The Prague Pride Festival was held from August 5-11. It was a time to celebrate love; as well as bringing people from all over the world together in one place to celebrate what is most important, and that is acceptance. I was a volunteer for two of those days and it was my first time ever attending an event this big. I was able to achieve my main goal when coming to this festival, and that was, finding out what pride means to people.
I volunteered in the parade on Saturday, August 10. I had the opportunity to be a flag bearer. There was music, costumes, floats, and thousands of people from all over. A lot of people complained about the weather, as it was raining. However, everyone was pretty determined to not let the rain get in the way. I asked Corina Britcaru, a fellow
volunteer how she felt about the parade and what pride meant to her. Britcaru replied, “ The rain did make me second guess becoming a flag bearer, but the energy of the people kept me strong. Pride to me means being yourself, it means positivity. Seeing the people here are the people that make me proud of who I am. Pride is why I am the person I am today.” Another participant, Anna Zidkova replied, “Pride creates unions, it brings everyone together and reminds us that we are never alone. Pride to me is reassurance that it’s okay to be who you are.” Another participant, Julia Jasinska, insisted on telling me why pride is so important. Jasinska said, “To me, pride means freedom. The deserved acceptance and ability to love freely without boundaries or limitations. It is the only way through which we can replace hate with love and live peacefully.”
Pride at the end of the day might have a different meaning to each individual. However the Prague Pride Festival did let everyone express pride in their own way. I enjoyed myself and helping make this festival come to life. I thank Prague Pride Festival for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this amazing movement. Pride is something beautiful and it’s important to find out what this word truly means to you.
Maria is a Florida native and has been living in Prague for 5 years. She’s 17 years old and is a junior at an international school here in Prague. Her goal is to give a perspective of Prague through the eyes of the younger generation.
