November 17, 2009 - Czechs celebrate 20 years since Velvet Revolution

Nearing Narodni trida on the afternoon of November 17, I was met by a human barricade of men and women in uniform. Some resembled typical police officers while others may have easily passed for S.W.A.T.

I was under the impression that this would be a celebration! It had been two decades since the fall of the Iron Curtain and Czechoslovakia's start on the road to freedom from communist rule. People should be making peace today, not war! But from what I could see, crowds too large for comfort were starting to gather, making me certain I was about to witness a riot...

In a position well enough to see not far beyond the wall topped off by helmets and face shields, I noticed an approaching car with what quite obviously appeared to be a gigantic roll of toilet paper secured to its roof. Not so obvious was the significance of a car hulling around said ginormous roll of toilet paper, not to mention the reason why hoards of people were running after it. The small car made a u-turn, as did its followers, when another bizarre vehicle came into my line of sight: a banana on wheels.

As it turns out, bananas and toilet paper were once hard to come by in what's now known as the Czech Republic. On the 17th, in remembrance of scarcity during the communist era, the Czechs chase such commodities in a mini-marathon called "What we'd be running after if the Velvet Revolution never happened."

If there's one thing I've learned about Czechs while living in Prague, it's that many have a great sense of humor. For an outsider just beginning to learn more about the culture and history of these people, it definitely takes some effort to "get" the jokes... but it's worth it.

If they truly say laughter's the best medicine, then I'm being happily treated by the best doctors around.    

Comments

Posted on 12/13/2009 by

Amy Smith

It's also probably worth noting that chasing toilet paper wasn't the only happening on the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution... Read up on the celebration (and more on its history) here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/11/17/czech.velvet.revolution.1989/index.html

Posted on 12/13/2009 by

Mary Smith

Grateful I had the oppurtunity to experience some Czech culture with you... xoxox You are a wonderful teacher :-)

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