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SUMMARY OF THE
WINTER ISSUE
Volume 12, No. 4, Winter 2004
Slovak
Heritage Live
A quarterly newsletter
published by Vladimir Linder
Winter issue was published in
November 2004 and it was mailed to 1200 recipients world wide.
St. Mary from the main
altar of St. James church in Levoča
FROM THE EDITOR
My
apologies to all the readers for being late with the last two issues.
After my return from Slovakia in summer I was really busy and I didn’t
manage to finish the issues prior to my departure to USA in mid September.
Maria and I went to visit my friend Jela Basista in Albuquerque, New
Mexico, whose story you may have read in Story of Jelka, Volume 2, No.1,
Spring 1994 and The Story that Changed my life, Volume 7, No.4, Winter
1999. More on the visit on following pages. We started by going through
Washington to Oregon’s Crater Lake and we continued to California Napa
and Sonoma Valleys wine country and visited Santa Rosa and Castiloga. We
really liked the charm of Castiloga. From there we went to San Francisco
and due to the fog despite driving the Golden Gate bridge, we didn’t see
it, not even from the shore. From there we went trough California to Las
Vegas visiting my former boss in Henderson, Hyatt lake resort. Then we
went to Arizona’s Meteorite Crater, traveled on the legendary Route 66
and soon we were in Albuquerque. This weekend was also the beginning of
the 33 world
famous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and Sunday early morning we went
to the morning’s
pre-dawn Opening Ceremonies and the unforgettable Mass Ascension–where
over 750 hot air balloons took off, turning the sky into a virtual rainbow
of colors. We also visited Santa Fee.
Vinšujem
Vám na tieto sviatky,
najprv šťastia zdravia hojniho Božieho požehnania.
Na poli úrody a plnie stodoly,
V komore hojnosť, v pitvore svornosť,
V izbe radosť a úprimnosť,
A Vám všetkým dobrího zdravia.
Toto vinšujem Vám gazda i Vám gazdinná,
Vašim dietkam i celej rodine.
MY FALL 2004
TRIP
TO SLOVAKIA
This time I few Lufthansa again
to Frankfurt and then on to Vienna. Due to the late arrival from
Frankfurt, our departure was hour behind schedule. However we arrived in
Frankfurt only half hour late and I was able to catch the plane to Vienna
which was also late arriving and therefore late in departing. The flight
to Frankfurt was very quiet as their video system stopped working shortly
after beginning of the first movie. The service was good, the first meal
was some kind of a stew with dumplings, passable, but the breakfast that
consisted of omelet with some strange things I didn’t like at all, and I
didn’t finish.
Over all it wasn’t a bad flight. We arrived in Vienna few minutes late.
My friend picked me up and soon we were at the border. The Austrians
stamped my passport, but on Slovak side of the borer there was one lonely
uniformed man, I guess a customs officer who briefly went over the
passports, didn’t ask any questions and waved us through. There were no
lineups at all. I arrived early for my car pick up at ADVANTAGE CAR
RENTALS and there was nobody in their office. My cell phone was charged up
with electricity, but I only had credit of few Slovak crowns. So my phone
call to Advantage Car rental went dead shortly after beginning. But the
great guys from Advantage Car rentals called me right away back and told
me that they just finished putting on winter tires and that they will be
there in few minutes. And they were really there in few minutes. We
finished the paper work, I charged the amount on my VISA card, and soon I
was off. My first stop was at Mira Dula’s family, who you may recall
from long time cooperation with Slovak Heritage Live as a correspondent
writer and book reviewer. Mira is also a professional translator. I
brought some books for her that she ordered. At 6:00 PM I had an
appointment with my hairdresser, as my hair was really long and I do like
short hair. It cost me CAD$20.00 for a hair cut in Vancouver and in
Bratislava 55.00 Sk, which is about CA$ 2.10 without the tip. I always get
a great haircut from my hairdresser. Later on I arrived at my place in
Bratislava, phoned my sister who also lives there and around 8:30 PM, I
went for a beer at the pub to meet my old friends. Due to several soccer
matches around Europe only a handful shown up as most of my friends ended
up watching the TV’s.
I
took some sleeping pills and slept like baby until about 6:00AM. It was
still dark outside when I waked up but I took a great shower and dressed
and I was off to a photographer, to take pictures or my Slovak Identity
card, which is expiring in November. Pictures were ready in few minutes
and the cost of 4 pictures was 150.00 Sk, about US$5.10. We had a good
laugh with the photographer after I said that what God didn’t give me in
my looks, she can’t put on for him. From there I went to the police
station for the part of the town I live, where they store the evidence
cards used for issuing the Identity Cards (similar tour Social Insurance
number or Green Card in USA). I waited about 10 minutes. The way the
system works there is that you wait outside the office and everything
takes place behind closed doors. You only enter when the person in front
of you is walking out of the office...
CHRISTMAS
TIME
By:Katarína Koštialová
Christmas and
New Year period belongs to the most beautiful holiday days in the year.
Complex ceremonies and magical services that are closely tied to the
winter cycle belong from the calendar customs undoubtedly to the richest,
most interesting, but also the most complicated.
Different cultural layers
intermingle in Christmas holidays. Cult roots of Christmas were associated
in the past with pagan’s solstice celebrations connected with welcoming
of born again sun. Under the influence of Christianity, during centuries,
the new birth of sun wasn’t the central event any more, but the
Christ’s birth that enhanced the old tradition with new motive.
The original solar celebrations started to interline with Christian
ceremonies in our and other European cultures. The older layer of
ceremonies was focused mostly to secure general prosperity of farm,
family, health, life, to forecast harvest, peoples destinies, marriage,
birth and death, respecting the cult of death forefathers. On the other
side evolutionary younger are customs motivated by Christian’s
legends...
Mons.
ThDr. ŠTEFAN BARNÁŠ
(1900-1964)
Bishop,
Tomistic philosopher and theologian, sufferer for faith
By:
Mons. Prof. ThDr.PaedDr.ICDr.František Dlugoš
PREFACE
Štefan Barnáš, Spiš’s
assisting bishop, sufferer for freedom of the Church and his nation
belongs to the number of Slovak martyrs and sufferers in after war and
forced labor camps. Without any doubts he occupies an honorable place
along Spiš’s bishop Ján Vojtaššák
He
is a true Christ’s witness and martyr in fight for victory of truth,
goodness, and beauty…
CHILDHOOD AND STUDIES
Štefan
Barnáš was born January 19, 1900 in Slovenská Ves, district Kežmarok.
He was from a farmer family, father Ján and mother Zuzana, nee Laufíková.
He studied at Piarist Gymnasium in Podolínec, premonstrate gymnasium in
Rožňava, he graduated in Košice in 1919.
He started to study theology in Spiš’s Chapter and continued in Prague
where he was sent together with Frank Skyšák by spiš’s bishop ján
Vojtaššák. He was ordained to priesthood June 29, 1925 in Spiš’s
Chapter.
PRIEST FUNCTIONS
After his ordination he was a
chaplain in Námestovo
and from 1927 administrator of Liptpvské Revúce parish. In 1931 he
became a Doctor of theology. From January 1, 1933 he was a professor
of dogmatic, apologetic, Christian philosophy, Hebrew language, and biblical
archeology in Spiš’s
Chapter as well as prefect of priest’s
seminary. Gradually
he had following functions:
Pro synod examiner (1935),
deputy rector of the seminary ( 1937), censor of diocese (1942), from
December 5, 1945 rector of the seminary, ecclesial law judge (1949). On
August 22, 1947 he was named Papal prelate and as well he was in the
function of diocese director of Central Charity in Slovakia...
DEMÄNOVSKÁ ICE CAVE
NATIONAL
NATURE MONUMENT
Cadastral
area: Demänovská Dolina
District:
Liptovský
Mikuláš
Reqion:
Žilina
Demänovská
Ice Cave is situated on the right‑hand slopes of the Demänovská
Valley in the northern part of the Low Tatras National Park. Entrance to
the cave is in the cliff called Bašta (Bastion), 840 meters above the sea
level.
t was formed in the Middle Triassic Gutenstein limestones of the Križanský
nappe along the tectonic faults by the former underground flow of Demänovka
at three developmental levels. It represents the former spring part of the
Demänová Cave System. The cave is 1750 meters long...
ANTON
GRASALKOVIČ
PERSONALITY OF
OUR HISTORY
Country
dignitary and great land owner
He
was born on March 6,1695 in Urmín (Mojmírovce) and passed away on
December 1, 1771 in Hungarian Čemer.
His destiny was very interesting. He came from original Serbian aristocrat
family, who in the half of the 17th century gained land in today’s
territory of Slovakia. His father Ján Grasalkovič was the
administrator of Beckov castle. His mother Zuzana, nee Egrešdi. Anton was
married three times and raised 4 daughters and two sons.
He studied at gymnasium in Nitra and private law in Trnava with Andrej
Dubnický. He pledged attorney’s allegiance in 1715. He was notary of
royal tribunal. From 1720 he was attorney of Vác’s bishop’s office
and royal attorney, from 1724 chamber advisor, 1731 royal personal, 1751
guardian of the Hungarian crown jewels, he was real secret advisor, royal
horseman, Arad and Newcastle’s provincial.
Disciple of Hapsburgs, expert in Hungarian law, national economy, good
organizer. With his lobbying in the Hungarian senate he contributed to
election of František Lotrinský, the husband of Maria Theresia, to
became her co ruler. With his merit of arming and supplying the army, the
army was successful in Prussian- Austrian wars.
Under his leadership the royal income grew. He designed and realized plan
for simplification of activities of chamber, he helped solving problems
with foreign trade, collecting duties, and he dealt with strengthening of
currency. For all this he was enjoying favor of Hapsburgs, especially of
Maria Therezia...
BOOK
REVIEWS
THE
TRAVEL GUIDE OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC
ASTOR
Slovakia s. r. o.
Edition 2004/2005
This
is the new edition
of the travel guide, which is published each and every year.
This
year’s version has 477 pages and the structure of the book is identical
with the previous versions (see previous copies of the Slovak Heritage
Live).
I would like to underline, that it is again a three-lingual version
-English, German and Slovak language.
Those readers, who would prefer to find it on web, the appropriate place
where to look for it would be
www.lexikon.sk
ROAD ATLAS OF THE TRAVEL
GUIDE OF THE SLOVAK REPUBLIC 2004/2005
ASTOR
SLOVAKIA s. r. o.
100 pages
As usually, the road atlas
presents city maps, index of border-crossing points, Slovak Republic in
scale 1:1 450 000, table of distances, road map of the Slovak
Republic in scale 1:190 000 and an index of names.
It is
useful to mention that the text is again in three languages: Slovak,
German, and English.
EUROPA GUIDE
2004/05
Roads,
regulations, and services in 35 countries
Updated by the enlarged European Union
Publisher ASTOR SLOVAKIA s. r. o.
228 pages
In this guide, readers will find all
necessary information for traveling throughout Europe as well as basic
information concerning individual countries.
Unfortunately,
the Guide is only in the Slovak language, but it presents also distances
and very useful maps.
GOURMAND IN
SLOVAKIA 2003-2004
A small
book with great contents – even in four languages – German, Spanish,
Slovak, and English presents up to 30 best restaurants in Slovakia. The
short description is followed by picture of the Gourmand Menu and a few
details about each restaurant (address, phone number, open, card, language
and price of a menu).
Unfortunately, this book is not intended for sale and distributed
according to Diners Club instructions.
Reviewed
by: Miroslava Dulová
For FREE sample issue of
The Slovak Heritage Live Newsletter
please send in or email your postal address to:
Vladimir
Linder
3804 Yale Street
Burnaby, BC,
Canada, V5C 1P6
Phone/Fax:
1-604-291-8065
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only in North America
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TO SLOVAK HERITAGE LIVE MAIN PAGE
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Copyright © Vladimir Linder 2004
3804 Yale
Street, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5C 1P6
The above article and photographs may not be copied, reproduced,
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Linder. All rights
reserved.
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