Easter Day in Slovenia is an important holiday, no matter if you are religious or not. Easter in Slovenia brings back old traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Easter Day in Slovenia brings together the whole family and brings back old traditions alongside the many Easter delicacies, which are prepared especially for this occasion.
When is Easter Day in Slovenia in 2023?
This year the Easter Day is on Sunday, April the 9th 2023. The exact date varies each year because it actually depends on the moon. The holiday is set to coincide with the first Sunday after vernal equinox.
What are Easter eggs or in Slovenian “pirhi“?
Easter eggs or the preparation of “pirhi” (also known as “pisanke”) as they are called in Slovenian language are the highlights of the Easter Day alongside the traditional potica, which we will get back to a little later in the article.
Just like in other western cultures, Easter eggs in Slovenia are usually hard-boiled. However, we do have our own special version of the Easter egg. The so-called “blown egg” is one of the most recognizable Slovenian Easter symbols and reflects the diversity of Slovenian’s various regions. Every Slovenian region is known to have its own twist on the pattern, which is created on the “blown egg”.
If you don’t know what a blown egg is we are happy to tell you. Unlike the hard-boiled egg, the blown egg is not boiled in hot water, however, they make a small hole on the top and bottom of the egg to blow out the inside substance of the egg. This makes the egg extra fragile. So if you opt for this way of making Easter egg keep this in mind.
Folk art of Easter egg decoration in Slovenia
Like we stated before, every Slovenian region has its own style of decoration for the Easter egg. In addition to this, every Slovenian region has its own name for its Easter egg.
In Koroška they are known as pisánke, while in parts of Štajerska and in Prekmurje they are called ramenice or remenke. In Idrija eggs are decorated with wonderful Idrija lace. With more than 15,000 tiny holes. Easter eggs from Vrhnika are a masterpiece as fine as any lace. In Bela Krajina you will find unique pisanke that is one of the symbols of this region along the Kolpa river.
Experience Easter customs with Easter eggs in Slovenia
Every country has its own traditions when it comes to Easter Day. In Slovenia, Easter Day is a work-free day! So whether you are religious or not, you are looking forward to having the longest day of the week off!
Easter eggs are part of many family celebrations. “Chopping” Easter eggs is one of the oldest Easter traditions in Slovenia and varies from region to region. In Dolenjska and Gorenjska, fun contests are organised where the object is to try and “chop” or “beat” the eggs. Players throw coins at eggs placed in a basket at least a meter and a half away or use a curved stick to aim at an egg set up six meters away. Other variants include rolling eggs down a rake handle or washboard.
As the Easter tradition in Slovenia goes there will be a big morning breakfast, which includes the colorful array of Easter eggs and cooked ham. Without these two “main Easter ingredients” there really is not Easter. Usually this morning Easter breakfast or feast is accompanied by the famous potica.
Traditional Easter dishes in Slovenia
Celebrate Easter with the specialties of Slovenian festive cuisine.
Keep in mind, chocolate eggs aren’t one of them. Although, we tend to buy and eat them every year.
The aromas of typical Easter dishes in Slovenia are carefully prepared from recipes handed down by grandmothers or found in old cookery books. These dishes that accompany the festivities around Easter Day are passed down from generation to generation.
Traditional Easter dishes in Slovenia are presented on Easter Day morning in form of a huge breakfast. The Easter breakfast typically includes ham, horseradish, some type of bread, potica and of course the painted hard-boiled eggs. In some families, they also prepare baked ham in pastry, which is easy to make and tastes delicious.
Make sure you make room for delicious freshly baked potica! No Easter Day is complete without potica. Get the recipe for potice HERE.
