Medlánky Folk Festival
(Included in the pictures of the festival are also ones of the village I live in and the outside of my flat.)
Every September, Brno is home to a large wine festival (Slavnosti vína) to celebrate the harvest in the surrounding wine-producing region. The region of Moravia of which Brno is the capital, produces 94% of all Czech wines.
Last month there was a Czech wine festival here in the village where I live (Medlánky). My flatmate, Bogdan, also went and while he was there bought an excellent Czech red wine for 60 CZK ($3.00). I went with a friend of mine, Traian, who is from Romania. While Bogdan was working for about 6 weeks in Italy for IBM he asked me if Traian could stay in our flat for a while. So, that's how I know Traian. Turns out, we've become pretty good friends.I got to the festival before Traian, so I bought a ticket and went on in. It was being held in the village park, the one I walk through on my way to work. I took a few pictures and headed back to meet Traian at the entrance and arrived just in time to see him waltz right in without paying! I suppose it was a good idea for me to have the "I paid" bracelet on because I bothered a lot of the folks who were in costume by making them pose for pictures.
In the center of the park is a very tall pole (16 metres?) painted white with a small pinetree at the top covered with brightly colored ribbons. It stands in the middle of the dance area in front of the stage where the musicians (also wearing the traditional garb) are playing traditional Czech folk music. Young people and children dance the traditional dances around the pole. The women have bright ribbons and flowers in their hair and the men are wearing garb similar to traditional Barvarian costumes. It is a fun time. Little girls dance with each other around the adults or run around laughing. The little boys, though, seem to be more serious, although they are smiling and playing as well. There are tents with vendors selling food, and, imagine this; beer!
We walked around a bit and then I spotted a tent where all the costumed folk where going in. I suggested we go in and we did. It turned out to be a great idea and I sort of felt like my dad - the way he would go with the flow and find unique opportunities to meet interesting people and get great photos as I watched in amazement as a young boy.
As it turns out, its where all the costumed dancers go to take a break, adjust the costumes, oh yeah, and drink. Well, we ordered a beer and set down. I took some pictures and soon a young woman and her male friend came up and started talking to us in English. Soon, they were joined by their friend Robert whose dad is from England (Czech mom) and happened to be visiting him for the festival. We talked about all sorts of things. The young woman, Anna, I think, is actually from Northern Austria, but all this area used to be part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire and Brno is considered by many to be a "suburb" of Vienna.
Soon, Anna, pulled a bottle of rum tuzemsky, a sweetened dark rum that has been a tradition since the days of the empire. It means domestic rum. She was definitely having a good time, as were we. I asked if I could take a picture of her and her partner and they started dancing around the tent! At the end of their furious dancing she kissed her partner for a picture. Lucky guy got kissed for a long time.
Soon, it was time to go, so, we made our way through the dancing and laughing children who were running around good-naturedly. Czech kids don't scream and yell, it seems. They laugh and giggle and dance and play. I didn't see any fighting or crying.
Traian and I hopped the bus toward town and I said goodbye to him at the Antoninska stop where I got off to head over to my favorite watering hole, King's Head. I spent a couple of hours there with friends (Czechs, Mad Englishmen, Dutch, and occasional Germans and Americans) and called it a real early evening. I was home by tram by 8:30pm.
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