- Title: Smooching Czech couples celebrate annual Love Day under the blossoms
- Date: 1st May 2018
- Summary: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (MAY 1, 2018) (REUTERS) COUPLES WALKING IN PETRIN PARK COUPLE SITTING AND KISSING UNDER BLOSSOM TREES ON MEADOW COUPLE KISSING UNDER BLOSSOM TREE COUPLE HAVING PICTURE TAKEN AS THEY KISS UNDER BLOSSOM TREE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE STANDING NEAR STATUE OF KAREL HYNEK MACHA, CZECH 'POET OF LOVE'. MACHA'S STATUE FACE LIA AND PETER TISCHLER KISSING IN FRONT OF MACHA'S STATUE LILAC FLOWER ON PICTURE OF MACHA'S "MAJ" BOOK COVER (SOUNDBITE) (English) CZECH PENSIONER MARRIED FOR 58 YEARS, LIA AND PETER TISCHLER, SAYING: LIA TISCHLER: "That's the day of the love because he (Karel Hynek Macha) - that was the poet - he wrote a beautiful poem about the first day of May which is the day of love." PETER TISCHLER: "So we come here every time on the first of May. We have been married for 58 years so we'll be coming here as long as we are together." LIA TISCHLER: "And now from America we are coming." MACHA'S STATUE / WOMAN HAVING PICTURE TAKEN (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) LOCAL RESIDENT, JIRI STRACH, SAYING: "The time for love should be celebrated every month during the whole year. This is just a symbol of it." COUPLE KISSING AND WALKING AWAY HANDS HOLDING / COUPLE WALKING COUPLE WITH CHILD POSING NEAR MACHA'S STATUE COUPLE LYING ON MEADOW AND CUDDLING PEOPLE WALKING IN PARK VARIOUS OF COUPLES KISSING COUPLE KISSING UNDER BLOSSOM TREE PINK BLOSSOMS (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) STUDENT, ANICKA KOTKOVA, SAYING: "The first of May is much more traditional in Bohemia. It is not as commercial as Valentine." (SOUNDBITE) (Czech) STUDENT, NIKOLA DURICIC, SAYING: "For me, as my girlfriend said, is Valentine too commercial and it was taken over from foreign tradition and it doesn't have for me such an impact and power as the first of May." VARIOUS OF PEOPLE WALKING IN PARK WITH PRAGUE CASTLE IN BACKGROUND
- Embargoed: 15th May 2018 16:33
- Keywords: Czech Love Day Czech tradition blossom trees people kissing Czech Valentine's Day
- Location: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
- City: PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
- Country: Czech Republic
- Topics: Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0018E1G6YH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Czech couples in Prague celebrated May 1 on Tuesday not as Labour Day, but as Love Day, and poured into Petrin Park to have a kiss under blossoming trees.
The tradition dates back to the beginning of the 19th century, when Czech Romantic poet Karel Hynek Macha wrote a poem "Maj" (May) about tragic love between a young boy and a girl. The poem is popular and everyone knows at least few lines from it.
Thousands of couples climb the Petrin hill, opposite of Prague castle where Macha's statue is located, on May 1 to kiss as it is believed that the girl kissed on that day will blossom like a cherry tree and will not dry up.
Cherry tree, as a tree of the Virgin Mary, is a traditional choice, but any other flowering tree can serve the purpose just as well. Especially this year, when the flowering of many fruit trees is already over due to the hot weather in April. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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