Bonfire at Lany in memory of Czechoslovakia’s first president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk

President Miloš Zeman lit a bonfire at Lany chateau to mark the 82nd anniversary of the death of Czechoslovakia’s first president Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk on Saturday.

The traditional ceremony was also attended by Cardinal Dominik Duka and the honorary chairman of TOP 09 Karel Schwarzenberg.

The tradition of Masaryk bonfires goes back to 1935 when they were lit around the country to celebrate the president’s 85th birthday. The tradition was cut off by the communist regime and renewed in 2001.