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Fujara is a Slovakia traditional instrument, it's large, and it's one of the instruments of the tabor pipe class. Fujara can be separated into 2 parts, the main tube and the short tube. The main tube is about 160-200cm, and the short tube is about 50-80cm, it's played by Slovak shepherds from the past. The sound produced by Fujara sounds meditative and deep, and it's not easy to learn. Fujara is an important and great but endangered piece of culture in Slovakia, it plays a very important role in Slovakia's music development. Fujara was listed in the Intangible Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO.

https://slovakia.travel/en/unesco-intangible-heritage-fujara

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Bryndzové halušky is a traditional dish from Slovakia and is considered a national dish. It is a kind of potato dumpling with bacon. Originating from northern Slovakia, Bryndzové halušky has gained popularity among locals, Bryndzové halušky lovers create an annual Bryndzové halušky festival that includes an eating contest. Unlike pizza or pasta, which have become widely known in many countries, Bryndzové halušky remains relatively unknown outside of Slovakia. I hope to introduce this delicious Slovak dish to more people around the world.

https://cookpad.com/us/recipes/57890-bryndzove-halusky-slovakian-potato-dumplings-with-bryndza-cheese

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Carnival Season starts after the epiphany and finishes on Ash Wednesday, and this festival links up winter with spring. People who went to the festival would wear masks or interesting costumes and walk on the street. They also sing, dance, and play instruments together, this is a very important part of Slovak culture.

https://www.progress-index.com/story/entertainment/2023/10/04/prince-george-virginia-czech-and-slovak-folklife-festival-authentic-food-music-dance-free-admission/71054838007/

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Borovička is an alcoholic drink in Slovakia, it is made out of juniper berries. The drink itself is golden and it's very clear. This is also a popular drink in Slovakia and Czech. Wine culture in Slovakia is very important for them, drinking wine symbolizes happiness, so Slovaks often drink wine.

https://www.actahort.org/books/1274/1274_18.htm

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Albin Brunovsky is one of the most famous artists in Slovakia. He was a graphic artist, painter, designer, and illustrator. One of his famous designs is Czechoslovak cash, he is one of the designers. His painting style belongs to the surrealism. Albin Brunovsky is very important to Slovakia, because he is a very famous artist, and his drawing influenced lots of other artists in Slovakia, and he also influenced the drawing style of Slovakia.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/albin-brunovsky-exposition-artblog

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Vinea is a kind of sparkling drink from Slovakia, this drink is very important to Slovaks because it was invented in 1973 by a Slovak biochemist working on winemaking and grape planting. Vinea is made out of grapes, and made into grape lemonade and it tastes very sweet.

https://www.thisislocco.sk/en/work/vinea-zivot-vo-viniciach

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This Kaleidoscope project aims to preserve and save these rich, unique, and endangered cultures from Slovakia. In this project, I will be highlighting various aspects of Slovakia’s culture, such as food, music, festivals, fashion, tradition, etc. These interesting cultures were all formed and originated by people who lived in Slovakia thousands of years ago. Even though the culture of Slovakia is currently facing the threat of disappearance, as a member of this Kaleidoscope project, I seek to prevent these cultures.

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This video will show you how to make Bryndzové Halušky and what it looks like.

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This is the official website of Vinea, and shows different size of Vinea also different package of it.

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Naše oblíbená hroznová limonáda od roku 1974

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Trdelnik a spindle cake, is a traditional dessert in Slovakia. It is made with flour, butter, sugar, egg yolks, yeast, milk, and walnuts. Trdelnik is made into a cylindrical shape and baked on wooden sticks. Trdelnik is very popular in almost all European countries, such as Czech, Austria, Poland, etc. Especially Czech, Trdelnik is super popular in Czech, you can see Trdelnik in almost all café shops. This causes lots of tourists to think that Trdelnik is actually a Czech dish, which is not true. It is very important to let everyone know that Trdelnik is a traditional desert from Slovakia not Czech.

https://euholidaycookbook.org/2023/11/20/slovakia/

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This news shows an example of tourists thinking that Trdelnik was from Czech, and a Czech was wearing a Trdelnik costume with "I AM NOT CZECH TRADITION".

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In a recent YouTube video which garnered attention and gained further exposure after being shared by popular Czech YouTuber Janek Rubeš on his Honest Guide Facebook page, a person dressed in a giant trdelník costume which bears the inscription "I am not a Czech tradition" walks, skips and dances around Prague's city centre past tourists eating the sweet hollow pastry. The video, while humorous, at moments zooms in on close-ups of half-eaten trdelníks dumped in rubbish bins or being pecked at by pigeons in the street.

Anna Hubená, a student of scenography at Prague's Academy of Performing Arts (DAMU), was the person behind the camera, and says this focus on the waste side of the trdelník story was because of another recent school project.
"I recently focussed on public waste in Old Town and I found so many trdelníks in the trash because people don't like it. They buy it because it smells good but actually it is just sugar and cinnamon."
Danny Takieddin, a student of acting and Anna's classmate, is the person in the costume, and says he jumped at the chance to collaborate with Anna on the video.
"One day Anna asked me if I would like to collaborate on this project and when she told me about the big trdelník costume, I didn't even hesitate."
Anna made the costume herself out of recycled textile and plastic and she says it took her several hours. But despite all her efforts, the costume, like so many other discarded trdelníks, is now in the bin.
"Now the costume is in the trash - at the end of our performance we went to the recycling centre and threw it away. It was funny because you're not allowed to film or take pictures there so we didn't know how to end it, but then we went back there and secretly shot the last scene."
The pair made the video as part of a school project called 'Interventions in public spaces'. Anna says that due to the location of their school, the spit cake marketed everywhere as an "old Czech" confection is highly visible.
"Because our school is in the middle of Old Town and we walk past these trdelník shops every day."
The video certainly struck a chord with Czechs and Prague locals, who are bemused by the trdelník shops and stands that have sprung up in the city centre over the past several years and which advertise themselves as being something traditionally Czech. Many Czechs are also perturbed by the high price point, for the equivalent of which you could buy a full sit-down lunch and a beer, or several truly traditional Czech cakes and pastries.

But what about the tourists who buy it?

"I think a lot of tourists understood - for example, we met a group of tourists with a guide here on Old Town Square, and when they saw us, the guide started talking about the trdelník business in the Czech Republic", says Danny.

Anna is less sure.
"We had so many positive reactions from people - especially from Czech people because they understand. Tourists were surprised - they wanted to take a picture with us and they laughed, but who knows if they understood as well."
The tourists I speak to munching on their trdleníks are mostly indifferent to whether the spit cake is traditionally Czech or not - although some are surprised, they say they would still buy it anyway. And the fact that so many shops selling trdleník have sprung up in the centre attest to the fact that these businesses clearly make a lot of money - so it doesn't look like they are going away any time soon.

So if trdelník didn't even arrive in Czechia until relatively recently, where did it come from? The answer seems to be that it originates from a different part of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire: likely the Hungarian speaking part of Transylvania in today's Romania.

The town of Skalica in Slovakia also has a version of the spit cake which does have a history going back to the end of the 18th century. The original recipe comes from the cook of József Gvadányi, a retired Hungarian general and resident of Skalica. This recipe was then improved by the inhabitants of Skalica to its contemporary form, now known as Skalický trdelník, which has even been registered as an EU protected geographical indication - meaning the entire product must be traditionally manufactured within the specific region. A Skalický trdelník society was also founded in 2004 with the goal of keeping the tradition of the original open-fire trdelník production.

Since during the days of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Slovakia was known as Upper Hungary, arguably trdelník is really a Hungarian product - but whether it is Slovak, Hungarian or Romanian, it is definitely not Czech, as any Czech person will tell you. So if you want to be a responsible tourist, even if you do chomp down on a sugary trdelník, make sure you also go to a proper Czech cukrárna.

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Video highlighting fake Czech "trdelník" tradition draws attention to Prague tourist blight

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A recent video by a pair of Prague theatre students has caught the attention of people on social media and sparked debate about 'trdelník' and its supposedly Czech origins.

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This video will show you what Fujara is and how it work, the speaker will also demonstrate it, so you can hear what it sounds like

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FUJARA Tutorial 'what is it?- how does it work?-construction and tuning'

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Slovakia is famous for its liturgical songs, liturgical songs were often sung in old Slavonic. Liturgical songs were formed by the time of Moravian. Lyrics of liturgical songs were often about praising the God they believe in. Liturgical songs are very important in the part of Slovak culture because the meaning of the song represents the love of Slovaks to their Gods.

https://gregoriana.sk/2010/04/eva-veselovska-medieval-church-music-sources-from-the-territory-of-slovakia/

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This audio shows you how traditional Slovak liturgical song sounds like

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Konopa Konopa is a traditional folk song from Slovakia, almost all Slovaks know this song and how to sing it. This song is mostly about a love story a girl loving a boy and she secretly gets married to him and so on. Konopa Konopa is very important for all Slovaks, because this is a folk ballad of Slovakia, and it's lots of Slovaks' childhood memory.

https://pesnicky.orava.sk/noty?view=song&id=405

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This is an audio of Slovaks singing Konopa Konopa

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This is a photo gallery of Albin Brunovsky's art works

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This is a website that shows all the main information about Albin Brunovsky.

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Albín Brunovský was a Slovak painter. He considered to be one of the greatest Slovak painters of the 20th century.

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Kapustnica is a traditional rustic soup in Slovakia, made into soup with different ingredients, including sauerkraut, potatoes, dried mushrooms, soaked meat, sausage, and onions. Lots of countries near Slovakia also have this kind of soup, but Slovaks have their special way of making it. Slovaks often eat it for Christmas Eve dinner, which makes it significant to them.

https://bratislavafoodtours.com/slovak-recipes-worth-taking-home-kapustnica-sauerkraut-soup/

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House signs are a special small architecture in Slovakia. Slovak used to use house signs to separate houses in Kremnica, which is a village in Slovakia. House signs were usually made into human figures, foods, or animals. House signs are now very rare, but it's still a significant culture for Slovaks, it's full of history.

https://historycampus.org/2021/slovak-house-signs-little-pieces-of-endangered-art/

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Slovak is the official language of Slovakia, also a branch of Slavic languages. It is used the most in Slovakia, 76% of Slovak's mother language is Slovak. Lots of Slovak vocabs were from Latin and German, it belongs to the West Slavic branch of the Slavic family of Indo-European and has lots of dialects. The Slovak language is a very important piece of culture, it was formed years ago It has gone through many reforms to form the current Slovak language, and the background behind it can be traced back to a long time ago.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Slovak-language

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This video shows you some basic Slovak phrases, and how to pronounce and what does it mean.

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Czech is the official language of Czech, which is almost the same as Slovak. Almost all Slovak speakers can speak Czech, and almost all Czech speakers can speak Slovak. Czech and Slovak used to be combined with Czech. The Czech language was also very important to Slovakia because they were used to be combined with Slovak language, there's a deep relationship between these two languages and countries.

https://english.radio.cz/czech-and-slovak-languages-or-dialects-8771400

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Magyar is the Hungarian language, which is the second most widely spoken language in Slovakia. Magyar is also very important to Slovakia, Magyar plays a very important role in maintaining the relationship between Slovakia and Hungary.

https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/110682/commentary_30.pdf

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Apple Feast is a traditional festival in Slovakia that celebrates fine apples, people make lots of apple dishes, and will also attract apple fans from everywhere. Apples represent love beauty and wisdom, this is also a significant part in Slovaks culture

https://slovakia.travel/en/apple-feast

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Kofola is a drink from Slovakia and Czech, it is a kind of sparkling drink. Kofola tastes like cola added with herbs, it is very popular in Slovakia and Czech, almost every shop in Slovakia and Czech sells Kofola. Kofola is actually becoming a part of Slovak culture, because now almost every stores are selling Kofola.

https://www.kofola.cz/en/story-of-kofola

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Slovak is good at lace-making. Lots of their traditional clothes were with lace or include lace. Lace making is very important to Slovaks, lace making was not just working for them, it represented a "labor of love". Lace is also somehow a kind of spiritual sustenance for Slovaks, and can also heal their negative feelings.

https://slovakia.travel/en/lace-making

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This video will show you how Apple Feast in Slovakia it's like.

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Festival of Ghosts and Monsters is a festival similar to Halloween and it's held during the break of April and May (during the 2 longer weekends) in  Bojnice castle, visitors would wear special costumes to join. Slovaks believe that in this festival, they can met witches, vampires, or aliens, this is very special for them.

https://slovakia.travel/en/international-festival-of-spectres-and-ghosts

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Romanesque architecture is a kind of architecture often seen in Slovakia. It is an architectural style of medieval Europe, and most of them have small windows, thick walls, round arches, and large towers. All Romanesque architecture was full of history and stories behind them, which is a precious piece of culture for Slovaks.

https://www.transromanica.com/region/central-slovakia/

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These slideshows would show you what is Romanesque Architecture and how it's like in Slovakia

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Slovakia is one of the countries that have a rich collection of Gothic architecture. Most Gothic architecture have pointed arches usually very thin and tall and fall of emotions. The Cathedral of St.Elizabeth is one of the famous Gothic architecture in Slovakia.

https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20058018/gothic-treasures-across-slovakia.html

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This news article will show you how famous and great the Gothic architecture in Košice region.

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The architectural diversity of Slovakia is the most visible through its castles, but fewer tourists take note of the gothic art in the form of altars and table paintings that are among the richest in Europe. The Košice region is the easternmost boundary of gothic architecture. St Elizabeth's Cathedral in Košice is Slovakia's biggest church with a main altar as well as a stone portal that are among the most precious artworks dating from its era.

St Elizabeth's Cathedral is not only a leading representative of gothic architecture, but is representative of the division between the Catholic and Byzantine worlds that began during the Middle Ages. In short, everything east of Košice, fell under Byzantine influence.

"The excellence of the preserved gothic buildings in Slovakia is evident in the number of surviving works of art, winged altars, sculptures and the murals and architecture," said art historian Peter Kresánek.

The German-speaking population brought with its mediaeval sacral constructions between the 12th and 15th centuries as they repopulated areas wiped out by the Tatar armies. They were predominantly farmers, craft people and miners who, according to Kresánek, brought with them their culture of building churches. The thriving mining and commerce brought more money to the Spiš and Gemer regions and thus the locals were able to invite master builders. Later, mining gradually declined, which resulted in fewer investments into sacred buildings.

Eastern Slovakia offers tourists a unique way to visit some interesting gothic monuments. The Gothic Route was established as the first thematic-cognitive route in Slovakia. It is a tourism circle divided into four smaller circles that connect at the most interesting sites in the Spiš and Gemer regions. Brown and white signs with pictograms in shape of gothic arches point the way to individual monuments. Castles and manor houses serve as museums, with regular opening hours and professional guides. Cathedrals and churches are open to public mostly during services. Generally, visits can be arranged in advance through local tourist offices, however booking in advance is recommended. It is best to use a car for travelling between small villages because public transport is complicated and infrequent.

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This article was published in the latest edition of Košice Region Guide , which can be obtained from our online shop.

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"Rožňava's main square is the oldest and biggest mediaeval square with a square plan in Slovakia" said tourist guide Štefan Kesi. The town's most important gothic construction is the Bishop's Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. From the front, the church looks like one structure with a tower. But looking from the side, tourists can see that the bell tower and church are separate constructions.

The church was finished in 1304 and a classic baroque bell tower was added almost five centuries later. The interior of the church is full of murals, but the most important is a panel painting of St Anna Samotretia, dating from 1513 and called Metercia. It features three holy
persons. "Interesting is the background of the painting," Kesi said. "It is not golden like other works from this period. Instead, it shows mining scenes from various places around Rožňava. It is the oldest contemporary representation of mining."

Churches in the small villages surrounding Rožňava are excellent gothic examples as well.
"In the area of few kilometres, there are three mediaeval churches and one of the most valuable frescoes in Slovakia," said historian Štefan Podolinský, adding that besides in Štítnik, Koceľovce and Ochtiná there is yet another early gothic church in Roštár.

Štítnik serves as an example of connection between German émigrés, mining and gothic architecture. It was settled in the 13th century as a mining borough. The protestant church is a massive gothic building that dominates the town and its surroundings. Murals drawn largely employing the Italian fresco technique originally covered all the interior walls of the church. They were created gradually in at least three different periods and represent different religious scenes including life of Jesus, the Apocalypse and also painting of St Barbara - the patron saint of miners.

Northwest of Košice is Spišská Nová Ves - the centre of Spiš region. The Roman Catholic Church of The Ascention of the Virgin Mary is visible from afar thanks to its 87-metre-high neo-gothic tower. This tallest church tower in Slovakia is open to public. It has seven clock faces driven by a single set of clockwork. The church also has a bronze baptismal font from 1549, part of which historians attribute to the first gothic bell-foundry workshop in Spiš, founded by Master Konrád. The original gothic main altar was replaced in 1621 by another Renaissance altar.

More examples in the Spiš region are churches in Odorín (romanesque-gothic building with representative portals), Chrasť nad Hornádom (unique rotunda with four apses), Vítkovce (early gothic building with frescoes), Žehra (its Church of the Holy Spirit is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the "Levoča, Spiš Castle and Associated Cultural Monuments" grouping). Also part of the gothic route are more well-known places like Spiš Castle, Castle Krásna Hôrka and the Manor House in Betliar.

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This article was published in the latest edition of Košice Region Guide , which can be obtained from our online shop.
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The architectural diversity of Slovakia is the most visible through its castles, but fewer tourists take note of the gothic art in the form of altars and table paintings that are among the richest in Europe. The Košice region is the easternmost boundary of gothic architecture.

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Wooden buildings are Slovakia folk architecture. In čičmany, they use white paint to decorate, which also can prevent houses from warming up. The culture of these wooden houses can be traced back to the 13th, people learned to paint their houses with white paint to prevent heat.

https://transetno.eu/en/cicmany-drevenice

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Football is one of the most popular sports played in Slovakia, there are lots of famous football players in Slovakia. Football really stands out in Slovaks' daily life, they really love playing football, and they have played lots of international football matches.

https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/national-associations/svk/

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This website would show David Hancko's biography.

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David began his career at MSK Zilina in Slovakia and signed for Fiorentina in July 2018. Three years later, after a loan spell with Sparta Prague, he signed a permanent deal with the Czech side.

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David Hancko | Stats | History | Career Details | Images | extratime.com - The Home of Irish Football

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Ice hockey is the most popular sport in Slovakia, almost all Slovaks know how to play. Ice hockey is also the best sport Slovaks play. Ice hockey is now becoming part of Slovak culture because all Slovaks love playing it and do very well in it.

https://www.hockeyslovakia.sk/en

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This is an inter view with a young Slovak ice hockey player

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Interview with Juraj Slafkovski (Slovakia) | #IIHFWorlds 2021

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Whitewater slalom is known as canoe slalom. Slovaks also play this sport very well.

https://www.canoeicf.com/canoe-slalom-world-championships/bratislava-2021

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Kroj is a Slovak folk costume for women which was influenced by Gothic style clothing, with shroud, sleeves, shirt, and hoop. Kroj is a very important culture in Slovakia. Nowadays, there are very few people who know this technology. Slovaks don’t wear them very much nowadays, but they will still wear kroj again on special festivals or celebrations, and kroj is gradually becoming more popular. Become a symbol of celebration.

https://littlebigslovakia.com/slovak-traditional-folk-costume-kroj/

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This video will show you what Kroj looks like.

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Beautiful girl wears the traditional dress of Slovakia (字幕/SK sub)

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This ppt slideshow will show you some other details about female kroj

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Men's clothing in Slovakia is divided into linen and woven cloth and has linen trousers a shirt with a wide sleeve and an apron. Nowadays, men's folk clothing is only worn by men on special holidays, but it has become one of the very important cultures in Slovakia.

https://shsnepa.org/Folktales%20and%20Legends/History%20Tales/Slovak%20Folk%20Costumes.htm

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Shawls and kerchiefs are folk costumes in Slovakia, women would wear shawls and kerchiefs on their heads, and kids sometimes wear them too.

https://journals.openedition.org/civilisations/2369

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In Slovakia's Easter, men would whip women with sticks tied with ribbons, they believe this symbolizes vitality, and through this activity, men can interact with female vitality. Men believe dousing water on women will make women healthier and more fertile, and this also represents youth. Customs like Easter are still very common in the lives of Slovaks. This custom is very important to them, and such a symbol is indispensable in their Easter.

https://slovakia.travel/en/easter-whipping-or-bathing-march-or-april

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This video shows how Easter is like in Slovakia

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Putting fish in the bathtub before Christmas 

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Putting fish in the bathtub before Christmas 

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Putting fish in the bathtub before Christmas is also one of the traditions Slovaks have. They believe that putting fish into a bathtub can change their luck, and eating fish during Christmas brings good luck, the fish are often served with potato salad. This culture brings Slovaks a big impact because they really believe in this tradition.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/foods/christmas-carp

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Slovaks often bring wine when climbing mountains. Slovaks believe that drinking wine, especially herbal liquor in the mountains makes them healthy. This tradition is very important to them, because sometimes if they have some small diseases they would climb and drink on top of the mountain.

https://www.tatrabalsam.sk/en/history

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Slavic Mythology is very popular in Slovakia, even some of the old Slovaks still believe in the Slavic myth. Slavic myth includes lots of Gods, including  Perun, Veles, Svantevit, Chernobog, and Svarog. Slavic myth was a complex and precious piece of culture, which impacted Slovak's history. Slavic myth has a big impact on Slovakia, lots of Slovakia's history about Gods was related to Slavic mythology.

https://www.thecollector.com/slavic-mythology-creatures-myths/

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This photo gallery includes some Slavic Gods and Goddess

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Catholic is the most common religion in Slovakia, 62% of them are in the Latin church, and 4% of them are in the  Greek Byzantine Catholic Church. Catholic was very important to Slovaks because religion is in their daily life, and many things are all connected to religion, like tradition.

https://www.catholic.sk/

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23.8% of Slovaks don't believe in any religion. 10% of Slovaks believe in Christianity, and 1.2% believe in other religions. These religions are important to Slovakia's culture, because religion may change people's values or perspectives.

https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/slovakia/

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Scan this qr code and press view pdf to see my references.