Czechoslovakian Children: Activities


Figure 1.-- Football as in most countries is by far the most popular sport in the Czech Republic. We notice that gymnastics is also popular.

We have only begun to work on Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic at this time. We have some information on choirs and schools at this time as wella s some information on sports. Czechoslovakia had a varied religious heritage. Several major creeds have played a role in the country's historyWe hope to eventually expand our assessment of boys' activitities ans associate clothing as we acquire more information about Czech boys clothing. Hopefully our Czech readers will help us expand our information here.

Choirs

We have no historical information on boy choirs in Czechoslovakia, but we do have some information on modern choirs in the Czech Republic.

Holidays

Aczech reader tells us about hilidays in his country, " Although I think we don't have much of national pride Czechs are very sensitive about holidays celebration. On 24th December Baby Jesus brings us presents (not Santa Claus). On 6th St Micolaus comes with an angel and also a devil and gives us sweets if we were good during year or coal and potatoes if we were bad. On Easter Monday boys go with whipping sticks and beat girls so they stay healthy. As a reward they get eggs and chocolate. No Halloween here, we call it "Dušičky", which could be translated as 'Little souls'."

Religion

Czechoslovakia had a varied religious heritage. Several major creeds have played a role in the country's history: Roman Catholic, Uniate, the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, Lutheran, Calvinist, Orthodox, the Czech Reformed Church (the Hussites), the Old Catholic Church, and Judaism. Czechoslovakia was built around the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The Czechs were an early convert to Lutherenism during the Protestant Reformation. It was also one of the successes of the Counter Reformation through which by force of Hapsburg arms, the Czechs were forced back into the Catholic Church. Even so, it left and indelible mark on both the Czech church and people. Roman Catholicism, esoecially the papacy, came to be seen as both pro-Hapsburg and pro-German by the Czechs and other ethnic groups. (Compare this to Poland and Ireland where the Catholic Church was a symbol of national identity to foreign control.) After the 16th century religious wars there were minorities of various Prorestant scects among the various mostly Catholic ethnic groups: Bohemian Brethren in the Czech lands, Lutherans in Slovakia, and Calvinists among the Hungarians. At the time Czechoslovakia became independent after World war I, about two-thirds of the population was Catholic. While Czechoslovakia was overwealmingly Catholic, the Protestant minority and history of religious discent helped to forge a more tolerant Catholicism. A spirit of resistance to Rome began even befoe the Reformation with the Hussite heresey. Another factor here was surely the fact that the Hapsburgs were strongly suported by the papacy helped to create a resistance t papal control within the Czech church, especially in the Czech lands of Bohemia and Moravia. The Catholics split with Rome over the issue of papal infallibility even before Czechoslovakia was created (1870). The Czechoslovak National Church was Catholic but decidedly antipapal, and very nationalistic with a range of inluences, including Hussite and Unitarian . Relations between the Vatican and the new independent Czechoslovakia were uneasy. The papal nuncio twiceleft Prague in protest over preceived anti-Catholic government actions (1925 and 33).

Schools

Assessing Czech schools is a little complicated in this mational format. This is because the Czech people have been incorporated over time in many different states. Bohemia was once an independent kingdom and then for many years was ruled by an Austrian monarchy under a range of constitutional arrangements. As a result, Czech education was heavily influenced by German educational trends. After World War I Czechslovakia was created, an independent state with both Czechs and Slovaks as well as othernationalities. The NAZIs dismembered Czechoslovakia, but it was restablished after World War II and became a Communist puppet state. After the overthrow of the Communists, Czechoslovakia was paritioned intto the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Sports

We have very limited information about sport in Czech Republic or before the creation of the Czech Republic, the former Czechoslovakia. As in most countries, football (soccer) is by large margins the most important sport. We see youth teams playing games with other Czech teams as well as foreign teams, especially Germany. We are not sure how these teams are organized. They appear to sports clubs rather than school teams. We also notice that gymnastics is very popular in the Czech Republic. Again it seems to be organized primarily through sports clubs.

Toys

Children from time imemoriable have enjoyed toys. A Czech boys being located next to Germany and part of the Austro-Hungrian Empire have had some great toys. We don't know of any specific Czech toys. Basically Czech children had the same toys as Austrian and German children. German until the NAZIs seized power were noted for some of the best children's toys. We don't have enough Czech imahes yet to describe the variety of toys children they played with.

Work

Czechoslovakia was created at the end of World War I (1918). Czechoslovakia was established as a parliamentary democracy. Much of the Austro-Hungarian Empire's industrial capacity wa located in Czechoslovakia, much of it in Bohemia--the modern Czech Republic. We do not yet have full details, but the Austro-Hungarian Empire had passed child labor laws before World War I and the new Czechoslovakia thus had child labor laws before the state came into existence. As a result, you do not see a lot of Czech boys involved in industrial labor as was common in the 19th century.We do not yet have details on the laws or additions to them by the new Czech Parliament. Many children left school ater primary school at about 13-14 years of age and entered the labor force to some degree. Middle-class children entered secondary schools. Following the German model, quite a few working-class boys became apprentices. This was more true of boys than girls. Working class girls were more likely to go into domstic service. We believe that many of the working class boys in inter-War Czechoslovakia were boys in rural areas. Outside of Bohemia, Czechoslovakia was a largely agrarian country. Slovakia lagged far behind the industrialized Czechs in Bohemia. Thus there was childlabor in rural areas. After World War II, the Communist Government outlawed child labor and significantly expanded the educational system so that most children attended secondary schools and thus began working at a later age, even in rural areas. At the same time many opportunities were closed off the Czechs as a result of the nationalization of private enterprises.

Youth Groups

Following youth groups in Czechoslovakia is rather complicated by the many political changes affecting the country. Before World War I it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Scouing was established at this time, but we are unsure how it was organized. After the War Czechoslovakia was created in 1918. Scouting was the major youth movement, but I am not sure how the different nationalities affected the organization. Many German Sudeten boys wanted to join the Hitler Youth, but were not allowed ton wear the uniform. The country was invaded and partitioned by NAZI Germany in 1938-39. Part of Czecheslovakia was annexed to the Reich and German boys joined the Hitler Youth. I am not sure what youth groups existed are were allowed in the rest of the former territories of the country like Slovakia. After World War II in 1945 Scouting briefly appeared. The Communists seized power in 1948. Scouting was banned and the only permitted youth group was the Young Pioneers. After the fall of Communism in 1989, Scouting appeared again. The country split in 199? into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Scouting exists in both countries. There is also a uniformed Czech group called the BVÚ, but I have no information on them.







HBC






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Crerated: 11:49 PM 4/27/2005
Last updated: 4:04 AM 10/9/2015