Since ancient times, many cultures have celebrated the coming of spring in various ways. On contemporary calendars, these celebrations have been placed on or near May 1st.

In many countries, May 1st is a national holiday marking International Workers’ Day. The use of the date as Labour Day to celebrate workers goes back to the late 19th century.

The Czech Angle

May 1st is a national holiday in the Czech Republic and the Czechs have their own ways of marking it.

During the period of Socialism, people in the former Czechoslovakia were forced to participate in massive May Day parades. However, a tradition that goes back to the late 19th century has been kept alive by Czechs from before the Socialist era up to the present: kissing your sweetheart under a blooming tree.

Czechs generally see May 1st as a day of love. In the last week or so of April, trees typically start flowering and legend says that girls who are not kissed under a blooming tree on the day will wither and die within the year.

By tradition, cherry trees are the preferred trees under which to kiss. However, other trees in bloom can be substituted if cherry trees aren’t available. For people picky about their kissing trees, birch or apple are seen as the next best thing to cherry. Some people aren’t so particular, though and will kiss under any convenient blooming tree.

Thank Mácha for the Romance

This romantic ritual is rooted in Czech literature. The poet Karel Hynek Mácha basically made May 1st famous with his poem Máj, which starts:

Byl pozdní večer – první máj –
Večerní máj – byl lásky čas.

“It was late evening, the first of May –
The evening May – the time of love.”

His lines are quoted everywhere in May, and his statue on Petřín Hill in Prague becomes a pilgrimage spot for lovers on this day.

Byl pozdní večer – první máj… but make it a banger!

Who says 19th-century poetry can’t have a modern beat? The Czech band Support Lesbiens took Mácha’s legendary opening lines and turned them into a full-on anthem with their track “Byl pozdní večer – první máj.”

It’s romantic, a bit nostalgic, and totally catchy — the kind of song you’d play while strolling under cherry blossoms or texting someone cute. Because let’s be real: love deserves a great soundtrack. Listen to it here.

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