Dozens take part in traditional scythe mowing event in Stromovka
Several dozen people gathered in Prague’s Stromovka Park at sunrise on Friday morning to take part in the annual scythe mowing event, during which they cut down a wild flower meadow to the sound of folk music.
The traditional scythe mowing event in Prague’s biggest park, the Stromovka, has been taking place since 2014. This year’s edition attracted a record number of people and they only took about an hour to cut down the entire meadow.
They stayed afterwards to drink a cup of slivovitz and listen to the folk songs that were traditionally sung during haymaking. Meanwhile, I caught up with one of the event’s founders, Petra Tajovský Pospěchová, to ask her how she got the idea to establish this event:
“It was actually a coincidence. I was going to the same café as the head of the Stromovka gardeners and I suggested that we could come with scythes one day, because it would be better than the mechanical mowing.
“It was meant as a joke, but she came back two weeks later and said: I have a meadow for you, if you want it. So I called my friends with whom we used to go mowing to Wallachia every summer and they said: We can mow in the centre of Prague? That sounds great!”
What started as a joke for a few friends gradually turned into a popular public event, which attracts more and more people every year. One of the regular participants is Fred, originally from Great Britain, who first attended the event four years ago:
“I love the Czech traditions. I found about it on Facebook and I really wanted to come and see what it was. I have never heard of anything like that before.
“So I was just cutting grass and I bumped into these people who then became my friends. I came back the following year and I have since become part of the community.
“I think it’s quite unique that you can do this traditional folk activity in the centre of the city, just ten minutes from my house!”
As Petra Tajovský Pospěchová explains, the event is open virtually to anyone, regardless of whether you have any previous experience with scything.
“There are people who come and have their own scythe and know how to mow. But on the other hand we have complete beginners who can borrow the instrument and try their hand at it. We have around 30 scythes and a few teachers, who show them how to do it.
“Those who are really interested can come two days before the mowing and learn how to prepare the scythe, which is a bit tricky. But with the mowing, you can be more or less professional within half an hour. All you need is to find the right position.”
Apart from reviving old folk traditions, Petra Tajovský Pospěchová says mowing grass with scythes is also beneficial for the environment, and ultimately, also for your body:
“I can see it from Wallachia, where we have been mowing the meadows for quite some time, you have new kinds of butterflies, and you can also manage the plants, you can choose what you want and what you want to supress a bit. So it’s good from the ecological point of view but it’s also a great way to relax.”
