Two holidays were commemorated in Slovenia this week: Reformation Day on Monday and Day of Remembrance for the Dead on Tuesday.
On 31 October, Slovenia observes Reformation Day, a work-free holiday commemorating the religious, political and cultural movement of the 16th century. On the same day, Slovenians celebrate the birth of the Slovenian standard language. Slovenians were the ninth nation in the world to get a grammar of their language and the 12th to have the complete Bible translated into their language, all thanks to Slovenian Protestant Reformers in the second half of the 16th century. It is therefore no wonder that Reformation Day is also celebrated as the birthday of the Slovenian standard language.
Day of Remembrance for the Dead, commemorated on 1 November, is a work-free national holiday. On this day people usually visit the graves of their deceased relatives and friends, where they lay flowers and light candles in their memory. This holiday also encourages people to talk about mourning their loved ones. In the days before 1 November, the traditional "Fewer candles for fewer graves" campaign, organised by Fundacija Svečka, was held in many places around Slovenia. The aim of the campaign is to divert the money that people would spend on candles to charity. This year’s campaign is focused on raising awareness among children and young people about a sustainable way of life.