The regional cultural center in Prievidza under the authority of TSK, OZ Hornonitria and the municipalities of Pravnianské dolina are preparing the 19th year of the Hornonitria Winter Festival. The traditional cycle of events dedicated to folk culture and its manifestations in the carnival and Lent period will take place from 2/3 to 3/26/2023.

The goal of this unique project, which brings together seven thematically related events, is not only to supplement the offer of quality culture for residents and visitors of the municipalities of the Pravnian Valley, but also to map, preserve and spread folk culture as our valuable heritage from our ancestors.

The opening of the Winter Festival will be held on Friday, February 3, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. in the ceremonial room of the Municipal Office in Nitrianské Pravno. Part of it will be the opening of an exhibition of the work of ceramicist Rastislav Haronik, master of ÚĽUV, on the occasion of his life anniversary. The exhibition will include faience, the author's school works and work for ÚĽUV, works from annual exhibitions and contemporary work. The exhibition will last until March 24, 2023. On Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 6:00 p.m., the 30th annual Winter Folklore Festival will take place in the Culture House in Pravenc. Carnival customs, songs and traditional carnival entertainment in masks will be presented in their programs by folklore groups from the Pravnia Valley, as well as invited guests from all over Upper Nitra. Súzvky is the name of the event, which is dedicated to the singing groups of the associations of Carpathian Germans, which operate in the territory of the Pravnian and Handlov valleys, and their guests. This event will take place on Sunday, February 12, 2023 at 2 p.m. at the Cultural House in Kľačn. The guest of the program will be the folklore ensemble Vagonár from Poprad, which will present the dances of the Carpathian Germans. The event will also include a dance school with lecturer Martin Krigovský. During the next weekend, on Saturday, February 18, 2023 at 3:00 p.m., the 22nd annual Jozef Strečanský Memorial will take place in the Culture House in Poluvsí. The mission of the event is to preserve the memory of folklorist Jozef Strečanský and to search for talented singers, non-professional performers of folk songs and present them to the public. The guest of the program will be the Ruthenian singing trio ROSA from Prešov.

The winter festivities of Hornonitria will continue on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. with a meeting of craftsmen at the Masters of Pravnianská dolina event in the Cultural House in Malinova. It will include a traditional fair, which will be musically varied by children's folk music from Malá Lubená. On Sunday, March 12, 2023, at 3 p.m., the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Chvojnica will host the event For the sins of the world tortured, where passion and spiritual songs will be performed by the folk group Sielnica from Lazian.

The last event of the 19th Hornonitria Winter Festival will be Children's Folklore Day, which will take place on Sunday, March 26, 2023 at 2 p.m. in the cultural and social room of the municipal office in Nedožery-Brezany. In a program full of cheerful songs and games, children's folklore ensembles from the villages of the Pravnian Valley and the surrounding area will perform. The guest will be the children's folklore group Borinka from Nitra. The end of the program will be the traditional bringing out of Morena. The offer of the 19th edition of the Hornonitria Winter Festival is once again extremely rich. Therefore, we cordially invite you to visit the offered events of this unique traveling festival of folk culture on the upper Nitra.