"SINGING SISTERS CHEER NEWARK CZECHOSLOVAKS"

CZECHOSLOVAK FESTIVAL...

My grandmother, Ethel Novak, was from Newark, New Jersey where she spent many of her childhood years and raised her family. Before the Newark riots of 1967, Newark had a very ethnically diverse population. Czechs and Slovaks made up a percentage of that population. These are some pictures of my grandmother (on the right) and her sister, Dorothy, in the November 19, 1944 issue of the Newark Sunday Call. They are both wearing traditional Czechoslovak dresses and jewelry and were singing at a Czechoslovak festival in Newark (both were trained singers who recorded a song with deceased jazz legend, Joe Williams. He even invited my grandmother to audition for his band as a singer but she never auditioned, sadly). The headline reads, "Singing Sisters Cheer Newark Czechoslovaks".



Cover of the November 19, 1944 issue of the Newark Sunday Call



A close-up with my great Aunt Dottie (Dorothy) on the left and my grandmother on the right

My grandmother, Ethel Novak, who was Czech, Slovak and Hungarian

--Miss H.

Nejkrásnější lidové písně - Teče voda teče

Lyrics in Czech:
Teče voda teče,
přres velický majír,
něehal si ma něehal starodávný frajír.
Něehal si ma něehal dobre ty víš komu,
co ty rečci nosil do našeho domu.
Vráťt sa milý vráťt sa z tej kysuckej vody
Odnesls mi klúčcik od mojej slobody.


Lyrics in English:
Water flows through Velecky farm,
You abandoned me, my old lover.
You abandoned me, you know well to whom,
who brings that rumour to our house.
Return to me, my love, from Kysuce water,
You took away the key to my freedom.

Source: http://www.myczechrepublic.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=9062

CZECHOSLOVAK TRADITIONS

Here are some CZECHOSLOVAK TRADITIONS...

• Christmas Eve Traditions...
• When it is time to eat, the whole family sits around the dinner table and all of the lights are turned off. One of the children comes into the room carrying a candle and bread with honey (to protect against evil) and garlic (for protection and strength) . The child says, "Dobr ý večcer," which means "Good evening." The candle, bread, honey and garlic are placed in the middle of the table. The bread is sliced and everyone is given a piece, the oldest being served first. The bread is then eaten with the honey and garlic.
• Another traditional food eaten on Christmas Eve and Christmas is called "Kapustnica." Kapustnica, also know as sauerkraut or sour soup, is made from many ingredients, such as sauerkraut, pork, sausages, paprika and caraway seeds.
• During dinner, everyone must wait until all present at the table are finished eating. When each person is finished, everyone gets up at the same time because it was believed that if someone stood up first, it was an omen of their death within the year. 



Faworki, my favorite!!!
polandian.wordpress.com

• Food is a very important part of Czechoslovak culture. Some traditional foods are: pierogis/knedliky (dumplings), babka (bread with walnuts and poppyseeds), faworki (light, crunchy, powdered pastries...my favorite!!)...and Czechs put paprika (a spice) and caraway seeds in everything!!
• Family is also an integral part of Czechoslovak culture and families tend to be matriarchal (meaning the women are the head of the family).
• Some Czech words that my grandmother taught me when I was a little girl are: "Dobrý den" (good day), "Dobrou noc" (good night), "Dobrý spánek" (Good sleep), "Děekuji vám, dítěe" (Thank you, child) and "Jak se máte"(How are you?).
• "Teče voda, teče" is a traditional Czech folk song about love (I sang it in my high school choir)...look for my next post (the song)!!
• Sources: http://archiv.radio.cz/christmas/customs.html ; http://www.slovakcooking.com/2009/recipes/kapustnica/ and my own knowledge; Check out these sites for more information on Czechoslovak traditions and Slovak recipes!!

--Miss H.  
 

SLOVAKIA

bratislavaguide.com

Here are some facts I learned about Slovakia...

 
• Its official name is Slovenska Republika (The Slovak Republic).
• Bratislava is the capital.  =============>
• The flag is white, blue and red. The symbol is a Cross of Lorraine, which is a Latin cross.
  



mapsofworld.com


• It is located in Central Europe by Austria, the Czech Republic (the two countries used to be one country, Czechoslovakia), Hungary, Poland and the Ukraine.

• 85.6% of the inhabitants of Slovakia are Slovaks.
The High Tatras, a beautiful mountain range in Slovakia, are home to many villages and peasant traditions.
• Source: http://www.slovakia.org/; Check out this website for more information on Slovakia!!

--Miss H.

 

CZECH REPUBLIC

czechuniversities-cyprus.comption

Here are some facts I found about the CZECH REPUBLIC (Česká republika)...

• Prague (Praha) is the capital.  =============>
• The flag is red, blue and white.
 



crwflags.com

• It is located in Central Europe; surrounded by Austria, Germany, Poland and Slovkia (the Czech Republic and Slovakia were one country called Czechoslovakia until 1993).
• 95 percent of people in the Czech Republic speak Czech.
• Family is a very important part of Czech life; family tends to be matriarchal.
• Source: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/czech.html ;  http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/czechrepublic/index_en.htm and my own knowledge; Check out these websites and http://www.czech.cz/en/Home-en for more information on the Czech Republic.

--Miss H.