Dragon Vases Honor Bravery

Dragon Vases Honor Bravery

It seems every day of the year has a special event, observance or holiday to celebrate.  January 16 has been proclaimed “Appreciate a Dragon Day” dedicated to learning about dragons.  Dragons, the magical scaly creature born from fire, have existed throughout mythology since the times of the Romans and Egyptians. The dragon is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The dragon symbolizes power, nobleness, honor, luck, and success in traditional Chinese culture.  It does not fear enemies or bully the weak.

My husband Charles was born in the year of the dragon in 1928. These two dragon vases were given as a gift to Charles by Zdeněk Žárský (1912-?), a member of the Czech resistance during World War II and the Cold War. Charles was assigned as a resistance contact to Captain Zdeněk Žárský, who had a leather shop in Brno. They were involved in very dangerous work so they “transferred messages in person because it was too risky to send them by radio.”

The two were reunited in “Czechoslovakia” 43 years later in 1991 after the Soviet Union collapsed and Charles was allowed to enter countries behind the Iron Curtain. They met in Charles’s sister Vlasta’s home in Brno and Captain Žárský presented Charles with the vases honoring and thanking him for his work in the Czech resistance.

It was a very emotional reunion.

 

Zdeněk Žárský and Charles Novacek

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *