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Since the Velvet Divorce in 1993, the historic kingdom of Bohemia and Moravia returned to the map of Europe, but for some reason probably related to the decline of the teaching of history in our schools, journalists, government officials, and others insisted on calling this newly-resurgent land of Bohemia by the awkward name "Czech Republic". The neologism seems to have stuck, even though no one is quite sure whether this country is called "THE Czech Republic", "Czech Republic", or even "Czechia".
For more than a thousand years, this land was known to English-speakers (and French-speakers too) as "Bohemia". Those titans of English prose and lyric, Shakespeare, Conan-Doyle and Freddie Mercury, all made reference to "Bohemia"; towns and cities throughout North America commemorate the mother country of "Bohemia"; things as disparate as lousy beer and artistic eccentricity are known as "Bohemian". Tourism flourishes whenever the destination is described in fairy-tale magic terms as "Bohemia", and fades in grey post-Soviet gloom whenever the term "Czech Republic" is invoked.
Is Bohemia what the locals call their land and language? No: but did that ever stop us speakers of the English language from calling the Germans German? Or the Austrians Austrian? Or the Dutch Dutch?
Now, thanks to recent terrorist attacks, there is yet another reason to call this land "Bohemia": because it makes it absolutely crystal-clear that Bohemia, a Catholic nation which has given rise to poets, scientists, composers, novelists, and architects, which is not particularly noted either for the raising of sheep, the practice of kidnapping, or Islamic terrorism, is not and never was Chechnya.
Hurrah for Bohemia, a beautiful country in the heart of Europe, about two thousand miles northwest of Chechnya!
I have a better idea--what if Americans just learn that the Czech Republic and Chechnya are 2000 miles apart, and that they have absolutely nothing in common (language, religion, ethnic group, culture) except that they were both forced to be part of the USSR? This could be a learning opportunity.
My husband is 100% Czech--his family came from different parts of the current Czech republic that were once Moravia AND Bohemia. Nebraska has a huge Czech population, scattered in communities across the state where they settled together in groups. They don't call themselves Bohemians, unless their family came from the part of the Czech Republic that was once Bohemia, but they do (or did) all speak the Czech language and are part of the Czech ethnic group. We have Czech festivals and Czech food. You're right--it's a beautiful country, with amazing food--we still eat duck and dumplings with sauerkraut, and bake kolache for special occasions, and a meat processor in Nebraska makes Jaternice, which my FIL would eat daily if he could. I don't think the beer is crappy, and there's always plenty of it at Czech country weddings and polka dances. Yea for the CZECHS!
My great grandmother was from there! I can't wait to visit someday.
My husband and I haven't gone yet, but lots of his family has, and it's an absolutely beautiful country. It's on our bucket list, hopefully in the next 5 years.
Good to know. My cousin lives in Prague with her husband and sent some beautiful pics. Hope to go visit someday, too.
In the US some really need a geography lesson, then again when I lived in South Florida someone at work didnt know NE stood for a state in this country (lol).
Good to know. My cousin lives in Prague with her husband and sent some beautiful pics. Hope to go visit someday, too.
In the US some really need a geography lesson, then again when I lived in South Florida someone at work didnt know NE stood for a state in this country (lol).
We were in Maryland once at one of those Chesapeake bay crab shacks with our kids when they were fairly young. The boys had never had to crack crabs before, we were trying to show them how, and the waitress was confused and surprised that this was a first for them. She asked where we were from, and we told her Nebraska. She said "I don't mean what town--what state are you from?" She'd never heard of it. LOL!
We have to do a better job of teaching geography in this country...
Since the Velvet Divorce in 1993, the historic kingdom of Bohemia and Moravia returned to the map of Europe, but for some reason probably related to the decline of the teaching of history in our schools, journalists, government officials, and others insisted on calling this newly-resurgent land of Bohemia by the awkward name "Czech Republic". The neologism seems to have stuck, even though no one is quite sure whether this country is called "THE Czech Republic", "Czech Republic", or even "Czechia".
For more than a thousand years, this land was known to English-speakers (and French-speakers too) as "Bohemia". Those titans of English prose and lyric, Shakespeare, Conan-Doyle and Freddie Mercury, all made reference to "Bohemia"; towns and cities throughout North America commemorate the mother country of "Bohemia"; things as disparate as lousy beer and artistic eccentricity are known as "Bohemian". Tourism flourishes whenever the destination is described in fairy-tale magic terms as "Bohemia", and fades in grey post-Soviet gloom whenever the term "Czech Republic" is invoked.
Is Bohemia what the locals call their land and language? No: but did that ever stop us speakers of the English language from calling the Germans German? Or the Austrians Austrian? Or the Dutch Dutch?
Now, thanks to recent terrorist attacks, there is yet another reason to call this land "Bohemia": because it makes it absolutely crystal-clear that Bohemia, a Catholic nation which has given rise to poets, scientists, composers, novelists, and architects, which is not particularly noted either for the raising of sheep, the practice of kidnapping, or Islamic terrorism, is not and never was Chechnya.
Hurrah for Bohemia, a beautiful country in the heart of Europe, about two thousand miles northwest of Chechnya!
Good to know. My cousin lives in Prague with her husband and sent some beautiful pics. Hope to go visit someday, too.
In the US some really need a geography lesson, then again when I lived in South Florida someone at work didnt know NE stood for a state in this country (lol).
They really do. There's a lot of Czech-Americans in PA that still say their so and so ancestor was from Czechoslovakia or that they are part Czechoslovakian. Newsflash, those 2 countries split up a while ago
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Yea for the CZECHS!
