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Happy 105th Birthday to Sir Nicholas Winton. To know more about his efforts to save the lives of children during World War Two, take a listen to our Bohemican Podcast on the "Kindertransport to Freedom": http://bohemican.podhoster.com/index.php?pid=41651 
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 On the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, Saints, sinners , and Angels room freely through Prague streets. It is not uncommon to see Good Old Saint Nick, a Devil, and an Angel walking around neighborhoods encountering kids and asking for a song or poem. If you are bad, coal is not the only punishment you may receive. The Devil will threaten you with a ticket to Hell to learn you a lesson:-)
If you are good and can recall a nice story or song, you get some candy or toy form Saint Nicholas. The Christmas season is here.  Den boje za svobodu a demokracii is a day of remembering two benchmark events in Czech history that spans 50 years. It commemorates the student demonstration against Nazi occupation in 1939, and the demonstration in 1989 that started the Velvet Revolution. Both events showed the world that the Czech people valued their freedom and independence, especially under great odds of success. Memories are still fresh for many on those important days in 1989. Many of the young people here have no memory of the thousands flooding Wenceslas Square, ringing their keys for solidarity and freedom. Yet, there is a national day to think about how far this republic has come and what direction her people will take her. As an American, it reminds me that the need for freedom is universal and should be cherished and protected.
-Pete  The Czech government bestowed the Order of the White Lion upon Sir Nicholas Winton of Great Britain on October 28, 2014. This is the highest Czech honor for a foreigner to receive for service to the Czech Republic. Sir Winton, now 105 years old, helped to organize the exodus of 669 children from Czechoslovakia on KinderTrains to England from 1938-1939. His actions helped to spare these children from almost certain death in Nazi concentration camps. Stay tuned for our next Bohemican Podcast where we will present this amazing story of The Kinder Transport to Freedom.
 October 28th is a national holiday in the Czech Republic as the Czechs remember the first laws passed by the new government of a new nation called Czechoslovakia. This nationhood creation was a product of post World War One events and a close relationship with President Wilson of the United States and Czechoslovak President T.G. Masaryk.
 The 100th anniversary of the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand and his wife was observed Saturday June 28th.
Our Bohemican Podcast highlights this important moment with two shows: Czechs and The Great War: FlashPoint and Destination: Konopiste Castle The Flashpoint episode covers the impact of Ferdinand's death and the Konopiste Castle show focuses upon his life in the Bohemian lands before his tragic trip to Sarajevo in 1914. Click the links to listen or visit iTunes for a free download. -Pete  The American War for Independence was over and the French Revolution Reign of Terror was in full bloom. A hero of both nations was under lock and key in the prison fortress of Olomouc in Northern Moravia (today’s Eastern part of the Czech Republic). The Marquis de Lafayette was languishing in this Austrian prison when a German and a young American hatched an escape plan. Freedom or continued imprisonment was on the line for this French knight of the Enlightenment.
Lafayette is one of my favorite heroes in American history and I was thrilled to do the research on this subject for this month's Bohemican podcast. It is not often that I get to merge American history with the history of the Czech Republic. I hope you get a chance to listen. http://bohemican.podhoster.com/index.php?pid=39933 -Pete  It has been a wonderful first year of producing the Bohemican Podcast. In that time my co-host, Travis Dow and I have logged in many miles (kilometers) of traveling across the Czech Republic, researching content, and recording over 22 episodes and 8 special presentations.
Our end of February 2014 statistics show nearly 13,000 downloads and 6000 subscribers to the podcast. Our newest special series, The Great War: The Czech Experience, observes the centennial of World War One and documents the contributions of the Czech people, on both sides of the warring factions. Upcoming in 2014, the Bohemican Podcast will continue with our popular "Czech Destination" specials and a variety of historical and cultural topics. Our aim is to continue to improve and present an informative and entertaining program. We thank our listeners for "tuning in" and their valued feedback! -Pete  The Christmas season brings families and friends together for feasting, fellowship, and films. Czech television is full of films dedicated to cinematic interpretations of age-old fairy tales, some with a Christmas themes.
Many foreigners will know some of these tales such as Cinderella. These Czech films were produced in the 1950's through modern times yet my favorites are the earlier productions with it's Technicolor treatment and hand-made set designs. One such movie comes to mind; Princezna se zlatou hvězdou (1958) translated to "The Princess with the Golden Star". The most watched of all Czech film fairy tales is the Cinderella adaptation called Tři oříšky pro Popelku (1973) or "Three Wishes for Cinderella". The music, costumes, and the acting performance of actress Libuše Šafránková lend to the fame of this classic known throughout Europe. Many great Czech castles serve as backdrops for most of these fairy tales. The beautiful castle of Švihov in western Bohemia plays a part in the "Three Wishes for Cinderella". There are actually tours given throughout the Republic for the most famous filming locations for these fairy tales. Most of these films are available for free viewing on YouTube (full or partial viewing) so please feel free to enjoy what most Czechs watch during the holiday season. Veselé Vánoce! -Pete  St. Nicholas riding the "Golden Pig" In a nation known to have one of the more atheist populations in Europe, the Czechs hold strong to Christmas traditions. There are many reasons why this statistic may hold water yet there are still many practicing Czech Christians. Somehow the majority of Czechs still find ways (religious and non-religious) to celebrate the season.
Places of worship continue to fill as Christmas Eve approaches. This anticipation brings the countdown of advent. The month-long observance begins with the Sunday of Advent when four candles are lit on the advent wreath that hangs from the ceiling. Village Christmas trees, a tradition from their German neighbors, are presented to their respective towns in the village square. The first of the major cities to light their tree is in Olomouc, then Brno, and finally Prague. The Feast of St. Andrew kicks things off with a game of good old fashion divination whereas a girl will cast hot lead and see in what form it takes when it cools. The form should tell her to whom she will marry. The Feast of St. Barboras precedes St. Nicholas Day in early December and girls will take twigs off a cherry tree and hold on to them until Christmas Eve. If this branch, called a Barborkas, should bloom by Christmas Eve, the girl will find a husband the very next year.....maybe you can sense a "find a husband" theme here in these traditions. December 5th finds St. Nicholas (mentioned in my previous blog) and his friends, the Angel and the Devil, walking through town. Children are asked to sing a song and pledge that they were good all year before receiving fruit, candy, and maybe a small toy. December 7th is the Feast of Ambrose. Every year the town's folk of Kutna Hora have a parade of Saints’ Barboras and Ambrose. St. Ambrose rides atop a black horse carrying candy and a broom.Children will scream at him so that he will chase them and thus spill candy on the ground. If the child is caught picking up candy by St. Ambrose, he gives them a small swat with his broom. Now, this leads us to the creepiest tradition during advent in the Czech Republic and that is the day of Saint Lucy. If you recall, Lucy was a Christian martyr during the Roman era that was executed for refusing to get married. Tradition states that on the Winter Solstice, Lucy walks the earth in a white coat and a wooden mask with a long stork-like nose. She makes a disapproving clicking sound as she approaches households that don’t follow the observance of her feast day. She will bang on your door and ask to “Sip the night away”. This is in reference to the old saying that Saint Lucy will “sip the night away but the day does not grow longer” during the winter solstice. -Pete |
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