Current Affairs Czechs commemorate chief patron saint

St. Wenceslas "St. Wenceslas, lived at the beginning of the tenth century. He died in 935, although this is not certain as some older historians date his death to about 929. I think that 935 is more precise. Throughout the centuries, and especially in the 19th and 20th centuries there were discussions about the role of Prince Wenceslas due to his relation to the Holy Roman Emperor because, after some fighting, he agreed to pay him the tribute which sometimes was considered as a political mistake. This was also one of the main reasons why St. Wenceslas was killed by his brother Boleslav I who didn't agree with his policy."

So why is St. Wenceslas considered chief patron saint of the Czech lands?

"During his life he spread Christianity all over Bohemia, which was very important in the early Middle Ages because only Christian countries were considered to be a part of the international community of the states. So through him - of course there were Christians before him, we have a tradition of Cyril and Methodius - but during his reign, the Bohemian state, the Bohemian Princedom became a fully recognized part of the European Union of Nations in the Middle Ages as a family of the Christian states."

Traditionally, Prague Castle and several town halls around the country organise celebrations to commemorate the death of St. Wenceslas. But what about the average Czech?

"When the Czech Republic came into existence in 1993 on January 1st, there was a big problem as to what should be the national holiday. We already had the 28th of October, which celebrated independence day in 1918 but the problem was that it was a celebration of a state which no longer existed. So, the tradition of St. Wenceslas came into being again and there were hefty discussions about this day. It's not celebrated widely, I would say. It's rather a day when politicians remember our old statehood and our old tradition."