Why is Barchan celebrated in Jemnice?

The heart of the festival is the Running of the Barchan, listed as a national cultural heritage site. It is said that in 1312, when King John of Luxembourg went to battle against marauding knights, he left his wife Eliška Premyslovna in the safety of fortified Jemnice. Four messengers sent her news of the campaign and Eliška, in her poverty, rewarded them with what she had: the first received a barchet breastplate, the second a scarf, the third a stocking and the fourth a wreath. It is from this legend that the tradition of the Barchan was born. The course of the celebration changed frequently in the past. However, the core of the celebration has never changed. This is the running of the four messengers who carry messages to their Queen, Eliška Premyslovna. Since 2014, the Running of the Barchan has been included in the prestigious List of Intangible Assets of Traditional Folk Culture of the Czech Republic.

Currently, Barchan is launched on Friday in the early evening with a parade of townspeople and the hoisting of the Barchan and town banner at the town hall. The mayor then opens the market and mazhaus to host the festival. This is followed by cultural and other period programmes and in the evening there is a dance party in the castle park.

On Saturday morning, a parade of costumed characters accompanied by drummers and trumpeters wakes up the inhabitants of Jemnice. In the morning there is a cultural programme with a period market.

In the afternoon, the traditional Run for the Barchan takes place. A parade of costumed characters will take down the barchanic banner and then together they will walk along Husova Street to the finish line at the crossroads by the cultural centre. The start of the messenger race is at the crossroads by the department store. At the finish line, the messengers must touch the barchanic banner. Then they line up and walk with their escorts to the town hall, where their names are written in a commemorative book. The climax of the ceremony is a large scene in the castle park where, according to legend, the Queen rewards the messengers with traditional gifts. The scene is complete with songs, dances and duelling knights.

In the afternoon, King John and his retinue arrive in fortified Jemnice. The queen thanks the people of Jemnice for their hospitality and promises them that the king will not forget them and will reward them for their loyal service with extensive privileges. The royal couple then leave Jemnice accompanied by a colourful procession of historical figures. The grand procession will go down Castle Street, past Liberty Square, down Husova Street and Tyršova Street out of the town.

The Royal Town of Jemnice

Characters.

History and cultural context: Based on a legend, the festival of Barchan is celebrated in Jemnice.

Copyright and contact: City of Jemnice, Department of Culture and Tourism. Zdeněk Hopián. kultura@mesto-jemnice.cz. Tel. 702 090 435