Roman Catholicism (Rimskokatoliska Cerkev v Slovenji), the dominant religion of the country
The figures for the number of Catholics in Slovenia are contradictory. The 2002 census - the most recent one - indicated that there were 1.14 million faithful, almost six out of ten Slovenes. The Catholic Church's more recent report, which lacks a source, puts their number at 1.5 million, or 73 per cent of the population. Beyond these debates on figures, Catholicism is still very present in Slovenian society, not least because of the role it played in the independence process. It should be recalled here that only Slovenia and Croatia had a majority of Roman Catholic faithful in the Yugoslav federation.
There are two large ecclesiastical provinces established within the main cities of Ljubljana and Maribor. They are divided into six dioceses each. There are nearly 3,000 Roman Catholic places of worship throughout the country, overseen by some fourteen bishops and more than a thousand priests.
The major figure of the Slovenian Church is certainly the Archbishop of Ljubljana, Stanislav Zore, in office since October 2014. He is known in particular for his role as a political activist during the victory of the "no" vote in the referendum on opening marriage to homosexual couples in 2015. Beyond this atypical personality, the Slovenian Catholic Church quite often gives its opinion on major societal and social issues through its newspaper Družina.Religious minorities in the minority
The second religion in Slovenia is not really a religion because it brings together atheists and agnostics, about one-sixth of the national population (300,000 people). With about 50,000 followers, Orthodox(Vzhodna pradvoslavna cerkev) and Muslims(Monoteistična religija muslimanov) each account for 2.5% of the population. The former are mainly from the Serb minority, concentrated mainly in the capital and Lower Carniola. The major figure of the Orthodox Church of Slovenia is the Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana, Porphyry. The main place of worship is the Church of St. Cyril and Methodius, located on the edge of the Tivoli Park in Ljubljana. Muslims, on the other hand, are mainly from the Bosnian, Albanian and Kosovar minorities. The main leader of the Islamic community in the Republic of Slovenia is Mufti Nedžad Grabus. There is only one mosque in Slovenia, the construction of which was launched in the mid-2010; it is partially financed by Qatar. It is expected to open its doors in the course of 2020. This lack of a place of worship poses a real problem of representation, which is not failing to make public opinion react, divided between the promotion of religious freedom and a constant desire to contain the spread of Islam in the country.
Minorities with a rich past but no future
Indeed,Protestantism(Protestantizem
) has a glorious Slovenian past. The people of Slovenia long supported the Protestant Reformation at the time of its emergence. It played a significant role in the development of the Slovene language and in the resistance to the Austrian takeover. However, the Habsburgs countered this impulse with a policy of assimilation driven by Catholicism and Germanisation. Protestantism has died out considerably over the centuries, involving today only a tiny proportion of Slovenes (about 5,000 people) in the far east of the country. The Jewish community also has an ancient common history with the Slovenian territory. The latter has often served as a refuge for the religious minority from all kinds of segregation and persecution, especially at the eastern end of the country, which still has some old synagogues in its architectural heritage (Maribor, Lendava). Today there are only about a hundred Jews in Slovenia and almost all of them live in the Ljubljana region. A synagogue was inaugurated in the capital in 2003, but it is sorely lacking in worshippers. The Chief Rabbi of Slovenia, Ariel Haddad, resides in Trieste.Beliefs that are as popular as ever
Slovenes cultivate a very special taste for passing on popular beliefs and legends over generations. The most famous of these is undoubtedly that of Zlatorog
. It is a tale that has crossed the centuries and the many complex borders of Central Europe. First published in 1868 by Karel Dechmann, it was poetically adapted by Rudolf Baumbach in 1877, before being translated into Slovenian by Anton Funtek in 1886. This legend tells the story of an Alpine ibex living in the Triglav region. He is the guardian of a hidden treasure. One day, to impress his future wife, a hunter wounded Zlatorog. Bleeding profusely, the animal spurts its blood through the pastures and brings out a multitude of red flowers. Thanks to their miraculous power, he comes back to life and kills the hunter, keeping the riddle of his treasure to himself until the end of time. This mythology around Zlatorog maintains the idea of a sacred nature, which should be respected. The popularity of this legend is very important: there are two statues of Zlatorog on the shores of Lakes Jasna and Bohinj, many hotels and restaurants in the region are named after Zlatorog, and the figure appears on the bottles of the famous Slovenian beer brand Laško.The carnivals are a great relay for the circulation of popular legends. The most popular carnival in the country is the internationally renowned Ptuj carnival. Carnival-goers dress up in kurenti
, a disguise made of sheepskin in an artisanal manner. They then take on the fantastic appearance of original creatures, half cavemen, half yetis, and demand the end of winter and the return to prosperity. It is part of UNESCO's intangible heritage. Other carnivals are also worth a visit, such as the one in Cerkno, which revolves around a group of twenty-five characters, known as laufarji, each of whom represents a personality trait of the Slovenian people. The Hrušica carnival is distinguished by the promotion of its škoromati, protagonists who represent Slovenia's rural past and are wearing the national colours. Finally, the Cerknica carnival has a more traditional appearance, bringing together conventional characters. However, the opening of the festivities is much less traditional, as it consists of sawing the witch Ursula.A festive month of December
The most popular end-of-year festival in the country is St. Nicholas' Day (Sveti Miklavž
in Slovenian). This is an ancient tradition, inherited from Orthodox Christianity, which has been carried on over the centuries. The first written record of the celebration of St. Nicholas' Day in Slovenia dates back to 1839. There are a large number of Christmas markets throughout the country: they start early, well before the famous date of 6 December. Saint Nicholas travels in a procession, accompanied by his angels and devils. Legend has it that only wise children were allowed to have presents, unlike undisciplined children.Christmas celebrations (24-25 December) also exist in Slovenia, but do not yet generate the same enthusiasm, although they have become an essential moment for families in the middle of the winter holidays.
Finally, New Year's Eve (31 December) is much more popular due to the arrival of Dedek Mraz (literally, Grandfather Frost in Slovenian). A Soviet twin of American Santa Claus, he brings gifts to groups of people and places them in public spaces. He is distinguished from Santa Claus by a large white coat although he shares many similarities with him. According to the national legend, he would come down from Mount Triglav every year with the help of his two Lipizzaner horses and usually in the company of his granddaughter Snégurochka.
