TfSB: Masopust in ŽižkovOn parade in Prague 3, 24 February 2004
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What, you might be asking, is Masopust? Like Mardi Gras in New Orleans or Carnival in Rio, Masopust is a traditional Czech celebration held in the days leading up to Lent. And like most festivals it's a confusing jumble of Christian and pre-Christian traditions. I'm sketchy on the details, but because this is the last chance to eat meat before Lent, pig costumes definitely play a big role. The festival culminates in a parade and a pig roast on the last day before Lent, Shrove Tuesday. Prague's biggest Masopust celebration is in the Žižkov district, which tends to latch onto these trendy traditional festivals in a big way. (The wine harvest, Vinobraní, is another one.) The communists halted Masopust celebrations at some point in the 1960s but since 1993 the Prague 3 district council has revived the tradition. On Tuesday afternoon, I arrive nearly an hour early at the starting point, náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad square. Although a temporary stage has been assembled for live music in the evening, it's all very quiet. Refreshment stands serving all possible festival needs - candy floss, sweetcorn, kebabs, booze - are setting up, alongside a small stand promoting building insurance. Nearby, a small brass band is gathering and two horse-drawn carriages are being assembled. Half the band is wearing sombreros but there's no sign of the promised crazy costumes and only a smattering of curious grandmothers hanging around, babysitting small children. It's also very cold. Unlike New Orleans or Rio, Prague in February is a distinctly chilly proposition. I'm a veteran of several Prague non-events and right now this has all the hallmarks of a classic. I wander around the square for a while to keep warm, however, and when I get back, things are starting to happen. Young people in costumes, some of them very large and impressive, are beginning to arrive. I join the gaggle of photographers snapping assorted skeletons, pigs, three-headed dogs, birdmen and horsey guys. (Stop me if I'm getting too technical.) Some Masopust officials are now on the scene too. One man in a brown fur uniform carries a large shiny pike (the weapon, not the fish), and begins yelling instructions and blowing on a large hollowed-out animal horn. The carriages are assembled now too, and an extremely large, red-faced man wearing a crown and a ragged fur coat climbs onboard and begins pouring shots of Fernet (a dark, foul-tasting Czech liquor) from a bottle he's been keeping in an inside pocket. Later, I learn that this is Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and revelry. The crowd has grown quite large and one of the horses gets nervous and takes a dump. As a minder cleans up the mess with a shovel, another Masopust official, dressed like Good Soldier Švejk, yells instructions into a loud-hailer, and we're off. A samba band has attached itself to the rear of the parade, banging on drums and blowing whistles. They're dressed in replica Brazilian football jerseys in an apparent nod to the Rio carnival and while it's something of a break with Masopust tradition, I feel, the end result is mightily impressive. Behind them are several stilt-walkers, including Death. From out of nothing, there's a genuine sense of excitement and carnival. The parade makes the first of several stops, at the foot of Žižkov's TV tower, a communist-era sci-fi monstrosity made all the more surreal by artist David Černý, who's dotted the structure with giant black plastic babies. Some street theatre follows. I'm excited to see the Jarvis Cocker lookalike from the Extreme Piercing Performance among a troupe of jugglers but my personal feeling is that the temperature has slipped beneath the threshold where street theatre becomes bearable. There's something pleasing about the diverse crowd that's gathered though: It's hard to imagine another event that would bring together this peculiar mix of old women, students, young school children, expats and tourists, and everyone seems to be smiling. We continue through the streets of Žižkov until we reach the Prague 3 town hall. We're allowed into the courtyard, where there's a scrum for free pork and beer. I make a move for an open-faced sandwich but I'm fiercely cross-checked by an old woman half my size. Above us, a spare Černý baby looks on, with icicles hanging from his chin. I follow the parade back towards náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad but by now I'm regretting the decision to abandon my ugly anorak in favour of a marginally more stylish but far less warming hooded top. The parade is thinning out by the time we reach Žižkovo náměstí square and a significant proportion of the gathering now seems to be made up of underage local kids sneaking free beers. Instead of further festivities, I head to the warmth of the metro station. It's been fun though and next year, I decide, I'll wear a costume - a really warm one. Sam Beckwith Prague, Czech Republic Tales from Suburban Bohemia is published simultaneously on Stumpy Moose and Prague TV. Post your comments on Tales from Suburban Bohemia on the Stumpy Moose Board or e-mail sam@stumpymoose.com. |
Article added on Mon 1st Mar, 2004 [last updated Mon 1st Mar, 2004]Share this page 
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