Slovakia is a predominantly Catholic Country, so major Christian holidays are observed, as well as some other holidays. Unless indicated otherwise, these days are public holidays and banks and most amenities and shops will be closed:
Slovak Republic Day - 1st of January - Conveniently, Czechoslovakia split into two on the 1st of January, so New Year's Day is a national holiday. It is traditionally celebrated by sleeping until midday.
Ephiphany - 6th of January, celebrates the arrival of the Three Magi into Betlehem. Shops and banks are closed.
Mardi Gras period ('Fasiangy') - this is not a national holiday, but rather a festival season. Some villages will hold a traditional market with food and drinks offered, and there might be a march through the city in masks, and numerous balls, dances and carnivals are held. January the 6th till Ash Wednesday (February or March).
Easter - March/April, dates depend on the lunar calandar. Good Friday and Easter Monday are both national holidays. There is a number of different traditions relating to Easter. The traditional food served includes eggs and special Easter Ham, with bread and horseradish.
Religious people will go to mass, and it might be the only time when its likely to see people in traditional clothing in some villages, but this is increasingly less common. Everyone will be dressed up, however.
Throughout Slovakia, 'kraslice' are prepared, which are egg shells adorned with ornaments and painted over with colours. These, along with sweets and money are given to boys, who visit friend's and neighbours' houses, where it is their job to make sure the women will be healthy and prosperous the following year by spraying them with water or perfume and beating them with a willow wand adorned with ribbons. This is absolutely true and it is great fun. It tends to involve copious amounts of alcohol, food and wet T-shirts, and is not taken seriously by anyone. If you are female, do not wear clothes you like when venturing outside on Easter Monday as you might have water thrown or perfume sprayed at you. If you want to protest this clearly barbaric tradition, make sure to do so in waterproof clothing.
Internation Labour Day - 1st of May - this is celebrated by not working.
Day of Victory over Fascism - 8th May - end of WWII in Europe
International Children's Day - 1st of June - Not a national holiday, but children might have time off school and various activities will be organised for them, and they usually get treats.
St. Cyril and Methodius Day - 5th July- arrival of the first Christian missionaries to Slovakia
Slovak National Uprising Memorial Day - 29th August - Holiday to commemorate uprising against Nazis during WWII.
Constitution Day - 1st of September - children love this one as school starts one day later.
Day of Blessed Virgin Mary - 15th September - she is a patron saint of Slovakia
Vinobranie This is not a national holiday, but a festival that celebrates the wine harvest, usually held in October in wine-making regions. Cities cooperate so it is held on different weekends in differentr places and you can visit several. This includes open air markets selling street food, drinks (especially young wine), and various handicrafts.
All Saints Day - 1st of November, this is a day to remember those that have passed away. Halloween is not celebrated in Slovakia, and this is quite a serious religious holiday. All shops are closed and many people will go to the cemeteries to light a candle for their loved ones.
Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day - 17th November - commemorates student demonstration that brought about the end of Communism
St Nicolaus' Day - 6th of December. This is not a national holiday, but is seen as a start of the Christmas period. Traditionally, St Nicholaus leaves some sweets (if the child was good) or coal/onion (if the child misbehaved that year) in their shoe overnight (surprisingly enough, most children get sweets, not onion). Celebrations are held in towns, where someone dressed as St nicolaus (think Santa Claus) and his helpers angels/devils help him distribute sweets among crowds of eager kids. Christmas markets open and Christmas lights are turned on.
Feast of St Lucy - 13th December - Not a national holiday, but many traditions are connected with this day, varying by the region. For example, you can take 13 pieces of paper, leave one blank and write names of 12 boys on the others if you are a girl. One is burned every day until Christmas Eve, what remains is a name of your future husband (blank = single forever).
traditional christmas cookies
Christmas - Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day (24-26th of December) are national holidays. In Slovakia, Christmas is mainly celebrate during Christmas Eve, when a traditional family dinner is held, after which presents are opened. As Christmas Eve is meant to be a fast in Christian Calendar, no meat is eaten that day. The tradition dinner starts with a thin wafer, eaten with garlic (for health) and honey (for happiness and properity). This is followed by a soup (either mushroom or cabbage soup), and a main of fried carp and special potato salad. Many varieties of Christmas cakes (e.g gingerbread) are also eaten. Traditions differ, however.
Silvester - 31st December - New Year's Eve is not a national holiday, but is widely celebrated, mostly by partying. At midnight, people toast the New Year with a glass of champagne. Many cities will have a firework display to celebrate New Year. Fireworks and drunk people abound.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Slovakia
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Slovakia Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
