Maribor stories: Ikebana

According to a dictionary definition the word ikebana (from Japanese) means Japanese flower arranging, that has strict formal rules.

The Styrian ikebana is something completely different though, and does not have a lot in common with flower arrangements. It is an expression for a tragic conclusion of a fight, usually the kind that happened under the influence of alcohol at a "pušlšank" (from German »Buschenschank« - a tourist farmhouse or inn where home produce and local wine are served), where it was not uncommon for a fist fight to escalate into a stabbing death. People used to say that there was "no Sunday without a knife", and the Styrian ikebana, literally speaking, means a knife stuck in someone's back.

This “local specialty” features in part of the song Ikebana by Lačni Franz, a rock group from Maribor:

On Sunday at 12:10
Bobi Likar, of 9 Taborska Street,
Casually slain his mate
For wine and girls.

In the house at 9 Taborska Street, mentioned in the lyrics, there used to be a cafe called Drava (after the river), a drinking hole of dubious reputation where young ladies were officially employed as dancers and singers.

Later, the notorious house was left to deteriorate for many years; occasionally, it provided shelter to the homeless.

It seems that every now and again history has a sense of humour. There is plenty of irony in the fact that the roof of the house where "love" used to be on sale, eventually gave way under the weight of the snow and time on 14 February 2013, precisely on the day celebrated by lovers. The ruins were soon overgrown by weeds and increasingly resembled an ikebana, as described by the dictionary. Nevertheless, the memory of the house has been preserved for eternity in the rock song lyrics.