Svatý Václav and the Horse

Wednesday was a national holiday in the Czech Republic: St. Wenceslas (Svatý Václav) Day. Jenny was off from school, mostly working on a paper she's trying to get published in a book on teacher research in Europe.

I was on my way home from some shopping when the tram really slowed down. I hopped off one stop early and walked from there. There was a procession down the middle of the street, hence the slow tram. At the front was a boy on a horse, dressed as Sv. Václav himself. They processed up to the church on our square (the church of St. Wenceslas, pictured above). In front of the church, someone gave the boy a sword, and he raised it. The crowd cheered.

There is a Czech legend that St. Wenceslas' sword is hidden in the Charles Bridge until the hour of greatest need. Then, a child will be able to pull the sword from the bridge (ala King Arthur) and defeat the Czechs' foes.

After the boy dismounted, the crowd filed into the church for a special service. Just think, if I hadn't been coming home from the store right then, I might have missed the whole thing.