Traditionally the night before May 1 used to be when young men erected May trees under the windows of their loved ones. Over time, this tradition transformed into more communal celebrations, when a symbolic May pole is placed in the centre of Slovak towns or villages. However this year, in the western Slovak village of Selec, Tomáš Žovinec returned to the old traditions and with the help of his friends he built a decorated tree in front of his fiancées house.
The majority of Slovaks still associate May Day with grandiose parades organized by the communist regime. Even though the tradition of parades dropped sharply in the past years, up to 98 percent of Slovaks still remember them either from their own experience, or via stories told about them. This results from a telephone survey by eCall Slovakia from a representative sample of 1,504 respondents. According to the survey, 60% of people in Slovakia prefer spending the 1st May at home, among their families and friends.
1st May also marks the anniversary of Slovakia's accession to the European Union in 2004. According to Dušan Chrenek, head of the European Commission Representation in Slovakia, Slovakia's 12 years of EU membership can be described without any exaggeration as the most successful period in the country's history. Slovakia is set to be the presiding country of the Council of the EU for the first time ever in the second half of 2016. "It's going to be a great opportunity. We can show our skills and potential," said Chrenek, noting that Slovakia will deal with important legislative proposals.
