It's New Year's time again. St. Nicholas has already walked through Slovenia, and Father Christmas and Santa Claus are still reading children's letters and preparing presents.
The hardworking dwarves are helping them, and it is they who have been told that the children in Banja Luka are already waiting for them. They hurried up and brought lots of presents, and in every package there was a nice Slovenian picture book, because the dwarves know that there are students in Banja Luka and Slatina who learn a lot and read Slovenian. Father Christmas and Santa Claus always come together and show everyone how nice it is to be friends and help one another. And children who learn Slovenian are real friends. They love to play and help with learning.
On Saturday, December 14th, they were making cards and rehearsing their performances. Kamishibai drawings were already prepared at the workshop three weeks ago. In the afternoon we gathered at the Jewish Cultural Center, the hall was too small for all who came to wait for Santa Claus. The programme was run by three frogs - students from Slatina. The schoolchildren introduced themselves with the fairy tales Rukavica, Seamstress and her scissors, Peter Klepec, Zlatorog and Santa Claus in the chimney. We also heard many songs, all accompanied by illustrations.
Kamishibai is the art of storytelling alongside pictures in a small wooden stage. This art form that combines verbal and visual art is less known in Banja Luka, but it is very suitable for students of supply teaching lessons of Slovenian, because everyone loves drawing. The performers combined the image and the word to get the listeners' attention. At the end of the programme, everyone sang the song Gray Hat, White Beard and called Santa Claus.
Father Christmas came along with Santa Claus. They asked the children if they were good. Of course, the children in Banja Luka and Slatina are very diligent. They returned home with gifts and fond memories of meeting Father Christmas and Santa Claus. New Year's Eve is also a time for socializing, so the Association of Slovenians Triglav prepared a snack, and after the event, it was time to talk about everything we experienced this year and what awaits us. We thought of the words of the Slovenian poet Anja Štefan: "Let the happiness that just sat among us extend far beyond the festive time."
