Domažlice is the center of the Chodsko ethnographic region, where the traditions of folk bagpipe music, dance, and customs are still vibrantly preserved. The Chod Festival is one of the oldest and largest ethnographic festivals in the Czech Republic, respected not only by visitors from the Czech Republic but also from distant countries. Every year, the organizers welcome six hundred performers on various stages—soloists and members of ethnographic ensembles from our country and abroad.
Important events within the Chodské festivities also include the famous Holy Masses on Veselá hora – Vavřineček, which are held outdoors on Saturday and Sunday starting at 10:00 a.m. The pilgrimage was originally a religious celebration in memory of the saint to whom it was dedicated.
From the 19th century onward, it also took on an entertaining character; the Holy Mass was followed by a dance party, there were market stalls, performances by traveling actors, and later also attractions. Pilgrimages were among the village’s most important festivals. Three were celebrated in Domažlice; in addition to the St. John and St. Mary pilgrimages, there was the St. Lawrence pilgrimage, which over time became the most significant pilgrimage, the largest and oldest ethnographic festival in the West Bohemian region, and the second oldest in Bohemia.
