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SUMMARY OF THE SUMMER ISSUE

Volume 13, No. 2, Summer 2005

Slovak Heritage Live

A quarterly newsletter published by Vladimir Linder

Winter issue was published in May 2005 and it was mailed to 1200 recipients world wide. 

10th year anniversary of festivals of festivals
Folklore Celebrations under Kráľová Hoľa in Liptovská Teplička August 6-7, 2005

FROM THE EDITOR
Recently we had a record of renewed subscriptions, however there are still many of you that are forgetting to send in your subscription on time. It would be nice if I didn’t have to finance the printing and mailing up front with every issue. This can only be done if you renew on time and if you pay up for the years you have been receiving Slovak Heritage Live for free.
We had over 250000 hits on our Slovak Heritage Live site: www.slovakheritage.org in April 2005. The visitors were from: United States, Slovak Republic, Canada, Great, Britain, Hungary, Australia, Poland, Germany, Spain, Czech, Republic, Netherlands, Italy, Austria, Japan, France, Norway, Sweden, Finland, China, Switzerland, Slovenia, Belgium, Brazil, Portugal, Russian Federation, Ireland, Bulgaria, Malta, South Africa, Denmark, Mexico, India, Croatia, Latvia, Hong Kong, Yugoslavia, Turkey, Romania, South Korea, New Zealand, Greece, Kuwait, Singapore, Israel, Egypt, Lithuania, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Iceland, Philippines, Estonia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Peru, Taiwan, Bahrain, Chile, Thailand, Moldova, Macau, Qatar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Iran, Myanmar, Colombia, Bermuda, Morocco, Belarus, Maldives, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Ghana, Bahamas, Panama, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Senegal, Vietnam, Sudan, Greenland, Kenya, Armenia, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, Uruguay, Togo, Ethiopia, Jordan, Jamaica, Paraguay.
This is better than last report.

As you are reading this newsletter I am probably on the way or in Slovakia and you can reach me there if you need anything by email at: vlinder49@hotmail.com or by phoning my cell at: 011-421-907-297-508. I can do your genealogical research, ancestral photography and ancestral videos while I am there. I will be back in Canada on August 10.

FROM THE MAIL BAG

Dear Mr. Linder,                              

Please accept the enclosed check for $150 for my subscription to Slovak Heritage Live quarterly newsletter. I apologize for not being current with my past payments. I enjoy your newsletter very much and find it informative. I am a member of St. Andrew Svorad Benedictine abbey here in Cleveland and we have our own Slovak Institute Library and Museum currently directed by Mr. Andy Hudak. For many years it was under the guidance of our late beloved Fr. Andrew Pier, OSB, a prolific Slovak‑American writer and journalist who died a few years ago. I am also the principal of Benedictine High School for boys here in Cleveland. We have a Slovak Heritage Club in the school under the direction of our Fr. Michael Brunovsky. Instead of the Liptovská Teplička video that you offer for “Slovak Friend” membership, I would prefer a travelogue video that covers visits to different parts of Slovakia‑particularly in the east since that is, where my relatives came from notably the Spiš region. I plan to visit Slovakia this summer for the first time. Our monastery has maintained a program with the seminary in Košice for six, where whereby one or two Slovak seminarians come to, Cleveland to spend a pastoral year with us. Those who have been here already will be my contacts for my visit to Slovakia. Our monastery has also established relations with a new, small Benedictine monastic community that has started in Bačurov. Our abbot (superior) made a visit there this past fall.

Sincerely,

Fr. Gerard Gonda, OSB
Benedictine High School 9
2900 M. L. King Dr.
Cleveland  OH  44104

MY SPRING 2005 TRIP TO SLOVAKIA
I decided to travel to Slovakia this spring on January 5, 2005. A day after Lufthansa’s Airlines seat sale. I noticed add in the Vancouver Sun by Air Canada seat sale to Europe. Knowing that usually the airlines match the seat sales I went to Lufthansa’s site only to find that their sale just ended. The ticket prices were substantially higher than Air Canada’s. I was hoping that Lufthansa would match the sale and they did, and despite them advertising the sale, the booking didn’t work with the inexpensive price. Later on the price escalated to CAD$ 3500.00 for return ticket. That was the time I decided to call a travel agent SENA TRAVEL in Vancouver. Sena was able to get me the advertised price on Lufthansa, however not exactly the days I really wanted but close enough. You see there was President Bush and Putin summit in Bratislava on February 24th and I was going to take pictures there. Well with the inexpensive booking I arrived after the summit. Lufthansa managed to loose my suitcases at Frankfurt airport and they delivered them to Bratislava day after my arrival. The loss of my suitcases wasn’t really Lufthansa’s fault; they simply didn’t have enough time to put them on my connecting flight to Vienna. I didn’t check the times at the time of booking and I had less than 45 minutes to change the planes and that was pushing it a bit. My friend MILAN ŠTEFÁNIK came to pick me up and soon we were off to Bratislava without my suitcases. We went to ADVANTAGE CAR RENTALS where I learned that all their cars were on loan to American Embassy for the summit and they also provided pick up vehicles at airport and in the city for them. That is great. They were really happy about it as they got really close to all the officials. I was booked for a hair cut, but I learned that my hairdresser had to go to the hospital, so I got a private hair cut at my residence from IVETKA ŠIMONOVIČOVAÁ, just as good as from a professional.
Saturday morning I got a phone call from Austrian Airlines with whom I flied to Vienna that they do have my suitcases and they will be delivering them between 10:00 and 10:00 AM, and they did delivered them shortly after 10:00 AM.
I immediately stuffed three issues of Slovak Heritage Live into envelopes and went to the post office. I was also mailing three books to Italy. I just had the books and the address with me. The really helpful employees of the Slovak post office packed the books for me and wrapped them as well, at no extra charge. Then I went to take pictures at UĽUV of exhibition of musical instruments by my friend Tibor Koblíček. This is a fantastic exhibit displaying all forms of his artistic creations of musical instruments, such as bunkoše, whistles, fujaras, whistling walking sticks, violins, nineras, bag pipes and others...

A NEW TELEVISION HAS BEEN LAUNCHED
Global Czech and Slovak Television under the banner SEDNA
Introducing new television programming for Czechs and Slovaks boldly named SEDNA. In question is a radically new and unique project that crosses the boundaries of conventional and tired thought in the same manner as the recent discovery of the tenth planet of our solar system, Sedna. The name of this endearing red planet is associated with the birthplace of the national television broadcast, Canada and the indigenous peoples that inhabit its northern climes-the discoverers naming it after the Inuit goddess of the sea.
The conceptualization of the new television broadcast was conjured up by a group of enthusiasts headed by Czech immigrant and media professional Ladislav Horák, who established a successful post-production studio Creative Post Inc. in Toronto nearly twenty years ago. It was his vision to produce a television on demand through Internet, whose mandate is to unite Czechs and Slovaks throughout the world. Television SEDNA offers its audience the capability to handpick not only custom programming, but custom viewing times as well. This freedom is made possible by the currently underexploited model of communicative interactivity offered by television on demand. Currently, our broadcast quality is comparable with conventional television broadcast standards. Progressively, the digital stream of our broadcast will be improved upon until, in the near future, it will attain the quality of a high definition (HD) television broadcast-offering higher resolutions and better picture quality than conventional analogue or digital formats.
Ladislav Horák is working in conjunction with the producer and creative director of a local Czech and Slovak television group “Nový Zábĕr”, Markéta Slepčíková in her capacity as executive producer of the Czech division, and former reporter and anchor of the successful Slovak commercial television enterprise “Markíza,” Katarína Homolová, head of SEDNA’s Slovak division.
The recent acceptance of the Czech and Slovak republics into the European Union has reinforced the idea of national reintegration. In the case of Czechs and Slovaks, this idea is all the more poignant given our nations’ mutual histories, our linguistic affinity, and points of common cultural heritage. Therefore the boundaries between us are no longer justifiable. The aim of television SEDNA is the promotion of regional cultures, histories, and facilitating tourism, while preserving the standard Czech and Slovak languages. At stake is the realization that we, Czechs and Slovaks worldwide together exude enormous potential and influence in the countries within which we live. Through television SEDNA, we would like, with your co-operation, to further harness and expand this potential. Our nations still lack the organs of representation and promotion essential to compete on a global scale. Let us therefore help mould the new face of our peoples, presenting them to be seen in the eyes of other nations. With your help and support our television can significantly contribute to this process...

GENEALOGY RESEARCH AND SLOVAKS IN CANADA FROM VOJVODINA
By Ondrej Miháľ

Living in Canada today, there are between 5,000 to 10,000 Slovaks and their descendents from the Vojvodina region of the former Yugoslavia. These Slovaks would have come from towns such as Báčsky Perovec, Kisač, Kovacica, Stara Pazova or Silbaš. The first pioneers arrived in Canada before the start of World War I but for all intents and purposes the largest numbers arrived in the years 1930-1939, and then again from 1960-1980s. The emigration pattern was mirrored in the USA, except that in the years between 1880 through until 1910 there was an additional earlier wave of immigrants, between 10,000-15,000, who settled mainly in the Chicago, Cleveland and New York areas. Today it is estimated that there are about 50,000 to 100,000 people of Slovak ethnicity in the USA who can trace their origins to Vojvodina.
For anyone whose descendents came from Vojvodina (which is today part of Serbia; previously an autonomous province in former Yugoslavia, and before 1918 was a region in the Austro-Hungarian empire called the Low Lands) and is today looking to search for their ancestors, is going to find this genealogical work very difficult, if not impossible. There are no history books on their immigration to USA and until the release of my just published book “Slovaks in Canada from Vojvodina,” no books on Slovaks in Canada. The book is 158 pages and deals with the Canadian history of these unique Slovaks. The printed book sold out in 3 months and currently an E-BOOK version is available for 25.00 USD plus 7.50 USD shipping and handling. I am not aware of any book or historical articles on this topic in existence in the USA so those Slovaks will find it even more difficult to trace their family history. The Canadian historic material covered in this book is likely very similar to the USA history...

Andrej Hlinka
Priest, patriot, politician, publicist and translator
By: Mons. Prof. ThDr. PaedDr. ICDr. František Dlugoš PhD

At the end of 1918 on the ruins of Austro-Hungarian empire on October 28, 1918 a new Czechoslovak state was established, to which in 1919 they added Undercarpathian-Rus as self-governing independent entity. Though it achieved national freedom but from the religious point it disrupted tradition Regnum Maria-num. We must stress that Hungary was s state in which the Archbishop of Ostrihom-primas had important place in the state.

RELIGIOUS SITUATION IN THE NEWLY FORMED STATE
Slovakia got into one state with Czech countrymen, where Husites, Lutheran religions, and strong group of Freemasons disrupted the state of Catholic religion long time ago. Wide segments of Czech work force caught the smell of materialism. So called “Cultural fight” started immediately on November 3rd, 1918, when Prague socialist ripped off and desecrate Marian statute at Staromestsky square. This act filled all Catholics in the new state with painful sorrow, but namely Slovaks. It created large animosity among Slovaks.

SITUATION OF SLOVAKS IN THE NEW STATE
Slovak nation, together with its spiritual leaders, despite going through an era of liberalization in Hungary, didn’t wobble in faith and loyalty to Catholic religion. Spiritual leaders with Andrej Hlinka and Ján Vojtaššák in front, carefully watched religious happenings in Czech lands and Moravia, but only fractional part of spiritual leaders was tend to accept the radical reforms of the religion.
Slovak spiritual leaders were meeting more often during these times and in 1918 they formed Priest’s committee, whose founder, spirit and leader became Andrej Hlinka, priest from Ružomberok.3 This priest’s committee consisted of nationally orientated priests. Their goal was to make sure that Slovaks would take Slovak Bishop’s posts.
Luck for our Church was that Andrej Hlinka priest from Ružomberok together with Ján Vojtaššák, later on Bishop of Spiš, stood at the forefront of national and religious activities. Andrej Hlinka was great personality, faithful son of the nation and exemplary priest of the Church...

THE ENTRY OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC TO THE EUROPEAN UNION
COMMEMORATIVE BI-METAL GOLD PALLADIUM COIN COMMEMORATIVE SILVER COIN

The European Union is the result of the European integration process, which began after World War II.
The three European communities: the European Coal and Steel Community (1951), The European Community for Atomic Energy and the European Economic Community (1957), were the EU’s historic forerunners. The founding countries‑Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Italy were joined by Denmark, Ireland, Great Britain (1973), Greece (1981), Spain and Portugal (1986) and Finland, Austria and Sweden (1995). The title European Union was adopted in February 1992, when the Treaty on the European Union was signed in Maastricht and which became effective after its ratification in November 1993.
The EU is based on the principles of freedom, democracy, and the respect for human rights. Its elementary goal is to support sustainable and balanced economic and social progress, especially through the establishment of a zone free of internal borders, through the strengthening of economic and social cohesion and through the introduction of the Economic and Monetary Union with a single currency. The introduction of the single currency in 12 countries of the Union on January 1, 2002 is presently the peak of the integration efforts in the economic field. To meet its goals the EU is establishing institutions, which can pass legal regulations in the fields of common interest..

SLOVAKIA'S SUMMER 
FOLKLORE FESTIVALS 2005 

21. TURČIANSKE SLÁVNOSTI FOLKLÓRU
21. TURIEC FOLKLORE FESTIVAL
June 17-19  

This will be the 21st year of Turiec celebration of folklore. Turiec is a county in north central part of Slovakia that covers large territory around the town of Martin. Information: 011-421-43-413-2394, e-mail: tosmt@stolnine.sk

29. ZAMAGURSKÉ FOLKLÓRNE SLÁV­NOSTI
29. ZAMAGURIE FOLKLORE FESTIVAL
June 17-19

Folk festival of under Tatras region in Čer­vený Kláštor with international participants. 
Information: 011-421-52-772-2466, e-mail: osvetapp@stonline.sk 

  46. FOLKLÓRNE SLÁVNOSTI MYJAVA 2004
46. FOLK FESTIVAL MYJAVA 2005
June 17-19

46th year of international folklore festival-member CIOFF. Presentation of folk art from western Slovakia region with participation of folklore groups from whole Slovakia and abroad. Myjava is in Western Slovakia on the South side of White Carpathian Mountains and about 4 miles from Moravian border. Information: Dom kultúry s.r.o., Partizánska 290/17,  907 01 Myjava, Information: 011-421-34-621 2588, email: dkmyjava@stonline.sk 

36. ŠARIŠŠKÉ FOLKLÓRNE SLÁVNOSTI IN RASLAVICE
36. ŠARIŠ FOLKLORE CELEBRATIONS IN RASLAVICE
June 17-19

There is a folk group Raslavičan here, just great and this festival is great as well.

51. SLÁVNOSTI KULTÚRY RUSÍNOV-UKRAJINCOV SLOVENSKA-SVIDNÍK
51.FFOLKLORE FESTIVAL OF RUTHENIANS AND UKRAINIANS-SVIDNÍK
June 17-19  

EUROFOLKLÓR A HOREHRONSKÉ DNI SPEVU A TANCA
EUROFOLKLOR AND UPPER HRON FESTIVAL OF SONGS AND DANCES
June 24-26

The 39th Folk festival of Upper Hron days of songs and dances in Heľpa central Slovakia. Information: 011-421-48-412-5206, e-mail: sosbb@bb.psg.sk  

 MEDZINÁRODNÝ FOLKLÓRNY FES­TIVAL STRÁŽNICE
INTERNATIONAL FOLK FESTIVAL STRÁŽNICE
June 24-26

The 59th year of the Strážnice international festival. This also will be the seventh year of the central European folk festival CIOFF.

O, OUR JOHN, OUR JOHN
JUNE 26

Ján’s folk customs coupled with magical rituals original to traditional, simple folk environment. Performances of different folk groups. Museum of Liptov village, Pribylina. Information 011-421-44-522-2485, e-mail: narmuzeum@post.sk             www.liptovskemuzeum.sk

FOLKLÓRNY FESTIVAL VÝCHODNÁ
FOLK FESTIVAL VÝCHODNÁ
July 1- 3

This will be its 51st year of the festival. Only the best folk dance and folk singing groups of Slovakia perform at this festi­val. The festival has also international participa­tion of non-Slovak folk dance groups.
Information: 011-421-2-529-14115, email: buric@nocka.sk 

ST. CYRIL AND METHODIUS DAY
Devín’s Castle, July 4

FOLKLÓRNE SLÁVNOSTI POD POĽANOU, DETVA
FOLK FESTIVAL UNDER POĽANA, DETVA
July 7-10

This will be the 40th year of the festival. Main emphasis of the festival is to show the folklore and folk traditions of this central Slova­kia region, with guest per­formances of groups from around Slovakia. On Sunday morning traditionally, there is a program called “Sunday with our countrymen.” and Slovak groups from around the world perform alongside with Slovak groups. 
Information: 011-421-45-545-5581, email: dkas@orangemail.sk 

HORŇÁCKE SLÁVNOSTI
HORNACK’S CELEBRATIONS
VELKÁ NAD VELIČKOU-MORAVIA
July 15-17

Velká nad Veličkou is about 8 miles North of Myjava in Moravia in the Czech republic. This is a festival of festivals and musicians play here almost nonstop for three days.

SPOMIENKY STARÝCH NÔT FUJÁR
REMEMBERING THE OLD NOTES OF FUJARAS
July 23

All Slovakia performance of fujara players in honor of the dean of Detva’s fujara players Jožka Rybára. Korytárky, house of culture and Roman Catholic Church
Information: Spolok slovenských fujarášov, Roman Malatinec, Korytárky 313, 962 04 Korytárky, phone:  011-45-546-62 44,   cell 011-421-905-869-576 email: agentura_huslovykluc@stonline.sk

43. ROČNÍK MEDZINÁRODNÉHO FOLKLÓRNEHO FESTIVALU
JÁNOŠÍKOVE DNI 2005
43. YEAR OF INTERNATIONAL FOLKLORE FESTIVAL
JANOŠÍK DAYS 2005
TERCHOVÁ
 August 5-7

I was four summers ago and it was great. Many groups from the region are performing at this festival. Information: 011-421-41-569-5129, email: mks@terchova.sk 

X. FOLKLÓRNY FESTIVAL POD KRÁĽOVOU HOĽOU
X. FOLKLORE FESTIVAL UNDER KRÁĽOVÁ HOĽA
LIPTOVSKÁ TEPLIČKA 2005
 August 6-7

This is the ninth year of a truly fantastic festival with everyone in the village joining in. Groups from both sides of Kráľová Hoľa, Liptov, Spiš and Upper Hron and different regions of Slovakia and always at least one group from abroad participate. Information: Miestne kultúrne stredisko, Gabriela Bohunčáková, 059 40 Liptovská Teplička, phone: 011-421-52-779-8110,

email: ouliptteplicka@sinet.sk

30. PODROHÁČSKE FOLKLÓRNE SLÁVNOSTI ZUBEREC-BRESTOVÁ
30. PDROHÁČSKE FOLKLORE CELEBRATIONS
August 5-7

Orava’s folklore is the theme here. Location is close to the open-air museum in Zuberec-Berestová. This is a small but very nice festival with international participation. 
Information: 011-421-43-586-4928, e-mail: osvetadk@osvetadk.sk 

KOLIESKO
KOKAVA NAD RIMAVICOU
August 12-14

This is the fourteenth year of festival of young folklorists with a lot of innovative ideas. Small, but great. The villagers open their house courtyards and people sing and dance in them all night long after the official festival programs. This is a great festival. 
Information: 011-421-47-429-3245, e-mail: noslc@noslc.sk  

ECHOES OF OLD SLAVIC LANGUAGE UNDER KRAĽOVA HOĽA
OZVENY STAROSLOVIENČINY POD KRÁĽOVOU HOĽOU V TELGÁRTE
August 19-20

Ecumenical festival of folk and sacral songs. Place: Telgárt, Greek-catholic church, Kráľova Hoľa, house of culture; Dobšiná, Rožňava, Poprad, Brezno, Gemerská Poloma, Šumiac. Information: Mária Knižková, Základná škola, 976 73 Telgárt, 011-421-48-619-4394, email: mariaknizkova@centrum.sk  

IX. HONTIANSKA PARÁDA
X. HONT’S PARADE HRUŠOV 2002
August 19-21

This is a regional festival of the Hont region. Meeting with the traditional culture in the frame of agro tourism. Folklore programs are a part of sampling or the traditional ways activities such as bread baking, wood working, sampling of pear brandy, working with hay, traditional cooking, open folk scene, horseback riding and many more. Place: Hrušov, amphitheater, house of culture, and the whole village.
Information 011-421- 47-488 –0122, e-mail: obechrusov@slovanet.sk  

GEMERS’S FOLKLORE FESTIVAL REJDOVÁ 2004
August 27

32nd year of presentation of folklore, folk customs, traditions and folk crafts from Gemer and other regions of Slovakia and from abroad.
Rejdová, Information: 011-421-58-732-4258, e-mail: gemosrv@nextra.sk 

Our information about the festivals is deemed to be correct, but is not guaranteed. Please phone ahead before making your final arrangements to participate

BRATISLAVA TESTIMONY OF HISTORIC POSTCARDS  
BRATISLAVA SVEDECTVO HISTORICKÝCH POHĽADNÍC
This is a fantastic hard cover large format book 10 x 13 3/8 inches containing 574 historical postcards and photographs with many views of the city from the days gone by. It goes back to 1839 and the beginning of photography in Bratislava. It shows the first known picture of Bratislava by J. Deutsch from 1840-41.
The book is written in Slovak, German, and Hungarian languages. At the end of the book the complete text is in English.
It starts with a chapter: From the History of Picture Postcards. Followed by: Views of the City: Franciscan Square, Main Square,Clarisine Lane, Lawrence Lane, St. Michalel’s Lane, Lords Lane, Primate Square, Fishermen’s Gate, Ventura Street, American Square, Danube Lane, Gorki Street, Deep Road, Hodža Square, Hurban Square, Hviezdoslav Square, Jacob’s Square, Field Hospital Street, Factory Street, Jesenský Street, Kollár Square, Goats Lane, Cross Lane, Ľ. Štúr Square, Commerce Lane, The Palisades, Virgin Lane, Radlinský Street, Fish Square, Freedom Square, Square of the Slovak National Uprising, Dry Toll, Šarárik Square Rampart Streer, Hospital Lane, Štefánik Street, Štefanovič Lane, Windy Lane, High Street, Zoch Lane, Castle Street, Jewish Lane, District Square, Capucin Lane, The Daube Embankment, The Castle Surroundings, The Castle, Transpor, Church Buildings, The Fire Brigade, Culture and Education, Aerial Views, Bridges, Parks, Greenery, Foresters‘ Lodges, Catering, Recreation, Sport, Industry, Factories, Wine Growing and Wine Bars, The Military, Health Service and Welfare, Floods, The Fire in 1913, Exhibitions and Fairs, The Visit of Francis Joseph I in 1908, The Visit of Emperor Charles in 1918, The Incorporation of Bratislava into Czechoslovakia, The Last Farewell to Milan Rastislav Štefánik, The Bomb Attack on  March 13, 1939, The Bombing Raid on June 16, 1944.
I lived in Bratislava for the first 19 years of my life from 1950 until 1969 and I still remember many scenes of Bratislava captured on these postcards. It has brought back many memories and I would certainly recommend it and especially to people that used to live in Bratislava.

The book is available now.

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