Wisconsin Czechs
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            About us

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            The Wisconsin Czechs provide many services to the community including:

            • A scholarship fund for students seeking financial aid for higher education
            • Events throughout the state celebrating Czech music and culture
            • Preservation of Czech traditional cooking through our collection of cookbooks
            • Continuation of the Czech language through meetings and classes

            Currently, the Wisconsin Czechs number 350 members. Members hail from 13 states and one member lives in Canada.

            Quarterly meetings during the year include the Masopust celebration (mardi gras) which is held on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday. A dinner, a dance and a parade of costumes are included in the program.

            Masopust is a season of merrymaking and masquerading which peaks on the last few days before lent. The word “masopust” means “goodbye to meat” or literally “dropping of meat”. In old Czechoslovakia the preparation for Masopust, starting on “Fat Thursday” usually involves the slaughter of a pig and the preparation of a traditional Czech meal of roast pork, sauerkraut and dumplings. According to tradition, this was a day filled with eating and drinking to keep one’s strength all year long. The main masopust celebration begins on Sunday with a fine dinner. It is followed by dancing, entertainment and fun all day long.

            The scholarship meeting is scheduled in May. Students who have won scholarships are honored with scholarship certificates. The students receive their monetary awards after the first semester at a school of higher education. The students’ families are recognized. A program that describes some part of our culture is presented.

            The August meeting is a pout’ celebrated by Wisconsin Czechs as a harvest festival. Definitions also include going on a pilgrimage or attending a fair. The Wisconsin Czechs begin the day with a mass at St. Theresa’s Parish at the St. Lawrence site in Stangelville, WI. This is followed by a dinner, meeting, and dance.

            At Christmas time in December, the annual Czech-Slovak Christmas Festival is held. The main entertainment includes music performances in the Czech language and instrumental holiday music. Live performances displaying traditional Czech and Slovak dances add to the excitement of the day. The event includes vendors with various gift items and traditional baked goods, set up in a manner similar to Old Town Christmas markets in Prague, Czech Republic.  The event provides a fun-filled day of ethnic music, food, and shopping open to the public. 

            Each quarterly meeting is arranged by a chairman and committee. The program chairman coordinates a cultural offering with a full day’s program.


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