Valuable cultural
promotion by the population and the state
7thMeeting of the
Slovenes from the Raba Region in Kétvölgy and inauguration of the newly
renovated culture house
Already
for the 7th time, the Slovenes from the Raba
Region gathered this year in order to celebrate a common day of culture. This
year’s event took place in Kétvölgy
(Verica Ritkarovci) and
was mainly dedicated to youth, which had a positive effect on the overall
picture of the meeting. In addition to the numerous musical and dance
performances, the culture house in Kétvölgy
was reopened after a renovation period of several years with a solemn
ceremony and in the presence of some high representatives of Hungary and Slovenia.
Kétvölgy, August 19,
2007.
Regional culture in the presence
of an international audience
Since the existence of these
annual meetings of the Hungarian Slovenes, never ever have there come
together so many people like this year in Verica-Ritkarovci
(Kétvölgy). On that Sunday, almost one
thousand guests from near and far gathered in a capacious festival tent in Kétvölgy. Together with the local Slovenes,
also Slovenes from Budapest, Mosonmagyaróvár, Szombathely and even
from various other European countries such as Germany,
Switzerland and Serbia
travelled to the event. The Association of the Slovenes in Hungary, the municipality
of Kétvölgy
and the Centre for Tourism and Information of Moravske
Toplice (Slovenia) had organised the
meeting, which offered an extensive and varied programme. Contemporaneously
to this event, the village day of Kétvölgy,
the main attraction of which was the inauguration and consecration of the
culture house, took place. As it is common in the Raba
Region, the organizers were awaiting the incoming guests with schnaps and pastries. Furthermore, each guest received a
welcome gift in form of a small jug in memory of the potter of Kétvölgy, Károly
Doncsecz who had deceased a while ago. After the
appearance by the Slovene folklore group „Gorički
Lajkoši“ from Gornji
Petrovci (Slowenien), Klara Fodor (the Secretary of the Slovene
Self-administration in Hungary) opened the cultural programme. She addressed
the international audience with a warm welcome and explained the course of
the event in Slovene and Hungarian.
The preservation of Slovene
culture and the invigoration of regional cooperation
Numerous representatives of Hungary and Slovenia
were present at this year’s gathering: József
Hirnök, the President of the Slovene
Self-administration in Hungary,
András Doncsecz,
the Mayor of Kétvölgy, Martina Vink-Kranjec, the Manager of the
Centre for Tourism and Information of Moravske Toplice and Ladislav Lipič, the Ambassador of the Republic
of Slovenia in Budapest. Marijana
Sukics from the magazine Porabje
offered the simultaneous translation Hungarian and Slovene. In his speech, Hirnök emphasised the importance of such meetings
for the Slovenes from the Raba Region. They had the
possibility to get together and talk and could then go back home after a
satisfactory day and with the feeling of belonging to the Slovenes of the Raba Region, Hirnök said.
What is more, he encouraged the guests to keep cultivating their mother
tongue, to preserve Slovene culture and to pass on their knowledge to their
children, so that their offspring can identify themselves as Slovenes as
well. András Doncsecz
was pleased to see that this 7th meeting of the Slovenes from the Raba Region took place in his municipality Kétvölgy. He said that even though Kétvölgy was the second smallest village of
the Raba Region, its population stuck together even
more intensely. Furthermore, he was extraordinarily satisfied by the fact
that the newly renovated culture house in Kétvölgy
was inaugurated on the very same day. Martina Vink-Kranjec
considered herself happy that the Centre for Tourism and Information of Moravske Toplice was given the
opportunity to work together with Kétvölgy
within the project “Interreg” and to
get to know the places of the beautiful Slovene Raba
Region. In addition, she referred to the significance of cross-border
cooperation because it offered the most effective means of getting together
and discussing. The Ambassador of the Republic
of Slovenia in Budapest, Ladislav
Lipič, emphasised the importance of events
such as this year’s gathering in Kétvölgy.
They offered great benefit to the regional development and strenghtened the good cooperation between Hungary and Slovenia. Both states considered
the invigoration of the development in this region essential and supported
the ethnic minorities on both sides of the borders, Lipič
said.
Pithy sayings
Subsequent to the speeches
of the political prominent figures, a women’s choir from Števanovci (Apatistvanfalva),
went on the stage, which was decorated with flowers and basketry, and
presented traditional popular songs from the Slovene Raba
Region. Their performance was followed by a folklore group from Tešanovci (Slovenia) called KTD. In the
beginning of their presentation, their charismatic singer addressed the
audience and tried to heat up the atmosphere on the benches with pithy
sayings. The cheerful members of the group pleased the audience with their
catchy rhythms and vivacious dances. KTD had conquered the stage with great
effort and caused some loud enthusiastic crows among the listeners. The first
of totally three child (and youth) bands was the children’s musicians
and dance group from Števanovci. They were
dressed in costumes and performed traditional dances and were accompanied by
an adult harmonica player. Once they were dancing in circles collectively
holding hands, then they arranged themselves to pairs in order to present
themselves to the audience as a unity once more. One element of their
performance was especially popular among the audience: the game with the
hats. A group of boys standing closely to each other exchanged their hats to
and fro in rapid speed, and the boy whose hat had fallen to the floor had to
retreat to the background. The boys and girls of the folklore group enjoyed
their performance, and this pleasure positively conferred on the audience.
The siblings Patrik and Patricija
Bokan from Otovci (Slovenia)
were the next ones to enter the stage. They showed, first alone and then as a
duet, their skills on the accordion wearing traditional local costumes.
Another youthful folklore group from Benedikt (Slovenia)
initiated probably the most amusing performance of the day. The young singer
of the group earned a great deal of laughter when he was successfully
interacting with the audience uttering funny and tongue-in-cheek statements. The
little entertainer precociously said that he would like to have a beer but
could only drink non-alcoholic beer, because he still had to drive. When the
four boys wearing blue shirts and playing on their original instruments
unconcernedly sang a obscene song, the people in the
audience did not blush but broke out in laughter. This impressive performance
marked the ending of the musical part of the cultural programme. Klara Fodor went on stage once
more and asked the audience to leave the festival tent and to walk towards
the new culture house of the village, which was about to be inaugurated.
Culture house in new
splendour
The prelude of the
inauguration of this modernised cultural institution consisted in the
performance of a women’s choir from the Slovene Raba
Region. Amongst others, Péter Kiss, the
Chancellor Minister of Hungary
was invited for the handover of the culture house. Unfortunately, he could
not be present himself but was represented by his ministerial administrator, Imre Márkus, who read Kiss’
welcome speech.
The Chancellor Minister
praised the population of Kétvölgy for
their outstanding cultural cohesion and the preservation of cultural life.
Effort of the population of Kétvölgy, Slovene-Hungarian and European
support
Since
the cultural house of Kétvölgy used to
be in bad condition, it was necessary to modernise this institution. Its roof
was the first unit to be renovated, an improvement for which the Hungarian
government had secured financial help at the end of 2005. The project of the
EU called “Interreg” paid their share
to finance the internal and external renovation work. Furthermore, the city
of Moravska Toplice
in the Mura Region (Slovenia)
embodied a trustful partner in the successful renovation of the culture
house. However, the renovations would not have been completed, if the
population of Kétvölgy did not have
participated actively and voluntarily in the operations. Drago Šiftar (Slovene General Consul in Szentgotthárd) thanked both the population of Kétvölgy for their valuable aid and Andrea Kovács (Collaborator of the Slovene Consulate in Szentgotthárd) for the successful completion of
this project. Martina Vink-Kranjec (Manager of the
Centre for Tourism and Information Moravske Toplice) put emphasis on the significance of the
border-crossing cooperation. András Doncsecz (Mayor of Kétvölgy)
was fascinated by the fact that a new cultural institution was built in his
municipality, from which its population can take profit. The renovated
culture house features a modern architecture, and its core, a culture room
equipped with a stage and numerous chairs, will surely give pleasure to the
villagers in the future. Inside the culture house you can also find an
information room, in which the visitors can be provided with worthy information
on Kétvölgy and its neighbouring area.
What is more, one can find the mayor’s office, the doctor’s
practice and the office of the local Slovene self-administration in the
culture house.
Consecration of the culture
house by the clergy
After the inaugural speeches
of the secular representatives of Hungary
and Slovenia,
three members of the clergy approached the podium. Priest Lojze
Kozar from Odranci (Slovenia), priest Dejan
Horvat from Čepinci
(Slovenia)
and priest Ferenc Merkli
(Slovene Raba Region) welcomed their audience and
expressed the relevance of this new cultural institution. Subsequent to their
appearance, they sprinkled the entrance door of the building with holy water
and thereby consecrated the house. After the red-blue-white and
red-white-green ribbons had solemnly been cut, and the event was acknowledged
with applause by the audience, the women’s choir from the Slovene Raba Region sang once more.
Pictures Tibor Horvath / Joël Gerber
P.S.: We too, Tibor Horvath
and Joël Gerber, would like to thank the
organizers of this 7th meeting of the Slovenes from the Raba Region and congratulate them on this successful
cultural day. We are looking forward to taking part in next year’s
edition of the meeting.
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