Prešeren Day
| Prešeren Day | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Slovenian national poet France Prešeren
|
|
| Observed by | Slovenia |
| Date | 8 February |
| Next time | 8 February 2025 |
| Frequency | annual |
The Prešeren Day, the full name being Prešeren Day, the Slovene 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 8 February 1849 and is the celebration of the Slovenian culture.[citation needed] It was established in 1945 to raise the cultural consciousness and the self-confidence of the Slovene nation,[2] and declared a work-free day in 1991.[3] On February 7, the eve of the holiday, the Prešeren Awards and the Prešeren Fund Awards, the highest Slovenian recognitions for cultural achievements, are conferred.[4] Prešeren Day continues to be one of the most widely celebrated Slovene holidays.[citation needed] It is not only celebrated in Slovenia, but by Slovene communities all around the world.[citation needed]
History
The anniversary of Prešeren's death first became a prominent date during World War II in 1941, when 7 February was celebrated as the day of all-Slavic unity.[5] The proposal to celebrate 8 February as the Slovene cultural holiday was put forward in January 1945, during World War II, in Črnomelj by the Slovene Liberation Front's cultural worker Bogomil Gerlanc.[6] It was officially proclaimed a cultural holiday with a decree passed by the Presidency of the Slovene National Liberation Council on 28 January 1945[2] and published in the Slovenski poročevalec newspaper on 1 February 1945.[7] It remained a public holiday during the era of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia within the SFR Yugoslavia and was celebrated also by the Carinthian Slovenes and the Slovenes in Italy.[citation needed] It was marked with many cultural festivals and remembrances and with school excursions to culturally significant institutions.[citation needed]
The declaration of the Prešeren Day as a work-free day in 1991 was opposed by many,[citation needed] claiming it would bring the banalisation of a holiday designed to be dedicated to cultural events. As a result, 3 December, the anniversary of the poet's birth, has also become widely celebrated as an alternative holiday.[citation needed] Today both days are almost equally celebrated, with no antagonism between the two, although only Prešeren Day in February is officially recognised as a national holiday.[citation needed] Since it became a work-free day, it has become even more highly valued.[3]
See also
References
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