Holidays and celebrations in Slovenia

Our national holidays are:

·        1^st and 2^nd January – New Year

·        8^th February – Preseren’s day (Slovenenian cultural day)

·        14^th February – St. Valentine’s  

·        February or March –  Shrove Tuesday / Carnival

·        8^th March – Women’s day

·        25^th March – Mothers’ day

·        March or April – Easter Sunday and Monday

·        27^th April – Day of Uprising against Occupation

·        1^st and 2^nd May – Labour day

·        25^th June – Statehood day

·        15^th August – Assumption day

·        31^th October – Reformation day and Halloween

·        1^st November – Remembrance day or All Saints

·        11^th November – St. Martin’s

·        25^th December – Christmas

·        26^th December – Independence and Unity day

School holidays

·       Autumn holidays: one week (25^thOctober- ^1st November)

·       New Year holidays: 27^th December – 2^nd January

·       Winter holidays: one week (21^stFebruary- 27^th February)

·       Spring holidays: one week (28^thApril – 2^nd May)

·       Summer holidays: 25^th June – 31^st August

     

8^th February is the date when France Presern died. He was the greatest Slovenian poet. When Slovenia became independent Prešern's poem “Zdravljica” – “A Toast” was chosen for our national anthem.  

On the Wednesday after Shrove Tuesday, the 40-day period before Easter, called Lent, starts. 

On Palm Sunday the Slovenes take olive branches to church in order to have them blessed by the priest. 

 On Easter Saturday the family puts some goods in a wooden basket (eggs, cake, meat, horseradish) and takes it to the church to be blessed. On Easter Sunday, after

the morning mass, the blessed food is eaten. A very particular custom in Slovenia is painting eggs or
decorating them in order to offer them to family and friends.

An important holiday for the Slovenes, and the Christmas traditions in Slovenia are familiar to most Catholic countries: the Christmas tree, the Crib, postcards, family gathering together, the Midnight Mass. 

                  Made by Julija, Nika, Tjasa, Spela and Katja.