If St. Wenceslas Day were to be described as anything, other than simply a national holiday, it would be considered a revitalization movement. This can be described as a time in a culture's history when there is a noticeable change in culture followed by psychological stress that can lead to the materialization of “deliberate, organized, conscious efforts by the members of a society to construct a more satisfying culture” (Wallace 1968). Turner also includes that these movements “seek to revitalize a traditional institution, while endeavoring to eliminate alien persons, customs, values, even material culture from the experience of those undergoing painful change” (Turner 1982: 211). St. Wenceslas Day falls into to this categorization easily because of its continual occupation and change of culture over the centuries.

  The Czech Republic , much like its northern neighbor Poland , has often been conquered and ruled by outsiders in its history. It was Wenceslas' death in AD 929 by German king, Heinrich I the Fowler, that began the country's tradition of exterior occupation. For a while, a simple monarchy continued, but there was a Hussite movement in the 1400s that had shaken up the country yet again. And beginning in 1526, the Habsburg dynasty ruled the Czech Republic . It was not until October 1, 1918 that the Czech Republic and Slovakia chose to join and became a unified country, appropriately called Czechoslovakia . This was then followed by the German occupation from 1939-1945 and the Communist regime from 1948-1989. It was not until January 1, 1993 that the Czech Republic , after splitting away from Slovakia again, finally gained its independence (czechembassy.org.uk). The people of the Czech Republic required some way to recall who they once were and to remember their roots. With the previous upheaval and constant occupation by others, they were losing their cultural identity. The population chose to acknowledge someone whose history held an importance as to how the Czech people wanted to be viewed by others, and remembering Wenceslas, one of the most important people in the country's history, was the answer.

  The celebration of the life of St. Wenceslas promotes unity. In the past, the Czech people were constantly being divided, and their ideals were being forcibly repressed. St. Wenceslas was ruling during the early formation of the Czech Republic and led such a morally superior life that it is in that vein that the Czechs chose to celebrate his life. Wenceslas' supreme goodness is something that the country wanted identify themselves with, and wanted others to remember as well. They might have thought that because they haven't been self-governing in so long that they'd lost their reputation amongst other nations. And it's because of this that they chose the memory of St. Wenceslas with which to align themselves, so that their reputation as a nation mimics his as a person.

  Above all, St. Wenceslas Day is a Christian holiday. Wenceslas was a very religious and moralistic man, and it is in this way that the day is celebrated throughout much of the Czech Republic . St. Vitus' Cathedral in Prague honors those people who live their lives in the same fashion as Wenceslas lived his. It is a very large ceremony, and those honored are then recognized around the country (Pechackova 2004). The celebration is a way to express living life in a morally upstanding and honorably fashion, and the country takes pride in recognizing those people who do so. The celebration of St. Wenceslas Day is very culturally significant because it draws the people of the Czech Republic together, unifying them as one nation, and allowing them to feel their roots and recall their history.