[The National Flag]
[The National Anthem]
The National Flag
There are two Slovenian flags: the flag of the Republic of Slovenia and the flag of the Slovenes. The flag of the Republic of Slovenia is that we all know: the flag which is hoisted in political buildings and represents the Slovenian state in international meetings or sports competitions, for example. However, another flag is mentioned in the Constitution: a flag representing the ethnically Slovenian people, which is the same as the flag of Slovenia but without the coat of arms.
The "flag of the Slovenes" is rectangular: its length must be double its height. It is divided in three horizontal stripes with the same height, that is, each of the stripes covers exactly one third of the flag): the upper one is white, the middle one is blue and the lower one is red.
The flag of Slovenia is exactly the same as the flag of the Slovenes, except for the shield-shaped coat of arms in its upper left corner. The coat of arms was designed by Marko Pogacnik and was inspired in two existing coat of arms: the Count of Celje's and the Socialist Republic of Slovenia's.
From the first one Pogacnik took the three six-pinted stars forming an inverted triangle. The Counts of Celje were the last feudal family in the present territory of Slovenia. They kept their feud when, in 1335, Slovenia fell under Habsbug, but in 1496, when the last male descendant of the Celje dynasty was murdered, their territory also fell under Habsburg. Anyway, this coat of arms is still a symbol of Slovenian resistance to the Austrian invasion.
From the coat of arms of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia, Pogacnik took Mount Triglav and the waves under it which represent the sea. Mount Triglav, in the northwest of Slovenia, is the highest and most symbolic mountain in the country. It has three peaks, and that's the reason for its name, "Trigav", which means "three heads". Triglav is a Slav god who, with its three heads, watched over the earth, sky and hell. Under it there are two waves, which represent the sea. Despite the little 50km-long Slovenian coastline, the sea is a very important symbol, since the reconquest of the access to the Adriatic which had been taken from Slovenia is a great victory of the Slovenian people. But the symbolism of the Slovenian coat of arms doesn't END HERE: the stars are also a symbol of the spiritual level, while the Triglav and the waves symbolize the terrestrial world. The author has even more explanations to his work, which you can read in the document Marko Pogacnik's Explanation, available in English only (this page will open in a new window).
A red border around the shield (except in the top of it) completes the three collors which, besides the coat of arms, are also the colors of the Slovenian flag. These colors haven't been chosen by chance: they have been taken from the coat of arms of the Duchy of Carniola, which was precisely white, blue and red. The Duchy's coat of arms and that created by Pogacnik which, from June 24th 1991 (independence day eve) on, was a part of the Slovenian flag are, respectively, the following:
The coat of arms, whose height must be one third of the flag's height, must be placed in the flag in such way that its centerpoint covers the point which is one quarter of the flag's lenght and where the white and blue colors meet. Thus, the upper half of the coat of arms covers exactly half the height of the white stripe, while the lower half of the coat of arms covers exactly half the height of the blue stripe.
In 1848, a symbolic year in the struggle for independence (that was the year when the political programme "Unified Slovenia" was presented), the Slovenian flag (without the coat of arms, just the white, blue and red stripes) was hoisted for the first time, in a pub in Ljubljana. Since Slovenia was under Austro-Hungarian rule (to learn more about the historical context in which this happened, read the History), section), the act was considered an offense by the Austrian police and some blood was splitted, with the authors of the "crime" ending up in jail.
More than 140 years after and after many discussions on the matter, the independent Slovenia chose that very flag, placing a coat of arms in its upper left corner. On June 26th 1991, two days after the flag was chosen and one day after the declaration of independence, the flag of the new independent country, Slovenia, was hoisted in the Republic Square, in Ljubljana, while the flag of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia (which was also white/blue/red, but had a red star in the centre) was lowered.
The National Anthem
France Preseren, the greatest Slovenian poet, had a strong nationalist feeling and, at that time (first half of the 19th century - he was born in 1800 and died in 1849) he participated actievlly in the struggle for independence - he was there in the highlight of the struggle, in 1848 when "Unified Slovenia" was presented. Four years before that, in 1844, Preseren wrote a fabulous poem which demanded and glorified an independent Slovenia, and he called it "Zdravljica" - in English, "The Toast". That poem was to be included in his collection of poems, called "Poezije" , released in 1847, but it was removed from it by the censors. After the historic month March 1848 the poem was finally published in the newspaper Novice.
"Zdravljica" has always been considered a symbol of the Slovenian nation and of the struggle for independence, especially during World War II, during the occupation, when the Slovenes created the National Liberation Struggle. In the 1980's, when Slovenian independence was beginning to take shape, "Zdravljica" was always sung like the national anthem, and it was officially proclaimed as the Slovenian national anthem on September 27th 1989. A 1990 law specified only the seventh stanza of the poem, set to music by Stanko Premrl (1880-1965), as the official national anthem.
Once again, if you want to learn more about the historical context in which "Zdravljica" was written, the National Liberation Struggle and the Slovenian struggle for independence, read the History section.
This is "Zdravljica" in Slovene, with the seventh stanza (that is, the national anthem) in bold; there is also its English translation which we took from the Government of the Republic of Slovenia Public Relations and Media Office website.
|
Zdravljica
Spet trte so rodile, prijat'lji, vince nam sladko, ki nam oživlja žile, srce razjasni in oko, ki utopi vse skrbi, v potrtih prsih up budi. Komu najpred veselo zdravljico, bratje, c'mo zapet'? Bog našo nam deželo, Bog živi ves slovenski svet, brate vse, kar nas je sinov slovece matere! V sovražnike `z oblakov rodu naj naš'ga trešci grom! Prost, ko je bil ocakov, naprej naj bo Slovencev dom; naj zdrobe njih roke si spone, ki jim še teže! Edinost, sreca, sprava k nam naj nazaj se vrnejo! Otrok, kar ima slava,, vsi naj si v roke sežejo, da oblast in z njo cast, ko pred, spet naša bosta last! Bog živi vas, Slovenke, prelepe, žlahtne rožice! Ni take je mladenke, ko naše je krvi dekle; naj sinov zarod nov iz vas bo strah sovražnikov! Mladen'ci, zdaj se pije zdravljica vaša, vi naš up! Ljubezni domacije noben naj vam ne usmrti strup; ker po nas bode vas jo srcno branit' klical cas! Žive naj vsi narodi ki hrepene docakat' dan, da koder sonce hodi, prepir iz sveta bo pregnan, da rojak prost bo vsak, ne vrag, le sosed bo mejak! Nazadnje še, prijat'lji, kozarec zase vzdignimo, ki smo zato se zbrat'li, ker dobro v srcu mislimo. Dokaj dni naj živi Bog, kar nas dobrih je ljudi! |
The Toast
The vintage, friends, is over, And here sweet wine makes, once again, Sad eyes and hearts recover, Puts fire into every vein. Drowns dull care Everywhere And summons hope out of despair. To whom with acclamation And song shall we our first toast give? God save our land and nation And all Slovenes where'er they live, Who own the same Blood and name, And who one glorious Mother claim. Let thunder out of heaven Strike down and smite our wanton foe! Now, as it once had thriven, May our dear realm in freedom grow. May fall the last Chains of the past Which bind us still and hold us fast! Let peace, glad conciliation, Come back to us throughout the land! Towards their destination Let Slavs henceforth go hand-in-hand! Thus again Will honour reign To justice pledged in our domain. To you, our pride past measure, Our girls! Your beauty, charm and grace! There surely is no treasure To equal maidens of such race. Sons you'll bear, Who will dare Defy our foe no matter where. Our hope now, our to-morrow - The youths - we toast and toast with joy. No poisonous blight or sorrow Your love of homeland shall destroy. With us indeed You're called to heed Its summons in this hour of need. God's blessing on all nations, Who long and work for that bright day, When o'er earth's habitations No war, no strife shall hold its sway; Who long to see That all men free No more shall foes, but neighbours be. At last to our reunion - To us the toast! Let it resound, Since in this gay communion By thoughts of brotherhood we're bound May joyful cheer Ne'er disappear From all good hearts now gathered here. |
