Old Czech Hall
116 St. John St. N0P 1M0 Dresden, ON, Canada

The 2021 Czech Hall Calendar edition is now on sale. It features the stories and hardships of a generation of families coming to Canada to better their lives. Contact Marion or Al at 519-683-2097, Face Book message, or email [email protected] Each page also includes an authentic Czech recipe, many submitted by families featured in the calendar biographies. Price is $20.00 each.

Today is a public holiday. On November 17th 1989 (International Students' Day), riot police suppressed a student demonstration in Prague. This event marked the ...50th anniversary of a violently suppressed demonstration against the Nazi storming of Prague University in 1939 where 1,200 students were arrested and 9 killed. The 1989 event sparked a series of demonstrations from November 17th to late December and turned into an anti-communist demonstration. On November 20th the number of protesters gathered in Prague grew from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated 500,000. The entire top leadership of the Communist Party, including General Secretary Miloš Jakeš, resigned on November 24th. On November 27th was held a two-hour general strike involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia. In response to the collapse of other Warsaw Pact governments and the increasing street protests, the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia announced on November 28th that it would relinquish power and end the one-party state. Two days later, the federal parliament formally deleted the sections of the Constitution giving the Communist Party a monopoly of power. Barbed wire and other obstructions were removed from the border with West Germany and Austria in early December. December 10th, President Gustáv Husák appointed the first largely non-communist government in Czechoslovakia since 1948 and resigned. Alexander Dubek was elected speaker of the federal parliament on December 28th and Václav Havel became the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29th 1989. See more

On November 11th many European nations celebrate Saint Martin’s Day. Here is a little history who he was. There are many stories related to Martin from Tours. O...ne of the most famous is the one about his mantle. Martin was a righteous and honest soldier who honored his faith even in the army. According to the legend, he lived in modesty and respect for all people. He treated his slave like a brother. He differed significantly from the other soldiers and his good heart is also mentioned in this (probably best known) legend about Martin. In 335, on a freezing winter night, Martin met a beggar at the gates of Amiens in the north of France. He was only modestly dressed, obviously hungry and freezing. The old man asked Martin for help. However, Martin didn’t have anything with him so he shared his warm cloak with the beggar. He cut the cloak with his sword into two halves and gave one half to the poor man so that he could at least warm up. The legend also says that Jesus appeared to Martin the night afterwards, wrapped in the gifted half of his cloak. The scene of the cloak was afterwards one of the most famous and popular motifs of church artists for centuries. To St. Martin’s Day belongs inherently goose roast. But why goose? Legend has it that St. Martin, in his modesty, did not want to accept the rank of bishop in Tours and hid himself among a flock of geese from the ambassadors who carried his report of election. However these geese betrayed him with their loud noises. Another version says that the geese disturbed Martin during his sermons, so he condemned them for their wrongdoing so on the day of his remembrance to be roasted. The goose was always enjoyed by the whole household and the distribution of its meat had precise rules. The lowest servant was given a wing so he could fly at work, the higher servant had a thigh, the farmer himself kept the rest. St. Martin's pastries were called differently in different regions: St. Martin's horns, rolls or horseshoes of St. Martin. At that time, so-called St. Martin's wines were opened, which are the first wines of the new year. On this day if you got the first snow we would say that Martin visited on his white horse. See more

Happy Schnitzel Day!