A cultural holiday

 Today, a bit about holidays in Slovenia We had a cultural holiday on 8.2. here are some unknown facts about it.

8 February - a holiday that most people don't celebrate?

February - a Slovenian cultural holiday. For many, just another day off, with no special meaning. Although it is dedicated to Slovenia's greatest poet, most people do not associate this day with celebrating culture. Why?

Lesser-known facts about Prešeren and the Cultural Day

Prešeren and Matija Čop had a falling out for a while

Matija Čop was a good friend and mentor of Prešeren's, but they once had a falling out because Čop criticised Prešeren's writing style and warned him to stick to a more classical style. Prešeren did not take this very well, and for a while they did not speak at all. When Čop tragically drowned in the Sava River, Prešeren was very sorry, which he expressed in his poem In Memory of Matija Čop.

Julija never replied to his love letters

We all know about Prešeren's unrequited love for Julia Primic, but what is less well known is that she never even replied to him. Her family was rich and he was a poor lawyer, so this relationship did not even exist in theory.

Prešeren - poet and wine lover

Prešeren was not only a poet, but also a great lover of taverns. It is said that some innkeepers gave him free wine in exchange for poems and compliments about their inn.

Although today it is

considered an important day, it used to be not so commonplace. It was introduced after the Second World War as a way of highlighting Slovenian culture in Yugoslavia, but at the time it was not at all clear how it would be celebrated. This year marks 79 years since it was officially celebrated. It is interesting to me that my grandmother was born just a year before, which means that in the first months of her life she did not know about Prešeren Day - but today, for almost 80 years, we have celebrated it every year.

What about another day off that almost nobody knows?

In Slovenia, we have another culture-related day off that hardly anyone notices - 23 November, Rudolf Maister Day. Although it is a public holiday, most people do not even know what we are celebrating. Maister was important for Slovenian history, as he and his army protected Slovenia's northern border in 1918, but his day remains largely unnoticed.

How do we experience it today?

Most people see it as just a day off. Celebrations are boring and not attractive enough for young people. Culture today is mostly moving to the internet and social networks, but the holiday ignores this - why are there no more modern presentations of Prešeren, fun TikTok challenges or interactive events?

Sure, some people do use the day to visit museums and cultural events, but most of us stay at home. Maybe it's because the holiday is not presented in a way that engages us.

What about you? Do you think that we should celebrate this cultural holiday in a different way?

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