Slovak Folk Festival

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[youtube=IPPKIyhwVNw][youtube=gMgW111-XGY]

Today Sylvia, her cousin Marian, and I went to Detva for one of the best known and largest Slovak folk festivals. Think of it as Czech Days in Wilber, NE, but with some authenticity. The festival features authentic Slovak crafts, music, and folk performances. It is encouraging to see that these traditions are being valued once again and that younger people are willing to learn them, especially since many of the folk skills would be lost forever if not passed on. It was also encouraging to see there is a growing audience for such demonstrations because it will ensure that such activities continue.
We spent the afternoon walking around the festival and watching many of the small demonstrations of folk art and music. We watched a group of youth musicians playing fiddles and one of my favorite instruments, the cimbalom . There were many talented cimbalom players at the festival and we watched one folk orchestra that had three playing at once.
There was a bit of excitement while we were walking around the marketplace. I turned to my left and there was Ivan Gašparovič , the president of Slovakia. Luckily, Sylvia was nearby with her camera to take a picture of the two of us. Although I am not a fan of his party or politics (he was once a member of the communist party), it was still an exciting experience to see the president of the country.
We took a short break from the festival to go to a small store in the town famous for its folk costumes and materials. After that, we took a short drive up into the nearby mountains for a hike to see Slovakia's largest waterfall (not all that large). The weather was quite hot, so after the hour long hike, I was happy to get back to the festival for some good food and a REALLY good beer.
The main attraction of the day was the large folk music demonstrations. Folk groups come to the festival from all over Slovakia and even Moravia to perform at the festival. Most wear authentic kroj and recreate common folk tradtions. We saw recreations of a wedding ceremony and a ceremony for men going off to war. In the evening, the demonstrations focused on dances and folk music.
The festival was something Sylvia and I had been looking forward to for several months and it was not a disappointment.

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Photos

President of Slovakia
I ran into the President of Slovakia, Ivan Gasparovic, while walking around the festival.

Detva
Ah, Detva...known for its folk festival and its prostitutes. (really).

Maj poles
Traditional Maj poles.

Bobbin Lace
This lady was absolutely amazing. I had to put my camera on high-speed settings so her hands would blur. She basically holds 4 or 5 bobbins at a time and rotates them in her hands to create this lace.

Kroje
A group of boys dressed in traditional Slovak folk costumes. They were waiting for their turn on stage.

Slovak Folk Musicians
Two men playing a marranzano (also known as the Jew's harp) and a flute. The term Jew's harp is commonly used to describe it, but of course it isn't exactly PC.

Dudy
A guy playing a set of traditional bagpipes known as the dudy. I hope it doesn't cause any flashbacks for Em.

Ivan Gasparovic
The President of Slovakia stops by a vender.

Polana Mountain
Sylvia taking in the nice view on Polana, which overlooks the town of Detva.

Polana Waterfall
The largest waterfall in Slovakia on Polana mountain.

Folk Musicians
A group of folk musicians accompanies their dancers.

Folk Dancers
A group of folk dancers perform.

Folk Singers
A group of laides dressed in traditional kroje perform on the large stage at Detva.

Folk Dancing
This group performed a very nice dance.

Dance Group
Another good folk dance performance.

Folk Orchestra
This group was by far the best music performace of the night. They featured three cimbaloms and dozens of violin players.

Finale
The last performace of the night brought all of the groups to the stage to sing a well known folk song. The entire crowd of several thousand stood up to sing.