When the Birdies Marry

If you are ever wandering across Tržič, Kropa, Železniki, Kamna Gorica, Maribor, Vrhnika or Ljubljana on the evening of 11th March, look down the local river, as its surface is probably magically decorated with little lights. 

Even though Pope Gregory the Great changed the old Julian calendar more than four centuries ago and deleted 10 days from it, so the official first day of spring is now later, Slovenes still celebrate it on the original date, March 12th, the name day of St. Gregory. 

The legend says that he was put in a wooden vessel as a baby and so floated his way to a miller. This happened on the first day of spring. 

And it’s still most present in Gorenjska and Železniki, as these were places in Slovenia known for shoemaking, blacksmithing, and ironworking.

At first, the ritual occurred during the transition from the old to the new year. That’s when two very important elements of life met - fire and water. 

The fire was the attribute of the god who ruled the upper world and water was the element of the underworld god. With the ritual, people ensured order between these two extremes.

For the ritual, the craftsmen used worn-out objects, such as clogs, or wooden baskets, which are called “camboh”.

Before sending a "camboh" downstream and lighting it on fire, they filled it with sawdust and resin.

Through the years the custom transformed into the one we know today, when St. Gregory’s boats are mostly made by pre-schoolers and school children. 

They love to build their own little floats.

Looking forward to the tranquil scenery their “gregorčki” will make in the evening, they are creating paper boats of all shapes, most often little houses.

Each is a unique piece of art. And the beautiful thing is, making it allows you to be crafty and creative, as there are no rules on how it should look - it just has to be floatable and big enough to put in the candle.

Not to be mistaken, it’s not only a children’s custom. Many adult Slovenes put a lot of effort, time, and creativity into theirs, too.

In some cases, they create a miniature version of a real house, church, mill, or some other construction.

At nightfall, the procession begins. The whole town goes to the banks of a river or creek to “throw the light into the water”, as their ancestors have done for centuries.

The lights are as beautiful as the feeling when the water takes away the winter and all the worries. 

The event is pretty lively, as there are also individuals whipping flaming brooms poured with resin, and there is also a straw bonfire lighting the river bank.

It’s said that on this day the birdies get married. In the past, parents would hide potica, bread, sweets, or other goodies as the feast for the bird wedding. And if the birdies couldn’t eat everything, the village kids helped them. 

They gladly searched for the goodies all over the village. According to the old faith, you could see the bird wedding only if you came to the bushes barefoot.

The day was special for young girls too, as it was believed that if they kept an eye on the sky on this day, the first bird they saw would tell them what kind of husband they would have. 

Try to welcome spring the Slovenian way yourself! Print a colored or B&W version of a model for a paper house, decorate it with your favorite colors, make it your own. Then cut it, glue it together, and put it on a floatable object.

Use natural materials, as the next step is to put a lit candle in it and let it go down the river. Please tie a string around it and make sure it doesn’t end up in nature.

Wait… did you hear something too? Some say that a bear comes out of his den on St. Gregory’s Day and feels the willow twig. If it’s soft enough to curve, the bear stays awake, and if not, it goes back to sleep in his cozy, warm den.

Check out the Slovenian wildlife safari, maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see that majestic creature!