Thousands Descend on Praha For the 167th Annual Festival

Thousands descended on the tiny village of Praha on Monday, Aug. 15, for the 167th annual Pražská Pout at St. Mary’s Catholic Church. The day celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It also serves as a homecoming for the many people of Czech descent whose ancestors came through Praha. The picnic always takes place on Aug. 15, no matter what day of the week it falls. The crowd that came didn’t seem to mind that it was a Monday. Visitors enjoyed a delicious meal of fried chicken, Praha’s famous beef stew, buttered potatoes, green beans, sauerkraut and homemade desserts. It was the second year for picnic-goers to enjoy their meal with air conditioning inside the recently- refurbished parish hall. Just ahead of this year’s picnic, the parish added an entrance and exit room to the hall, which greatly-alleviated the traffic jam that used to occur during the picnic at lunchtime.

Father Gabriel Maison, pastor at St. Mary’s, said the parish had not yet calculated the meal ticket sales or proceeds from the auction. But it was almost assuredly a great success. The auction went on all day and lasted until sundown.

Visitors also enjoyed a plant walk, cake walk, bingo Musical performers this year included The Czechaholics, The Ennis Czech Boys and Blue Denim Band, who entertained a big crowd of dancers from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. All those dancers must have been thirsty, too, because the drink stand sold out of beer by 8:30 p.m.

About the Name

The event’s official name, Pražská Pout, means something like “Prague Pilgrimage” in Czech. Praha is the Czech name for the City of Prague in the Czech Republic. The immigrants who settled in Praha, Fayette County, named their new community after the ancient capital city of their homeland.

The English name “Prague” comes from the Latin name for the city, Praga. The Czech word “Pout” literally means “pilgrimage” in English, but it can also mean “fair” or “festival.” “It is really more of a pilgrimage than anything else,” said Mark Hermes of Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center, who also plays accordion for The Czechaholics polka band. “Half of Fayette County took off work that day. Who else can have something any day of the week and people show up like that?”