This post contains very special photos during wedding of my causin, a lot of foods, fun and great memories, and my role as bridesmaid.

Weddings in Slovakia often are still organized according to old traditions. A lot of traditional wedding rituals and ceremonies are performed by the bride and groom, their parents, the wedding party, etc. But, of course, Slovak couples also incorporate some modern activities on their big day celebration.

At the traditional Slovak wedding, the day of the wedding begins from an official visit of the groom and his parents to the bride’s house. This wedding tradition is called “odpytovanie” in Slovakia. They officially ask for her hand in marriage.

But on his way to the bride’s house, the groom meets different obstacles. For example, villagers can block the road with a chain and ask for a ransom to get to his fiancee. Usually, he pays with a bottle of some alcohol or something like that. They make a whole show out of it, with laughing, music, playful negotiation, etc.

Another very funny and curious wedding ritual is performed when he gets to the bride’s house. The bride hides in the house and her family tries to fool the groom offering him another woman as his bride. Usually, the first woman who claims to be his bride is some elderly woman. He refuses to take her as a wife. Then, another, younger girl is offered to him. And again, he refuses to marry her and negotiates with the family to get the bride he expects. After some time and a lot of jokes and laughing, the groom finally is allowed to enter the house and look for his fiancee. He finds her hiding somewhere and reunites with her.

In Slovakia, the church wedding ceremony is more important than the reception. To the wedding dinner, the couple invites only the closest people, while the wedding ceremony is populous – the invitations are sent to all of the relatives and friends.

After the ceremony, guests line up to congrat the couple and wish them happiness in marriage. A lot of them bring bouquets of flowers, so the bride and groom may get up to 50 and even more bouquets. Some of them are kept, others are left in the church, and the rest is brought to the cemetery the next day and put on the graves of close relatives. By the way, this is one really worthy tradition – the couple honors their deceased family members.

Fun fact! Instead of flowers, some people give money to the couple (small sums but they add up) or even lottery tickets so that the money spent on dozens of bouquets aren’t thrown to the wind. When the church ceremony is over, the guests who are invited to the wedding reception get into a bus provided by the newlyweds. They drink, laugh, sing, and have fun during their trip to the wedding dinner destination – a restaurant or backyard or another venue. Beverages are free, the couple’s parents provide a lot of alcohol, so the wedding guests drink a lot on the wedding day.

Please, dont forget to make one click at following URL link, where you may find my detailed photogallery as bridesmaid:

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/8XH4ejQbPcftgCSAeJdz9A

Time: May 27th, 2023

Locationa: Snina – Wedding Ceremony, Belá nad Cirochou – Wedding Party

This post contains very special photos during my visit at Chocholowskie thermal pools in Poland.

Chocholowskie Termy is a new and the biggest thermal park in the Podhale region. It is situated in Chocholów village on Unesco list and offers pools area, sauna area and restaurants. It is recommend for children and families.

The largest thermal baths in Poland. With recreation and relaxation in mind, they have created the largest thermal pool complex in Podhale. Chochołowskie Thermal Baths is almost 3,000 m2 of water surface and 30 pool troughs. Knowing that thermal waters are rich in many micronutrients, they guarantee a surge of vitality and full regeneration of the body. In addition to swimming pools and a jacuzzi with thermal water, they invite you to the treatment zone with sulphide and brine water.

Please, dont forget to make one click at following URL link, where you may find detailed photogallery:

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/8x8LD3pGe8oR1cKJ15569w

Time: May 2023

Location:

Chochołowskie Termy Sp. z o. o.
Chochołów 400
34-513 Chochołów, Poland

This post cantains very specific moments during my visiting Zemplinske Museum in Michalovce, you may find historical clothes, art, antique furniture of Sztaray Family, etc.

The collections of the historical exposition are located in several rooms on the floor of the main mansion. Almost nothing was preserved from the original furniture of the manor house, because before the evacuation of the city in 1944, the owners of the manor house, Sztáray, took some of the most valuable things away, and some of them were placed outside the building with people they trusted. Less valuable equipment was given away or appropriated by the servants just before leaving Michaloviec. The rest was taken apart by the citizens until the conditions were consolidated after the crossing of the front.

In the part of the historical exhibition, there are mainly examples of historical furniture of several types and styles (seats, sideboards, chests of drawers, cabinets, dining tables, etc.) from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 20th century, originating from central and southern Zemplín.

As part of the historical exhibition, the visitor has the opportunity to see the workshop of Count Alexander Sztáray. The office is furnished with historical furniture accompanied by several period shots of the mansion and its surroundings, as well as of the Sztáray family.

For the visitor, the most attractive object located in the study is certainly the family tree (facsimile of the family tree) of Countess Irma Sztárayová, lady-in-waiting of the Austrian empress and the Hungarian queen Elisabeth of Habsburg from 1895.

Please, dont forget to make one click at following URL link, where you may find my detailed photogallery for your deep interest:

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/R9bf6mprLJeN1zEUyxWbzg

Time: April-May 2023

Location: Michalovce City

This post contains very special moments during my visitig mini farm in Snina county, where you may find cute animals for special animal therapy.

The Snina Animal Therapy – Equestrian Center officially began to operate in the summer of 2001. Since then, the center has been gradually being built and activities are carried out in it, the aim of which is to satisfy the interests and hobbies of members and the public, especially in the field of using animals for the needs of disabled people and healthy people, sports , cynology and tourism, but also in other areas of social and cultural life, which contribute to the acquisition and development of movement and physical skills, theoretical knowledge, to the consolidation of physical and mental health, to the formation of a personality with positive moral and volitional qualities and a socially appropriate way of digestion free time.

Please, dont forget to make one click at following URL link with my detailed photogallery:

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/icop-NbK4CXZNHGRO63mzQ

Time: April 2023

Location: Snina County

This post contains very special moments during ice hockey game between Humenne city and Zilina city.

In the decisive seventh game of the final series of the SHL playoffs, Žilina won 3:2 after extra time and separate raids. The hero of the club from eastern Slovakia was Martin Lenďák, who was the only one to convert an independent raid in the fourth series.

Another important figure on the way to promotion was the Russian striker Igor Safaralejev (28), who has been working in Slovakia for the fifth year. Less than six minutes before the end of the decisive match, he scored the equalizing goal and sent the seventh duel to overtime. It is interesting that Safaralejev worked in Žilina before Humenny. With that, he failed to win the promotion twice, in the east of Slovakia it worked out on the first try.

Along with him, a wider enclave from beyond our eastern border enjoyed the title. With Safaralejev in the attack, compatriots Alexej Trandin and Andrej Legalin played, and their backs were supported by the Belarusian defender Yegor Kudin. Russian coach Andrej Parfenov signed off on the great performance of the entire team.

It is a huge success for the club HC 19 Humenné. The club was founded only four years ago. When the MHK Humenné team disappeared in 2019 due to existential problems, HC 19 Humenné was created. It was not considered a successor club, but a completely new team that was supposed to function in more modest and transparent conditions. The hard work has now paid off.

Please, for more detailed gallery dont forget to make one click at following URL link:

https://cloud.degoo.com/share/-Z8m-p-OF_ZfBvMlTwzQIQ

Time: April 2023

Location: Humenne City – HomeTown