Blog written by two Prague residents about life in the Czech Republic.
It’s that time of year again. Vinobraní, the annual Czech wine festival, where you can enjoy singing and dancing, food and wine is in full swing. A semi-fermented young wine called burčák is always one of the big attractions. Last weekend a wine festival was held in Mikulov and today festivals kicked off in Znojmo and the Prague districts of Vinohrady and Žižkov. Here are some pictures I took at the popular festival on Náměstí Míru in Vinohrady.
Prague’s renowned Matějská pouť (St. Matthew’s Fair) started on March 3 this year. The fair is a Prague institution and the tradition can be traced back to 1595. The Matějská has had its home at the Prague Výstaviště in Holešovice since 1963. With some 130 attractions, it is the largest fun fair in the Czech Republic. We barely scratched the surface this year but you can easily spend hours there, especially if you decide to visit the Sea World (Mořský svět) aquarium (as we did) that can be entered from within the fair grounds.
This year’s St. Matthew’s Fair will continue until April 22. After that, some permanent attractions will remain in place for the rest of the year.
Opening Times
Tuesday – Friday: 2 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday, Sunday and public holidays: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Closed on Mondays
The fair’s official site with lots of good pictures and videos is at www.matejskapout.cz.
Tickets
Entrance: 25 CZK per person (adults and children alike)
Rides: Tickets for each ride are sold separately and can quickly add up, beginning with 30 – 50 CZK per toddler ride and going up from there
Today is Hromnice, which is an important day for Czech weather-related folklore. It falls on the same day as Groundhog Day because both are based on the same ancient Celtic tradition. Today was sunny and clear in Prague, so we expect winter to linger.
See our site for more on Hromnice:
http://www.myczechrepublic.com/czech_culture/czech_holidays/hromnice.html
Thank you all for coming by our blog in 2011. We hope 2012 is a good year for everyone! Šťastný nový rok from us at My Czech Republic!
Jeff and Dana
