With the arrival of May, Slovakia abounds with folk festivals and traditions. May 1, the Spring and Labor Day, is associated with the traditional setting up of trees decorated with colourful ribbons, known as “Maypoles,” and preparations for celebrating the so-called “Majáles”.
We dedicate today's section “RECOMMENDED FOR READING” to the mournful anniversary of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire (Turkey).
Every year, according to the decision of the European Parliament of 15 April 2015, the date of 24 April is recognised as the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. This date was not chosen by chance. It was on this day in 1915 that the mass extermination of Armenian intellectuals began in Istanbul.
The date of April 24th, 1915 holds significant historical importance for the Armenian people. It marks the beginning of mass arrests targeting the Armenian intellectual and political elite in Constantinople (Istanbul), leading to the systematic extermination of numerous Armenian cultural figures. These arrests comprised individuals from diverse political backgrounds and professions, united solely by their Armenian nationality.
On 15th April 2024 the final theatrical performance of the Golden Age of Russian Literature (9th season) project took place on the Andrej Vrábel Gymnasium in Levice. The project was announced last December in honour of the 200th anniversary of the birth of A. N. Ostrovsky.
On 13 April 2024, the European Slavic Literature and Culture Foundation organised a thematic lesson Man in Space, dedicated to the International Day of Human Space Flight. On 12 April 1961, every radio station on Earth reported the sensational news - there is a man in space! It was a 27-year-old citizen of the Soviet Union, Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin.
On 4 April 2024, Slovakia celebrated the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Bratislava by the Red Army.
A ceremony honouring the memory of the liberators took place on the territory of the Slavin War Memorial Complex, where 6,845 Red Army soldiers are buried. The event was attended by the Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico, members of the Government, members of the Parliament of the Republic, employees of the embassies of the Russian Federation, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, public organizations and local residents.
