Friday, September 26, 2008

St. Wencelas--Patron Saint of Czech Republic


Hi Everyone,
I've been living here for almost two years, and still have so much to learn about the culture and so many new things to experience! There are many festivals and feast days celebrated during the year that I'm very unacquainted with due to my Protestant upbringing. This weekend, the Czech Republic will be celebrating two holidays on September 28th--Statehood Day and the feast day of St. Wenceslas. My husband and I are going to visit his mother this weekend and celebrate this very important feast day for Czech Catholics.

St. Wenceslas is the patron saint of the Czech Republic. He was born to Vratislav I, Duke of Bohemia (of the Premyslid line) and Drahomira (daughter of a pagan tribal chielf of the Havolans) sometime in the beginning of the 10th century--probably around the year 907. This was during the age when the Czech lands were in religious turmoil as there were still many pagans in the land, anda these were constantly fighting with the new Christian believers. St. Wenceslas was raised in the midst of this religious turmoil. After the death of his father, in 921, St. Wenceslas was raised by his grandmother, Ludmila. She raised him as a Christian and Wenceslas became a very strong believer. His mother, Drahomira, became angry at losing control of her son, and had Ludmila murdered, and later,Drahomira is said to have tried to turn her son back to pagan ways.

When I first heard of this story, it sounded more like a soap opera! But this is historical stuff...it is true and was the way Life was lived back in the Middle Ages. The store continues with St. Wenceslas becoming the ruler and ruling for only about fourteen years. During this time there was much political upheaval taking place in and around the Czech lands, as well as the religious turmoil between those of the pagan faiths and Christianity. In the year 935, Wenceslas' brother, Boleslav I, of Bohemia, began plotting to kil Wenceslas.

Boleslav was a paga, but he used Wenceslas' Christian beliefs to stage the murder. Boleslav invited Wenceslas to the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian in the town of Stare Boleslav. It is said that Boleslav murdered Wenceslas on the way to church, or in the doorway of the church--depending on which version you think is most creditable. You can still see the spot where Wenceslas was murdered at the St. Wenceslas Basilica in Stare Boleslav. Wenceslas' remains were buried in St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague. After Wenceslas' death, he was canonized and became a saint due to his martyr's death, and due to many miracles he is said to have performed after his death. His feast day is September 28th. Many began to make pilgrimages to the place of his death, and to his crypt in St. Vitus Cathedral.

Last year I first hear of this story near St. Wenceslas' feast day. Then, I saw on TV how the Czech's celebrate this day...and at first I was horrified! I don't know when this practice began...if someone could show me the information on the web I would be very interested in reading how this developed! Anyway, on TV, they showed a procession of priests carrying a glass box...in the box was a skull wearing a crown! I asked my husband what was going on, and he told me that on the feast day of St. Wenceslas, his skull s taken from the crypt at St. Vitus and is transported to Stare Boleslav where they process through the town with the skull! The procession ends at the church where St. Wenceslas was murdered. They have a special mass ther,e and then take the skull (crown and all) back to the city square, where another mass is celebrated. I had never heard of anything like this before! And I really didn't expect this in a country where so many people are self-professed atheists! But this is done every year. During communist times, however, the practice was not allowed. Since then, the procession and celebrations ahve taken place each year. You can view the slide show of the procession here.

I feel a bit sorry for poor Wenceslas...he doesn't get much rest with all that traveling about!

Well, that's all for today...you all have a great weekend!

God bless,
Sher :0)

Photo credit: petr@knob.cz (c) 2007; www.staraboleslav.com

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

The Overly Sensitive Feminist and the Insensitive Cactus

Hi Everyone,This morning I'm working on cleaning our flat, doing laundry, etc. Cleaning is such a mindless occupation...at least for me! It is something that's very necessary for my allergies and asthma! Cleaning is also something necessary just to take care of our things and maintain a pleasant atmosphere! But my mind is rarely completely occupied with the cleaning process...so it wanders into other, more interesting areas! I guess cleaning is a sort of meditation for me...well, clean house...clean mind...:0) Anyway, this morning, as I'm cleaning, I've been thinking back to when my husband and I were in the States visiting my family, about a month ago. We had a great time...except for one heated argument that Jiří and I had.

We were in the process of moving my youngest daughter back to college. This is a very involved process, and can also be a very emotional time for all involved! This was my husband's first time to be involved in such a process...he learned a lot on that trip! I don't remember what the argument was about...that's not so important for this blog! I just remember that I was pushed to the boiling point, and hollered at Jiří--like a mother hollers at her kids sometimes! This was the very first time that I had ever raised my voice directly at him (I've raised my voice plenty since we've been married, but not directly at him...just about things!)--we've been married for 4 years, but have only been actually living in the same time zone for the past 21 months! So, we're still in the newlywed phase! My husband, Jiří, was pretty shocked by that! He didn't like it...and true, I shouldn't have hollered like that in the first place...or said what I did...but still...I'm an American...and a woman. Americans are used to being out-spoken and loud in the heat of some emotions! Plus, being a woman, that just goes with the territory on occasion...not many occasions, but it can happen! In the heat of the argument, my husband called me an overly sensitive feminist...and I called him an insensitive cactus for the way he was acting at that moment in time! We both said things that we shouldn't have, but since then, we have made up and can now laugh about the whole episode!


Czech guys are, for the most part, "afraid" of American women. They have somehow gotten the idea that all of us American women are fanatical feminists! When Jiří told his colleagues he was marrying me, they warned him to not do it, or he would rue the day, as all American women are such feminists! Well, he went ahead and married me anyway...here we are today! I don't know about the younger generation of men, here, if they are so "afraid" of American women. But definitely, those my age and older have this idea that American women are impossible feminist fanatics, and that we take the backbone from any man we encounter!


So, my husband, when he called me the overly sensitive feminist, was hurling the ultimate insult a Czech guy of his age could hurl! When he first said those words, I was pretty upset and VERY mad! It was not funny at the time, but now, looking back, it is one of the funniest things anyone has ever said to me! Think about it for a moment..."overly sensitive feminist" is a bit of an oxymoron. Most people (Americans, anyway!) will see that right away! And to call me a feminist...that's also pretty ridiculous! I'm more of a traditional kind of woman and wife...who has a temper, yes, and is out-spoken at times...yes...and I can be sensitive...yes...! Overall, I'm a pretty traditional wife...I come from a very traditional family, too! So, to have Jiří call me an overly sensitive feminist is pretty ridiculous and funny! He called me a feminist because I got so mad and hollered at him. Well, when I hollered, I felt more like a mother at the end of her rope with a kid who is not doing his homework day, after day, after day! But, I'm not a feminist in the strictest sense of that term!


Czech men, to me, seem to be rather on the insensitive side, yet many of them love to watch the fairy tales that are shown on TV during the holidays! They see women as the homemakers (yes...even if we wives have a full-time job!), except for washing windows...that's a man's job! According to traditional roles here, women are also supposed to take care of the family's shoes--cleaning them and polishing them. In my family, the men have always done that! That's one example of the cultural differences my husband and I have to deal with every day. It can be quite funny sometimes, and quite baffling at other times! 


Anyway, men, here, are more what American women would call a chauvinist....at least the ones in their 40's and older...most of them seem to be this way! My own family men are no wimps, that's for sure! I grew up in a family that has very strong, manly men...but the women were no wimps, either...on both sides of my family! Men here are not used to women being strong-willed...well, they are...but the women seem to be like this in other ways that I haven't figured out yet. 

I've got to improve my Czech so I can take a few lessons on managing a Czech husband! I don't mean to digress, but this topic is one that is very interesting, and one that I'm still very much trying to figure out! Ultimately, on that day we had the heated argument, Jiří was the insensitive cactus to my overly sensitive feminist. He meant that as an insult, but it didn't phase me, and still hasn't. Its just now a funny story that we've laughed about since!

One thing I know, and that's Czech men are still somewhat of an enigma to me...one that I hope to understand over time! And hopefully Jiří will one day understand the engima of his American wife!


That's all for now, you all have a great day!


God bless,
Sherry :0)

*****Disclaimer: I have no intention of trying to stereotype Czech men! It is just my personal observation that some guys here seem to be more on the chauvinist-side than we are used to in the States! :0) Certainly, not all guys here fall into that category! Also, I'm not saying this is a bad thing...it certainly is not bad in my husband...well, for the most part, that is! :0)

http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com


(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Friday, September 19, 2008

Power of the Blog

Hi Everyone,
Today, I was reading my Google Alerts--and found an alert for a blog that mentioned asthma. I try to keep up-to-date on allergy and asthma information. I was ready for some new and interesting information, but was very surprised to find an inspirational blog, instead! This is a blog I've not read before, but I stopped to read it. It was hard to read as the family of the writer is going through some pretty rough times. The writer normally has very uplifting posts, but today, asked permission to share some of the details of what their family has been going through, and asking readers to share their own experiences and how they got through those rough times.

I was very happy to see that several people had already responded to this writer with very uplifting and affirming support, words of comfort and offers of help! Some of the readers even offered their email addresses, phone calls, etc. to help this person and their family! It was great to see people reaching out over the Internet to help others. I know this happens every day, but to actually come across such an example was wonderful! I am touched by their circumstances...for who hasn't been in some similar situations in their own lives? I certainly have. This writer was communicating their situation and reaching out for help...and found it from the blog readers. This is the power of the blog--people seeking, finding, sharing--to help others and to make new friends and contacts in both the real and virtual worlds.

That's all for today...I hope you all have a great weekend! TGIF!

God bless,
Sherry :0)

http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath


Wednesday, September 17, 2008

First Snow!


Hi Everyone,
Last week, we were having tropical/summer temperatures here, in Prague. People were dressed in shorts, sundresses, etc! But, the weather drastically changed over the weekend. It became pretty chilly and rainy on Monday. It felt more like Winter than Fall! And, if you can believe it, we had our first snowfall, yesterday (September 16, 2008)! It snowed on the Jeseniky Mountains! They received about 5 cm of snow! It should be snowing there until the end of the week! So, Winter has made an early appearance in this country!

I have not personally seen the Jeseniky Mountains, yet, but here is some more information about those mountains and the surrounding area. I would love to visit this place...it sounds very similar to the Enchanted Circle area of New Mexico!

That's all for today...you have a great day!

God bless,
Sherry :0)

http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Monday, September 15, 2008

Czech Literature

Hi Everyone,
Today, I would like to tell you another good way to adapt to a new culture--and that is by reading the literature produced by that culture. No matter what (modern-day) culture you are looking at, there will be stories--some handed down for generations by mouth, and others that have been put into print. The Czechs have a long and rich history of story-telling and writing.

Czech writing began with the coming of Cyril and Methodius to the Czech lands. They were sent by Byzantine Emperor Michael III to bring Christianity to the Czech lands sometime in the 8th century. Cyril and Methodius actually arrived in the kingdom of Greater Moravia, but when they did, they created the first alphabet for the Slavic language--called Old Slavonic. They used this new alphabet to translate the Latin liturgy into the Slavic language. This translation is one of the oldest surviving pieces of literature in the Czech lands.

Since moving here, I have been delving into any Czech literature that I can find translated into English. My Czech is still very poor, so I wouldn't be able to understand the original works in Czech at this point. Even reading them in English, though, helps me to gain a deeper understanding into the culture and the Czech people. I am really looking forward to when I can actually read and understand these pieces of literature in their original Czech! I'm studying, but it will take some time for my proficiency to get to that point!

One of the books I'm reading right now is a compilation of Czech fairy tales written by Bozena Nemcova, Karel Jaromire Erben, and Vaclav Benes-Trebizsky. I have fallen in love with these fairy tales. They are slightly different than the Grimms we know in the west. Czech fairy tales are very "gritty" and earthy, but have such a beauty to them--reading them is like looking at some fine pieces of Czech cut crystal--you see so much depth and beauty in the light shinging through the stories--and they form a wonderful design full of color and brilliance--giving a good background and insight into the Czech lands and the Czech people.

I'm a voracious reader, and usually have several books that I'm working on at one time! In addition to the book of Czech fairy tales, I'm also reading a very famous book (here--but not widely known outside of the Czech Republic) named
Babicka, by Bozena Nemcova. This book appears, when you first begin reading, to be a very quaint story about a lovely grandmother (babicka)who is involved in the lives of her daughter and the daughter's family. She is a wise woman in the sense of having much experience, she is very religious and has a deep and simple faith...she does good to everyone. Yet, if you look, you will find that "gritty" and earthy beauty of the story. You find this when grandmother is feeling sad about her husband who had died many years ago from a war injury...she speaks of how she took care of her family during that war...nursing her husband after his injury. It is a very moving tale. There are many other examples of this earthiness and grittiness in the story...I'm only about half way through the book...but I have fallen in love with it...and this will definitely join my library of all-time favorites, along with War and Peace and the travelogues of Isabella Bird.

I'll tell you more about this book and others as I read them...but I just wanted to tell you about Czech literature--and how rich and deep is their story-telling and writing history. It is one of the richest treasures I have found since coming here...reading Czech literature is giving me an education into the people and the lands where I have come to live, and it also gives me some insight into my own Czech and Slovak heritage.

That's all for today...you all have a great day!

God bless,
Sherry :0)

http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath

Friday, September 12, 2008

Hurricane Ike--American Red Cross

Hi Everyone,
The past few days we've all been watching the progress of the latest hurricanes, tropical storms and typhoons. Right now, the one I've been watching is Hurricane Ike. I have family and friends who live in that part of the world...directly along the Gulf of Mexico, and its not easy to sit here, in Prague, knowing they will be in that huge storm! Every one of my family and friends, in that area, is very preparedness-minded...so they are all evacuated, or otherwise prepared with the necessary emergency supplies! This hurricane looks like it might be as bad as the one that hit Galveston, TX back in 1900! No one has forgotten that storm and the devastation and loss of life it caused.

Today,too, there was a story online about the American Red Cross being out of money due to all of the emergencies and storms it has had to deal with this year. It is a hard time for everyone, to be sure, but I would encourage you all to donate to the American Red Cross, or other local disaster assistance organization in your part of the world. These organizations are being hit hard all over the world and need the help of everyone of us--even if you can donate a dollar...it will be appreciated and be a help for someone in need.

That's all for now...you all have a great day!

God bless,
Sherry :0)

http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com
(c) 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath


Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Arts in Prague


Hi Everyone,

Finally, I have a chance to make a post! We’ve been busy here the past few days, and our Internet connection has also been off and on for some reason that we can’t figure out! So, today I’ll get you caught up with what has been going on!


Saturday, my husband and I went to see the open-air performance of Rusalka—an opera written by the famous Czech composer, Antonín Dvořák, based on a Slavic fairy tale. According to sources I researched online, a rusalka is something like a wood nymph or fairy…or even possibly a mermaid-like demon that lives in a body of water. Looking up “rusalka” made for some very interesting reading! Anyway, Dvořák’s opera is based on a poem written by Jaroslav Kvapil (1868-1950). Kvapil’s poem was based on the written fairy tales of Karel Jaromír Erben and Božena Nĕmcova. Some of the plot is very similar to the Little Mermaid, with a heroine (who is not mortal) falling in love with a mortal prince, and having to face the consequences of that love. Here you can find a synopsis of the opera. We saw the opera performed, open-air, in the beautiful park of Divoka Šarka, in Prague 6—in the north-western part of the city. The park boasts beautiful, unspoiled nature--forests, streams, natural lakes, hiking trails, a public pool system…and an amphitheater, in a forest—not far from the city center! Divoka Šarka is a beautiful place to spend an afternoon—and it proved to be a great place to see Rusalka, too!


I’m not sure how many people were there on Saturday, but it was easily two to three thousand. The floor of the bowl of the amphitheater was the stage for the production of Rusalka. I was very impressed with the sound system they set up for the orchestra and the singers. It was possible to clearly hear the singers, along with the orchestra—with no problem. There was really no space for a backdrop, but the natural surroundings of the park made a perfect backdrop for the opera. The day was a bit hot, but there was enough shade from all the trees around the amphitheater. This was my very first opera—ever—and I loved every minute of it, even though I couldn’t understand all the Czech. It was a beautiful production. You can see some of the pictures (above) from the performance of Rusalka.


Monday evening, a friend of mine offered some symphony tickets to Jiří and I! That was a very unexpected and great surprise! So, we went to the Rudolfinum to hear the Czech Philharmonic. They played wonderfully—it made our evening very special, when we had just planned on spending a normal evening at home!


Prague is full of performances like this most days—you can find opera, chamber music, symphonies, etc being performed in many of the historical palaces and theaters around Prague. This is one of the things I just love about Prague! Its possible to afford and attend these types of performances. In the past, the places I lived, it was so expensive to visit the theater, or hear an orchestra or watch a ballet. Now, though, since moving to Prague, I’ve had many more opportunities to experience more of the arts than ever before in my life. So, I’m taking full advantage of these opportunities when they come along!


That’s all for today…you all have a great day!


God bless,

Sherry :0)

http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com

© 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath

All photos and video are property of S. A. Vacik

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Mysterious and Misty Sumava National Forest



Hi Everyone,

Last weekend, Labor Day weekend in the US, Jiří and I traveled to southwestern Bohemia—to the Šumava National Forest area. We have family who live in that area—my brother-in-law celebrated his 60th birthday with a huge party in their backyard garden! The weather was perfect for the party, and we all had a great time! After the party, my husband and I traveled to Kasperske Hory to stay with his sister for a day or so. We were unable to visit Prašily due to the rainy weather on Monday, and so we decided to stay at Kasperske Hory and walk in the forest there. Kasperske Hory is a very interesting place in its own right, but today, I would like to tell you about the Šumava National Forest.


The Šumava National Forest is located in southwestern Bohemia, and shares the borders of Germany and Austria. Being located in Central Europe, this area is often called “The Green Roof of Europe.” This park is the largest in the Czech Republic, with 69,030 hectares (approximately 170,577 acres) of land, and has been designated a UNESCO Biosphere. The Šumava is a beautiful nature area filled with ancient forests, streams, rivers and glacial lakes, meadows, and low mountains. The area abounds with wild life, including deer, elk, the lynx, wild boar, and many different types of birds. This area is very wet and humid—you can even find bogs and marshes here!


The park is a wonderland for the sports enthusiast! You can find everything from down hill and cross country skiing, to hiking, biking, canoeing, hunting and fishing. It is also a wonderful spot for birders, and others who enjoy wild life. While we were traveling from Strakonice to Volary (with my brother-in-law who has a car), we saw several deer—they were beautiful and not very afraid of the car! Fortunately, my brother-in-law honked the car’s horn, and the deer backed away from the road! Anyway, Šumava is filled with many interesting and fun things to do and see.


Jiří and I chose to walk in the forest since it was raining and storm in Prašily. We walked about 15 minutes to the forest from my sister-in-law’s flat. The walk is pretty easy—it starts out with roads, and slowly dwindles down to a path once you hit the woods. The forest was pretty quiet that afternoon due to the weather. But the place was abounding in mushrooms! The Šumava is well-known for its many plants—including mushrooms. Every year, about this time, people from all over travel to the forest to pick mushrooms. The best time is when the weather is a bit rainy and humid and warm. These are the perfect conditions for mushrooms to sprout and grow! My husband found a bag full of mushrooms on our walk! It was very exciting…I found two mushrooms on my own, but wasn’t sure they were edible until he checked them out! There are many different types of mushrooms—some very pretty, with red caps, etc. But they are also very dangerous…and you must be very careful not to get the bitter tasting or poisonous mushrooms!


The Šumava forest is also well-known as a blueberry haven! They are everywhere! The true blueberry season is in August (when we were visiting my family in the US). But, I was looking for blueberries and did manage to find a few! I ended up with about ¾ of a good-sized jar of wild blueberries! This was the first time in my life to actually pick blueberries in the wild…I was so excited and happy to find some berries! We brought the blueberries back to Prague and the next day I cleaned them and then baked a wild blueberry coffee cake. It was wonderful…and I was very happy to have finally made something with real, hand-picked blueberries for the very first time!


The Šumava is a very beautiful area—I love it there. It reminds me of my home back in the Enchanted Circle area of New Mexico…and is a very relaxing place to spend some time. There is much to see and do there. I would highly recommend a visit to the The Šumava National Forest Park—not once, but many, many times in order to experience and appreciate all that the forest has to offer.


That’s all for today…you all have a great day!


God bless,
Sherry :0)


http://czechoffthebeatenpath.googlepages.com


© 2008 by czechoffthebeatenpath

All photos property of S. A. Vacik