Culture and education

Traditions and culture
Due to its population structure the parish of Suplacu de Barcău manages to blend the cultural traditions of the three coexisting majority nationalities in a unitary and harmonious way. The Roma community divides into two parts according to the influence they were exposed to. Thus in the village of Borumlaca the Roma are Romanian-speaking, therefore their cultural habits are considerably influenced by the Romanian community. The Roma community of the parish centre is Hungarian-speaking, so implicitly this influence is noticeable on the level of occupations and traditions as well. Among the preserved traditional occupations we can notice manufacturing of spoons and other household items made of wood (corn- and birch brooms, kneading troughs etc.). Regarding the community of Suplacu de Barcău, in addition to manufacturing of adobes used for construction we can mention the lingering on of the musician tradition, as there are a few instrumentalists of an unquestionable value among them.

In the three most important communities with a view to the social-economic life of the parish, the preservation of cultural traditions manifests itself to a minor degree. The influence of the consumer civilization has led to a uniformity that allows only little "deviations". Thus the religious communities, regardless of ethnic affiliation, still preserve the tradition of church fairs. The Slovak and Hungarian communities of Roman Catholic religion organize community fairs on the occasion of church fairs. Thus the village of Dolea holds its fair on the first Sunday in May, a feast dedicated to Saint Joseph . On the occasion of the Feast of the Heart of Jesus, on the first Sunday of June, the whole community takes part in the fair held at the village of Valea Cerului . Borumlaca village's fair is organized on the second Sunday in June, on Saint Anthony's day. The last fair day of the year is celebrated at Suplacu de Barcău, on Saint Ann 's day, on the last Sunday in July. These feasts bring together all the inhabitants of the parish, regardless of ethnic or religious differences, offering the occasion to return home for those members of the communities who left for far away places.
Organizing the market at Suplacu de Barcău on each Tuesday can be considered another tradition that has a long history. Besides its economic-material component, this market day gives occasion for celebration as it provides a pretext for meeting one another to all the inhabitants of the parish and those of the neighbouring parishes as well. This social, economic and material communion also lends each Tuesday a cultural dimension, reflected in the phrase „The saint day of entering the market", which became a circulating anecdote.
As for material relics, a memorial plate of the heroes killed in the Second World War is preserved on the parish's territory, on the premises of Suplacu de Barcău's Orthodox church.
A similar plate of the heroes killed in the First World War was made in 2000, and is to be found on the premises of Suplacu de Barcău's
 
Reformed church
On the 15th-16th of May 2004 Borumlaca celebrated the 150th anniversary of the village's first documented mentioning. The community centre of the village was inaugurated and sanctified on this occasion. Illustrious guests took part in the ceremonies. Among the invitees there were Their Excellences the Ambassador of Slovakia to Bucharest , Mr. Jan Soth, and the Ambassador of Slovakia to Budapest , Mr. Resutik, representatives of the House of Slovaks Living Abroad, representatives of county and local authorities.
On the 21st-22nd of July 2004 the "Days of Suplacu de Barcău Parish" was organized for the first time. On this occasion the monument, dedicated to the heroes of the parish who sacrificed their lives in the two World Wars, was unveiled and sanctified. It was also meant to be a symbol of the reconciliation between all the inhabitants of the parish and their peaceful coexistence, as it has the following inscription on it in four languages: "In honour of the parish's heroes killed in the two World Wars". As a synagogue once stood in the place of the monument, besides Romanian, Hungarian and Slovak the text was translated into Hebrew language as well, as a tribute to the sufferings of the Jewish people.

Regarding the village of Borumlaca it is worth mentioning that here Rudolf Docolonansky, a primary school teacher, made a statue representing Jesus, the Redeemer (Iisus Redentor) in 1938.
According to our knowledge the human-sized statue is the only one of this kind in Europe, a faithful copy on a smaller scale of the statue of the same name standing on the "Sugar Loaf", dominating the town of Rio de Janeiro . For this piece of a special historical and cultural value to shine in its full glory in our parish, its foundation was strengthened and rebuilt in the October of 2004. At the same time some repairs were made on the Slovak school of Borumlaca , on the premises of which the statue is to be found. The day of Borumlaca's Slovak community was held in November, on the occasion of which the statue was resanctified.

 

Educational System
The school system is made up of 14 educational units as follows: 8 nursery schools, 5 units of primary and high school education and an industrial school group.
Generally speaking school units are in a good state and benefit from the program ensuring repairs and equipment necessary for the educational process.
Construction will get under way this year on a new block of building on the territory of the Suplacu de Barc ău Industrial School Group, which will have six classrooms, and the converted loft will house a documentation and information centre and an assembly hall.

 

Culture
The parish has 5 community centers, in Suplac, Borumlaca, Dolea, V âlcelele and Valea Cerului.
At present the parish is expecting offers for the design of a new community centre in Broumlaca, as the existing one does not meet the needs of the community.

 

Religions
There are 12 churches on the territory of the parish as follows: 2 Orthodox churches in Suplacu de Barc ău and Borumlaca, 4 Roman Catholic churches in Suplacu de Barcău, Dolea, Valea Cerului and Borumlaca, 1 Greek Catholic church, 1 Reformed church, 1 Baptist church in the parish centre, 2 Pentecostal churches in Suplac and Borumlaca and 1 Christian Adventist church. Also, the Roma community of Suplacu de Barc ău has a house of worship of a neo-protestant religion.