Log-house. Nižná Boca, 1971 Author of the entry: Ján Botík HOUSING Upon the arrival to the territory of Slovakia of Slavonian tribes, housing would develop from a single-room to multiple-room homes. The layout of the house was a parameter suggesting economic and social aspects of life of the people living in it. Houses would be judged upon based on the building materials used (clay, wood, stone), durability or temporary nature of housing (seasonal shelter, field settlements). The most important aspect of housing however was the organisation of life in the house, the way of living, and relations among those living together. Author of the entry: Ján Botík A portion of the room interior with a cult corner, and the part with beds. Liptovská Teplička, 1972 NOBLE ROOM A representative room in a house. It came into existence at the turn of 18th and 19th centuries, when wealthier layers of farmers started building houses with 2 rooms. The noble room would be furnished with pompous painted and carved furniture, decorated ceramics, glas paintings etc. The richest decoration would be concentrated in the front part of the room, in particular at the corner with the table. It would be used for the most important annual holidays and family feasts, and clothes for feasts would be deposited there, Only rarely would this room be used for sleeping (guests, girl before the wedding, puerperal women). Children in festive clothes Author of the entry: (reconstruction). Heľpa,1972. Viera Nosáľová CLOTHING The main function of clothing was protection from weather. Clothing expressed the difference between the genders - children, girls, boys), status (unmarried, married, widow), occupation (miners, workmen), social status etc. It was made of natural materials, unprofessionally. Village craftsmen and selfmademen would sew it. The way village people would cloth themselves experienced almost no changes throughout the 20th century. Author of the entry: Stanislav Dúžek Kneeling dance Myjava DANCE The locomotive music art of both the rural and urban population, adjusted to local conditions. It is connected with manifestations of folk culture, in particular habits, games, folk theatre, clothing. Witnesses have been known since 6th century of dancers and balls of ancient Slavonian people; there were reports of dance and musical performance of igrices from 13th - 15th centuries, and there was prohibition by clerical and secular authorities of dance mentioned through the 19th century. National leaders in 19th century would record the nature of the folk art of dancing. A new, so-called new-Hungary style of music and dance appeared at that time. Polka and waltz were composed, and they started replacing older types of folk dance. Shepherd´s fife blower Author of the entry: Oskár Elschek (born 1890) from Utekáč SHEPHERD´S FIFE A woodwind, edge fife, usually made of elderwood. Its length is usually 1,500 - 1,800 mm, with a diameter of 33 - 50 mm. In addition to the fife itself, there is a 500 - 700 mm long auxiliary air duct feeding air to the edge in the pipe´s head. The air duct enables the player, who covers the holes, to reach with his mouth the tuning device. The three holes are located in the bottom part which usually is richly decorated with ornaments, more rarely with figures, acid-cauterized, deeply carved or decorated with wavy nicked bands. Autor of the entry: Daniel Luther Punch and Judy. Carved by M. Foukal, 1925 - 1928 PUPPET THEATRE Between 1800s and mid-1900s, in the period of itinerant puppet theatres, it would be a popular folk entertainment of children and adults. The Slovak puppeteers would dilligently try to truly imitate artists´ theatre: the puppets and their costumes were reduced copies of live persons, and would move on a stage with painted backgrounds and wings. The repertory of a good puppeteer included about 40 plays performed by heart, thus providing for the necessary contact with the public. The topics would be drawn from the environment where puppeteers would perform: local rumors, moods, special characters and their statements. Vessel for liquids. Author of the entry: Pukanec, 1873 Irena Pišútová CLAY PIT Good quality clay was the basic material for pottery and jug-making crafts. When taken to fingers, lumps of good clay had to crumble. Ceramic makers sought for good clay. Most frequently, they would produce it in the spring, before Easter. All people from a workshop would go to the clay pit together. The Master would go first to select the pit, to measure, by walking around it, its perimeter, and to do the first dig. Steps would be dug at the side of a deep pit (sometimes as many as 4 m below the surface) used to pass buckets filled with clay. Not infrequently, the diggers lost their lives when soil slid during the works. The collective working in the clay pit was a good opportunity to tell funny stories. Authors of the entry: Head of a Goral valaška Marta Komorovská, (shepherd´s hatchet) Oskár Elschek, decorated by carving, Stanislav Dúžek the helve reinforced and tin- and beating -decorated VALAŠKA (SHEPHERD´S HATCHET) A small hatchet with a long helve. It served as a leaning, defence and working tool, and as props for dancing. It is linked to the profession of shepherds, and has been widely used mainly in Central Slovakia. The head of the hatchet was forged of iron by village blacksmiths. The helves were prepared by the shepherds who also decorated them. The hatchets and their sound served the shepherds to call in flocks of sheep. Generally, ”valaška” is used in Slovak folk dance called ”odzemok” Its specific uses multiply the opportunities to demonstrate the dancing skills of the performers. In certain regions, the dancers would use ”valaška” for gestures during patterns produced for wedding processions and chain club dance. Raking, Čertižné Author of the entry: Oľga Danglová KRASLICA (EASTER EGG) Chicken, more rarely duck or goose egg decorated for Easter holidays. Sacrifice, liturgic or personal gift, Symbol of the spring resurrection of nature. Coloring had the purpose of strengthening of its magic effect. The originally pre-Christian habit was adopted by the church. Eastern eggs, according to the church symbolism, represent Christ´s ascending into heaven. The oldest Easter eggs are known from burial sites in Asia Minor (3rd millenium BC). In Slovakia, they were found in Slavonian tombs from 7th century. In present times, mostly girls use to give Easter eggs to their ”whippers” (a folk custom in Slovakia) on Eastern Monday as a token of love. Jánošík´s group Author of the entry: (painting on glas). Viera Gašparíková JÁNOŠÍK Juraj Jánošík - a legendary folk hero, the most important representative of Slovak robbers. Around 1707-1708, he participated in a revolt led by Ferenc II Rákóczi, left the Kuruc movement and entered the Emperor´s military. After having been dismissed from the army, Tomáš Uhorčík, a robber from Kysuce, convinced him to join the robbers. He became captain of the robbers group. In early March 1713, he was captured in Liptovský Mikuláš, sentenced to death and hanged on left rib.

References: CD Encyclopedia of Slovakia´s Folk Culture. Authors: Institute of Ethnology, Slovak Academy of Science, VEDA, Publishing House of the Slovak Academy of Science, GRATEX International, Ltd.