November

November

November=Fall of leaves /Listopad/ in the Czech language.
All Souls‘ Day (on 2nd November) vs. Halloween (on 31st October) ..is it the same?

In the Czech Republic we have not Halloween but we have All Souls‘ Day. These two holidays have the same origins in a pagan celtic festival-Samhain. They are associated with ghosts and souls. It is because Celts believed that at this time the spirits of the dead could come back and be with the Libiny peoples. These holidays are a little bit different now. Halloween for somebody means dressing up, sweets and going to costume parties. Halloween is crazier and funnier than All Souls‘ Day. On All Souls‘ Day you remember the died people and you are nostalgic.

11th November
The day of the fight of freedom and democracy.
Our country was under the supremacy of Germany, then of communism .
In 1939 Germans closed all universities.
In 1969 Jan Palach disagreed with Russian occupation, so he protested and burned him self.
Finally in 1989 communism was broken. We call this big event Velvet revolution. It started when students celebrated the anniversary of Jan Palach’s death.

October

October

October is Říjen in the Czech language. This name means deer rut.

28th October is a holiday, because in 1918 the Austro – Hungarian monarchy broke up. Czechoslovakia, Austria, Jugoslavia etc. came into exisrence.
But Czechoslovakia changed because Slovaks wanted their own state, so in 1993 Czechoslovakia broke up. Now there are the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
In 1918 Czechs and Slovaks had their first democratic state.

September

September


September was a very sad month for most of us as we had to return to school.

But it was fun to see our friends again and everybody had a lot of stories. And this year we had a school trip to England. We could compare not only the two countries but also schools because we spent one day in a private school. We also visited Oxford, Stratford upon Avon and London, of course. Good experience!


Perhaps September 28 is the second most important holiday in the Czech Republic. It is a holiday related to the tradition of Christianity and the tradition of Saint Wenceslas. On that day, Saint Wenceslas, the duke and future patron of the Bohemian nation, was murdered by his brother Boleslav in Stara Boleslav. Every year there is a Saint Wenceslas´s pilgrimage organized in this place, and at Prague Castle the president awards Saint Wenceslas medals to personalities who have contributed to the Czech statehood.

Quiz on the Czech Republic

1. What is the capital city of the Czech Republic?
a) Bratislava
b) Wien
c) Bern
d) Prague

2. How many people live in the Czech Republic?
a) about 11 million
b) about 10 million
c) about 8 million


3. What is the name of the Czech president?
a) Vaclav Havel
b) Vaclav Klaus
c) Vaclav Vydra

4. What is the national tree of the Czech Republic?
a) Lime
b) Oak
c) Willow
d) Pine

5. What is the typical drink in the Czech Republic?
a) Wine
b) Beer
c) Vodka
d) Juice

6. What is the Czech national dish?
a) Roast chicken
b) Pizza
c) Fruit salad
d) Svickova (a special sauce, beef and dumplings)

7. What is the most favourite sport in the Czech Republic?
a) Football
b) Ice-hockey
c) Rugby
d) Lacross

8. The Czech ice-hockey player is:
a) Jaromir Jagr
b) Emil Zatopek
c) Lukas Bauer
d) Roman Sebrle

9. The Czech Anna Geislerova is:
a) Singer
b) Sportswoman
c) Actress
d) Politician

10. Karel Gott is the famous Czech:
a) Explorer
b) Politician
c) Sportsman
d) Singer

Other information about the Czech Republic,the Czech president and the Prague Castle:

Pavlina

Quiz - Correct answers

Correct answers
1. d)
2. b)
3. b)
4. a)
5. b)
6. d)
7. b)
8. a)
9. c)
10. d)

Pavlina & David