Jan Hus Memorial Day is an official public holiday in the Czech Republic, which takes place annually on July 6, the day of the execution of the famous reformer.

Jan Hus is a world famous Czech scientist, priest and reformer who lived at the turn of the 14th and 15th centuries. Rector of the University of Prague. He made a significant contribution to the formation of the Czech language, as well as the reform of the Catholic Church. He was deceived into attending the Council of Constance, where he was burned alive at the stake for his thoughts. His death became the impetus for the beginning of the national liberation movement of the Czechs against the German authorities.

In the Czech Republic, Jan Hus is a very famous and revered national hero. Numerous monuments, museums, streets and squares are dedicated to him and his name. At Old Town Square of the country’s capital city Prague, one of the main squares of the city, a monument erected in 1915 is dedicated to Jan Hus.

Torchlight procession on Jan Hus Memorial Day

On July 6, Czechs light bonfires everywhere to honor the memory of their great ancestor.

There is a separate Hussite church in the country, which has a large number of supporters.