rates Don't

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The stock market continued its long run up, with the S&P 500 stock index gaining roughly another 11 percent for the year. Those gains came as interest rates continued to cling to their historic lows.

Stock prices for existing tech companies were mixed, with investors loving Apple Inc. but moving away from the so-called cloud sector.

One thing was not mixed: Investors' desire for shares of new companies. One example: LendingClub, an online loan marketplace, chalked up a 56 percent gain on its first day of trading.

Hack Attacks Spread Fear

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James Franco (left) and Seth Rogen, stars of The Interview, arrive for the film's Los Angeles premiere on Dec. 11. The comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was pulled from theaters after a cyberattack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film. The FBI said the attack was traced to the North Korean government. Jim Ruymen/UPI/Landov hide caption

itoggle caption Jim Ruymen/UPI/Landov

James Franco (left) and Seth Rogen, stars of The Interview, arrive for the film's Los Angeles premiere on Dec. 11. The comedy about a CIA plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was pulled from theaters after a cyberattack on Sony Pictures, the studio behind the film. The FBI said the attack was traced to the North Korean government.

Jim Ruymen/UPI/Landov

Whether you were a Sony executive or a Home Depot customer, 2014 was a bad year for cybersecurity. Emails got hacked and personal information was stolen, and economic havoc was heaped upon companies.

Both corporations and consumers are struggling to respond to the growing threats, but what can be done to boost security is not yet clear.

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With President Obama beginning the process of normalizing relations with Cuba this week, many may envision soon soaking up the sun on a warm Cuban beach, sipping a refreshing rum drink.

In reality, that's not likely to happen for quite a while. But just the increased opportunity for travel between the two countries has those with longtime ties to Cuba already thinking about the possibilities it will bring.

Tom Popper is thinking about it. As president of the New York-based travel company, Insight Cuba, Popper has fought long and hard for an end to the U.S. ban on travel to Cuba, and he's seen his hopes rise and fall with the ebb and flow of Cuban-American relations over last couple of decades.

To say Obama's announcement Wednesday was a bit of a shock is an understatement.

"When I first heard the news on my way to the office that morning, I almost drove off the road," Popper says. "It's wonderful news for the U.S., for travelers, for business interests, for relations between the two countries."

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Popper sees a greater opportunity for educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries, but cautions that some restrictions, including the ban on tourist travel to Cuba, remain in place.

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Despite the ban, Eben Peck, head of government affairs for the American Society of Travel Agents, calls the agreement a step in the right direction.

"It's going to mean more business for our members who participate in the Cuba market, but the full benefits of freedom to travel to Cuba is not going to be felt until the travel ban is lifted in its entirety," Peck says.

Right now, only charter flights are allowed to fly between the U.S. and Cuba.

Cruise ship companies such as Carnival say Cuba presents some exciting possibilities, but note the country needs investments in docks and other infrastructure to accommodate big ships. A handful of international chains have hotels in Cuba, but far too few to handle large volumes of U.S. tourists.

A tourist takes pictures in Havana last week.. Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

itoggle caption Adalberto Roque/AFP/Getty Images

And here's something American travelers won't be able to find at all in Cuba: a Starbuck's.

"There's nothing like this in Cuba, and there actually won't be for a very, very long time," says Achy Obejas, a writer who was born in Cuba. "For there to be a Starbuck's or a McDonald's or any kind of American business of this nature, the embargo has to be lifted, and these new policy changes do not affect the embargo."

But Obejas says the agreement to begin to normalize relations is huge, because it finally starts the conversation about eventually ending the trade embargo, which she says is critical to Cuba's future.

The first step, she says, is making it easier to travel between the two countries — and Obejas should know: She's lived there for extended periods of time and has spent much of her adult life traveling back and forth.

"It is a bit of a nightmare," she says. "You need a license, you have to ask permission, you have to join a group, you have to do something. It's not like just getting on a plane and going to the Bahamas. You actually have to go through some, you know, B.S."

Along with freer travel to and from Cuba, banking restrictions will be eased, so American travelers, for the first time, will be able to use credit and debit cards in Cuba, and they won't have to carry large sums of cash. That could free American visitors to spend more, and it would help Cuban businesses.

But the best thing for Obejas: The country will begin to be normal. The easing of travel restrictions will reconnect families, create economic and educational opportunities and encourage those Cubans who do leave the island nation to go back, Obejas says.

"Cuba will cease to be special in about five or six years," she says. "It will be one more country in the Caribbean to which you can access, which sounds banal, but is actually wonderful, to not be an outlier, to not be this dark forbidden place."