Ovenálie are nationwide shepherd festivals that introduce people not only to sheep and goat breeding but mainly to the importance of domestic farming.
We discussed this in more detail with Mrs. Ing. Mária Mularčíková.
What does Ovenálie mean?
Ovenálie are nationwide shepherd festivals through which we try to revive the culture related to sheep and goat breeding in Slovakia and highlight the beginning of the shepherd year. Ovenálie symbolically start (spring is the period of driving sheep to pasture) and end with St. Demeter, marking the end of the shepherd season. On Demeter's day, sheep are driven back from the pastures to the barns.
Isn't it too late to drive sheep to pastures?
Of course, sheep are driven out earlier, already during Easter, but the festival traditionally takes place on the second Sunday of June.
How long do these festivities last and what is their main idea?
This year is the ninth edition. Over the years, people have gotten used to coming to our event in Východná. It is necessary to appreciate, remind, and value the hard, demanding, but at the same time beautiful and necessary work of all those working in this tough sector – through these festivals, we want to bring their work closer to the general public in an interesting way. Nowadays, when we almost regularly hear about various food scandals, it is certainly essential to highlight the honest work of our people, give people the opportunity to get to know them, taste their production – amazing guaranteed 100% Slovak sheep and goat dairy and meat products made only from Slovak raw materials. Visitors will have the chance to see not only beautiful collections of our animals but also what is done with them (shearing, herding, care) and how the obtained raw materials are processed into products known from stores (cheeses, threads, bryndza, etc.). We want to give people the chance to taste sheep and goat products to recognize their exceptional true taste and distinguish them from products that are not very "kosher."
What would you like to achieve?
Mainly that Slovak agriculture is not somewhere "at the bottom" but regains its respect. It seems we sometimes forget what we mainly need for a quality healthy life. Although store shelves are overloaded with foods from all over the world, our clinics and home medicine cabinets are also full of medicines. Our body accumulates what we give it and eventually "rewards us." Therefore, our effort is to show people the path our ancestors walked, who, although they didn't have the internet or smart books, used "farmers' wisdom." Our goal is that what is produced here is also consumed here, to finally stop the senseless "food cycle." It used to be normal that what was grown or raised in Slovakia was also eaten in Slovakia. Now, unfortunately, we import many things from the opposite side of the world. Current modern studies prove that for the human body, it is best to eat what is grown and raised within a radius of 50 to max. 200 kilometers.
Is there an estimate of how many sheep and goats are in Slovakia?
Today, according to the Central Register of Farm Animals, approximately 375,000 sheep and 17,000 goats are bred. For comparison, in the second half of the 19th century, 3 million sheep were bred in Slovakia, and even before World War I, their number reached one million.
Why don't Slovaks want domestic products?
Because people have forgotten the taste. They say, lamb? And rather choose chicken, even Brazilian. But if we don't know how to prepare lamb, it's no wonder we don't want it. At our events, it is possible to taste various products or dishes, get interesting recipes, advice, or tips on processing meat or milk and thus learn to like these traditional raw materials. We try to show at least some production processes so that, for example, in the store when putting cheese in the basket, people can choose correctly and have an idea of how much honest effort and work is behind that piece of cheese. And maybe they will learn and try it at home and enjoy their own product.
Does each edition have its own slogan?
We always try to have a motto. When we promoted bryndza and fought for it, we had the slogan: Bryndza – our gold. For several years now, we have the slogan: Find your shepherd. It is about building customer trust towards a specific producer whom the customer knows, can visit, sees their work processes, technologies, and has the opportunity to taste specific products on-site. This way, they are guaranteed to consume our purely Slovak high-quality product with all the qualitative properties it should have. When buying a product in a supermarket, such an opportunity does not exist. There, decisions are usually made based on packaging and price, not product quality.
Are Ovenálie only festivities, or can we also buy products there?
At these festivities, a rich program is prepared for visitors – from culture and entertainment, through various demonstrations, competitions, and of course, sales booths exclusively with shepherd and goat themes. Thousands of people from all over Slovakia and abroad come to Ovenálie; they want to eat and buy something. We also give space to craftsmen and various primary food producers.
What can we look forward to at this year's Ovenálie?
Ovenálie are held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Slovak Republic, the State Veterinary and Food Administration of the Slovak Republic, and the Žilina Self-Governing Region, who will also be our guests. Year by year, the program is richer and more interesting – all visitors will have the opportunity to see cheese production demonstrations, bryndza production, sheep herding with dogs, sheep shearing, and wool processing. There will also be a competition for the best sheep and goat cheese, the most beautiful cheese cake, and the Master Cheesemaker, held under the expert supervision of the State Veterinary and Food Administration. There will also be the very attractive ninth edition of the Slovak Championship in pulling cheese threads. Participants will try to beat the 2012 record when a contestant pulled a 158 m thread from one kilogram of cheese. Visitors can also participate in competitions drinking žinčica and eating cheese threads. The program will be enriched by a goulash cooking contest with sheep meat. For those interested in crafts related to sheep and goat breeding, sellers of such products will be available. All this is complemented by performances of folklore ensembles from Liptov. This year, there will also be an exhibition of rabbits, poultry, and pigeons. There is also a shepherd raffle, with the main prize being lamb for the whole year. Admission to our event is free, and free parking spaces are prepared. I would also like to thank all our sponsors and supporters who help us organize this demanding event.
