Czech Foreign Ministry to propose new national day dedicated to Czech expatriates

Prague, July 1 (CTK) – The Czech Foreign Ministry wants to add an important day to the calendar dedicated to Czechs living abroad as a way to honor their role in Czech history as well as in the current era.

The Ministry will launch a public poll to select the specific date it will then propose to the government.

The poll contains five possible dates, each tied to a historical event involving Czech expatriates.

As of today, the most popular choice is December 23, referring to the cutting of barbed wires at the Rozvadov border crossing in 1989, following the fall of the Communist regime in former Czechoslovakia.

The second most popular day is February 4, the day philosopher and pedagogue Jan Amos Komensky left Czech Lands in 1628.

The other days included in the poll are July 1, referring to the first meeting of Czechs and Slovaks living abroad in 1932, March 7, a date that is to continue with the interwar Czechoslovakia’s tradition of the “days of Czechoslovaks abroad” and April 17, referring to Vojtěch Náprstek, who is considered the first consul of Czech expatriates.

People can vote in the poll until the end of July.

Based on the result, the ministry will prepare a proposal for the creation of a new important day and file it with the government.

Currently, Czechia has 15 national days of note in its calendar.