Slovenia
Slovenija1 region
Slovenia suits a visitor who wants a small capital at an easy pace. Ljubljana switches on its holiday lights on 27 November 2026 and keeps green market stalls and outdoor concerts going in its Old Town into early January. Children here can count on three gift-bringers in one December, from Miklavž on the 6th to Dedek Mraz at New Year. Ljubljana is the one base this site covers in Slovenia.
How Slovenia keeps Christmas
- MiklavžMiklavž (St Nicholas) brings presents on 6 December. An angel walks with him, and so does a parkelj (devil), who leaves a rod for any child who misbehaved. Families kept his feast going at home right through the communist years.
- BožičekBožiček looks like Santa Claus and brings presents on Christmas Eve. He came back into public life in the early 1990s.
- Dedek MrazDedek Mraz (Grandpa Frost) arrived after the Second World War as a secular figure for the New Year holidays. Maksim Gaspari designed his grey fur-lined coat and dormouse-fur cap in 1952, and his first public procession through Ljubljana took place in 1953.
Slovenes call Miklavž, Božiček and Dedek Mraz the good old men, and popular culture treats them as friends. Each family picks the one that fits its faith or its politics. Miklavževanje, the feast of St Nicholas on 6 December, kept its place in family life all through the communist period.
Dedek Mraz first lived in Siberia in the official story. After Yugoslavia broke with the Soviet Union in 1948 his home moved to Mount Triglav, and he still keeps a public presence because he carries no religious meaning.
Christmas Day is a work-free day. The state abolished it in 1953 and brought it back in 1991. The state holiday on 26 December marks Independence and Unity Day. New Year runs over two holidays on 1 and 2 January, since the second day came back in 2017. Ljubljana switches on its holiday lights on the Friday before Advent, which is 27 November in 2026, and the Old Town keeps its stalls and concerts going into early January.
Market in Slovenia
Town in Slovenia
Quick answers about Slovenia
Who are the three good men of a Slovenian December?
Miklavž (St Nicholas) brings presents on 6 December and Božiček on Christmas Eve. Dedek Mraz (Grandpa Frost) comes at New Year and has carried no religious meaning since he arrived after the Second World War. Families choose between them by faith or politics.
Is Christmas a public holiday in Slovenia?
Christmas Day is a work-free day, restored in 1991 after the state abolished it in 1953. Slovenia keeps 26 December as the state holiday for Independence and Unity Day, and 1 and 2 January are both holidays.
Who brings the presents in Slovenia?
In Slovenia, Miklavž or Božiček or Dedek Mraz brings the presents. Miklavž (St Nicholas) brings presents on 6 December. An angel walks with him, and so does a parkelj (devil), who leaves a rod for any child who misbehaved. Families kept his feast going at home right through the communist years.
When do the Christmas markets run in Slovenia?
In Slovenia, the holiday lights go on in Ljubljana on 27 November 2026, the Friday before Advent, and the stalls and concerts of Festive December carry on in the Old Town into early January.