The hectic run-up to Christmas is now linked to an anniversary that makes Czechs slow down and reflect on the important values in life – the death of playwright, dissident and president Václav Havel nine years ago, on December 18, 2011. Václav Havel was a moral authority for Czechs as he re-moulded the role of president and led the country in the transition from a totalitarian regime to a Western-style democracy. Increasingly people are now looking to the philosophical legacy he left behind.
