Veselica Slovak Cultural Organization held its annual Veselica Gala on February 11th 2023. Guests from across Chicago Metropolitan Area as well as other state of the U.S.; including Ohio, Florida, Wisconsin, Michigan and Canada met to celebrate with us the theme of the evening “From Generation to Generation” — dedicated to our ancestors, our parents, grandparents and our ethnic roots.
The heritage of our ancestors is a wealth that must not be lost! The heritage of our ancestors is the heritage of our fathers and mothers in which wisdom, humility, and love are held.
The heritage of our ancestors is the wealth of culture, whose beauty and grace always warm our hearts, and will not let us forget who we are and the blood that flows through our veins. The desire to preserve our native language, the wealth of our fathers and mothers, and the memories of our ancestral homeland in all its beauty and forms connects the paths of many who have left their native land.
Though far from the meadows and fields where they once played, they still carry their home in their hearts. And so, the heritage of our fathers and mothers is passed on FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. The heritage of our ancestors is a wealth that must not be lost! These very words are deeply engraved in the hearts of each one of us at Veselica.
With great humility and respect we dedicated the 9th annual Veselica Gala to our native land and our roots, to the preservation of traditions and to all generations. But above all to our fathers and mothers, so that they know, WE WILL NEVER FORGET WHERE OUR ROOTS ARE!
Special guests
The special guests of the evening were Honorary Consul to the Slovak Republic in Chicago, Rosemary Macko Wisnovsky, Fr. Stanislav Bindas from Slovak Mission in Chicago, Fr. Marek Visnovsky from Cleveland, OH, and Iconito popular Slovak Band from Slovakia . It was their song ‘Korene’ / ‘Roots’ that became the inspiration and the featured song of Veselica Gala program ‘From Generation to Generation’.
ICONITO is a young Slovak band, the winner of the Kosice Golden Treasure in 2014. In 2017, Igor Timko, the singer of the band No Name became the producer of the group. In 2018, ICONITO played as the backup band on the last tour of the famous group, ELAN. The band devotes a significant part of their work to topics related to folk culture and building national awareness. Their most famous compositions include: ‘I Want a Change’ (2014), ‘Za karpatským lesom’ (2016), ‘Slovenské devy’ (2017), ‘Let’s Go Together’ (2019), or ‘Time is Running Out’ (2020). In collaboration with FS Zemplin, they released a single called ‘Korene’ / ‘Roots’, in which the title song of the project that hold the same name is dedicated to Slovak folklore with a modern form. In 2022, the band released its second album KORENE / ROOTS in collaboration with FS Zemplin.
Veselica Gala Sponsors
Raffle
‘Z generácie na generáciu‘
Dedičstvo našich predkov je bohatstvo, ktoré sa nesmie vytratiť! Dedičstvo našich predkov je bohatstvo naších otcov a mám, ktoré v sebe múdrosť, pokoru a lásku ukrýva.
Dedičstvo našich predkov, je bohatstvo kultúry, ktorej krása a pôvab naše srdcia vždy rozbúši, a tak nedovolí nám zabudnúť na to,
kým sme a aká krv v našich žilách prúdi.
Túžba uchovať si rodnú reč, bohatstvo našich otcov a mám, spomienky na rodný domov vo všetkých jeho krásach a podobách, spája cesty mnohých, ktorí svoj rodný kraj opustili.
Hoci ďaleko od lúk i polí, kde kedysi hrávali sa, svoj domov v srdci stále nesú si.
…A tak, dedičstvo našich otcov a mám, prenáša sa Z GENERÁCIE NA GENERÁCIU.
Dedičstvo našich predkov je bohatstvo, ktoré sa nesmie vytratiť!
Práve tieto slová sa hlboko vryli do sŕdc každého z nás a tak stali sa krédom FS Veselica.
S veľkou pokorou a úctou sme venovali 9. ročník Veselica Gala nášmu rodnému kraju a našim koreňon, zachovávaniu tradícií a všetkým generáciam. No predovšetkým našim otcom a mamám,
aby vedeli, že NIKDY NEZABUDNEME, KDE SÚ NAŠE KORENE!
