Culture

The rich cultural heritage of Prague is reflected at all levels of its social activities and life style. Prague has always considered music to be one of the integral parts of education. Renowned musicians of the city are highly acclaimed in and out of the country. These musicians were appointed to perform the dual job of teachers and performers. The Prague Conservatoire has thus always been regarded as one of the world-class centers for training young composers and musicians since its formation in the late 18th century. However, not just music, the culture of Prague also revolves around its museums, theatres, galleries and monasteries each speaking of the general interest and expertise in various cultural fields that includes art, education, architecture, dance, film and other musical branches of performing arts.

A. Music

Offering some of the greatest musicians such as Martinů, Smetana, Jánacek and Dvorák Prague has gained the name and fame of a musical city. It is also believed that Mozart received more appreciation and admiration from Prague than from his own country, Vienna goes a long way to speak about the city's inclination towards music. A number of musical festivals and concerts are organized all through the year keeping up to the reputation of Prague being a musical city. Undoubtedly the city boasts all kinds of music right from classical jazz, folk, to the latest world-class pop. Two of the world famous orchestras are found here, namely, the Czech Philharmonic and the Prague Symphony Orchestra. The church of St. Nicolas and various other venues host high quality performances of a number of other orchestras as well. Operas and other musical shows include other events and festivals all round the year. Some of the famous venues even host occasional Mozart operas.

B. Language

The official language of Prague is Czech. The Czech language is considered to be one of the Western Slavonic languages. The language is distinguished by some notable variations that include haceks, known as the little hooks, changing the pronunciation of some of the letters. Although the Czech language was decisively suppressed during the Hapsburg rule between 1620 and 1981, the nationalist movement in the 19th century helped in reviving it. Apart from the ‘haceks' the language is also marked by a series of diacritical marks that were introduced by Jan Huns, the religious reformer in 1410 and which also separate the language from the neighboring Polish language.

One of the typical characteristics of the language includes its stress on the first syllable of almost all Czech words. The ‘r' sound is considered to be the most difficult to pronounce which needs to be pronounced as ‘rzh' and thus needs proper training to pronounce it correctly. Apart from Czech, English has evolved rapidly as the second language, especially among the youngsters. Almost all tourist services also have at least one English speaking staff. Mainly the elderly people also speak some amount of German here.

C. Religious Practices

About 39.2 % of the Czech population is Roman Catholic with a presence of the Jewish minority. Almost 4.6% is Protestant, 3% Orthodox and 13.4% practices other religions. Also a 39.8% of the population is found to be atheist.

D. Major Events

Summer Shakespeare Festival

A selection of theatrical productions is presented in the courtyard of Burgrave Palace at the Prague Castle during this festival. Vaclav Havel, the former president of the country, first conceived the idea of this festival. A number of documentary films focusing on human rights are screened in order to promote global responsibility. About 80 films and videos are screened from all across the globe including a lot of other activities such as concerts, debates, workshops and photo exhibitions. Also, International documentary films and video competitions add to the flavor of the event. The event takes place under the open sky in the courtyard with the ancient castles serving as a perfect backdrop.

Cesky Krumlov International Music Festival

This music festival attracts a huge crowd every year with a series of musical concerts and operas. These concerts and operas mostly take place in several halls, courtyards, and even on revolving stages of the castle gardens.

Verdi Festival

Every year the State Opera House of Prague celebrates the Verdi festival from August to September as a tribute to the famous composer. The festival provides an ideal opportunity to those who cannot attend the city's regular opera season. The lovely ornate hall hosts some of the select collections of the famous works by the composer.

Jan Palach's Death Anniversary

The citizens remember the death of Jan Palach, a young Czech student by visiting his grave and lighting candles. Jan Palach killed himself while protesting against the Soviet invasion in 1969 and thus is considered to be a national hero. The day honors the young boy who gave up his life for the country. The day is celebrated every year in January.

Prague Opera, Ballet and Concerts

The major opera houses and concert halls stage a variety of performances that include animated films, ballets, classical concerts, puppets, mime and live acting performances all through the month of July. Mostly visual, these shows are easily understood by people of all nationalities and languages.

Summer Old Music Festivities

The festival celebrates the birth anniversary of Mozart with various musical performances rendering his compositions that influenced the European music to a great extent.

E. Etiquettes / Dos and Don'ts

Do's

- Use English while communicating with others, as the language is becoming popular now, especially when handling business deals.

- Maintain courteous behaviors and shake hands while exchanging greetings.

- Do negotiate the cab fare before entering into the cab.

Don'ts

- Do not use comments that would hint that the country is in a developing stage. That might offend the Czechs.

- Avoid exchanging money with street people.

- Avoid parking in the blue zone. You might get into trouble.