CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library celebrated the belated 25th anniversary of a monumental event with a weekend full of activities. On a chilly day on Oct. 21, 1995, U.S. President Bill Clinton, Czech President Václav Havel and Slovak President Michal Kováč visited Cedar Rapids to dedicate the museum’s […]
You are browsing archives for
Tag: kroje
Piecing together a faux Bohemian kroj
Buying a kroj wasn’t on my radar when I visited the Czech Republic several years ago. The traditional folk costumes, with elaborate designs worn in years past for weddings and other celebrations, are now uncommon in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, outside of dance troupes or folk festivals. Being involved in Czech-American organizations, we’re occasionally […]
Old and new: Photographer creates unique...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Slovak photographer Monika Klučiarová has long been passionate about taking photos of newborns, and had always held a fascination with Slovakian folk costumes, called kroje. Combining the two created a unique art form “that merges the innocent beauty of newborns with the treasured works of our ancestors,” Klučiarová said during the opening […]
Photos: Houby Days 2018 in Cedar Rapids,...
CEDAR RAPIDS – It was nearly a clean sweep in the morel contest during this year’s Houby Days, a three-day festival that celebrates the springtime mushroom and the city’s Czech heritage. Mike Haugsted of Cedar Rapids won the largest, smallest and best mushroom displays in the annual contest. Brody Driscoll of Hiawatha broke Haugsted’s streak […]
Museum celebrates Czech holidays and tra...
By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS – Visitors can experience folk traditions and customs from the Czech Republic in a new exhibition shown exclusively at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. “Celebration! Rituals and Revelry of Life,” explores a years-worth of holidays through colorful Czech masks, costumes, religious artifacts and other items directly from […]
Weekend Photo Gallery: Houby Days and mo...
CEDAR RAPIDS – It’s been a fun weekend to be Czech, or at least spend time in Czech Village, where the annual Houby Days festival is taking place. Houby, the Czech word for mushroom, takes center stage during the celebration, along with other Czech traditions, such as the Parade of Kroje, or folk costumes. Trophies […]