Valentine's Day (All Lovers' Day)
Description:
And in the Czech Republic there is another patron saint of lovers - St. John Nepomuk (Sv. Jan Nepomucky) - Vicar Yoganek from Pomuk.
St. John Nepomuk was the confessor of Empress John, wife of the famous Czech King Wenceslas. John refused to give the king the secret of the Empress's confession. The king, not learning from the priest the love secrets of his wife, ordered him drowned under the Prague Bridge. According to legend, a crown with five stars appeared over the body of the drowned martyr. In memory of this miracle, five metal stars were embedded in the stone railing of the bridge at the very spot from which Nepomuk was thrown.
On the Charles Bridge there is a bas-relief, which depicts the moment of the death of the saint. It is impossible not to notice the bas-relief! It shines, as many tourists touch it to fulfill a wish. But locals say that wishes are fulfilled in a completely different place of Charles Bridge, near the statue of St. Nepomuk (it can be recognized by the halo of five stars). Next to the figure is screwed a copper cross, which you need to touch to make all your dreams come true.
There is another sign associated with the Charles Bridge in Prague: lovers who kissed on this bridge will be happy.
Valentine’s Day in the Czech Republic began to be celebrated only after the Velvet Revolution in 1989. So, Czechs have two days of lovers, as, according to tradition, lovers here have long celebrated their holiday on May 1.
According to Radio PRAHA: For many Czechs, the patron of lovers is the poet Karel Gynek Maha. He is buried in a cemetery in Vysegrad, Prague. It can be considered symbolic that it was in the cathedral, located next to the cemetery, that the remains of St. Valentine were discovered in 2002.