Traditional spring festivities

The May Day bonfire is part of Slovenia’s exceptional cultural heritage dating back to pagan times. Bonfires were first lit on Midsummer’s Eve, 24 June. This tradition was later carried out on the eve before Labour Day, 30 April. Spring is welcomed in Slovenia with the celebration of St George’s Day on 23 or 24 April.

The celebration of Midsummer’s Day or lighting of bonfires on 24 June has a long tradition in Slovenia. It is said that on this night, people could understand the language of animals or feel the special power of plants, which made Midsummer’s night particularly magical. Fire is a special symbol of enlightenment and cleansing; people had a holy area, the fireplace, in their homes where the good energy of the fire would gather. On Midsummer’s Night, the eve of the spring solstice (the longest and the shortest night) people lit bonfires and helped the sun to warm up and shine with its full strength.

The tradition of bonfires in Slovenia was carried over to the eve before the First of May, International Labour Day. The commemoration of Labour Day began in 1890. Since then, and until the Second World War, the holiday had an explicit political connection. On this day, workers stressed their rights and used the fire or bonfire as visual reinforcement. Labour Day is a public holiday in Slovenia. Large bonfires are lit on the eve of May Day in many villages and towns, and their main purpose now is to socialise and celebrate. See the lighting of bonfires on Rožnik Hill in Ljubljana or in Ruše near Maribor where record-setting bonfires are lit every year. Climb onto the highest hill and count the bonfires you can see. There are hardly any villages or towns in Slovenia which do not take part and light a fire on 30 April.

The celebration of St George’s Day, or the festival of spring, takes place before the bonfire festivities. Nature turns green, the fields revive and animals can start grazing on 23 or 24 April. St George’s Day is celebrated almost everywhere around the world and in Slovenia, this tradition is particularly popular in Bela Krajina and the Koroška region. Green George of Bela Krajina, adorned in green and accompanied with a group of boys, visits every house in the village, while singing and asking for gifts. The celebration in Koroška is similar, but their Šentjurij (St George) is adorned with straw. With a group of boys carrying cow bells and horns, he goes around the village singing and collecting gifts. Sing together with Green George or Šentjurij, help them collect gifts and celebrate the arrival of this year’s wonderful spring.

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