Detva – Best Slovakia Tours https://www.bestslovakiatours.com Slovakia Travel Guide Service Thu, 02 May 2024 21:37:55 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.bestslovakiatours.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/cropped-512x512-Site-Icon-toolbar-32x32.png Detva – Best Slovakia Tours https://www.bestslovakiatours.com 32 32 Tradition of our ancestors – maypoles https://www.bestslovakiatours.com/maypoles/ Thu, 02 May 2024 21:05:45 +0000 https://www.bestslovakiatours.com/?p=7894 <p>The post Tradition of our ancestors – maypoles first appeared on Best Slovakia Tours.</p>

]]>
A short history

Maypole

A tradition of maypoles from medieval times to present-day Slovakia
Detva Music and Dance Festival

Maypole

The 1st of May is the time for a maypole, associated with love, but also with a new beginning and the birth of a new life. May’s freshly green nature evokes youth, freshness, and energy. Trees, which have their special position among plants, symbolized the myth of the struggle of spring with winter, or life with death.

The custom is alive all over Slovakia. In the Middle Ages, maypoles were erected in front of the churches and town halls as symbols of respect. Since the 15th century, young men built maypoles and placed them in front of young girl’s homes to show interest.

But it wasn’t always just about love and showing affection, people also put up the maypoles in front of their houses as protection against evil spirits and diseases. May greenery should have brought a good harvest to the farmers.

Detva Music and Dance Festival

Maypole 

Maypole is a several meters high tree, usually, it is a fir, spruce, or birch. Its trunk is cleaned of bark and branches, which are left only at the top of the tree. It is decorated with various ribbons and bows. On the eve of the 1st of May, a young man who liked some unmarried girl secretly placed the maypole in front of her house. Sometimes, when there were more young men interested in one girl, the suitors destroyed each other’s maypoles.

So, a maypole meant serious interest, while the tree had to be really nice, symmetrical, and nicely decorated. If the maypole is also decorated with a wreath with long ribbons, it should mean that the girl will marry the suitor soon. Maypole with a wreath is therefore a symbol of a love promise. This tradition was accompanied by singing and dancing, which celebrated not only the birth of new love but also the definitive victory of spring over winter.

These old customs and traditions slowly die out. Fortunately, we still can find dozens of villages where people still follow the maypole tradition by putting up the maypole in the middle of the village. In large cities, beautifully wreathed maypoles are used to put up symbolically in front of local administration offices or cultural centers, where they stand for the whole month. At the end of May, the maypole is ceremoniously removed during the so-called maypole fall celebration.

Some of the traditions of our ancestors have disappeared, some have been preserved to this day, such as building the Maypole.

Thanks for reading our mini-blog:)

Any questions? Write us at contact@bestslovakiatours.com
Peter, founder & CEO of Best Slovakia Tours

<p>The post Tradition of our ancestors – maypoles first appeared on Best Slovakia Tours.</p>

]]> Fujara https://www.bestslovakiatours.com/fujara-the-unique-slovak-music-instrument/ Wed, 07 Oct 2020 12:17:41 +0000 https://nbst.skwebnet.sk/?p=5418 Fujara, the unique Slovak musical instrument. I am sure if you have already visited Slovakia, then you saw and maybe even heard it. A long wooden pipe with three holes decorated with various ornaments – that’s our FUJARA.

<p>The post Fujara first appeared on Best Slovakia Tours.</p>

]]>
A short history

Fujara

Long shepherd’s pipe is a solo folk woodwind musical instrument. It origins from Central Slovakia – a region called Podpoľanie.
Detva Music and Dance Festival

Fujara – often called “the queen among folks musical instruments”

is a long wooden flute with three holes reaching a length of about 180 cm. It is made of dry wood, especially elder (baza), maple (javor), ash (jaseň), or locust (agát).
In the past, it was the musical instrument of shepherds who played it while they were away in the mountains for a long time. They meditated about their feelings and desires with it. Its velvety melancholy voice is able to express Podpoľanie human soul, but also soothe grazing sheep perfectly.

As with any musical instrument quality of a long shepherd’s pipe is evaluated mainly by its sound but its artistic side is also remarkable.
Some long shepherd’s pipes are simple, without decoration, other with ornamental decoration covering the entire surface of the long shepherd’s pipe.

The ornament contours are cut in wood and colorfully decorated with nitric acid, rarer way of decorating is deep notch cut or discharging narrow strips of thin brass sheet ornaments. In the past, every maker was using his own ornaments and manufacturing process. Every long shepherd’s pipe is original unique work.

Fujara – the long shepherd’s pipe is on UNESCO list

On 25th November 2005 was “ fujara musical instrument and its music” was recorded on the list of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

If you would love to hear Fujara, probably, the best idea is to come to Slovakia in July and take part in one of these 2 special events:

1. One of the most successful is Folklore Festival Poľana – the international festival of folklore and traditional folk culture – held every year in the second week of July in Detva village (More info here)

2. Folklore Festival Východná – held every year in the first week of July in Vychodna village, in a lovely Liptov region (More info here)

Of course, you don’t need to come in July, you can come anytime and we organize for you a special Fujara event (where you can get the story of Fujara, see the workshop, learn how to play and buy it)

>> Request a PRIVATE TOUR and enjoy a lovely time in SLOVAKIA with us.

We will prepare a custom-made itinerary exactly according to your wishes, choose and book the best hotels for you in your preferred category, give you our professional, specially trained Guide-driver (only from our team), book our new vehicle according to your group size and make everything for your smooth, lovely and enjoyable Slovakia tour.

Write us at contact@bestslovakiatours.com
Peter, founder & CEO of Best Slovakia Tours

<p>The post Fujara first appeared on Best Slovakia Tours.</p>

]]>