So, casting about Saturday for something to do, I ran across a reference to a Japanese Spring Festival at Vyšehrad.
Curious, I headed out to Vyšehrad.
While searching for the clearing where the Festival was to take place, I ran across a playground:
There were some wooden sculptures scattered about, but I have no idea who (or what) they represent:
When I found the clearing, people were just milling around:
But soon, they set up the drums:
Next, the banner came out:
I have no idea what this was, but it was brought onto the field next:
Finally, the games began. We had some mock swordplay:
There was drumming:
Next, we had the archers:
The participants in these displays all appeared to be Czech; they did not at any rate appear to be Japanese. There was a platform set up at one end of the clearing, and after the first round of games, some Japanese men took their places on the platform:
The main participants were recognized:
And then, it looked as though it was all starting over again, beginning (or resuming) with the mock swordplay. So, I pretty much lost interest, and wandered off.
The clearing where the festival was taking place was right next to the Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul:
Closeups of the icons of Sts. Paul and Peter (respectively) that appear to either side of the rose window:
A nearby building has Elizabeth of Bohemia (the sister of Václav III, who was assassinated at Olomouc, ending the male Přemyslid line, and the mother of Charles IV) looking out from a corner, though why precisely, I couldn’t say:
I wandered back to the clearing, and found that we were back to archery, so I continued my meandering and visited the cemetery adjoining the basilica. The grave of Milada Horáková was attracting the most visitors:
Mrs. Horáková had been a member of the Czech Resistance during WWII and spent time in Nazi prisons for her pains. She was subsequently an outspoken opponent of the Communist government, which executed her for treason in 1950. As a result, she is now considered a modern Czech heroine.
Even in death, (some) Czechs can be very particular about their titles, and you so you get "Dr", "MUDr", "JUDr" and "Ing" on the tombstones:
This tombstone simply pleased me: it’s highly distinctive:
I believe that this part of the cemetery is reserved for the convent:
And, looking over the cemetery to the basilica:
Returning to the clearing, we were on drumming again. So I gradually wandered my way out of Vyšehrad. I didn’t know what this was when I photographed it, but it appears that nowadays at least it’s being used as a gardening shed:
I’m sure that it must have been built for something else, but who knows what?
And just a final shot, looking across to Prague Castle from Vyšehrad:
