Happy Holidays Everyone! I hope that you all had a blast and enjoyed quality time with your family, friends and love ones! Some of you were overwhelmed with snow or rain, but here in Slovenia, the ground was still dry and the grass still green – no snowflake for Christmas, we had a green Merry Christmas!
This year, I’ve decided to send out some handcrafted cards. It’s easy, inspiring and fun to do! All you need is paper, hot glue, some sparkles and your heart!
I think the mailing was a bit slow this year, seems like people didn’t get them yet…
On Christmas Eve, some workers were able to get off work earlier to prepare for the celebrations.
In the afternoon, we baked the traditional Slovenian nut cake Potica, whose fillings is mainly made of walnut, lemon zest with a slightly cinnamon flavor. The house smelled so good after!
After, we decorated the Christmas tree, freshly picked from the forest behind the house. Putting the lights and decorations on always gets me into the Christmas spirit! In Slovenia, figurines representing the birth of Jesus are traditionally put under the tree instead of gifts. Since most gifts were received during Saint-Nicholas Day, there weren’t much left for Christmas.
In the evening, we burnt scent and walked all around the house while saying prayers to bless the house.
Being Catholics, indeed, many Slovenians goes to Church for the Midnight Mass.
On Christmas day, we got invited for lunch in Sevnica, which is in the south-east side of Slovenia. Sadly, no snow yet – therefore we had a green sunny Christmas. The lunch was fantastic – seafood salad entrée, pumpkin soup, steak for main course with potatoes side dish and fried chicken. The dessert was chocolate cake with coffee and cookies.
After such a good meal, we needed a walk to digest a little bit. We took the opportunity to hike around and visited the Ajdovski Gradec, above the village of Vranje. It’s one of the most studied archaeological site in the region, reachable only on foot.
The path up is pretty steep, partially made of wooden stairs, but totally worth the walk. Due to the good weather, the view on top was amazing! I was able to see very very far away and it gave me a good idea of the region’s landscape: like the land is never ending.
Beautiful Vineyard in Sevnica, Slovenia
Sevnica is also part of the wine-growing region of Posavje, which explains all the vineyards there.
The day after Christmas, December 26th, is not Boxing Day in Slovenia, but the Independence and Unity Day.
In 1990, December 26th, Slovenians had an official referendum, voting for its independence from Yugoslavia.
The Independence and Unity Day is different from the Statehood Day of Slovenia, which is celebrated on June 25th. In 1991, Slovenia proclaimed its independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
On the next day, we had a decent amount of snow. The land and mountains covered with white layers was such a beautiful views.
On New Year Eve, we went to Old Town Ljubljana for the countdown. There were a lot of people, gathered in the Prešeren Square (Prešernov trg) and the Congress square (Kongresni trg), dancing to the music of the live band, shooting small fireworks and sipping cooked wine.
In the slight cold, we walked around while holding hands and admiring, once again, the Christmas decorations in Ljubljana. We stopped by crowded coffee shop for tea and hot chocolate.
At midnight, individual fireworks were sent into the sky by Slovenians all around the water paths followed by the official fireworks from the Ljubljana Castle – what a wonderful way to start the new year!
I wish you all a lot of fun, adventures and discoveries in the upcoming year!
May you all have the best, including lots of joy, health, peace and love!
Until next post,
Anna.
Anna in Slovenia 