CURRENT EVENTS
Neža Hlebanja: “The history of Slovenian emigration is our nation’s capital”
At the beginning of February, the Slovenian Emigrant Association hosted a presentation of the book Selected chapters from the history of the Slovenian immigrant community in Brazil (Izbrana poglavja iz zgodovine slovenske priseljenske skupnosti v Braziliji in Slovenian) by Neža Hlebanja. Co-publishing the book together with the Slovenian Emigrant Association was the Institute of Ethnic Studies, which this month celebrated the centenary of its establishment. The hall of the Slovenian Emigrant Association was filled to the brim with everyone who wanted to show honor to the author and her work.
“The book is important because it opens topics that are not all that known to the Slovenian public,” were the opening words in the address by Boris Jesih, the President of the Slovenian Emigrant Association. According to his words, cooperation is becoming increasingly important in light of globalization, and Hlebanja’s work presents a step in the right direction. As pointed out by prof. Matjaž Klemenčič, the book provides a detailed presentation of how the Catholic church catalyzed the organization of the Slovenian community, and how it sheds light on Slovenian priests in Brazil who have successfully established their position in the Catholic hierarchy.
GENERATIONS
Slovenian migrations in socialism: A comprehensive overview of Slovenian migrations from 1945 to 1991
Slovenian migrations in socialism is a new book published at the end of 2024 by the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU). “The book deals with Slovenian migrations from the end of World War II to the gaining of Slovenian independence,” explains Marijanca Ajša Vižintin, the author of the lengthy book. “In Slovenia and globally, this was a time of mass migrations, marked by the end of World War II, and later by refuge movements, which saw people leaving their homelands, as well as by changing national borders, which left people living on one side or the other.”
The book was co-written by five authors: Marina Lukšič Hacin, Aleksej Kalc, Damir Josipovič, Mirjam Milharčič Hladnik and Marijanca Ajša Vižintin. The book, which was edited by Marina Lukšič Hacin, comprises four chapters. Penned by Lukšič Hacin, the first part explains the political and economic events between 1945 and 1991, laying out the sociopolitical framework within which migrations in this era occurred. In the second part, Aleksej Kalc writes about the establishment of the border separating Yugoslavia from Italy and how this border affected migrations. The third chapter was produced by Damir Josipovič, who presents the demographic statistical data on migrations within Yugoslavia, which Slovenia was part of. Lastly, in the fourth chapter, Mirjam Milharčič Hladnik and I discuss how Slovenians organized themselves worldwide and present selected stories about people’s lives.
CULTURE
Slovenians in Betlehem: A unique phenomenon in the great America
Celebrating the Slovenian Cultural Holiday, the premises of the Slovenian Emigrant Association housed a special event. The event saw the presentation of the cultural heritage of Slovenian emigrants at St John’s Windish Evangelical Lutheran Church in Betlehem, Pennsylvania, USA, and the screening of the film entitled Slovenians in Betlehem 2 (Slovenci v Betlehemu 2 in Slovenian) by Štefan Celec. Speaking about the precious heritage and its significance was Klaudija Sedar from the Primož Trubar Institute, who also presented this topic at the Slovenian Emigrant Association together with Leon Novak, the bishop of the Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovenia.
Emil Okretič: From Facebook to a book in Castilian
On Saturday, 14 December 2024, the AME TRIGLAV Slovenian Cultural Society hosted a pleasant and interesting meeting at their headquarters in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The major highlight of the event was the presentation of a book by Emil Okretič, which was published in the Castilian language. Also invited to the event was Julia Sarachu-Vodopivec, who presented translations of Slovenian literature into the Spanish language.
The story behind Okretič’s writing of the book is already known. Yet, the author came up with the idea of publishing a Castilian version for everyone who is not familiar enough with Slovenian to read the book in its original language – as well as for readers who are not of Slovenian descent. With the financial aid of the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad, the idea came to life, leading to the global publications of the book. While the book was printed in Slovenia, the embassy in Buenos Aires made sure that copies of the book also found their place abroad.
SLOVENIAN CUISINE
Shrovetide festivities and loaded tabletops
Shrovetide is slowly but surely closing in. It is a special time of the year in many places around Slovenia. Aside from Kurentovanje in Ptuj, preparations have also been under way for many months in Cerknica. As explained by the Klasje Society from Cerknica, “It is a vivacious time when a lot is going on.”
During Shrovetide, tabletops in homes around Cerknica are full of traditional dishes, such as sauerkraut, krvavice and pork with barley. Often served together with pork is also served with potato salad. In this time, housewives also prepare sauerkraut with cured and smoked meat.
As an old Slovenian saying goes, “Shrovetide is for sweet tooths” (“Pust sladkih ust” in Slovenian). Among the popular dishes are flancati, either the yeast-prepared version or the brittle version made with wine, as well as deep-fried miške – these can be made from yoghurt alone or with the addition of sultanas. “These are must-have dishes during Shrovetide. Also popular is potica with cracknels, which is also known as ocvirkovica. The most important ingredient are good homemade cracknels, which are used as filling. A potica prepared this way is really delicious and a staple of home cooking,” representatives from Klasje explain. “These dishes are most often served freshly made. They are prepared in the morning and then eaten throughout the day. If children knock on the door, wearing costumes, we willingly share the treats with them.”
SLOVENIAN LANDSCAPE
From the Cultural Holiday to political turmoil
In Slovenia, February is a month marked by culture. As Slovenians, we tend to be very proud of our culture – after all, it is what brought us through the past several centuries, through different political regimes, through war. It is what protected us as a nation. This is how things have been since 1946. February 8 is thus the day when we award the most prestigious state awards for achievements in culture – the Prešeren Awards – and this year was no exception. And while politics have long abstained from shaping the landscape of Slovenian arts based on examples from abroad, this is no longer the case. While the old and new Act Regulating the Supplement to Pensions for Outstanding Achievements in Arts have stirred up the community of artists, it has become apparent that Slovenian political campaigns are already in full swing more than a year before the next election.
