Language
Slovene is a South Slavic language written in the Roman alphabet. It's
closely related to Croatian and Serbian, but the languages are not
mutually intelligible. Slovene is grammatically complex, with lots of
cases, genders and tenses. Fortunately for non-Slovenian speakers,
virtually everyone in Slovenia speaks another language: usually Croatian,
Serbian, German, English and/or Italian (in that order). English is the
preferred language of the young.
Literature & Arts
Slovenia's most beloved writer is the Romantic poet France Preseren
(1800-49), whose lyric poems set new standards for Slovenian literature
and helped raise national consciousness. Since WWII, many Slovenian folk
traditions have been lost, but compilations by the trio Trutamora
Slovenica go back to the roots of Slovenian folk music. Popular music runs
the gamut, but it was punk in the late 1970s and early 1980s that grabbed
straitlaced Slovenia by the collar and shook it up. Postmodernist painting
and sculpture has been dominated since the 1980s by the multimedia group
Neue Slowenische Kunst (NSK) and the five-member anonymous artists'
cooperative IRWIN. Many notable buildings and public squares in Slovenia
were designed by architect Joze Plecnik (1872-1957), whose image adorns
the 500 SIT note.
Food & Drinks
Slovenian cuisine, which traditionally relies heavily on venison and
fish, is heavily influenced by that of its neighbours. From Austria, it's
klobasa (sausage), zavitek (strudel) and Dunajski zrezek (Wiener
schnitzel). Njoki (potato dumplings), rizota (risotto) and the
ravioli-like zlikrofi are Italian. Hungary has contributed golaz (goulash)
and paprikas (chicken or beef stew). And then there's an old Balkan
standby, burek, a greasy layered cheese, meat or even apple pie served at
takeaway places. There are many types of dumplings; cheese ones called
struklji are the most popular. Traditional dishes are best tried at an inn
(gostilna). Slovenia produces some noticeable red and white wines, a
strong brandy called zganje and Union and Zlatorog brand beers, which are
very popular.
source: lonely planet
Dances
Have a look at this pdf-file for information about the dance
Clap and Turn
To read the file you need the free software Adobe Reader from
Adobe or another pdf-viewer.
The Adobe Reader you can find on the homepage from
Adobe under Support -
Downloads.
National Anthem
To listen the national anthem click
here.
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