Prague's Matejska pout, the oldest and largest fair in the Czech Republic, will take place for the 430th time in 2025. Originally held to mark the Feast of St. Matthias, for many it heralds the arrival of spring.
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00:0021-year-old student Monika Pekanova is on her way to the Czech Republic's largest and
00:07oldest fair, Matizka Pote, known as Matthew's Fair in English.
00:12Held at Prague's exhibition grounds, it symbolizes the arrival of spring and is dedicated to
00:18Saint Matthias.
00:23Up to 200,000 people come here every year to enjoy Matizka Pote's unique combination
00:29of modern fairground attractions and historical tradition.
00:34This is Monika's first time visiting the fair.
00:39I think most of the people don't realize that it has been a big tradition and that it comes
00:46from the 1500s.
00:48I think it's really important for the families, like it's a unique experience that all people
00:54have the same, because usually the things change over time, but this experience is
01:01the one thing that stays the same.
01:03It has been held over 400 years and only stopped for the Battle of White Mountain and when
01:11Covid happened.
01:12That's the only time that Matizka wasn't held.
01:16According to documents in the Czech National Library, the fair dates back to 1595, making
01:22it the oldest spring fair in Europe.
01:25It started out as a religious festival, marking the Feast of Saint Matthias, which originally
01:29fell on February 24th.
01:32This year, the festival is taking place for the 430th time.
01:37Cultural significance for me is that it involves more religious events to more modern and entertaining
01:46fair where people can have an amazing time, enjoy attractions, great food.
01:53It's great that you can find multigenerations here, because grandparents showing their children
02:02and grandchildren the attractions that they experienced.
02:09Matizka Port features all kinds of fun rides, games and dozens of stalls selling traditional
02:15Czech food, sweets and beer.
02:17The fair is a well-regarded Czech tradition that is celebrated on a smaller scale all
02:23over the country.
02:25It brought up some memories from childhood.
02:29Me and my family, we used to go to Matizka Port in our town.
02:32It was not the official Matizka, but it was still great and yeah, it's really nostalgic
02:38to be there.
02:39The word port means pilgrimage, which hints at the festival's religious roots in the Middle
02:44Ages.
02:45But the fair is also strongly associated with the changing of the seasons.
02:49It marks the beginning of spring and heralds the start of the planting season for farmers.
02:54There's even a common Czech saying associated with the fair, namely that St. Matthias breaks
02:59the ice.
03:00Today, most people view it more of a tradition.
03:05So it's significant for farmers because it marks the start of spring.
03:10So they know that they should start to plant the seeds and the crops.
03:16The fair starts on February 24th and lasts until Easter.
03:20For Monika, it brought back wonderful childhood memories.
03:24So much so, she's determined to come back next year.