The time around St. Martin’s Day is a time when the autumn work is concluded in the countryside and preparations for winter begin. At this time, the countryside is filled with ritual festivities that are traditionally intertwined with village life.

On St. Martin’s Day, i.e. November 11, people celebrate the nameday of St. Martin, a patron saint who, according to legend, turned water into wine. To honour this holiday, many ritual celebrations take place every year during the week surrounding St. Martin’s Day, which are together called the Feasts of St. Martin. The holiday is celebrated throughout Slovenia, in towns and villages alike.

Wine matures at this time and, at the Feasts of St. Martin, the “impure” and “sinful” must is blessed into real wine. As a rule, these events are filled with joy, music, local culinary specialities and, naturally, wine.

Although the Feasts of St. Martin take place in many places, this holiday can be best experienced at Slovenian wine cellars, wineries and vineyard cottages.

Check the Feasts of St. Martin.