“The   Ruthenian Society in Subotica”

Subotica

“The Ruthenian Society in Subotica” is a legal association of citizens joining in order to cherish, popularize and guard the Ruthenian language, literature and culture of the Ruthenians in Subotica. The Society has its president, administrative council and supervisory board. The President of the Society is Mrs. Ksenija Palatinus.

With the first ball of the Ruthenians in 2000, the Ruthenians started an organized associating in Subotica. Then in 2001 the Society was established and registered.

Among the most significant projects of the Society are the elective courses of Ruthenian language with the elements of the national culture for school-children and nursery school-children which started in October 2000 and take place in the Primary school “Sonja Marinkovic” (the teacher is Mrs. Natalija Gruncic), the traditional Ruthenian ball, then there is the Cultural Manifestation of boarder significance “The Spring of Dr. Maftej Vinaj” which is dedicated to Dr. Maftej Vinaj, the writer, teacher, lawyer and judge, to one who was the founder of the Ruthenian culture in this area and who spent part of his life and career in Subotica where he died and was buried. The ”Picnic” party is organized on Palic every year with sport and entertainment contents, and from 2003 there is a mass (liturgy) for the Greek- Catholics in the chapel of the Franciscan monastery every last Sunday of the month.

The members of the Society take part in all cultural manifestations of the Ruthenians, such as the Festival “The Red Rose” in Ruski Krstur, then the Festival of original folklore of the Ruthenians and other ethnic communities in Vojvodina, “The Harvest” in Kucura, the meeting of original groups “Not to Forget” in Djurdjevo, the Drama Memorial “Petro Riznic Djadja” in Ruski Krstur,  the Festival of Monodrama in Novi Sad, the Summer school  for children which is organized by the Union of the Ruthenians and the Ukraine, the meetings of schools in which the Ruthenian language is taught and on other manifestations. The members have often returned from these festivals with awarded prizes some of which are for the first place. Near the end of 2006 the original vocal group of the Ruthenian Society recorded its first CD. The members of the Ruthenian Society also take part regularly in various disciplines on the Sports Memorial ”Jasa Bakov” where they have won many medals, and they are also hosts of the competition in volleyball on sand or in bowling.

The branch office of the National Council of the Ruthenians is opened within the framework of the offices for which appropriate equipments have been provided by the National Council: a computer, a telephone with fax, a scanner...

The Society takes part in the cultural manifestations of other nations belonging to national minorities, in the cultural life of Subotica and cooperates with many other societies in Subotica.

Last year, in 2008, for the first time, the mixed original group of the Society gave a guest performance in Rijeka, in the Republic of Croatia, as it was invited by the Ruthenian and Ukraine Society “Rushnjak” in Rijeka.

The sections cherished are the following: the vocal section, the recital section, the folklore, the drama section, the puppet workshop (in cooperation with the Children’s Theatre in Subotica), and also chess and table tennis. The performance “Be What You Are” that was played on the Drama Memorial “Petro Riznic Djadja” in Ruski Krstur in 2008 was inserted as an attached performance at the International Festival of Theatres for Children in Subotica in the same year. The most successful reciters were placed well to the Provincial Contest of reciters. Except the quoted cultural manifestations, there are organized tribunes, exhibitions, lectures, musical and poetical evenings, meetings with other societies etc.

Everyone ready to cooperate, associate, and participate in the sections is welcome.

Thanks to the understanding and help of the Local government, some offices were given to the Ruthenian Society to use in 8 Strosmajerova Street in 2003. The offices were festively opened and dedicated on the 20^th of December2003, when the first mass for Greek-Catholics was held.

There are about 150 Ruthenians in Subotica.