Folk Culture and Communism
Posted by Margarete on Jul 16
Back in April I had the unique opportunity to speak at the Slovak Embassy in Washington DC. I was invited by the Slovak-American Society of Washington DC to talk about my experiences in Slovakia and about my book. I thought a long time about what I wanted to talk about and in the end I gave a speech about the characteristics that I think make Slovaks unique from other European ethnicities.
The first characteristic I talked about is in my opinion is one of the most significant characteristics that separates Slovaks from other Europeans: the strong sense of folk culture. By folk culture I mean the music, dance, song, and art local to a particular region or country.
Once a year, a person celebrates an anniversary of a special date that is unique to the individual. A birthday? Well, yes, but in Slovakia there is another event that is notable—the name-day. The name-day is important and is often celebrated similarly to a birthday. A person might get a small gift, flowers or even a cake. What is expected is to wish the person celebrating a name-day “Všetko najlepšie” – “All the best”, and a handshake, or a kiss on both cheeks if you are close to that person.
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.