MY SUMMER 1999 TRIP TO SLOVAKIA

PART TWO

Monday I went to see a comic opera Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" Following day I had a job in Hungary in a village called Muscony near Miskolc. I was surprised after finding the family late afternoon, how beautifully they spoke Slovak. Simply unbelievable and I almost didn't believe what I heard. I was told that all the 60 year old and older citizens of Muscony speak Slovak. The younger generation doesn't. So sad.

July 2-4, I was at the 45-anniversary festival in Vychodna. At the photographic exhibit I had 42 of my pictures from several years of Vychodna festivals displayed. I was very proud to see my pictures being admired by the visitors and my friends. One sad note like to tell you how the National Cultural Center the main organizer of the Vychodna festival conducts their business and it upsets me quite bit. The organizing committee decided to put up photographic display of 45 years of Vychodna festival, but had no pictures to display. I had offered through email to get 42 enlargements of 8 x 12 inches done at the cost of about US$4.50 equaling roughly my cost. It was to be 8500 Sk and I thought we had an agreement, otherwise I wouldn’t go ahead, and get the enlargements made. The National Cultural Center would become the owner of these pictures after payment. All I was trying to do was recover my costs. At the opening of the exhibit I got the bad news that they have no money and that they want only to borrow the pictures and they are willing to give me less than a quarter of agreed price. So instead of over US$200.00 they were offering less that $50.00. Next day I spoke to the director of the exhibit Mrs. Zuzana Skoludova who brought a contract for me to sign and asked for another permission for another exhibit later on in Liptovsky Mikulas. I was totally upset and appalled with her offer and I was told that I can take it or leave it and I won't get anything. So this is how they do the business at the National Cultural Center. And now let's go on to the festival. On more positive note the traffic has been diverted around Vychodna since the opening of the freeway that bypasses Vychodna to the north. Friday night there was a program of local groups under name "Welcome in Liptov." Performing were groups from Vychodna, Vazec, Strba, Liptovska Teplicka, Liptovske Sliace and others. Later on that evening there was a performance of SLUK. Saturday morning started with "Christmas in Traditions" in the Lutheran Church. Here we could hear beautiful Christmas carols and learn about Slovak Christmas traditions. Afternoon started with the traditional procession of all the participants of the festival through Vychodna and ended at the amphitheater. Early afternoon belonged to children that came to congratulate Vychonda 45th anniversary. There were children groups Radost from Trencin, Ratolest from Detva and Zeleziarik from Kosice all three celebrating their 25th anniversary. My friend Lucia Stasikova who I heard first time singing many years ago right here in Vychodna was singing in this program as well. Later on we enjoyed "Fragments of Vychodna Chronicle," with performances of folklore groups: Krivan, Vazec, Ocovan, Sliacanka, Raslavican, Polana, Kycer, Partizan, Gymnik, Zemplin, Trencan and many more performers. The evening belonged to performances of the best folklore groups from several all Slovakia competitions: Pridan from Vitaz, Raslavican from Raslavice, Gymnik from Bratislava, Marina from Zvolen, Zeleziar from Kosice, Druzba from Trencin, Zemplin from Michalovce, Telgart from Telgart and others. Final program of the festival and also my favorite was called "Returns to traditions," it was broadcasted live by the Slovak Television. The emcee was my friend Izabela Pazitkova who has been emceeing the final Sunday programs for years. This program has shown the spectators that folklore and cultural traditions are the foundation of cultural values and the picture of culture of every nation. The program was celebration and holiday of people whose love and admiration of the cultural heritage of their ancestors unites them. From Vychodna I went to Liptovska Teplicka to pension Dolinka, my favorite place in Liptov, where I visited my friend Dr. Pohanka and the mayor of the village Jozef Mezovsky. Then I went to videotape Udol and Hajtovka near Stara Lubovna. Wednesday I met my brother in law Ladislav Cisarik and we went to Zvolen to set up my photo exhibit for Detva. The material we were given was just cardboard, but since my brother in law has many years experience in setting up expositions of all kinds, his specialty, it was no problem for him. It took us the whole day to set up 147 color enlargements on I believe on 17 panels to be displayed at the main conference room of the Detva's City Hall. Friday I arrived in DETVA early and of course my first stop was the City hall to have first glance of my exhibit named "Detvianske Rozjimanie-Detva's Soul Searching." Immediately I had tears in my eyes as I never ever seen my work displayed in one room and I could have glance at many pictures at once. It looked great. The opening was set at letter that afternoon. I arrived just prior to the opening and the room was full of people and I was really happy to see so many people and my friends present. There was folk singing entertainment by Detva's children group Ratolest and their choreographer and also the director of Detva's House of culture Milka Skeresova opened the exhibit. Second to speak was my long time friend and photographer Jozef Fasanga, who told the audience few words about me. Then the floor was mine. I thanked first of all to my friend and the Choreographer of folk ensemble Lucnica, Prof. Stefan Nosal, as it was Lucnica's performance at Expo 86 that awaken the love for Slovak culture, heritage and folklore in me. Secondly I thank the former mayor of Detva Ing. Jozef Krnac for his vision to organize my exhibit in Detva, today's mayor Jan Sufliansky to realize the exhibit as well as the first deputy of Detva Jan Klimo. I also thanked my friend Mgr. Iveta Vanova who videotapes the festivals for me and because of her help I can take pictures at the festivals and many times she it the one who points out to me interesting shots to take. Many of those were displayed at the exhibit. We had a toast then and the exhibit was officially opened. The exhibit stayed open during the festival and they kept it open due to its success even after the festival. The future plan for the pictures is that they are to be permanently displayed on the walls and hallways of the Detva's City Hall and I am very proud of that. The weather at this year's festival was really bad with most of the programs rained out. The programs that weren't rained out and I really liked I would like to mention "The wedding in Ocova" which was really beautiful and authentic wedding of the past, with the original customs and traditions of Ocova's wedding. Originally the wedding in Ocova lasted for four days. First day it was the giving, asking for the bride's hand, wedding in the church, first dinner at the bride’s house, second dinner at the groom's house. Second day-covering of the bride, church ceremony, acceptance of the bride to become wife. In the evening there was a wedding at the grooms house, at midnight moving to the party to dance in the local hall. Third day there was a celebration at the bride's house and the fourth day celebration art the groom's house. Folklore group Ocovan is in existence since 1936. The other program that I really liked was "The trial of a tramp." We went wandering throughout Slovakia a with a tramp of the old long forgotten days and made stops in different parts of today's Slovakia and seen examples of the folklore. And I almost forgot the opening program that was performed day later due to the rain was "Welcome in Detva." Groups from under Polana were performing the customs, songs, and traditions closely connected with the St. John the Baptist day and the summer solstice.

Early afternoon on July 31, I arrived at the IV. Folklore Festival Under Kralova Hola in Liptovska Teplicka. I said that before and I am saying it again, that this is as far as I am concerned the festival of festivals in Slovakia. The program started under sunny skies Saturday afternoon by members of folklore groups singing through the village and inviting people to come to the amphitheater. Shortly after we were treated to performances of folklore groups Teplican from Liptovska Teplicka, Porác from Porac with wedding songs and traditions, Strbian from Strba and Vernar from Vernar.

On Sunday morning there was an outdoor mass in the amphitheater honoring father Stefan Nahalka who was born in Liptovska Teplicka and he was the first director of the Slovak Institute of St. Cyril and Methodius in Rome. The mass was celebrated by Most Reverend Bishop Stefan Vrablec of Trnava. Father Stefan Vrablec used to work with Father Stefan Nahalka in Rome. He thank the people of Liptovska Teplicka for Mons. Nahalka. He also talked about his life. Bishop Stefan Vrablec met Monrs. Stefan Nahalka first time in Ruzomberok in 1945 and second time they met was in 1953 when he came to Rome as a refugee. He worked in Rome for 22 years. He organized Slovaks throughout the world. He was in the forefront in organizing and creating the Slovak Sts. Cyril and Methodius institute in Rome together with Cardinal Tomko, and with Jesuit priest Pater Litva, and Pater Mazanek Salesian. The Slovak Institute became the Slovak church of Rome. In 6 years they welcomed 127000 Slovaks at the institute. During the former regime over 2000000 of religious books made it to Slovakia from the Slovak institute in Rome.

By coincidence the official cameraman of TV Liptovska Teplicka was attending this commemorative service and didn't make the video recording. We were taping the whole service including the procession prior to the service and we do have the tape of this service available for purchase under title: Open Roman Catholic Mass at Liptovska Teplicka 1999. Participating in the mass were folk singers from Liptovska Teplicka, Vernar and two of the best Slovak folk singers Darina Lastiakova and Hanka Hulejova. They were both fantastic.

As usual early Sunday afternoon there was a procession of all the participants through the village. Many houses were decorated and there were actual working displays of numerous folk crafts such as: honey cookie decorating, working the flax, working the sheep's wool, embroiling, shoe making, wood carving, spoon making, horse hair brush making, tasting of zincica and sheep's cheese, and sampling of local foods. It was great. After all the participants arrival at the amphitheater the main program started and went on until almost 10:00 PM. The groups performing were: children's folk groups Turnicka from Liptovska Teplicka that celebrated 45th anniversary in spring of 1999, Sunava from Sunava, Sumiancek from Sumiac, Anna Hulejova and Darina Lastiakova, folklore groups from Vazec, Margecany, Sumiac, Poland and the final performance was by Kosice's folk ensemble Zeleziar. The atmosphere at this festival is just unbelievable, everybody is so friendly and it is gaining more popularity every year. So if you are in Slovakia at the end of July 2000, I will see you in Liptovska Teplicka.

Two hour video tape This is Liptovska Teplicka 1999 is available

After the festival I had few more videotaping and genealogical jobs to do in Velky Folkmar, Margecany, Kosice and Zdana and few days later I was again on the way to Munich and my flight home to Vancouver, Beautiful British Columbia.

GO BACK TO TRAVEL

Published in the Slovak Heritage Live newsletter Volume 7, No. 3, Fall 1999
Copyright © Vladimir Linder 1999 
3804 Yale Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article may not be copied, reproduced, republished, or redistributed by any means including electronic, without the express written permission of Vladimir Linder. All rights reserved.