Myths and tales
Czechs celebrate anniversaries of Jan Hus and Cyril and Metoděj on successive days
Author: admin Posted: July 5th, 2009
40th Anniversary of Jan Palach's Suicide
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: January 16th, 2009
Today is the anniversary of Jan Palach's suicide. read more »
Czech Geography Game
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: November 17th, 2007
Guess Czech geography locations. If you are on Facebook, you can even challenge friends to play against you and win a PDF of Bohemica's Czech grammar.
read more »
Dictionary of Czech culture
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: September 15th, 2007
Categories: About Czechs and Czech Republic
• Architecture
• Art
• Families
• Film
• Food and drink
• Gender relations
• Habits and customs
• History
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Literature
• Music
• Myths and tales
• National identity
• Politics
• Regional Differences
• Seasons
• Sport
• Tourism
• Cultural Life
The Amazon reviewer got it right! read more »
Czech opera on YouTube
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: August 25th, 2007
YouTube is known mostly for funny little clips or stolen content. But it is also a great resource for music. One thing I came across by accident are a number of clips from Czech opera. This one is a famous and beautiful aria from Dvořák's Rusalka. It is sung in Czech by the American soprano Renée Fleming. read more »
Czech Gestures and Taboos
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: July 30th, 2007
There are not many radical differences in this area but it may be useful to be aware of some of the most salient ones.
Czech gestures are slightly more reserved. Here are some of the things to remember: read more »
Jára Cimrman to bring new Czech heaven
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: December 24th, 2006
Categories: Art
• Culture
• Film
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Myths and tales
• News
Cimrmanův divadelní kšaft - www.lidovky.cz Zdeněk Svěrák a Ladislav Smoljak chystají patnáctou hru, kterou by chtěli oslavit podzimní čtyřicítku Divadla Járy Cimrmana. Nová hra by se mohla jmenovat České nebe s podtitulem Cimrmanův dramatický kšaft.It is characteristic of many things in the Czech psyche that the greatest Czech of all time [also here], as measured by Czech TV's remake of BBC's 100 Greatest Brittons, never existed. It was Jára Cimrman who will celebrate 40 years of non-existence next year. And his 'discoverers', now revered Czech cultural icons themselves, have just announced they are planning to uncover the 15th lost play by this intellectual giant. The play may be called 'Czech Heaven' and with any luck will open in the fall of 2007. This is big news! Roughly on the scale of announcing the new Star Wars. Unlike the Star Wars, though, this is unlikely to disappoint. Want know why? Read this account by an American of the Czech hero's appeal who sums it up pretty well: read more »
Tracking the history behind the Wenceslaus Carol
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: December 24th, 2006
Categories: Culture
• History
• Holidays
• International perspectives: Czechs and the world
• Myths and tales
Czech point: On the trail of Wenceslaus: Independent Online Edition > Europe Wenceslaus was born into the Premyslid dynasty, which had risen to hegemony in this part of central Europe a couple of generations earlier. His father was Duke Bratislav, his mother from a tribe from further north in the Czech lands. But his greatest influence was his grandmother, Ludmilla, who also picked up a sainthood after introducing Christianity to the Czech people.The Independent set out on the trail of the Good King and found that he is inextricably tied to all that the Czechs hold dear about their history including a famous Prague square. read more »
Who killed Jan Masaryk?
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: December 17th, 2006
Ruský novinář: Vím, kdo zabil Jana Masaryka - www.lidovky.cz (Foto: Hynek Glos, Lidové Noviny) MOSKVA 17. prosince 2006 | 11:29 Syna prvního československého prezidenta a poválečného ministra zahraničí Jana Masaryka zabil Michajl Iljič Bělkin, který zemřel v roce 1980. Tvrdí to ruský publicista Leonid ParšinA new development in a 60-year-old murder. Jan Masaryk, the son of the Czechoslovakia's first president T. G. Masaryk, and a minister of foreign affairs in the exile government during WWII as well as the post-war government, died under suspicious circumstances in 1948. He was found dead at the bottom of the ministry building presumably having jumped to his death out of his bathroom window. read more »
Czech mythology and gender roles in politics
Author: Dominik Lukeš Posted: December 4th, 2006
MF DNES VÍCE ŽEN V POLITICE Po komunálních volbách přibylo žen ve vedení hlavního města a také čtyři městské části zvolily političky do svého čela. Podle odborníků je to pořád málo. Jenže strany stále nechtějí ženy umisťovat na přední místa kandidátek. Praha - Pověst o mytické kněžně Libuši vypráví o tom, kterak moudrá žena raději ustoupila velmožům a vládu nad Vyšehradem přenechala svému muži. Pohled do lavic nového zastupitelstva Prahy napovídá, že velkou službu svým následovnicím neprokázala. Stereotyp, že na správu věcí veřejných má pravé know-how jedině muž, přežil celá staletí - mezi 70 zastupiteli je pouze 14 žen a v jedenáctičlenné radě zasedají všehovšudy tři ženy. read more »
