Witch Burning Festival - Prague
Let's all go to a Witch Burning Festival... and celebrate Witches' Night or Paleni Carodejnic, as it is called in Prague.
An ancient folk festival, Witches' Night is a cross between Halloween and May Day and marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. An effigy of a hag, or witch, said to resemble winter (or perhaps a historical reference to the Czech pastime of witch-hunting) is burnt on a pyre on hill tops across the country.
Some of us celebrate the end of winter with spring cleaning, while others take to the streets in elaborate carnival costumes for Mardi Gras. In Prague, airport transfer drivers steer well clear of the roads on the evening of the Witch Burning Festival, as the people celebrate the temperate season in an entirely different way, by burning a witch on a stake...
On the last night of April, many Czechs gather around bonfires to celebrate the annual Paleni Carodejnic, the annual burning of witches. To keep the witches in check, the locals burn their brooms and huge effigies of witches and hags, in a festive manner similar in appearance to Guy Fawkes Day in England.
Paleni Carodejnic has more than its fair share of the rituals and traditions, one of which includes young lovers leaping over the dying embers of bonfires. Single men are also encouraged at this time, to leave samples of freshly cut branches at the doorstep of women whose affections they seek.
It was believed that the powers of evil on this night, falling between the ancient holidays of St. James and St. Philip, were much stronger than normal and that for this night only they ruled over the good. Flocks of witches riding brooms were said to fly through the heavens on that night. And the Czechs believed that by burning great fires, the flames would reach the witches, bringing the witches down from the skies. Today the celebration is much happier occasion where no witches are actually harmed. The biggest bonfire in the country is lit in downtown Prague.
The main celebrations take place on Petrin Hill, located in central part of the city of Prague. The nearest airport is Ruzyne, which is located 15 minutes from downtown Prague and the area where the festival is celebrated.
When is it?
Witches' Night or Paleni Carodejnic is an annual festival which takes place every year on April 30.
For more information about celebration in Prague, visit: http://www.pragueexperience.com .
Stepan Stich is a Prague airport driver for Shuttle Direct. They provide pre-booked shuttles to major destinations all over Europe. Wherever you travel, Shuttle Direct can make sure that you don't miss your car on your holiday abroad.
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