Public holidays in Slovenia

There are two kinds of public holidays in Slovenia - state holidays and work-free days. State holidays are those celebrated by the state. These include official functions and flying the national flag. The latter are actually Catholic religious holidays, which are equivalent to any Sunday: companies and schools are closed, but there is no official celebration.

There are 11 state holidays and additional 4 work-free days in Slovenia.[1] Two of them always fall on Sunday, thus, there are effectively at most 14 days of work-free days in Slovenia. From 1955 until May 2012, when the National Assembly of Slovenia passed the Public Finance Balance Act, 2 January was a work-free day too, thus there were effectively 15 work-free days.[2]

State holidays that are work-free are shown in pale green, while work-free days that are not state holidays (coinciding with Catholic religious holidays) are shown in dark green. Not work-free holidays are shown in white. Altogether, there are 15 work-free days in Slovenia.

Date English name Slovene name Remarks
1 January New Year novo leto State holiday, work-free.[2][3]
8 February Prešeren Day, the Slovenian Cultural Holiday Prešernov dan, slovenski kulturni praznik State holiday, work-free. Anniversary of the death of Slovenian poet France Prešeren, established as the national cultural day in 1944, work-free since 1991.[4]
- Easter Sunday and Monday velikonočna nedelja in ponedeljek, velika noč Work-free days, in March or April (date varies).
27 April Day of Uprising Against Occupation dan upora proti okupatorju State holiday, work-free. Formerly Liberation Front Day (dan Osvobodilne fronte), marks the establishment in 1941 of the Anti-Imperialist Front to fight "imperialists", later renamed the Liberation Front to fight the German, Italian, Hungarian, and Croatian partition and annexation of Slovenia.
1 May – 2 May May Day Holiday praznik dela State holiday, work-free from 1949.[3]
- Whit Sunday binkoštna nedelja, binkošti Work-free day (it is always on Sunday), in May or June, fifty days after the Easter (date varies).
8 June Primož Trubar Day dan Primoža Trubarja State holiday, not work-free. Established in 2010.[5]
25 June Statehood Day dan državnosti State holiday, work-free. Commemorates the act of independence in 1991.
15 August Assumption Day Marijino vnebovzetje (veliki šmaren) Work-free day since 1992.[6]
17 August Day of Slovenes in Prekmurje Incorporated into the Mother Nation združitev prekmurskih Slovencev z matičnim narodom State holiday since 2006, not work-free.[7]
15 September Day of Restoration of the Littoral Region to the Motherland vrnitev Primorske k matični domovini State holiday since 2005, not work-free.[8]
31 October Reformation Day dan reformacije State holiday since 1992, work-free day.[9]
1 November Day (of Remembrance) of the Dead dan spomina na mrtve or dan mrtvih State holiday, work-free. Before 1991, in the time of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, it was named dan mrtvih ('day of the dead').[10]
23 November Rudolf Maister Day dan Rudolfa Maistra State holiday since 2005, not work-free.[11]
25 December Christmas božič Work-free day. Abolished in 1953 and re-instituted in 1991.[3]
26 December Independence and Unity Day dan samostojnosti in enotnosti State holiday, work free. Commemorates the proclamation of the independence plebiscite results in 1990.

In addition to these, several other holidays are traditionally and popularly celebrated by the people of Slovenia, although not being work-free. The best known are:

References

  1. ↑ "Letos nam bodo prazniki podarili osem prostih dni" [This Year Holidays Will Grant Us Eight Free Days]. MMC RTV Slovenija (in Slovenian) (RTV Slovenija). 2 January 2011.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "DZ sprejel varčevalne ukrepe" [The National Assembly Passes Austerity Measures]. Krizno ogledalo (in Slovenian) (Slovenian Press Agency). 12 May 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Odprava praznikov je poseg v socialne pravice" [The Abolishment of Holidays is an Intervention into Social Rights]. Dnevnik.si (in Slovenian). 30 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Naglič, Miha (3 February 2008). "Prešernov dan" [Prešeren Day]. Gorenjski glas (in Slovenian) (GG Plus).
  5. ↑ [newsletter=63 "Slovenia Gets Primoz Trubar Day (8 June)"]. Government Communication Office, Republic of Slovenia. 18 June 2010.
  6. ↑ "Za ene veliki šmaren, za druge prost dan" [The Assumption Day for Ones, the Free Day for Others]. Slovenske novice (in Slovenian). 14 August 2011.
  7. ↑ "Praznik združitve prekmurskih Slovencev z matico" [The Holiday of the Incorporation of the Slovenes into the Mother Nation] (in Slovenian). 17 August 2009.
  8. ↑ "Primorska bo praznovala v Renčah" [The Littoral Will Celebrate in Renče]. Primorske novice (in Slovenian). 14 September 2011.
  9. ↑ "Zakaj je danes dela prost dan?" [Why Is Today a Work-Free Day?]. Slovenske novice (in Slovenian). 31 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "1. november - dan, ki velja za praznik zmagoslavja in veselja" [1 November - the Day Which Is Seen as the Holiday of Triumph and Joy]. MMC RTV Slovenija (in Slovenian) (RTV Slovenija).
  11. ↑ "Dan Rudolfa Maistra" [Rudolf Maister Day]. Delo.si (in Slovenian). 23 November 2009.

External links