If you're visiting Prague in spring, you should know that on the night of April 30 to May 1st there's a very cool and popular tradition: the witches' festival or night. Legend has it that witches used to gather on April 30 for a sabbath on the mountain tops. Fires were lit on the hills so that the smoke would chase them away and prevent them from settling in the fields or villages. Today, we burn an effigy of a witch, so the tradition has evolved a little.
In this article, you'll find my top tips for discovering this lively Czech custom, in places where you won't normally come across tourists.
At the end of April in Prague, don't miss the Witches' Festival!
A neo-pagan festival that has been celebrated throughout Europe for a very long time (Walpurgis Night in Germany), the Witches' Festival (Čarodějnice) or rather the "witch bonfire"(Pálení čarodějnic) is very well-known in the Czech Republic. It's also known as the Night of Saints Philip and James (Filipojakubská noc).
It's an opportunity to get together and drink a few beers around a wood fire on which sausages (špekáček made from pork and beef) are grilled. Weather and drought permitting, of course..
The witches' bonfire probably refers to a Celtic festival, the festival of Beltaine, because before the Slavs, the Celts occupied the territory of Bohemia. The name Bohemia comes from Boïens, a Celtic people who settled in the region probably as early as the 5th century B.C. This festival of fire and light marked the beginning of renewal, the return to life, the awakening of nature, as the Celts divided the year into two seasons: November 1st marked the start of the dark winter period, and May 1st the light summer period.
Wood fires, grilled sausages, beer, masquerade costume… Spend a wonderful evening outdoors!
This festival symbolizes the end of winter and celebrates fertility. In fact, it's to ensure this fertility that the most courageous sometimes jump over smoldering embers (as did the Celts, since the flames were thought to ward off disease and evil spirits). Thousands of bonfires are lit across Bohemia and Moravia, and there are so many of them that they are clearly visible on satellite images.
Burning witches (most often a simple broom covered with rags burned in a bonfire) is above all an opportunity to spend a pleasant evening outdoors with the family. You'll come across plenty of children and adults in fancy dress, all the more so as the following day, May 1st, is of course a public holiday in the Czech Republic (incidentally, on May 1st, it's folklore all over again, and all women must be kissed under a cherry blossom tree on Petřín hill).
Concerts are also often organized. Lastly, while the tradition is stronger in the countryside than in the city, I've noticed a growing success in Prague over the past few years.
My 3 addresses to discover the witches' festival, a fun tradition!
Čarodějnice na Ladronce
In Ladronka Park, from afternoon to evening, Tomanova Street, Vypich stop (trams 22 and 25)
Čarodějnice ve Žlutých Lázních
In the riverside recreation area, also from afternoon to evening, Dvorce stop (trams 2, 3, 17 and 21)
More informal but more authentic
There's usually a parade from Malostranské náměstí at 6 p.m. to Kampa (over the Charles Bridge), where a bonfire is lit at around 7 p.m. on the riverbank near the Kampa Museum, Hellichova stop (trams 12, 15, 20, 22 and 23)
Other great events can be held at the Břevnov monastery or Radlická – kulturní sportovna.
Last but not least, on the evening of April 30 in the Czech countryside, young single men erect the "máj", a huge birch trunk decorated with colorful ribbons, a vertical pole, which signifies that the village has been cleansed of any evil spirits that might spoil the harvest.
