Upon the invitation of the Slovenian Association from Subotica, which bears the same name as the Slovenian Association Banja Luka - Triglav, students of Slovenian from Banja Luka and Slatina attended the 20th Rainbow Festival, which took place on Saturday, October 11, 2025 in Subotica.
The following Slovenian associations participated in the festival: Kredarica - Novi Sad, Planika - Zrenjanin, Triglav - Subotica and Triglav - Banja Luka. The Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing from Ljubljana was a guest at the festival from Slovenia.
For the performance at the festival, in the Slovenian classes we made masks of 10 forest animals and performed with them in a short play adapted from the famous fairy tale by Grigor Vitez, Mirror.
We expanded our participation in the Rainbow Festival to a three-day trip to the western part of Vojvodina. The students, 12 of them, were accompanied by Mladen and Oksana Lunić and teacher Metoda Perger. We set off on Friday, October 10th, in the morning and after a long scenic drive and crossing two border crossings, in the evening we arrived at the student dormitory in Subotica, where we spent two nights with dinner and two breakfasts. There we were kindly welcomed by our host Imre Šoti, secretary of the Slovenian Association Triglav Subotica.
After completing all the formalities regarding accommodation and dinner, we set off on an evening tour of the center of Subotica, which leaves no one indifferent, especially at night, when all the colorful buildings, monuments and fountains shine in a beautiful interweaving of magical colors. On the first evening we learned a lot of interesting things about Subotica, because our new student Andrej, who used to live in Subotica, took us through the rich history of the city and its inhabitants with an encyclopedic knowledge of all the details.
The next day we got up early, had breakfast and practiced a little more for our performance, and then our host Imre, still in the daytime, took us to the most famous locations in the city, among which was certainly one of the most interesting synagogues, which we also saw from the inside. At eleven o'clock there was a festival where students from all the above mentioned associations and institutions presented themselves. We enjoyed a variety of performances, which included singing, dancing, musical instruments, recitations and short plays and expressive arts. Our short performance entitled Mirror received a great applause. Forest animals, who find a mirror in a forest clearing and, looking into it, each of them thinks that it is their image, have pronounced human character traits, behind which hides the message that the strongest wins and that the most important values in life are family love and connection. After lunch, which we had in the event hall, we headed towards Lake Palić. We visited the zoo, and then we walked along the beautiful lake, the embankment of which was already covered in warm autumn colors. Imre and his wife invited a group from Ljubljana and Banja Luka to their farm, where we refreshed ourselves with delicious homemade delicacies and enjoyed the authentic Vojvodina rural environment. After returning to the student dormitory, we used the last evening to walk around the center of Subotica again, where we also enjoyed the popular Hungarian pastry called kürtőskalács - hollow pastry, chimney. The dough is rolled around a stick and grilled. After baking, it is rolled in sugar and various additives: ground walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, coconut, etc. The next morning we had breakfast, packed our luggage, said goodbye to our hosts and headed towards our final destination, the town of Sombor, which was introduced to us in an interesting and informative way by a local guide. We also visited the rich collection of the City Museum, which houses various exhibits from prehistoric times to the present day. Before leaving home, we had lunch at the Andrić fish restaurant, located along the Great Bačka Canal. In the evening, without long stops at border crossings, thanks to our skilled driver Miki, we happily returned home to Slatina and Banja Luka, full of beautiful impressions. I must especially praise the organization of the entire trip, which was flawlessly carried out thanks to the president of the Triglav Association, Mladen Lunić. Our entire team was excellent, everything went according to plan, and our performance at the festival was excellent, which I am particularly proud of as a teacher. Perhaps there was not enough socializing with children from other associations, but last but not least, the program was such that there was not enough time for joint activities. We had an exceptional, diverse and wonderful travel experience, which calls for even more similar socializing together, as clearly proven by the students' impressions.
Metoda Perger
Student impressions from the trip to Vojvodina:
Wow, this trip was one of my favorites. I liked the zoo the most. Subotica is known for its beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, and Sombor is also known for its picturesque Art Nouveau architecture. It's not where we're going, it's who we're going with.
Stefan Kuprešak
This trip was very nice for me. I was delighted by the beauty of the cities of Subotica and Sombor, nature, and delicious food. I'm coming home with a lot of good memories.
Marija Budiša
Every time I'm in Subotica or Sombor, I feel like I'm in a fairy tale, because both towns are interesting. I had a great time and I hope we will go on a new adventure soon.
Katja Lunić
The trip was full of educational activities and was an excellent opportunity to expand cultural worldviews. I hope to go to a similar event together again.
Andrej Sredić
This trip was very interesting. Preparing for the show was demanding, but I think we did it well. I liked learning about the sights of the cities we visited, Subotica and Sombor. I hope there will be more interesting trips like this soon.
Milica Marjanović
We went to Subotica. There we participated in the Rainbow festival. Metoda, Oksana and Mladen went with us. We had a great time on the trip. We stayed in the Student Hostel. In the evening we toured Subotica. The festival took place on Saturday in the hall. Our play was called Mirror. After the play we received a certificate and chocolate. When we left the hall we headed to Palić Lake. There we enjoyed ourselves and met children from Ljubljana. They are an association of the deaf and hard of hearing. Later we went to a farm. I liked the walk around Sombor the most on the last day.
Slavko Cvijić
On Friday we went to Subotica. On Saturday we went to the Rainbow festival. There were children from Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. We performed the play Mirror. After the show, we went to the zoo, then to Palić Lake, and then to the farm where we played hide and seek. I believe that everyone was happy and had a good time, and I had the best time in the village where we played hide and seek.
Nastja Lunić
