Czech Culture

Slovanská Podporující Jednota Státu Texas

Česká Část

ROČNÍK 110 ZÁŘÍ 7 11.duben.2022 Podpora ★ Lidskost ★ Bratrstvi´

BENEVOLENCE HUMANITY BROTHERHOOD

Uředni orgán SPJST ★ Založené roku 1897

Učme se česky Let Us Study Czech

Lekce dvacet pět Lesson 25

Číslovky - Numerals Cardinal Ordinal 1 jeden první (first prvý) jedna jedno 2 dva druhý (2nd) dvě 3 tři třetí 4 čtyři čtvrtý 5 pět pátý 6 šest šestý 7 sedm sedmý 8 osm osmý 9 devět devátý 10 deset desátý 11 jedenáct jedenáctý 12 dvanáct dvanáctý 13 třináct třináctý 14 čtrnáct čtrnáctý 15 patnáct patnáctý 16 šestnáct šestnáctý 17 sedmnáct sedmnáctý 18 osmnáct osmnáctý 19 devatenáct devatenácty 20 dvacet dvacátý 21 dvacet jeden dvacáty první or or jedenadvacet jedenadvacátý 30 třicet třicátý 40 čtyřicet čtyřicátý 50 padesát padesátý 60 šedesát šedasátý 70 sedmdesát sedmdesátý 80 osmdesát osmdesátý 90 devadesát devadesátý 100 sto stý 200 dvě stě dvoustý 300 tři sta třistý 400 čtyři sta čtyrstý 500 pět set pětistý 600 šest set šestistý 1,000 tisíc tisící 2,000 dva tisíce dvoutisíci 1,735 — tisíc sedm set třicet pět tisíci sedmistý 1,000,000 — milion milióntý

S S S

Jeden, jedna, jedno; dva, dvě, tři, čtyři (for all three genders) stand for adjectives agreeing in gender, number, and case with the noun they qualify.

Dva and dvě have an old dual number inflection dvou, dvěma (like rukou and rukama); oba and obě: obou oběma.

Usage examples: Od tři do čtyř. Ve dvou dnech. Ve třech dnech. S třemi koňmi.

S S S

Jedni means ‘the ones’, but druzi means ‘the others’. Jedny, jedna are used with the plural: jedny housle, jedna kamna.

S S S

In the nominative case, the nouns and adjectives are in the genitive plural after these numbers:

pět velkých domů přijdu v šest domů přijdu v šest hodin

Instrumental: s pěti velkými domy Locative: o šesti hodinách Gen. pl.: je zde pět lidí. bylo tam dvacet lidí: kolik jich bylo? Indefinite Numeral Mnoho, kolik, tolik, and nekolik are all indefinite numerals. Approximate number is expressed by the words asi, skoro, or na: bylo tam na padesát lidí.

Málo (little, few) is invariable in adjective use:

Píšu si s několika málo přáteli. Půl (-polovina, polovice) and čtvrt do not change: Od půl šesté do čtvrt na devět.

S S S

There is a special class of numerals indicating different kinds of individual objects (generic numerals):

dvojí - twofold; trojí; čtvrtý; patérý; šesterý, devátery, desátery, sterý, tisícerý.

These answer the question: kolikerý? — of how many different kinds?

Example: Máme dvojí víno, červené a bílé.

Veškerý — all kinds of . . . : total, universal.

Pokračovani.

—SPJST—

Czech Film Night and Matinee features Queen Marie on April 12 in Belton

Czech Film Night and Matinee will feature the film Queen Marie on Tuesday, April 12, 2022, at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. at The Beltonian Theatre, located at 219 East Central Avenue in Belton, Texas 76513-3237.

Admission is free of charge. The matinee is at 3 p.m., and the evening show is at 6 p.m. This true story gives insight into the roles of United States President Woodrow Wilson plus a nod to British journalist Wickham Steed. Both were also instrumental to the freedom of the Czech and Slovak people in 1918. This is the story of those world events through the unique experiences of Marie, queen of Romania, who was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria and raised in England. It details the power she found and used for good, even as a seemingly powerless monarch. Submitted by, Susan Chandler Administrator Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center —SPJST—

Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center shares happenings Czech That Film Texas comes to Texas Austin: April 19 and 26 Dallas: April 29 - May 1

Sunday, May 1 at 4 p.m. Diary of a Modern Dad (Deníček moderního fotra)

All films are in the Czech language with English subtitles.

Occupation (Okupace) Directed by Michal Nohejl 5 Czech Critics’ Choice Awards including Best Picture plus 3 Czech Oscars

A sleepy actors’ party is disrupted by an uninvited guest. A drunken Russian officer comes to the bar to sell a canister of gas, but the business transaction quickly turns into a vodka drinking race. The Russian, interested in the striking Milada and entertained by the comedic cowardice of all the men present, wouldn’t leave. The atmosphere thickens and the Russian is having a grand old time. So grand that he pulls out a gun . . . The party, beating to the rhythm of the cosmically psychedelic music by Kill the Dandies!, spins out of control and the participants can’t keep up. The game becomes a trap, heroes become cowards, and cowards become heroes. There is only one way out of the occupied bar: a revolution! After this night, no one will be the same.

The Antique Glass Club

The Antique Glass Club held a lunch meeting on Thursday, March 24, 2022, at the Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center in Temple. CHMGC Administrator Susan Chandler gave a program on “end of the day glass.” A collection of antique Czech art glass and pottery recently donated to the Museum by Jean Blaha-Davis includes excellent examples of this genre.

Vanny Bolsins, pictured above, shows her “End-of-Day Glass” vase at the Czech Heritage Museum during a recent meeting of the Antique Glass Club.

In 2018, the Antique Glass Club donated two new beautiful cherry wood and glass curio display cabinets to the Museum for the collection of antique Czech boudoir glass. The Club has held meetings and luncheons at the Museum over the years. It’s always fun to have this lively group in the Museum! Submitted by, Susan Chandler Administrator Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center —SPJST—

Presented by Big Day Pictures and PolkaWorks, Czech That Film Texas annually brings the best of Czech contemporary cinema to Texas.

The festival is committed to exhibiting films that not only expose participants to Czech culture, but also enlighten audiences, bring people together, and present inspired entertainment for all. Traveling to 20 cities in the USA and Canada over the last decade, Austin and Dallas will be two of the few cities presenting in-person screenings in 2022.

The Austin event will be hosted at Violet Crown Cinema, 434 West 2nd Street in Austin, Texas 78701. Seating is limited. Tickets are available at www.violetcrown.com. The schedule is:

Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Diary of a Modern Dad (Deníček moderního fotra)

Tuesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. Two Ships (Marťanské lodě)

The Dallas event will be hosted at Studio Movie Grill, SMG Spring Valley, 13933 North Central Expy in Dallas, Texas 75243. Tickets are available at the box office before each show or in advance at www.studiomoviegrill.com. The schedule is:

Friday, April 29 at 7:30 p.m. Occupation (Okupace) Bird Atlas (Atlas ptáků) Directed by Olmo Omerzu 9 Czech Oscar Nominations, Official Selection Karlovy Vary IFF

A huge money embezzlement in a multi-million company creates a domino effect of suspicion between the members of the family who run the business. Ivo Rona, a long-time CEO, and his family look for the one to blame, when Marie, one of his most trusted employees, goes missing. A revenge plan, a corporate sabotage or a well-played internet fraud? One thing is certain: someone among them cannot be trusted. Diary of a Modern Dad (Deníček moderního fotra) Directed by Jan Haluza Top Grossing Czech Comedy — 2021, Official Selection Karlovy Vary IFF

Martin and Eliška meet for the very first time at Martin’s birthday party at derelict premises of Brno train station. Young psychologist Eliška invites musician Martin to a lecture she organizes. Martin is really impressed. He is courting her, she is chasing after him. Martin flies to Norway to see her. After their arrival home, they realize they need each other. Their story resembles a Hollywood romance, except it takes place in Brno. Can a cosmic love cure all their pains?

Two Ships (Marťanské lodě) Directed by Jan Foukal Czech Oscar Nomination – Best Female Performance, Official Selection Karlovy Vary IFF

Martin and Eliška meet for the very first time at Martin’s birthday party at derelict premises of Brno train station. Young psychologist Eliška invites musician Martin to a lecture she organizes. Martin is really impressed. He is courting her, she is chasing after him. Martin flies to Norway to see her. After their arrival home, they realize they need each other. Their story resembles a Hollywood romance, except it takes place in Brno. Can a cosmic love cure all their pains?

Submitted by, Jeffrey Brown —SPJST—

Brazos Valley CHS to host April 23 Czech baking class

Learn to make genuine Czech kolache, buns (buchty), and a fruit sheet cake with crumbly topping at a Czech baking class sponsored by Brazos Valley Czech Heritage Society. The class will be held Saturday, April 23, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church Parish Activity Center, 600 East 26th Street in Bryan, Texas. Cost for the class is $40 with a limit of 12 participants (age 12 and older). Most supplies for the class will be provided.

To register, sign up online at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0 944ABAB2AA0F49-czech or contact Stanislav Vitha by email at bohemian2012@aol.com or 979-587-1777. Within a few days after registration, you

will receive an email regarding payment information, a list of items to bring, and a copy of the recipes. Kelly Sandhop BVCHS Reporter —SPJST—

Madeleine Albright: Pioneering Diplomat, Influential U.S. Secretary State

“As secretary, I will do my best to talk about foreign policy not in abstract terms, but in human terms and bipartisan terms,” she said. “I consider this vital because in our democracy, we Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State,cannot pursue 1997-2001. policies abroad that are not understood and supported here at home.” ~ Albright said in a speech at Rice University according to the New York Times. , .

Madeleine Albright, died of cancer aged 84 on March 23, 2022. She was the first woman to hold the office of secretary of state of the United States. It fell to her to cope with the painful dilemmas presented for the US by the breakup of Yugoslavia and the rise of Islamic opposition in the Middle East.

While she fulfilled the role in the administration of President Bill Clinton, she could not take the place that office usually confers as third in succession to the president because she was not a “natural born citizen” of the US. Like Henry Kissinger, a secretary of state in the Nixon administration, and Zbigniew Brzezinski, the national security adviser to Jimmy Carter, she had been a refugee from Europe. Like them also, Albright came to the job not via business or politics but through an academic background in the study of international relations.

Madeleine Albright was a pioneering diplomat who was highly influential in shaping U.S. foreign policy. Her family immigrated to the United States from the Czech Republic in 1948 after communists seized power. She became a United States citizen in 1957 and earned a PhD from Columbia University. She worked on the National Security Council and became a faculty member at Georgetown University. In 1993, President Bill Clinton appointed her to be the U.S. ambassador for the United Nations and she became the first female U.S. secretary of state in 1997 taking over for Warren Christopher, serving in that role until President Clinton left office.

While in office as secretary of state, Albright supported the strengthening of the NATO alliance and the addition of former Soviet bloc countries and pushed for NATO to intervene in the genocide during the Balkan War. She was a supporter of environmental concerns, reasoning that NATO operations should be limited by controls on greenhouse gas emissions. She worked against nuclear weapons being developed by rogue countries and met with Kim Jong-il in North Korea in 2000 but was unable to reach a deal with him to limit their ballistic missiles. She was influential in getting Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 1998 to allow UN inspectors back in when it was believed he was building biological and chemical weapons.

In the 1990s, Madeleine Albright discovered her Jewish ancestry when the Washington Post published a piece reporting that her parents had been Jewish and converted during World War II. She accepted the information as the truth and told the New York Times, “I think my father and mother were the bravest people alive. They dealt with the most difficult decision anyone could make. I am incredibly grateful to them, and beyond measure.”

Eldest of three children, she was born Marie Jana Korbelová in Prague. on May 15, 1937. Her family took refuge from the Nazis in Switzerland, where she was educated at the Préalpina Institut pour Jeunes Filles on Lake Geneva. Madeleine was a French version of her Czech name.

During the second world war, her family moved to London, which became the headquarters of the Czech government in exile, and Madeleine was brought up first in Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill, then in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, and Walton-onThames, Surrey.

Her father Josef was a diplomat who took his family out of Czechoslovakia to London after Hitler and the Nazi’s invaded the country. While in London, they made the difficult decision to convert to Roman Catholicism in 1941 as the Nazi regime terrorized Europe. The children were baptized and their parents made up a family history that involved Catholic holidays in their past. They went back to their home country after the war but left for the United States in 1948 when the communists took control. In the 1990s, Madeleine Albright discovered her Jewish ancestry when the Washington Post published a piece reporting that her parents had been Jewish and converted during World War II. She accepted the information as the truth and told the New York Times, “I think my father and mother were the bravest people alive. They dealt with the most difficult decision anyone could make. I am incredibly grateful to them, and beyond measure.”

Albright, with her considerable expertise in both domestic and international politics, and her ability to speak several foreign languages, was a natural choice for Clinton, when he was elected president in 1992, to choose as US ambassador at the United Nations.

By the time of the Clinton administration, a female secretary of state was, if not exactly an idea whose time had come, at least not unthinkable, if the woman were well known and well liked in the Washington Democratic establishment. It is said that Clinton asked Albright if she was happy as ambassador to the UN; she replied that she was, but that she would rather be secretary of state. Clinton appointed her in 1997.

In 2012, Albright was awarded the presidential medal of freedom by Barack Obama later that year.

She is survived by her three daughters, Anne, Alice, and Katherine; and six grandchildren.

https://www.theguardian.com/usnews/2022/mar/23/madeleine-albright-obituary https://www.legacy.com/news/celebrity-deaths/madeleine-albright-1937-2022-first-female-secretary-ofstate/

—SPJST—

SPJST participates in TOCA Awards Banquet

Saturday, March 26, 2022 • Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange, Texas

SPJST hosted a wine and cheese reception prior to the 2022 Texans of Czech Ancestry (TOCA) Awards Banquet on Saturday, March 26, 2022, at Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center in La Grange. CENTER PHOTO: Left to right, District Five Director Bradley Stavinoha, District One Director Donnie Victorick, and President/CEO Brian Vanicek greet attendees. RIGHT PHOTO: SPJST’s honorees Alfred and Bernice Vrazel of Lodge 15, Buckholts, pictured left, are surrounded by their family members who attended the TOCA Awards Banquet.

SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek, left, acknowledges Alfred and Bernice Vrazel for their significant contributions to SPJST and Czech heritage. CENTER PHOTO: Mr. and Mrs. Vrazel, seated in front, are pictured with family. Standing, left to right are granddaughter Jessica Strmiska, grandson Matthew Strmiska, Bernice’s brother Adolph and sister-in-law Dorothy Vansa, Bernice’s sister Patsy Gaines, Bernice’s brother Robert and sister-in-law Debbie Vansa, and daughter Cynthia and son-in-law Michael Morris. RIGHT PHOTO: Pictured, left to right, are SPJST District One Director Donnie Victorick, TOCA President Thomas Stavinoha, SPJST President/CEO Brian Vanicek, SPJST honorees Alfred and Bernice Vrazel of Lodge 15, Buckholts, and District Five Director Bradley Stavinoha. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Vrazel!

TOCA-member organizations also recognized several SPJST members during the event. LEFT PHOTO: Texas Czech Genealogical Society (TCGS) honored Daniel Mares, center, of Lodge 47, Seaton and Edwin Hlavaty, not pictured, of Lodge 17, New Tabor. Also pictured are TOCA President Thomas Stavinoha of Lodge 81, Needville and TCGS representative Nancy Machu of Lodge 29, Taylor. PHOTO 2: Fort Bend County Czech Heritage Society recognized Neal Adamcik, center, of Lodge 88, Houston. PHOTO 3: Travis-Williamson Counties Czech Heritage Society honored Dawn Orsak, right, of Lodge 187, Round Rock. RIGHT PHOTO: Czech Heritage Society of Texas recognized Rudolph Rusnak, second from right, of Lodge 232, Houston Midtown. Congratulations to the 2022 TOCA award honorees.

Czech Easter

Easter means that spring has arrived. It is a moveable holiday. In the west Christian tradition, Easter is celebrated on the first weekend after the first spring full moon that follows the equinox, which is in March or April. Easter celebrations go a long way back into the past. The Czech Republic, like any other European country, has Jewish-Christian roots so the spring festival is a combination of pagan, Jewish, and Christian traditions.

Holy Week and Customs

The week preceding Easter is called Holy Week. Days of preparation lead up to Easter Monday, each with their religious undertones and customs. Holy Week consists of:

Ugly (Spy) Ash Wednesday - Škaredá středa. Ash Wednesday commemorates Judas’ betrayal, or bad deed. The name ash stems from the tradition of sweeping ashes from the chimney on that day. It is a cleaning day, but we should not get upset as one superstition says that a grumpy face could then return every Wednesday of the year. Children are let out of school so that they can spend time making Easter “beautiful” by cleaning and preparing.

Green (Maundy) Thursday - Zelený čtvrtek. It honors the Last Supper and is traditionally a day of fasting. No meat is consumed, and green vegetables are encouraged - spinach, cabbage, or nettle salad - to stay healthy all year round. It’s also a day to celebrate with zelene pivo - green beer!

Good Friday - Velký pátek. It is a day of mourning over the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and a day of strict fasting. In 2015, Good Friday joined Easter Monday again as an official national holiday. White Saturday - Bílá sobota. It is known as the Day of Light, symbolizing Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It is also a day of cleaning and whitewashing. Tables are set with some Easter stuffing, a ram cake or cross bun, and Judas buns. It’s also the last day Czech boys go around their villages shaking their wooden rattles until they are given money.

Easter Sunday - Velikonoční neděle. The celebrations continue when churches and cathedrals again fill up with people. Preparations also continue for Easter Monday - Velikonoční pondělí.

Easter Monday - And Monday? Monday is all about folk traditions! Easter remains one of the most joyful and fun holidays on the Czech calendar.

Painted Eggs

The most famous symbol of Easter, not only in the Czech Republic, is the painted egg - to represent fertility and new life. Empty eggshells are decorated in a typical way, according to family or regional tradition. The decorations are varied - painted and carved, dyed in onion peel and other natural colors,

etched, wired, decorated with wax, or perforated. The straw decorating method is very traditional. The egg is initially dyed, and miniature pieces of prepared straw are then glued onto the shell. Some eggs look like works of art and their production can even take a few days; yet, they are so fragile! Boys Shake Rattles to Scare off Judas For three days during Holy Week, groups of boys head out into their villages shaking a řehtačka - wooden rattle. The tradition is said to scare off Judas, the apostle Christians believe be-

trayed Jesus. On the third day - White Saturday - the boys stop at homes and make noise until they are given a present, usually money and usually to make them stop.

The Whip

The custom of whipping girls and women with a handmade whip has been a Czech Easter tradition for several centuries, perhaps going back to pre-Chris-

tian times. Boys and men used to whip girls with simple willow branches. Over time, the branches started to be braided together - pomlázky - and, in the end, a long and elaborately braided whip became the pride of its owner. It’s a centuries-old playful tradition said to bring

health and youth to girls and women chased and gently “whipped” by boys and men on Easter Monday morning while chanting the best known rhyme:

Hody, hody, doprovody, dejte vejce malovany, nedate-li malovany, dejte aspon bily, vsak vam slepicka snese jiny.

. . . give a painted egg, if you don't give a painted one, give at least a white one, the hen will bring you something different.

Traditionally, as boys and men walk around their neighborhood with their pomlázky/whips, they are given a ‘reward’ - a painted egg, a colored ribbon for their whip, money, something sweet, or something stronger, as in Moravia, where homemade brandy is popular.

Where to see the Traditions

All Czech open-air museums strive to keep the Czech folk traditions alive. The most popular event is Easter in Wallachia, which takes places in the openair museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in Moravia. Another open-air museum that keeps the traditional Easter customs is Veselý Kopec in East Bohemia. Most all historical buildings are decorated and welcome visitors. Open-air museum employees, wearing traditional costumes, will tell all about traditional folk customs, some of which have long been forgotten.

Spiritual Dimension

The spiritual dimension of Easter is also important in the Catholic tradition in the Czech Republic. It is commemorated at many pilgrimage sites, such as the Holy Mountain in Příbram in Central Bohemia, at the Roman Catholic parish in Velehrad in Moravia, or at Zelená hora near Žďár nad Sázavou, which is inscribed on the UNESCO list.

Veselé Velikonoce! Happy Easter!

http://www.eatingpraguetours.com/blog/czech-easter/ http://www.nebraskaczechs.org/EventsFolder/czecheastervelikonoce.htm https://www.visitczechrepublic.com/en-US/ad3469f4-7d02-480a-a00766715732bb2c/article/n-czech-easter-celebrations