Slovak Holiday Series: New Year's Traditions

Will you slice an apple or throw a shoe?

Some Slovak New Year's traditions are associated with fortunetelling. One is to cut an apple in half. If it reveals a star (without worm damage) a healthy year is ahead. Another is for an unwed woman to throw a shoe over their shoulder with her back toward a door. If the heel points toward the door, she will remain single in the coming year and if the toe points towards the door, she will marry.

Slovak Holiday Traditions Series: Listen to Christmas Services from Europe

On behalf of SEEP sro we wish everyone a very Blessed Christmas and New Year, "Veselé Vánoce a šťastný Nový rok! Listen to Christmas services and programs live from Slovakia via this online web stream via Radio Lumen.

Tour Central Europe: Slovak Holiday Traditions Series 2012: Košice Chri...

Tour Central Europe: Slovak Holiday Traditions Series 2012: Košice Chri...: Photo from "In Time for Christmas" (source: http://lookingforwardtochristmas.blogspot.fr/) Košice will ring in the new year as "The Eu...

Slovak Holiday Traditions Series 2012 - Lokše

Lokše (Christmas Eve Pancake)

Another shared blog post from www.slovakcooking.com, Lubos' recipe for Lokše--a potato dough pancake. When I was in Slovakia we had Lokše with goose but it can be eaten with a savory or sweet accompaniment and often made for the Christmas Eve Vilija meal. Follow this link for the recipe.

Slovak Holiday Traditions Series 2012: 

December 6 - Feast of St. Nicholas, (or Svaty Mikuláš)

In some Slovak towns and villages, St. Svaty Mikuláš arrives in a horse drawn coach, along with an angel and the devil who rattles a chain. Waiting children fill the streets with singing and dancing. St. Nicholas has a present for each child. In some villages he visits each home. To read more and the St. Nicholas tradition along with recipes, visit the St. Nicholas Center at http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/slovakia/.

Earth Day Series | Slovakia's Green Country Ranking

  

According to the Yale University's ranking of 149 countries based on an environmental performance index (EPI), Slovakia was ranked as the seventeenth world's greenest countries. The ranking reflects a weighting of carbon and sulfur emissions, water purity and conservation practices. Switzerland came in first and the United States thirty-ninth. Experience Slovakia's environmental excellence for yourself, for tour information contact seepsro@yahoo.com. ~ SEEP sro. We can take you there.

Easter Monday in Central Europe | Hollókő, Hungary

Today's post features some Holy Week and post Easter traditions from the Northern Hungarian village of Hollókő. Like their Slovak neighbors to the North, dunking of young girls with water on Easter Monday is still celebrated. To learn more, click here.

Slovak Easter Paska Bread and Peeps

© 2010 Barbara Rolek licensed to About.com, Inc.

It wouldn't be Easter in Slovakia without the traditional paska bread. This link features a decorative version from a recipe by Charlotte Pribish Conjelko of Indiana. To make the cute little dinner roll peeps shown above, click here.

Easter Week: Syrek (Hrudka) - Slovak Egg Cheese Recipe

In honor of Easter Week today we will start a series on Slovak Easter and Spring traditions. Today's feature is the Slovak egg cheese Syrek also known as Hrudka. Basically it is a dozen eggs, quart of milk, salt, sugar slowly cooked over a double boiler and drained in a cheesecloth.  For step-by-step recipe, click here and for another variation, click here. As for seasoning, some like it more salty, others tend to make it sweeter as the influence of Eastern Slovakia. Our family recipe adds a little vanilla. If you have a preference or recipe to share, please post a comment and/or link.

Large wildfire in Štefanská huta, Slovakia, (near Kluknava, Richňava, Gelnica)

Professional firefighters and volunteers overnight Thursday, managed to dispose of a large forest fire between Štefanská huta and Richňava, district Gelnica. 

"The fire engulfed the 46 hectares of grass and forest. Caused the damage at around 40 000 euros."

For more details, follow the story on www.topky.sk here.

Visit SEEP at the Slovak Mass & Easter Breakfast (Pittsbugh PA)

ANNUAL SLOVAK MASS & EASTER CUSTOMS BREAKFAST
Saturday, March 31, 2012

St. Adalbert Church
160 So.15th Street, South Side, Pittsburgh PA

Please note the earlier times:
9:45 a.m. Recitation of Rosary (in Slovak)
10:00 a.m. -- Slovak Mass
11:00 a.m. -- SAMPLE SLOVAK EASTER FOODS
paska (sweet bread) sunka (ham) sirek (egg cheese) hrin (beets & horseradish)
at Prince of Peace Parish Center 81 South 13th Street, South Side, Pittsburgh PA

• Homemade Baked Goods
• Craft Demonstrations
• Cultural Displays - (stop by the SEEP sro table and say "hello")
• Imported Slovak gifts
• Slovak "Auction" /Raffles

FREE ADMISSION - Donations Gratefully Accepted
For more information call (412) 481-8380

Gardening Concepts with Recycled Items

Some clever gardening concepts using repurposed items--great for small spaces.
http://www.good.is/post/10-diy-garden-hacks/attachment/20292/

Slovak Vegetable Soup with Semolina Dumplings (Video)

 For those wanting to get more fiber or maintain a vegetarian diet, try this Slovak vegetable soup with homemade semolina dumplings. Source: YouTube and http://recepty.rodinka.sk/.

Does your family tree stop here? | SEEP sro Genealogy Services

Have you sorted through the boxes of old photos of your grandparents family and wondered, where did they come from or what was life like back in Europe? We can help you find those answers and also take you there. SEEP sro Genealogy Services and Tours. For more details, email seepsro@yahoo.com.

Slovakia's Gem, Castle Krásna Hôrka on Fire - News Report (Video)

The recently reconstructed 14th Century caste, Krásna Hôrka near Rožňava, Slovakia became engulfed in flames this weekend as a result of a grass fire. It is reported that young Roma youth sparked the fire from smoking cigarettes nearby.

Halusky Demo - February 19 Fasiangy (Johnstown PA)

Dennis Ragan prepares bryndzove halusky for a sell-out crowd during our Fasiangy event at the Venue of Merging Arts, Johnstown PA. Follow our blog for details on the next SEEP sro event. Photo courtesy of Cambria City Ethnic Festival.

THIS SUNDAY! - Slovak Mardi Gras Event (Johnstown PA)

Celebrate carnival at the Slovak Fašiangy (Mardi Gras) February 19 at Venue of Merging Arts (Johnstown, PA). Activities include authentic Slovak bryndza cheese halusky cooking demo, Kamienka travelogue, gallery exhibit, displays, Slovak Imports and more. Halusky and light refreshments will be served. BYOB for 21+ with proper ID. Tickets online at: Eventbrite or at the door. https://www.facebook.com/events/118107568309775/

Slovak-Czech Photography Exhibit Opens February 19

A photography exhibition featuring Central European travel, sites and ancestry will debut February 19 at The Venue of Merging Arts (VOMA) in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The opening reception will be held during the Slovak Fasiangy (Mardi Gras) celebration sponsored in part by SEEP sro. For event details, see http://slovakmardigras.eventbrite.com. Exhibit will be shown in the VOMA gallery through March. See their website for details.

The view is better from up here - Jasna, Slovakia (Low Tatras)

SEEP sro U.S. Director, Ron Donlan claims his spot on a peak in Jasna, Slovakia overlooking the High Tatras during a ski excursion. Enjoy the great outdoors? We can take you there. Contact SEEP sro for more details: seepsro@yahoo.com.

IN THE NEWS: Slovak heritage will be the center of attention at an upcoming party.

(TRIBUNE DEMOCRAT- JOHNSTOWN, PA) - A Slovak Mardi Gras, or Fasiangy, will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 19 at Venue of Merging Arts, 305 Chestnut St. in the Cambria City section of Johnstown.

The Sustainable Environmental Economic Partnership, a Slovak-American partnership from Kosice, Slovakia, is sponsoring the celebration, said Karen Mesaros, who provides marketing and public relations for the organization.

Authentic Slovak potato haluski cooking demonstrations using bryndza sheep’s cheese will be given by Dennis Ragan of Indiana, Pa.
“He’s a friend and has done demonstrations in Pittsburgh,” Mesaros said. “When we think of haluski, we think noodles and cabbage, but in Slovakia, it’s potatoes and sheep cheese. It’s the national dish in Slovakia.”.....

READ THE COMPLETE STORY HERE: http://tribune-democrat.com/events/x584481250/Venue-of-Merging-Arts-to-host-Slovak-Mardi-Gras

NEWS STORY: Slovak Mardi Gras to feature cooking, traveling demos (Daily American - Somerset, PA)

Tracing her family's Slovakian roots was something Kay Ann Cober had always wanted to do.

Four years ago, the Berlin resident and former Meyersdale teacher made her dream a reality by traveling to Kamjunka, Slovakia, with her family to visit relatives of her grandparents.

Cober's grandparents came to America in the early 1900s in search of freedom and a better life. Her grandfather, a coal miner, arrived in 1904. Her grandmother arrived four years later. They settled in the Johnstown area.

"They came here in the search of the American dream and they found it," she said. "They passed on a work ethic. They worked hard and they believed in hard work."

Cober, who has been studying her family's genealogy for years, was thrilled with the outcome of her visit to Europe.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE: http://www.dailyamerican.com/da-ot-slovak-mardi-gras-to-feature-cooking-traveling-demos-20120205,0,497594.story

Pierogi Cookbook Author to Speak at Johnstown Event

Randy Horbal - author and peirogi connoisseur.

Author of Gourmet Perohi & Savory Folklore Sauces, Randy Horbal to speak at SEEP sro Slovak Mardi Gras event Sunday, February 19 at Venue of Merging Arts (Cambria City) in Johnstown PA. Horbal will also have a vendor table showcasing his unique pierogi merchandise as shown above. For more event details, see: http://slovakmardigras.eventbrite.com.

Slovak Fašiangy (Mardi Gras) - Featuring Authentic Halusky Cooking Demo

Celebrate carnival at the Slovak Fašiangy (Mardi Gras) February 19 at Venue of Merging Arts (Johnstown, PA). Activities include authentic Slovak bryndza cheese halusky cooking demo, Kamienka travelogue, gallery exhibit, displays, Slovak Imports and more. Halusky and light refreshments will be served. BYOB for 21+ with proper ID. Tickets online at: Eventbrite or at the door. https://www.facebook.com/events/118107568309775/

SKi Slovakia!

Dreaming of skiing the slopes of Jasná - TATRY SLOVAKIA? Check out the Slovak ski reports here, then snag some SKi Slovakia! swag at Cafepress.

Say "Bryndza!"

Cute commercial for Slovak bryndza (sheep's) cheese. Although some may want to eat it like ice cream in a cone, it is best when mixed with halusky dumplings--Slovakia's national dish. SEEP sro is exploring imports of the delicacy, stay tuned for details.

Learn to cook like Baba (Grandma)
Join SEEP sro to celebrate Fasiangy (Slovak Mardi Gras) on Sunday, February 19 at the Venue of Merging Arts in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Event highlights include a authentic Slovak halusky cooking demo and tasting using bryndza cheese. Other activities include a Kamienka travelogue and photo exhibit. Light refreshments will be served. See event listed on sidebar for more details.

Visit our our other blog, "Tour Central Europe." http://tourcentraleurope.blogspot.com/

Tour Central Europe: Video: Ss.Peter & Paul Byzantine Catholic Church -...

Tour Central Europe: Video: Ss.Peter & Paul Byzantine Catholic Church -...: Ss.Peter & Paul Byzantine Catholic Church - Kamienka, Slovakia Video taken during the Cober Family tour with genealogy and private tou...