Slovak Folk Culture
One of the things that struck me as a foreigner in Slovakia was that the folk culture of traditional music and dance are more commonly found here than any place I had ever visited or lived. I’m not saying that you could see scenes like the one in the picture everyday, but if you are looking for folk culture, you don’t have to look long or far before you find it.
When and where are the best places to see folk culture in person?
The best times and places are at special events such as various folk festivals through the summer months. In my book The Foreigner’s Guide to Living in Slovakia, I created a list of the most well-known festivals, which take place in the summer. In addition to these folk festivals, towns put on a jarmok or vinobranie, which are autumn festivals, organized around harvesting time. Towns and villages have other special events they may celebrate throughout the year and folk music or dance is often an integral part.
That isn’t to say that in the cities folk culture is abandoned. In Bratislava, for example, you can attend sessions where folk enthusiasts and choreographers from major folk ensembles meet to discuss subjects such as trends and how folk culture evolves. After these discussions end, there is usually some instructional dancing where anyone can participate in learning some steps along to folk music. These sessions are often held on a weekday evening in the Kultúrny dom, close to SNP Square.
In addition to traditional music and dance in Bratislava, there are two Úľuv stores in Bratislava where you can see and purchase traditional handcrafts. One store is located at Námestie SNP, near the Ľudová Banka, and the second is on Obchodná Street, close to the Slovak Pub.
Úľuv carries a variety of beautiful items including wood carvings, embroidery, traditional folk dress, hand-blown eggs that are decorated for the Easter holiday, artwork, and decorative leather goods. They even have Fed-Ex packaging and will help you ship your items home if you can’t carry them. Once I was with a friend of mine from New Jersey shopping in one of these shops. She purchased a painting that was created on a pane of glass. She shipped it via Fed-Ex, right from the store. Later she told me that it arrived in perfect condition. That certainly can be useful to know.
