Arrivals and departures accompany a person throughout his life. Let's find a connection with the past in our traditions, because our world is connected with several nations and cultures. Not only that they came to us to enrich us, but that we also often leave to enrich ourselves. By getting to know the traditions, past and life not only of our ancestors, but also of other ethnicities, we find knowledge of mutual respect and understanding. The 37th Hornitrian folklore festival will also be held in this spirit.

The Regional Cultural Center in Prievidza is preparing the 37th year of the Upper Nitrian Folklore Festival on June 6-24, 2023 . This year, the main program will again take place in the center of Prievidze on Náměstí slobody. This generous space will offer the opportunity to present themselves to folk craftsmen and folklorists from the entire region of upper Nitra.

The Upper Nitrian folklore festivities will begin with an accompanying program already on June 6, 2023. At 5:00 p.m., the opening of the Pravnian embroidery exhibition will take place in the RegionArt Gallery. The exhibition will present the work of embroiderers mainly from the vicinity of Nitrianský Pravno. Part of the exhibition will be the presentation of the historical collection of Pravnian embroidery by Rastislav Haronik. The curator of the exhibition is Mgr. Oľga Danglová, CSc. The exhibition will be open to the public until June 30, 2023.

The main program of the festivities will begin on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the Regional Cultural Center in Prievidza. A workshop of the rag maker's whistle will be prepared for the public. Visitors will learn about its specific history, production and playing of this unique traditional musical instrument of Upper Nitra from renowned experts.

On the same day, at 7:00 p.m., a presentation of objects applying for the PRO PATRIA award for exemplary restored traditional houses, which is announced by the Regional Cultural Center in Prievidza, will take place. The 2nd year of this award will take place under the auspices of the general director of the Monuments Office of the Slovak Republic, Pavel Ižvolt. The author of the project is Jozef Lenhart.

The festivities will continue on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 5:00 p.m. at the Hornitrian Museum in Prievidza with a presentation of the history of the Carpathian Germans called Welcome guests . Carpathian Germans have been a part of upper Nitra since the 16th century. On Thursday, June 22, 2023 at 5:00 p.m., the chamber program Song in my Life will take place in the Regional Cultural Center in Prievidza. It will be a memorial program of Anastázia Kubová, the longtime director of the festivities. The program will feature the singing group Malinovec from Veľká Lehôtka.

Part of the Hornitrian folklore festivities will also be an exhibition of ceramics by Rastislav Haronik , the master of ÚĽUV in the Imrich Vysočan Gallery on the occasion of the exhibiting author's life anniversary.

The main program of the 37th Hornonitrian Folklore Festival , which will be held at Náměstí slobody in Prievidza, will begin on Friday, June 23 at 5:30 p.m. with a Welcome with the song In that Prievidza next. The performance of children's folklore ensembles and children's folk music called Veselože will begin at 6:00 p.m. DFS Malý Vtáčnik, Malá Lubená, Malá Sielnica, Malá Rokôška, Fialka, Barka, Sýkorky, Briezka will be presented. The directors of the program are Eliška Hrbiková and Milena Fábiková. At 8:00 p.m., the program will continue with the program From the treasures of the Carpathian Germans , in which the creators will introduce the culture of ethnic Germans living in the villages of the Pravnia region. The directors of the program are Martina Richter and Daniel Kubizna. At 9:00 p.m., the guest of the festivities , the Považ Folk Ensemble from Považská Bystrica, will perform, presenting the dances and songs of Považ. This will be followed by a Dance School led by a dance instructor from FS Považan at 10:00 p.m.

On Saturday, June 24, the festivities will continue at Náměstí slobody in Prievidza at 4:00 p.m. with the accompanying program Dance school for children with teacher Zuzana Strečanská and at 4:30 p.m. with the program Mladé výhonky , in which successful children's musical performers - singers and musicians - will be presented. At 5:00 p.m., the program of folklore groups of Upper Nitra will begin, entitled Meeting – At Home and in the World . The program will feature folklore groups: Bazalička from Ráztočn, Oslianka from Oslian, Rokôška from Nitrianské Rudno, Marinka from Novák, Košovan from Kanianka, Hájiček from Chrenovac–Brusno, Boršina from Nitrianske Sučian, Lubená from Poluvsia, Vrchárka from Čavoj, Novejsanka from Diviacka Nové Vesi, Bukovec from Diviak nad Nitricou, Borievka from Sebedražio and Košarinka from Temeš. The director of the program is Zuzana Strečanská. At 7:30 p.m., the Medallion program dedicated to the founder and head of DFS Malý Vtáčnik Eliška Hrbiková will be prepared. The director of the program is Eliška Králiková. The program will feature children's and adult folklore groups that collaborated with Eliška Hrbiková. One of them will be the program of the Vtáčnik Folklore Ensemble . Another guest who will perform at the 37th Upper Nitrian Folklore Festival will be the Vršatec Folk Ensemble from Dubnice nad Váhom. This year it will celebrate 70 years since its foundation. The program will start at 21:00. The end of the festivities will be part of the program composed on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the founding of DFS Malý Vtáčnik About twelve months, starting at 10:00 p.m.

Part of the 37th year of the Upper Nitra Folklore Festival will be a craft fair combined with creative workshops and the traditional cuisine of Upper Nitra.

Come to a festival that offers the richness of our past, the strong spirit of our present and the heritage of our future.