Thursday, May 5^th 2011

• 7 PM – Vernissage of the art exposition of painter Damjana Plešnar and sculptor Edoardo Coral in St. Martin's church
• 7.30 PM – Inauguration of the new operations building
• 8.30 PM - 11 PM – Public wine tasting at the Youth club

Friday, May 6^th 2011

• 10.30 AM - 12.30 PM - Il vaso di Pandora Radio Capodistria broadcasting live from Dolina with Stefano Lusa and Andrea Effe
• 6 PM – Stalls opening
• 6 PM – Inauguration of the School district pupil's works exposition
• 7 PM – Vernissage of the photographic exposition of Mirna Viola in the Torkla gallery
• 7.30 PM – Vernissage of the art exposition of local graphic artists in the hall of the Valentin Vodnik cultural society
• 9 PM – concert with Why Not

Saturday, May 7^th 2011

• 5 PM – Stalls opening
• 5.30 PM – Classic car parade by Adria Classic Koper
• 6.30 PM - Prize ceremony of the 55^th communal wine competition and 14^th communal extra-virgin olive oil contest with music by the Breg brass orchestra
• 8.30 PM – solemn preparation of the maypole

Sunday, May 8^th 2011

• 4 PM – Stalls opening
• 5.30 PM – Concert by Vižnjan Brass Orchestra (Croatia)
• 6.30 PM - Exibition by Sakalovci folklore society from Monošter/Szentgotthárd (Hungary)
• 7.30 PM – Parterji and parterce enter the main square
• 8 PM – Dances with Malibù

Monday, May 9^th 2011

• 6 PM – Stalls opening
• 7.30 PM – Exhibition of Child's dance group Queens
• 9 PM – Dances with Mambo Kings

Tuesday, May 10^th 2011

• 5 PM – Stalls opening
• 6 PM – Concert by the Breg Brass Orchestra
• 7 PM – solemn release of the maypole

Expositions

• in St.Martin's church: painter Damjana Plešnar and sculptor Edoardo Coral
• in Torkla gallery: photographer Mirna Viola
• in the hall of Valentin Vodnik society: local graphic artists
• in Youth club Dolina: pupils of the Dolina School district

Opening hours

• Friday, May 6^th 2011: 7 PM to 10 PM
• Saturday, May 7^th 2011: 6 PM to 10 PM
• Sunday, May 8^th 2011: 4 PM to 10 PM
• Monday, May 9^th 2011: 7 PM to 10 PM
• Tuesday, May 10^th 2011: 6 PM to 7 PM

What is Majenca

It was a long time ago since an impressive village fair was first held every first Sunday of May at Dolina. Majenca is an ancient tradition repeated year after year in the hearth of our town; it's a historical event without peers among our neighbors. Other Slovenian villages are known to erect a maypole, but the majenca of Dolina is by far in a separate class for its richness, depth and lasting. This festival of spring and youth, originating maybe from ancient pagan rites of fertility, has rooted itself into the hearths of Dolina, becoming a symbol of national identity over its significance as an event held since the depths of time.

At the first signals of spring the whole town is already working to prepare the maj, to be erected in the middle of the main square, and everything else related. All of majenca revolves around this fifteen meter fir trunk, carrying a whole cherry tree on top; underneath its shadow the dancing area for young and not so young guests, around it a rich agenda of exhibitions and cultural events and, of course, a still richer offering of traditional foods and drinks. So, you have no excuse left: just come to Dolina, to know the magic of majenca.

Majenca is a festival of youth, so it's natural that the organization is a privilege of the fantovska and dekliška, the gatherings of town's young boys and girls. Everybody who is unmarried over the age of fourteen rallies in late winter to the first fantovska in dekliška ura, where they elect a mayor, called župan, and form an organizing council. This is just the beginning of months of work, where everybody gets a duty related to his or her age and is personally responsible of carrying it out. Nothing can interfere with the preparations, but for two more ure: the second, where the županja is elected to represent the girls, and the third on the eve of May 1th, when the nearly majenca is announced by the boys erecting a poplar tree near to the town's fountain, kaluža.

A particular role is reserved to the parterji, boys aged eighteen, and parterce, girls aged sixteen, who will open the dances under the maj on Sunday, traditionally clad in white shirts.

As majenca has a special place in the hearth of everybody , the inhabitants of Dolina are always ready, should need arise, to lend a helping hand to the young organizators; with them, the organizators of surrounding events: the cultural society, the elementary school, the county and the local wine yards and olive growers.

Why should you come to majenca? If nothing else, because this is a rare tradition passing from generation to generation, without anybody knowing when it started at all; because the maj of Dolina is the big brother of all maypoles; because you appreciate some pleasant time in company of good-hearted people; because you heard about our generous traditional foods; because our country is producing a small, but precious amount of peculiar homemade wine; because the dances under the maj attracts young people from far and near; because our offering of cultural events is widely interesting; or just out of curiosity, how can majenca have such a grip on us all, making out of years just intervals before the next majenca.

Anyway, be careful! If you come just once, you too will come back year after year, every time spring chases the winter out of Dolina.