Celebrating Easter the Slovenian way

Besides Christmas, Easter is the greatest Christian holiday which is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first spring full moon. Although most of the Easter festivities are held during the Holy Week, the Easter period commences immediately after Shrovetide on Ash Wednesday. Easter is a Christian holiday, but certain customs demonstrate their Pagan roots in relation to the beginning of spring and new vintage. Learn about Slovenian traditions which mark the Easter holidays and taste delicacies which find themselves on the table for Easter feast.

velika noc_butarica na praznicni mizi

Palm Sunday bundles

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. In Slovenia, fresh greenery and plants bound into bundles and olive branches are traditionally brought to church for blessing. Neatly made bundles reflect people’s creativity, and differ in different regions in terms of appearance and name.

You can find bundles from Ljubljana at the Ljubljana marketplace made from wood shavings of different colours, and fresh spring greenery and evergreens, which you may also encounter elsewhere around Slovenia. Special bundles are Palm Sunday bundles from Ljubno, which are ornate bundles created with plenty of imagination and, in addition to Christian motifs, depict farm tools and chores. Palm Sunday bundles in the Upper Sava Valley are called prajklji. A special place is held by prajklji from Rateče with pretzels hung from their evergreen branches.

The Škofja Loka Passion Play – a masterpiece on the UNESCO list

Every six years at the time of Easter, a special spectacle takes place in the streets and squares of Škofja Loka’s old town centre. More than 800 actors, mostly locals, perform the 300-year-old Škofja Loka Passion Play, which in 13 scenes depicts the motives of Easter and other stories from the Old Testament of the Bible and various allegorical motifs. The Škofja Loka Passion Play is the oldest Slovenian play and is inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List. The next production of the play will take place in 2026.

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Put Easter treats on the table

Various names for Easter in Slovenia testify to the fact that the holiday is also time for celebrations and gastronomic pleasures. Easter marks the end of the fasting period which commences on Ash Wednesday. During this period, there should be no meat on the table but dishes like cabbage, turnip, beans, žganci without cracklings. Aleluja is a typical fasting dish, which is made from dried and slightly smoked turnip peel, which is also regaining its reputation in haute cuisine.

At Easter, the holiday table is dominated by Easter treats which are blessed beforehand – horseradish, ham, hard-boiled Easter eggs (coloured eggs) and potica. Bread and flat bread also find their way to the table. Taste sweet bread in the shape of birds, nests, monks with eggs in the Gorička region, a special filling called fuline and the Kostel stomach is prepared in Bela Krajina, while in the Kozjansko region you will be served bread potica.

The tastes of Slovenian Easter

Celebrate Easter with traditional Slovenian festive delicacies.

The tastes of Slovenian Easter

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Potica, the delicious queen of festive dishes

Prepare a walnut Potica using the traditional recipe!

Potica, the delicious queen of festive dishes

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Sound of holiday

If you would like to experience an authentic Slovenian celebration of Easter, choose a unique experience that will take you back in time and conjure up the festive atmosphere as our ancestors knew it through customs, music and dance.

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Easter eggs – art in miniature

A special place on the festive table is occupied by pirhi or decorated Easter eggs, which are a unique way of expressing folk art. You can see the beautiful decorated Easter eggs in museums and exhibitions around Slovenia during the Easter holidays. Decorated Easter eggs are also part of Easter games and competitions, such as the chopping or rolling of Easter eggs.

From an egg to pisanica

Would you like to know how to turn an ordinary eggshell into a beautiful work of art? Watch a master craftswoman from Adlešiči at work and learn about the processes of making pisanice from Bela Krajina. You might be so intrigued that you will want to try it yourself!

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From an egg to pisanica

From an egg to pisanica

Would you like to know how to turn an ordinary eggshell into a beautiful work of art? Watch a master craftswoman from Adlešiči at work and learn about the processes of making pisanice from Bela Krajina. You might be so intrigued that you will want to try it yourself!

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Time for joy and spring

Eat and drink well at Easter. Choose authentic Slovenian flavours to brighten up your festive days!

The flavours of Slovenia

Do you know the typical flavours of the Alps, the Mediterranean, the Karst and the Pannonian Plain?

The flavours of Slovenia

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Wines of Slovenia

Where to taste wines from Slovenia's three wine-growing regions?

Wines of Slovenia

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Locally typical

Learn about the typical workdays and holidays cuisine of Slovenian people and discover where they obtain the ingredients for their dishes and where you can try them as well.

Locally typical

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Original dishes under European protection

Learn about the wealth of Slovenian cuisine and its protected particularities.

Original dishes under European protection

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My own way of trying out local recipes

Taste Slovenia and cook food from various Slovenian regions.

My own way of trying out local recipes

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Spring awakening in Slovenia

Visit botanical gardens around Slovenia.

Spring awakening in Slovenia

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