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 neighbours. 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 radicated itself into the hearths of Dolina, becoming a symbol of national identity over its significance as an event held since the depths of time.


Young people singing under the maj of Dolina
 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 organisation 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.

Meeting under the poplar
 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 organisators; with them, the organisators of surrounding events: the cultural society, the elementary school, the county and the local wineyards.

 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 appreciante 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, everytime spring chases the winter out of Dolina.

© 2002 djn