Thousands in Folk Costumes March at Moravian Slovácko Wine Festival in Uherské Hradiště

The Czech town of Uherské Hradiště hosted the Moravian Slovácko Wine and Open Monuments Festival — the town's biggest annual event, drawing thousands of folk culture enthusiasts. Along a route of more than two kilometres, from Vinohradská Street to Masaryk Square, folklore ensembles in traditional costumes sang, danced and played music as they carried wine, burčák and slivovice in bottles and flasks.

One village that has the festival to thank for reviving its long-lost traditions is Šarovy. According to local resident Petr Bernatík, it all began in 2013, when festival organisers sent the village an invitation to join the procession. The trouble was that no one in the village owned any traditional folk costumes — in the first year they had to borrow them from the neighbouring villages of Březolupy and Napajedla.

The costume was recreated from archive photographs

After their first appearance in the procession, the people of Šarovy decided to get costumes of their own. Since no historical Šarovy costume had survived anywhere, they turned to the archives. Using old photographs and documents, they managed to recreate a costume that turned out to be strikingly close to the neighbouring Dolňácko-Bílovice style.

According to village resident David Fejt, around twenty-five people from Šarovy took part in this year's procession, twenty of them in folk costume. "We've been taking part for thirteen years now," he said, noting that this is an impressive turnout for such a small village. Thanks to the procession tradition, Šarovy has not only restored its local costume but also revived the long-forgotten Slovácko "hody" harvest festivals.

A living, spontaneous event

Anna Stránská, director of the festival's organiser, the Uherské Hradiště Culture Club, who also took part in the procession wearing a folk costume, described the event as a living, spontaneous occasion of exceptional beauty. Leading the procession was a horse-drawn cart carrying musicians, while some participants pulled small carts decorated with grape leaves, spruce branches, ribbons and paper roses.

Source: novinky.cz