v Želimo vam vesele božične praznike in srečno novo leto 2014! Povzeto po knjigi Valvasorjevo berilo ki opisuje šege in navade iz 16. stoletja Prizadevna služba božja in nekatere postranske navade 1 V «II 1 • ** 1 današnjih kranjcev ...Za božične praznike je spet drugo pecivo. Testo zvaljajo prav na tenko ko list ali papir in ga namažejo z zdrobljenimi in z medom pomešanimi orehovimi jedrci; to zmes zvaljajo, stisnejo ali zvijejo v krogu, da postane kakor hleb kruha. Naposled speko in, ko je pečeno, se imenuje potica. Tudi pri plemičih in meščanih peko take potice ob istem času in prav na isti način. Delajo jih tudi brez medu samo z zdrobljenimi orehovimi jedri. Marsikdo jih pripravlja tudi s sirom ali s drugimi stvarmi, razen o božiču, zakaj tedaj jih povsod mesijo z orehi in medom. Dalje zamesijo velik hleb kruha in ga okitijo zgoraj z vsakovrstnimi okrasi. Plemičem in meščanom pa, ki imajo delikatnejša usta, denejo v tale kruh veliko masti in jajc; po vrhu ga na razne načine okrase s testom in tak kruh imenujejo poprtnik. Vse to denejo na sveti večer na mizo. V gradovih, mestih in trgih pride tedaj duhovni in blagoslovi, v vaseh pa nadomeščajo duhovnega kmetje sami, škrope z blagoslovljeno vodo in prižigajo dobro dišeče kadilo. Isto store tudi na novega leta dan zvečer in naposled v tretje na dan pred sv. tremi kralji. Jedo pa to na praznik sv. treh kraljev in tudi pozneje, dokler je še kaj. In tega se lahko drže v omenjenih časih po vsej deželi. Je tudi navada, da hodijo od sv. Miklavža do svečnice iz vsake fare neki ljudje okoli in pojo. Za vsako cerkev gre iz soseščine nekaj mož in fantov. En del nastopa s sabljami, sekirami, čekani in podobnim orožjem v gručah po 6, 7 ali celo 12 ali 15 oseb, kakor je pač fara velika in obljudena. Imenujejo jih po njihovem opravilu kolednike, t. j. pevce. Hodijo po vsej deželi naokoli, koder hočejo, kakor pevci z zvezdo v Nemčiji, s katerimi se po pravici dajo primerjati... Boris Pahor, Or How To Make History Anne Urbančič Whenever you plan an event for your club or your family you are planning a little bit of history. Not for now, but for the future. It isn't overly difficult to ensure that your event is recorded and that it remains to document what your family or your organization did on a specific occasion. For example, recently the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia, Irena Gril, initiated a project to commemorate the centenary of the birth of author and thinker Boris Pahor. Pahor, who was born in Trieste, has seen a century of upheaval and tumultuous changes in his native city. Trieste, as you know, is a city where Italian and Slovenian interweave on a daily basis. It boasts many known Italian authors and also Slovenian writers, among whom Pahor stands out. He has written poignantly and strongly about his wartime experiences, the time spent in Nazi concentration camps, the development of Europe since that debacle. He has remembered the plight and suffering of the Slovenians in Trieste with a strong, unavoidable voice. And, for this, after years of being ignored, he has now been recognized all over Europe with awards and prestigious acknowledgments. In 2013 he was awarded the European Citizen's Prize. When some of the members of the CSHS were approached to help organize the Toronto evening (there were also commemorations in Ottawa and Vancouver), the event became one to record in our archives even though we knew the author himself could not attend because of his advanced age. There were many email exchanges between the Embassy and our members as the evening slowly took shape. All these serve to document the event. Flyers were printed. A small information leaflet was prepared to hand out to visitors who attended at the North York Central Library branch of the Toronto Public Library. Electronic invitations were sent to many agencies and groups in Toronto to announce the evening. A program was developed and readings from Pahor's works selected so that the audience could hear his extraordinary cadences and images read aloud in Slovenian and also in English. All of these items printed out and also in their original electronic format, will become part of the Pahor Archive of the CSHS. Finally, photographs were taken at the event. You go through the same steps as you prepare for a special occasion, whether private and intended for your family, or more public and intended for members of your organization and beyond. As you plan, collect all the information; label it with date and then names of those involved. Describe the photographs by naming the place taken, day, event, and the persons photographed. Store all the materials safely in a box or folder. We use special archival quality boxes to preserve our materials, even if the emails are printed out on recycled paper (as mine almost always are); we also use electronic conservation on USB keys or CDs, and we also conserve digital copies. The people who came to the special evening of celebration may not have known it but by their presence they not only paid tribute to a world respected writer and thinker but in addition, they helped preserve Boris Pahor's memory for the future. They participated in making the history of Canadian Slovenians in Toronto. Boris Pahor, who celebrated his 100th birthday last August, is one of Slovenia S most prolific authors. In 2013 he was awarded the European Citizen's prize. Pahor has also been awarded the French Legion of Honour, the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, Italy's Premio Napoli, Slovenia's Order of Freedom and the Preseren Award for Cultural Achievements in Slovenia. His biography is a tale of one of the most turbulent centuries in human history. Pahor's literature reflects his life experience and includes a story of his own personal ordeal in the extermination camps of the Third Reich as well as his work in international arena for the rights of minority cultures, particularly their languages. Rakugo Anne Urbancic Have you ever heard this Japanese word? What does it have to do with the Canadian Slovenian Historical Society? Rakugo (pronounced RA-kug-O) is a traditional form of Japanese storytelling with a relatively recent history. From roots dating back four centuries, rakugo established itself firmly in Japanese culture by the 1920s. The story is generally lengthy and complicated, and always funny. Rakugo is performed by a specially trained storyteller who has practiced intensively with his sensei (or master) for at least three years. It is performed on a stage: the storyteller wears a kimono, and sits cross-legged while recounting the tale. Only two props are allowed: a paper fan and a small rectangular hand-towel. Dexterous gestures, eloquent eye contact and ingenious use of voice make the stories spring to life. Often the narrative includes hilariously complicated dialogues between characters, all artfully played by the same story-teller. There are few female rakugo story-tellers. Today there are no foreign born rakugo story-tellers. Except one. Greg Robic, a young man born in Toronto to Slovenian Canadian parents, is the exception. Recently, he capped off a 22-city tour of rakugo storytelling with a stop in Toronto, where his family still lives, and a show at the Winter Garden Theatre. Using the name Katsura Sunshine (a name that echoes in sound the moniker given to him by his sensei), he entertained a full theatre of spectators in both Japanese and English. No matter the culture, the stories made everyone laugh. I think there may have been some in-jokes in Japanese that did not translate well into English because the man sitting behind me burst out laughing uncontrollably, stamping his feet in amusement and guffawing loudly at some of the Japanese comments. He roared just as loudly at the English stories, along with the rest of the audience. On stage, Sunshine wears a long flowing white kimono festooned with bright red maple leaves. He speaks quickly and non-stop. He captivates the audience fully, never disappointing. With his clever gestures and his admirable ability to give his fan and towel small but important roles, he can spin out a story to almost half an hour, longer than the typical twenty-two minutes of television sitcoms with several ensemble characters and background music. Unlike the sitcom, Sunshine does not have a pre-recorded laugh-track. He doesn't need one. The laughter bursts spontaneously from his delighted audience. I look forward to telling you more about this Canadian Slovenian in the near future. In the meantime you can view him at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zzFUqqgnp4 Calling All Young History Buffs!!! Family histories fascinate everyone: we all need to know where we came from, where our roots extend, where we belong. If you are of Slovenian descent, and currently in high-school or at post-secondary level of your education, we've got an exciting project for you. Trace your family history; tell us about it in an essay, scrapbook, photo collection etc. Your work will become part of our efforts to make sure that Slovenian Canadians are recognized in the history of Canada, that they are not considered merely a footnote in the books of academics. Your project will be added to our archival collection, your family will be remembered by researchers of the future, and, you just might be named a winner of one of our three cash prizes. The application form is included in this issue of OUR STORY and is also available from the CSHS, c/o Ms. M. Cekuta mircek@rogers.com If you are a parent or a grandparent, we encourage you to let your young folks know about this great opportunity. Of course, be prepared for a lot of questions about your life as a Slovenian in Canada.... When did your family come to Canada? Tell us about it. You may win one of our three cash prizes! About Business Cards Anne Urbancic Have you ever thought about the business cards you've received? At first called calling cards, or visiting cards, or in Slovenian poslovne vizitke, these small rectangles of paper have an interesting history. They initially appeared in Europe among the upper classes. In the 19th century, servants carried the cards from one member of a society's elite to another as a means of social introduction. Cards arriving at a household were placed on a small tray offered by the servant who answered the door. How cards were treated once on the carrying tray became very significant. If the recipient of the card did not respond, for example, or responded by returning the card in an envelope, the message was clear: do not come to visit me at my house. When the upper right corner of the card was folded over, it meant that the person named on the card had brought it personally rather than sending a servant. Congratulations were conveyed by bending the upper left corner, condolences the lower left corner. A bent lower right corner meant the owner of the card would be absent for a prolonged period of time. Etiquette rules that proved quite complicated indeed! But there's more: the first calling cards bore simply the name of their owner often embossed on the cardstock paper. A gentleman would generally include a title with his name only if he carried a military rank or if he were a medical doctor. Later, when the upper middle classes began to use calling cards, they quickly adopted the same forms of card etiquette. In the various archives where I have worked, I have sometimes read quick messages written on the back of calling cards, although most times cards were left blank. At other times, there are initials on the card that refer to various French expressions. For example, an early January card would likely have the initials p.f.N.A on it to signify "pour féliciter Nouvel An" (to wish you a Happy New Year). A thank you card would have the initials p.r. "pour remercier" (to thank you). If a family was in mourning, their card generally had a thin black border. After a wedding, friends of the bride and groom sent their cards to the two as a couple, no longer as individuals. According to some researchers, the intricacies of calling cards slowly went out of fashion when the telephone became a more popular means of contact. Personal cards slowly evolved into business cards, some simple and some very elaborate; today these carry not only the name of the business person but also of their place of employment, their contact information, their rank, and other titles as well. Sometimes they are a mini-advertisement for the business. Often they have a magnetic backing so that you can put them on your fridge door for quick reference. The CSHS has recently received a collection of business cards that makes an exciting addition to our archives. These cards trace the career and employment history of the donor. While cards have no dates on them, we can still see the donor's promotions and increasing stature as he moved from business to business. They reveal the growing sophistication of print technologies as well, as they change from plain cards to highly coloured and detailed ones. Many people have a host of calling cards, but would not think of collecting their own. It's a great idea that adds to your life story. 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