On August 18, 2026, the second workshop for primary school students, entitled “The Tourist Attraction of the Slovene Nationality Collection of the Ágoston Pável Museum, Its Connection to Educational Institutions and Slovene Nationality Self-Governments,”was held at the museum.

The programme was based on the Interreg application submitted by the consortium under the title “GUČIMO: Preservation and Promotion of the Linguistic and Cultural Heritage of the Prekmurje and Rába Regions.”

The children mainly came from the bilingual primary schools of the Rába Region (Felsőszölnök and Apátistvánfalva), but there were also students from Szentgotthárd schools who study Slovene, as well as children from settlements in the region where a Slovene nationality self-government operates (e.g. Rönök and Csörötnek). The participants represented a wide age range, from first to eighth grade.

The workshop was led by museum educator Margit Mayer Gáspárné in three languages: Hungarian, standard Slovene and the local Slovene dialect. She was assisted by museum educator Andrea Károly and director Mrs. Tibor Horváth.

On this occasion, the children were introduced to the traditional craft of paper flower making, under the guidance of two Slovene women from Apátistvánfalva, Mrs. Ferenc Doncsecz and Mrs. József Doncsecz. During the activity, they also learned the dialectal names for flowers, their parts and colours.

Paper flower making is one of the distinctive traditional elements of the Slovene folk craft culture of the Rába Region. Local women and tradition bearers make lifelike, colourful flowers from crepe and tissue paper. These flowers are closely connected to important events, weddings and community celebrations in the region, such as the traditional log-pulling ceremony (rönkhúzás).

The participants began the day with a morning snack and then spent the morning making paper flowers.

After lunch and ice cream, the children reflected on the day and shared what they had enjoyed, what they had learned and what they remembered.

The day concluded with games, including:

  • counting-out rhymes (Ecc-peccand its Slovene version the “Black Hole” game);
  • museum-themed puzzles featuring objects and traditional costumes;
  • a cube and jigsaw puzzle made using materials from the museum’s collection. 

The programme successfully contributed to the preservation and promotion of the local Slovene dialect among children.

Photos by GUČIMO