Oslavy narozenin prezidentů v meziválečném Československu
Celebrations of Presidents’ Birthdays in Interwar Czechoslovakia

Summary/Abstract: The personality, or even the cult of the ruler can be used to unite a country not integrated by language, ethnicity, religious, or common history. In the interwar Czechoslovak Republic, the celebration of president Tomáš G. Masaryk’s birthday on March 7 was among the pillars of the new state’s traditions, which adopted patterns of celebration from the Habsburg Monarchy. However, the possibility of employing the presidential birthday for state integration was limited by the conception of Czechoslovakism. Masaryk’s birthday was neither a state holiday nor a state-mandated day off . But in practice his birthday was celebrated like a state holiday. State institutions participated in these festivities and unified instructions orchestrated the program. The main goal of the celebration was to ensure the loyalty of the country’s citizens. Masaryk, the primary focus of the First Czechoslovak Republic festivities was aware of the potential of holidays for mobilization and state identifi cation. Opponents of Czechoslovak state and of Castle politics were more or less indif erent to celebrations of Masaryk’s birthday, accepting them as reality. The March 7 festivities, in contrast to other state formating holidays like Zborov or October 28, emphasized Masaryk as a charismatic role of wise ruler.

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