On the first of May, lovers are supposed to kiss under a blossoming cherry tree to ensure a year of good health. Also, a girl should be kissed under a cherry blossom so that she will stay beautiful all year round. Finding a cherry tree in Prague can be difficult, so kissing under any blossoming tree will do!
(Psssst...I'll tell you a secret... there's one at Vysehrad)
Another tradition is to meet at the statue of Karel Hynek Mácha. Why? Mácha was a Czech romantic poet, and today he stands on Petřín Hill.
Couples who kiss in front of his statue believe that their love will be as strong as the stone that the statue is made from. Mácha is best known for his lyrical epic poem, Máj, which is a poem about a tragic love between two young people. A well-known verse is:
It was late evening, on the first of May,
The eve of May was the time of love.
The turtle-dove's voice called to love,
Where rich and sweet pinewoods lay.
Máj is regarded as a classic work of Czech Romanticism, and is considered one of the best Czech poems ever written.
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