Folk Culture Destinations # 2 - Terchová, Slovakia

Terchová is a small town with a big role in Slovak folk culture. Found in northern Slovakia a few kilometres east of the city of Žilina, this was the birthplace of the national hero Juraj Jánošík, an early 18th-century Robin Hood figure who stole from the rich landholders and gave to the poor peasants while becoming a symbol of national resistance. Today a statue of Jánošík overlooks the town from a hilltop, while a small museum contains artifacts and details from his life as an outlaw.

Several folk festivals of traditional dance and music are held each year in Terchová, as well as many other traditional cultural events. One of my favourites is the annual high-speed hay cutting championships held in late June. Competitors race to cut a patch of long grass in a field using a scythe in the traditional manner. There are individual time trials for male and female competitors, as well as team events where groups of five must cut larger areas of a field in the fastest possible time.

Spectators sing folk songs about working in the fields to encourage the contestants, and they follow the action intensely, since bragging rights for an entire year are on the line. The competitors are mostly locals from Terchová and the surrounding villages plus a few Slovaks from other regions of the country. At the end of each round, the competitors are rewarded for their efforts with a shot of plum brandy and a team of older women dressed in traditional costumes comes out to clean up the freshly cut grass with rakes. An awards ceremony follows at the end of the day with prizes for the winners in each category, while everyone enjoys plates of goulash cooked in a giant kettle over a fire. This is a wonderfully unique event and a great cultural experience to enjoy.

Terchová is easily reached by bus from the city of Žilina, which is on the main train line running through the country with frequent connections to Bratislava and Košice as well as several trains daily to Prague. There are a number of small hotels in Terchová and lots of guesthouses, I've stayed at the Penzion Furmanec several times, but there are many more, including the Penzion Goral, Penzion Terchová, and Penzion Montana.

Folk Culture Destinations # 1 - Ieud, Romania

This small village is located in the centre of Maramures in northern Romania, a region renowned for its well-preserved folk culture, architecture and way of life. Much of Maramures could be considered a giant folk culture museum, a place where many rural villages seem barely touched by the 20th century. Many villagers live in traditional wooden houses without toilets or running water, and even electricity is a fairly recent addition. Locals rise early in the morning and go out to work in the fields by hand, and transporting goods or travelling to visit neighbours is done by horse and cart.

Cars can be seen on all the roads in Maramures, but in the most remote villages where the roads are rough the most common means of transport is by horse-drawn wagon. Ieud has a small outdoor museum of folk culture which was opened a few years ago to encourage tourists to visit. Locals dressed in traditional costumes can demonstrate how to use farming equipment, looms and spinning wheels. No English is spoken by the guides, but this is merely part of the experience as smiles, gestures and a few basic words in Romanian are enough to be able to communicate about the exhibits.

It is quite difficult to visit Ieud without your own transport as there are no train links and no regular local buses. Hiring a car in the city of Sighetu Marmetiei is a good option, or it is also possible to hitch-hike. If hitching, be prepared to pay the driver a few Lei for the ride.