Michael Kopanic

Beginning in the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the United States of America became the most common destination for Slovaks who left their homeland of Hungary in Central Europe.  “I am going to America” became a common expression for thousands of common people, the majority of whom were landless or poor peasants.

As a result of this migration, many Slovaks consider the United States their second homeland, and almost everyone in Slovakia claims to have a relative, even if a distant one, in America.  Apart from those Slovaks living in Slovakia itself today, more people of Slovak nationality live in the U.S.A. than in any other foreign country.  While 5.3 million people currently reside in Slovakia, the U.S. is home to approximately two million Americans with Slovak ethnic origins

Illustrated Slovak History
A Struggle for Sovereignty in Central Europe

    By Anton Spiesz, Albert Devine, Michael Kopanic, David Daniel, Ivan Reguli

    Edited by Dr. Ladislaus J. Bolchazy, Michael Kopanic, et alii.

    Epilogue by Dusan Caplovic (President of the Slovak Academy of Sciences)

    Translated by Joseph J. Palus, Jr. and Michael Kopanic


Description

Introduction, Notes, and Bibliography for the English-language edition supplied by Dr. Michael Kopanic.

Academic consulting by Martin Votruba, Albert Devine, Milan S. Durica, Frantisek Vnuk, Ivan Reguli, Charles Sabatos, Patrick Romane, John Karch, Adenko G. Alexy et alii.

Associate Editing by Joseph J. Palus, Jr., Albert Devine, Patrick Romane and Richard Wood

Who are the Slovaks? What is the Slovak nation? Located in the heart of Europe, the Slovak Republic has emerged an independent and sovereign nation after centuries of struggle. The history of Slovak is part of the rich tapestry of the course of human events at the geographical and strategic crossroads of Europe. Yet, very little contemporary scholarship on Slovak history exists in English or is readily accessible to North American and Western European readers. This title thus fills an important gap in historiography about events throughout Central Europe over the last fourteen centuries. This title presents the history of Slovakia in terms of the latest scholarship and in context of on-going historical debate about Slovak history and its presentation in post-socialist world.

http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266

Sample pages: http://www.bolchazy.com/prod.php?cat=slovak&id=4266&add=sam

Michael Kopanic was a co-editor with Steven G Potach of Konštantín Čulen.  The History of Slovaks in America (St. Paul, Minnesota: Czechoslovak Genealogical Society International, 2007).  Originally published as Dejiny Slovákov v Amerike 2 vols. (Bratislava: Slovak League Publishing House, 1942), 440 pages, hardbound.  ISBN 0-9651932-2-5

This 411 page hardbound book was originally published in the Slovak language in two volumes in 1942. Most of the original photos from the book have been reproduced in this English edition, along with rare additional photos of the author and the 1935-36 Matica Slovenska delegation, which he accompanied to America to conduct research for this book.

In History of Slovaks in America, writer and historian Konstantin Culen (1904-1964) paints a vivid portrait of early Slovak life in the U.S. He records in detail the experiences of Slovak-Americans, their struggles and triumphs, their strengths and failings, their passions and prejudices, and their fight to achieve unity and justice for the Slovak nation, both in America and in their oppressed homeland.

Through his rich and extensive use of early newspaper accounts, letters, eyewitness narratives and other original source materials, Culen enables us to hear the "voice" of the Slovak immigrant generation. The result is an absorbing and often dramatic chronicle of the Slovak-American experience. Appearing for the first time in English translation, this book provides an indispensable resource for understanding the foundations of Slovak life in America.

All surnames and place names in the book are fully-indexed, as an aid to genealogical research.

"Konstantin Culen was the first Slovak writer to undertake systematic research in the history of the American Slovaks, and the first to write a part of that history. He prepared many rich chapters on the history of parishes, movements, organizations, societies. . . . Culen was the first to bring about a rapprochement between Slovak America and the land of its origins. And had he accomplished nothing more as a writer and newspaperman, this accomplishment alone would rate him with the best - to be remembered as one of the foremost Slovak intellectuals of our century." - Jednota

“The Slovaks,” in Identity, Conflict, and Cooperation: Central Europeans in Cleveland, 1850-1930 (Cleveland:  Western Reserve Historical Society, 2003): 249-306.

THE SLOVAKS IN CLEVELAND, 1870 - 1930
   
Michael Kopanic

During the early twentieth century, Cleveland was host to one of the largest settlements of Slovaks in the United States and was for a time said to have had the largest Slovak population of any city in the world.1  The Slovak neighborhoods that developed in Cleveland were anchored by churches, with religion serving to bind the immigrants together and ease their cultural transition.  Religion also, however, created divisions within the community, between and within the various confessions as well as between secular and religiously based organizations. When Cleveland’s Slovak community perceived itself as under threat from the outside, it united, both within itself and with other groups regarded as allies.  Such outside threats usually had to do with interethnic conflict, most often stemming from the group’s troubled relationship with the Magyars, or ethnic Hungarians, who also had a large settlement in Cleveland.

The most famous Slovak to venture to Alaska was Dr. Alexander Liška (1883-1941).  His native town of Zamarovce near Trenčín even named a street in his honor.
There is little written about him in English, but Ján Martiš published a book about him in Czech, which I list in the bibliography. 
I first heard the name of Liška when I met a certain Slovak gentleman in Alaska, as he saw my T-shirt with Slovakia written on it.  He related that a famous Slovak once graced the state, and his name was Liška, which means "fox."  The native Alaskans were so enamored of him that they even erected a monument to him.  Upon hearing this, I was determined to dig deeper and find more about Liška.  This article summarizes the findings about his life of adventure, gold fever, and his humanitarian aid to Native Alaskans.

Fašiangy, literally meaning "carnival," is the Slovak word for Shrovetide or the French equivalent "mardi gras." In Slovak traditional village life, Fašiangy played out as a wild celebration of relentless feasting with sumptuous meals, costumed parades, singing, and dancing.  It amounted to a very emotional release of pent up energy before Ash Wednesday (Popolcová streda), which marked the start of the holy season of Lent (Pôst).

An updated version of the original: "Epiphany Customs in Slovakia," Jednota (Jan. 14, 2015)
On January 6th, Slovaks celebrate Epiphany, known in Slovak as the Feast of the Three Kings (Sviatok Troch kráľov).  The word Epiphany derives from the Greek word meaning "manifestation", thus Slovaks also call the holy day Deň Zjavenia Pána, literally meaning the Day of the Manifestation of our Lord.  The feast day commemorates God's revelation of His Son in human form, the child Jesus, to the world at large.  The  Epiphany ranks among the oldest of Christian holidays, and all Christian churches in Slovakia celebrate the feast.
The article looks at the feast, and the way Slovak folk traditions in the past.

Before the Revolution of 1989, Slovaks generally did not celebrate St. Valentine's Day on February 14th.  Rather for the Catholic faith, the date marked the feast of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Apostles of the Slavs who served as missionaries in bringing Christianity to Slavic peoples.  Valentine Day customs associated with romantic love came mainly from England and France, and would later filter down to Slovakia in more recent times.

Early February marks the midpoint of winter and Christians in Slovakia have traditionally observed these days as times to pay tribute to Christ and the Virgin Mary.  Hromnice (Candlemas) and Blažej (St. Blaise's Day) were considered holy days and celebrated with elaborate ceremony.

The article describes the origins of the customs and rites and how they were observed traditionally in Slovakia.

Predictions and customs associated with January provide us some idea of the Slovak folk mentality during the heart of winter.  While the long, cold winters allowed some time for merriment during Fašiangy and ritual celebrations, much household took place, since there was no time to attend such events in the more hectic spring and summer planting and harvest seasons.  There also existed a hope for a prosperous and bountiful year as well as the fear of impending famine.  The weather played an integral part in folk traditions and people noted the patterns of weather and animal behavior to predict the future.  While not exactly scientific, the sayings and gatherings provided something to talk about, and there surely resides some true wisdom in the observations derived from the behavior of bears and birds.

For centuries, Slovaks believed that the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy to the birth of a child predicted what type of life that child would have.  Everything that happened from the activities of the birthing mother to the environment surrounding the child in its earliest days were considered important signs and premonitions of things to come.  Customs varied somewhat from village to village, but they all shared a common concern of protecting a child from evil and ensuring that it grows up strong and healthy, both physically and spiritually.

Jednota, Oct 23 2013, pp. 1 3 20

Updated from Jednota, Jan. 17, 2018: 8, 17.

On January 6 each year, Slovak Roman Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings (Sviatok Troch kráľov).  The Eastern Rite and Orthodox faithful use the old Julian calendar and continue to observe Christmas on the this day.  All of these Christians practiced the rite of having their homes blessed on Epiphany, and the custom is still practiced in many villages in Slovakia.

The article provides a Slovak blessing one may use, and an English translation.

After almost sixty years after a communist seizure of their properties, the residents of the Javorina district of the Spiš region will finally have their land returned to them. The victory of citizens from this region represents a triumph of ordinary people who struggled for over two decades to right the wrongs of the past.

Slovaks refer to New Year's Eve as Silvester, since December 31 is the feast day of St. Sylvester.  Traditionally, they celebrate Silvester with a special ceremonial meal and engage in activities which prepare them to start the new year with a fresh, clean slate.  In addition to some convivial celebrations, especially in more recent history, Slovaks also looked for signs to predict the fortunes of the upcoming year.

Some of my previous articles discussed the harvest (žatva) and harvest festivals (dožinky). Another crop that was harvested were grapes, and Vinobranie was the celebration which took place once the grapes were picked and the first wines tasted. In grape-growing regions of Slovakia, it ranks among the biggest celebrations of the year. When I was younger, I never knew that wines even came from Slovakia. I first came into contact with Slovak wines and the Vinobranie when I was living in Bratislava in 1982. A good friend of mine at the time, Ľudovít Kleno, invited to taste his own fine homemade white wine. He lived in Vajnory, a village on the northern tip of Bratislava, which the city incorporated. Then afterwards, we attended the wine annual wine festival there, the Vinobranie. The festival featured wine-tasting, various amusements, and live entertainment with Slovak singing and dancing.

After a long bout with illness, Ladislaus J. Bolchazy, PhD.  passed away in Barrington, Illinois on July 28, 2012, at the age of 75.  A well known publisher and Professor Emeritus at Loyola University in Chicago, Bolchazy had served for many years as the president of Bolchazy Carducci Publishers.  He devoted his life to promoting and publishing classical works of Latin and Greek literature and to his special interests in Slovak culture.

On December 18, 2011, the well known Czech intellectual, playwright, and former President Václav Havel passed away.  He was 75 years-old.  Czechs, Slovaks, and freedom-loving peoples across the world remember Havel as a man who stood up for the truth during the neo-Stalinist era of history, even at the risk of his own safety.

Few in history have done more to unite Slovaks in the United States than Peter Vitazoslav Rovnianek.  A fiery nationalist with a vision for gathering all Slovaks into one powerful group, Rovnianek was a tenacious organizer and inspired the formation of the first national Slovak-American fraternal in 1890, the National Slovak Society.

Few people have had a greater influence on Catholic Slovak-American than the Reverend Štefan Furdek.  As the founder of the First Catholic Slovak Union, the largest Slovak fraternal benefit society in the United States, Furdek became the leading Catholic spiritual and political leader of the first generation of Slovak immigrants.  He also spearheaded the founding of the Slovak League of America, a politically active organization which unified all Slovaks in the U.S.A. to support their countrymen in their struggle against oppression and Magyarization in Hungary.

One of the best ways to learn Slovak is by hearing through the internet. When working on my computer, I am most always listening to Slovak radio, and I have been doing so regularly for nearly ten years. I wrote an article about Slovak websites in Jednota in 2005, but since then much has changed, and many more quality sites have appeared. This article will share some of the best websites which I have found. Slovenský rozhlas-Slovak Radio First, if one knows only English, there is Slovak Radio International (SRI). It has a new website because Slovak Radio (Slovenský rozhlas) reorganized its administration and website over the past year due to budget cuts. The new official name is Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska (Radio and Television of Slovakia-RTVS). The old website is no longer fully functioning, even though it will often turn up on a Google search. But I just found out that it still works on the old site, although it did not earlier this year. The newer site has a better and clearer broadcast of higher quality, and its own player. On Slovak Radio one may listen in English to a summary broadcast of news and cultural events from Slovakia, and there are text documents that one may read too. Here is the new website for Slovak Radio International, which includes its own player (http:// rsi.rtvs.sk/player/): http://en.rsi.rtvs.sk/. This site gives a list of the most current broadcasts: http://en.rsi.rtvs.sk/clanky/?currentPage=1. If one has any questions or comments, one may write the station at englishradio@slovakradio.sk. Besides English, one can also listen to Slovak Radio International in Slovak or in several other major languages. SRI broadcasts half hour shows 7 days a week, and the languages include English, French, German, Russian, Spanish and Slovak; all are available via the internet and satellite. The archive enables one to listen to past shows so that listening at a particular time is not a problem. On Wednesday, RSI airs a Slovak language program for those wishing to learn Slovak. The main home website for Slovenský rozhlas lists all the resources in Slovak and is found at: http://www.rtvs.sk/radio/. The various radio programs provide a variety of music and listening options, depending up one's interests. The new player also provides the names of some of the songs and/or individual program names on the schedule. Here is a list of those, with a short summary of what the various radio links broadcast. Živé vysielanie, meaning "Live Broadcast," is where one would click on the selections provided on the right hand side of the webpage. The program for each days for Slovak Radio can be found with a click on "Program": http://www.rtvs.sk/radio/program/. There are also podcasts available to click on for some past archived recordings. Rádio Slovensko is the main radio station of Slovenský rozhlas and broadcasts 24 hours a day the news, weather, traffic conditions, current affairs programs, interviews,

The 1944 Battle of Dukla Pass ranks among the most least known major battles of the Second World War.  Bill Tarkulich termed it "the largest battle you may never have heard about."  Compendiums such as World War II: The Encyclopedia of the War Years 1941-1945 do not even mention the battle!  David Glantz's study of the Soviet front affords it a mere two pages.  In fact, the Battle of Dukla Pass counted more casualties) than any battle ever fought on Slovakia soil.  Casualties on all sides amounted over 138,000 in 50 days of intense fighting.

On February 21, 2018, events took place which would rock Slovakia-the murder of journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová. Found several days after their gangland type assassination, the dastardly act would shake the Slovak political scene to its core and call into question the morality of the politicians who have been ruling Slovakia. Tens of thousands of Slovaks would take to the streets in the largest protests since the fall of communism in November 1989. Interestingly, the activism was most pronounced among the youth of Slovakia, who had never experienced the demonstrations of 1989. The incident and the reaction of the people of Slovakia would garner worldwide attention. Worldwide media coverage appeared in the press, on the internet and TV, ranging from the New York Times to the Manchester Guardian, and CNN news. This was the first time that a journalist had been slain since the founding of the Slovak Republic in 1993. The swift and unequivocal reaction of the people of Slovakia showed their commitment to democracy and rooting out the corruption which has lingered in their country since the fall of communism. The reaction to the demonstrations would ultimately result in the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico and several other key ministers. The ministers resigning included Viliam Jasaň, the Deputy Secretary of the State Security Council and PM Fico's chief state adviser, a former nude model Mária Trošková, who had also had ties with the mafia when she lived in Italy. But the struggle to maintain a media free of the shackles of harassment from officials remains an ongoing issue.

The article summarizes Slovak Prime Minister Radičova's First Hundred Days in office and her attempts to deal with the financial crisis and high unemployment, root out corruption, and fill the void for good leadership in Slovakia.  Knowing how to make the political moves necessary would play a vital role in determining her attempt to set the country on a new course.

The pilgrimage, or odpust in Slovak, has always played an important role in the religious cultural life of Slovaks. Two important centers of pilgrimage to St. Mary Magdalene are located in the Spiš region.  Nearby my ancestral village of Richnava and just east of the town of Krompachy, on the road to Kaľava, lies the chapel of St. Mary Magdalene.  Every year, Slovaks celebrate the July 22nd feast of St. Mary Magdalene with a pilgrimage.  Likewise, the village of Danišovce, situated just northeast of Spišská Nova Ves, pilgrims also commemorate her feast day, as she is the patron saint of that community.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of an outstanding teacher, a dear friend and an esteemed colleague, Professor Martin Votruba.  He served as the Head of Slovak Studies Program and was a Senior Lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh (Slavic Department, Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences).  Many considered him to be the country's leading scholar on Slovak culture.

The University of Pittsburgh will host a memorial service in his honor at 2 p.m. on January 13, 2019 at the Frick Fine Arts Auditorium.  More detailed information from the university on the memorial service for Dr. Votruba will be forthcoming at a later date.

During the Great Migration of peoples from Eastern Europe to America that started in the late 1870s and lasted until World War I, New Jersey was among the first stops of many Slavic and Slovak immigrants.  While most Slovaks moved on to settle in Pennsylvania and the Midwest, a considerable number decided to remain in the Garden State or New York.  Some of the earliest Slovak fraternal organizations originated in New Jersey, and the state spawned two Slovak Sokol (Falcon) gymnastic organizations.  Today the state also hosts the current headquarters of the Slovak League of America and the Slovak Catholic Sokol.  This is why some have called New Jersey “the cradle of Slovak fraternalism in America.”