This Friday is a national holiday in the Czech Republic, marking the 87th
anniversary of the founding of the first Czechoslovak state. The
"Velvet Divorce" of January 1993 saw Czechoslovakia split into
two separate states, the Czech Republic, which continues to celebrate the
October 28 holiday, and Slovakia, which no longer does. To mark the
occasion, the seated Czech president traditionally lays a wreath at the
statue of the first Czechoslovak president, Tomas G Masaryk, and receives
foreign diplomats at Prague Castle.