Ivanovec was the host of the traditional Međimurje folk song festival “Pjesmarica naših mamica” this Sunday, held in the hall of Ivanovec Primary School. The event was organised for the 20th time by the Cultural and Artistic Society “Katruže” from Ivanovec.
Seventeen performers, comprising cultural and artistic societies and singers from Međimurje, Hungary and Slovenia, took part in the festival. The lineup included the hosts, KUD “Katruže” Ivanovec; KUD Podturen; Ivan Mađarić from KUD Šandorovec; the Gornji Kraljevec Women’s Association; KUD Strahoninec; Katarina Ceilinger and Ana Novak from KUD “Petribske rožice” in Hungary; the Nedelišće Retirees’ Association; Nadica Patafta from Strahonice; KUD “Šafran” from Štefanec; Verica Grbavec and Slavica Petković from Ivanovec; KUD Žiškovec; the Strahoninec Choir; Cecilija Merkač Hudopisk; the Čakovec Retirees’ Choir; MKUD “Ivan Car” from Ljubljana; and KUD Goričan.
The festival was opened by Matija Posavec, the county prefect of Međimurje County, who emphasised that this event, like all others that preserve tradition, is extremely important because it passes valuable cultural heritage on to the young. Ljerka Cividini, the mayor of the City of Čakovec, said that Pjesmarica has been preserving song, tradition and a part of Međimurje identity for a full two decades.
It is worth remembering that twenty years ago, a group of enthusiasts led by Đuro Horvat and the late Stjepan Mesarić recognised how important it was to preserve the original Međimurje folk song and rescue lesser-known tunes from oblivion. The performances were judged by a professional panel consisting of emeritus professor and doctor of sciences Stjepan Hranjec, Bojan Pogrmilović, MA in Arts, and Tomislav Cvrtila, MA in Music.
Aleksandar Vadlja, president of KUD “Katruže” Ivanovec, thanked all participants in the festival and those who have enabled it to be held continuously for twenty years. The event was honoured by the presence of Stjepan Horvat and Sebastijan Petek, presidents of the local council boards of Ivanovec and Štefanec respectively; Ljudevit Boršćak, president of the Assembly of the Association of Cultural and Artistic Societies of Međimurje County; representatives of associations operating in Ivanovec and Štefanec; and numerous residents.
