Prague's panorama was ablaze with colors May 15 as the Midsummer Nights Navalis sought to recapture the aura of the Baroque era. A stroll along the Vltava brought with it the mysterious sight of Venetian gondolas, but the parade of boats came with good reason as it paid tribute to St. John of Nepomuk, who was thrown off the Charles Bridge under orders of King Wenceslas IV in 1393. May 15 marks the anniversary of St. John's canonization, and the gondolas, markets, concerts and fireworks that ran from May 13 to May 16 as part of the Midsummer Nights Navalis (Svatojánské navalis) recalled the 17th and 18th century, when such celebrations were common. | more |