|
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   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 |
DONATE TODAY
"Czech It Out"
|
RSS Feed
