Sharing food with strangers: Tables in shape of heart surround Prague’s St Vitus Cathedral
Hundreds of people gathered at Prague Castle on Monday evening to break bread with their neighbours. Long tables were arranged in the shape of a heart around St. Vitus Cathedral for people to sit and share a communal feast together.
Three years ago, during the midst of the pandemic, a long table was laid out from one end of Prague’s Charles Bridge to the other, and people were invited to come, bring food, and share it with the person sitting next to them. However, with the death toll rising, many people stayed away for fear of catching or spreading Covid.
But now, with lockdowns a thing of the past and a new president at the country’s helm, the time was ripe for another such event, says organiser Ondřej Kobza.
“Right now there is a new president, new openness, no controls, no barriers. So we want to celebrate this new way and we invited people to these 400 long tables in the shape of a heart around the cathedral. There is no programme – the people are the programme. Everyone should bring something and share with their neighbour. It’s a celebration of being together.”
The heart shape isn’t just a cute gimmick – it is a reference to Václav Havel, the first post-Communist Czech president, who always drew a little heart under his signature. He oversaw Czechoslovakia’s transition to democracy and for many was a symbol of freedom, truth and human rights.
Petr Pavel is seen by some as Havel’s successor in that tradition of promoting democratic values. And true to his word, President Pavel, who had promised to attend if his work commitments allowed it, did indeed make an appearance later on in the evening.
One local Czech woman I spoke to said she certainly appreciates the new president opening up the castle once again.
“Because I am from Prague, Prague 6 precisely, which is the area below Prague Castle, Dejvice. So I was used as a girl to cross the area of Prague Castle from the city centre to home and back without any stops or checks. But then during the tenure of the former president, it wasn’t possible to pass through this area anymore because there were security controls like at the airport. Now it has returned to the same conditions as I remember from my childhood.”
And it wasn’t just Czechs who were at this event – foreigners living in Prague attended too, as well as tourists – both those who stumbled across the event by accident and those who had done some research in advance, like these two women visiting from New York.
“We had seen an article about it beforehand – I googled events going on in Prague today and I just came across a little article about it, so we decided to check it out. We were looking to see how it would be, we weren’t sure. We didn’t go to the grocery store beforehand so we thought we’d just have a beer and enjoy. We’re only in town for a day, so we thought, ‘This is perfect!’
Sprigs of flowers in empty wine bottles were set on long tables laid with white tablecloths. Nothing but the tables was provided, but people were invited to bring their own food and drinks, sit next to a stranger, and invite them to share. Even with such minimal overheads, the event still did cost something to put on – and remarkably, Kobza says the money came out of his own pocket.
“I paid by myself. It cost about CZK 300 000. Some people buy cars, I get my pleasure through actions like these.”
And this won’t be the last such event. Kobza says they plan to continue putting on these communal feasts every year in a different place.
