The Prešeren Day, the full name being Prešeren Day, the Slovenian Cultural Holiday (Slovene: Prešernov dan, slovenski kulturni praznik), is a public holiday celebrated in Slovenia on 8 February.[1] It is marking the anniversary of the death of the Slovene national poet France Prešeren on February 8, 1849. The holiday was established to honour achievements in the Slovenian culture.
The anniversary of Prešeren's death first became a prominent date during World War II in 1942, when the so-called "cultural silence" was imposed by the Liberation Front, banning all Slovene artists from further public appearances under occupation. It was first commemorated as a holiday in the partisan-liberated territory in 1944 and officially proclaimed a cultural holiday in 1945.[2] It remained a public holiday during the era of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia within the SFR Yugoslavia and it was celebrated also by the Carinthian Slovenes and the Slovenes in Italy. It was marked with many cultural festivals and remembrances, with school excursions to culturally significant institutions.
In 1991, it was declared a work-free day. Many opposed this gesture, claiming it would bring the banalisation of a holiday designed to be dedicated to cultural events. As a result, December 3, the anniversary of the poet's birth, has also become widely celebrated as an alternative holiday. Today both days are almost equally celebrated, with no antagonism between the two, although only Prešeren Day in February is officially recognized as a national holiday.
On February 7, the eve of the holiday, the Prešeren Awards and the Prešeren Foundation Awards, the highest Slovenian recognitions for cultural achievements, are conferred.[3]
Prešeren Day continues to be one of the most widely celebrated Slovene holidays. It is not only celebrated in Slovenia, but by the Slovene communities all around the world.