Ask anything Slovenija related

[Roy]

This specific type of music may be popular at village parties, where people get really drunk or just like to party hard. However, many strongly dislike it and view it as cheap.

Otherwise, the more serious, somewhat related genre is the Oberkrainer music (narodnozabavna glasba) by authors such as Slavko Avsenik and Lojze Slak. It’s considered our national music, in a way.

Slovenian, German or Polish ... schlager (yes it is present here but only moderately popular in one region - Silesia probably due to Germans) is bad, but it's still better on average than Polish disco polo is. And manele, turbofolk from the actual Balkans is like Mozart & Chopin in one compared to Polish ''party music'' for people with no taste in music developed that is disco polo.

I cannot really enjoy Central European schlager or anything adjacent to it save for very rare occasions but manele & turbofolk has quite a lot of music that I find amusing actually instead of just tacky and obnoxious.

Polish disco polo in 99.9% sucks ass.

[MCMXCV]

What are regional stereotypes (mentality and behaviour) between SLO regions?

If I go from west towards east:

Stereotypically, people from:
– the Littoral (1) are considered positive, temperamental, outgoing and prone to taking it easy;
– Upper Carniola (2a) are stingy (this is the most widespread stereotype of them all), frugal and hardworking;
– Lower Carniola (2c) are lazy and drunkards;
– the latter is true even more for Styrians (4) in addition to being stupid and, consequently, funny (the stupid character in sitcoms always speaks with some Styrian accent), prone to brawling, partying and being loud, sometimes also primitive;
– Transmurania/Prekmurje (5) are considered simple and very good people, honest;
– Carinthia (3) are backward (due to being isolated from the rest of the country, but not much about them);
– the capital of Ljubljana are snobs, cold, arrogant, queer.

[MCMXCV]

What is opinion about Hungary?

In general, Hungary is the neighbouring country about which the average Slovene knows the least. The language is perceived as gibberish. We share the shortest border with them, not much has been going on between the countries — the least of all the neighbours — and, thus, Hungary isn’t talked about a lot. This somewhat changed with Orbán, who made Hungary and its affairs a more prominent topic. Otherwise, not much is taught about Hungary, except that we used to be together in the Habsburg Empire, and that during WWII, Transmurania had been annexed by them.

Prekmurje Slovenes — naturally — have a closer relationship with Hungary. I’m not sure what is their opinion, but the Hungarian State has been investing in the region (e.g. football stadiums and football academy etc.), and everyone benefits from this, not only the indigenous Hungarian minority. Albeit, some worry there’s an agenda behind this…

[MCMXCV]

Are you proud Slavs?

This isn’t an easy question to answer. There’s a variety of people.

Slovenes who are proud to be Slovenes don’t necessarily think a lot about being part of a larger Slavic family. I dare say this is how the majority feels. Some are reserved due to the history with Yugoslavia (as a greater Serbia), some see Russia as a threat that wants to make all Slavs Russians. Of course, there are those who are diametrically opposed to this: they want us to reconnect with other South Slavs, or they dream about a greater pan-Slavic realm. What all these people have in common is that they don’t deny the Slavness of Slovenes.

Next, there are two groups of people of whose existence I’m aware:

First, there are those who believe that we are Slavicised Germans. This view is somewhat more widespread among certain groups that are enthused about National Socialism, but not all of them believe this, and this belief is not exclusive only to them.

The second group is more obscure; however, some prominent figures are in support of it: it represents those who believe the Venetic theory of proto-Slovenes’ origin.

To conclude, there isn’t a lot of emphasising in everyday life that we are Slavs; nonetheless, the vast majority of people won’t deny it or have any issues talking about it. I have the impression that most Slovenes don’t feel or think about a connection with other Slavs on this higher level. Slovenia alone is pretty fragmented (dialectically, different customs across regions etc.), and, methinks, this results in the inability to have a strong awareness and feeling of belonging to a greater Slavic family.

[Scarface F]

what Slovenian prodcuts you take most pride in for their quality and style?

What would you say are 3 most common phenotypes among ethnic Slovenes?

How much Slovene you consider guys like Luka Dončić or Benjamin Šesko?

Ever been to ski jumping competition as spectator? We wanted to go on Planica last year but didn't. I hope to see it someday.

Bled of Bohinj, what do you prefer? I know my preference, but curious what you think.

Why is green national color of Slovenia despite you don't have it on flag?

How do you feel about Czechs and Slovaks and how much similar/different to Slovenes/Slovenia they are in your opinion?

[MCMXCV]

How do you feel about Czechs and Slovaks and how much similar/different to Slovenes/Slovenia they are in your opinion?

The older generations even now mostly associate them with the time when Czechs and Slovaks were finally allowed to travel to the seaside in Yugoslavia. I’m pretty sure you know what I mean. As they were isolated behind the Iron Curtain and poorer, when they came here, they stood out with their cars overpacked with luggage, different clothing style than ours, not used to our standard, relative openness to the West compared to Czechoslovakia etc. There is even a phrase here that someone or something is Czech-like, which has a negative connotation, meaning it’s eccentric and weird, almost alien-like.

However, today this perception is, fortunately, changing. Not only because Czech and Slovaks, naturally, aren’t the same as they were during the communist times, but also due to younger people being more educated about our past and common history within the Habsburg empire, realising we aren’t that foreign to each other. Especially with the Czechs with whom we were together in the Austrian half of the common state. Some Czechs living in our main urban centres wasn’t uncommon by the end of the nineteenth century, and certain Slovenes also made a significant impact in Czechia. Much of our vocabulary for new technical terminology was either borrowed from Czech or inspired us to create Slovene equivalents, and our linguists and artists were in constant contact.

Language-wise, there are theories that Slovene originated from the north, from the West Slavic branch, and later got separated from it by the expanding Bavarians and Hungarians, only to get reconnected to fellows Slavs in the south(east) who arrived later. And this intermingling left us with today’s Slovene language, which is now considered South Slavic, despite still sharing certain features with now geographically distant Slovak and Czech. Why the R1a is the most frequent haplogroup here could additionally confirm this path.

I believe we may’ve been more similar in the past. Almost seventy years in a Balkan polity has had its impact, especially the longer and more recent communist period. Our cities, though, still share the same Central European feel, which shows we belong to the same cultural environment within Europe.

[MCMXCV]

Why is green national color of Slovenia despite you don't have it on flag?

I cannot say for sure, but there are a couple of reasons:

Slovenia is the third most forested country in Europe (with more than 60% of its landmass covered with forests) and the green colour is thus meant to represent them and our nature in general.

For some reason — maybe in relation to nature like stated above — our sports teams started using this colour for their dresses.

It is true that some people dislike the red in our flag, as they (still) associate it with the previous regime. Despite that, the green linden leaf is a neutral symbol that gained some traction around the period of gaining our independence.

[Katarzyna]

Why does Slovenia have so many handsome men?

[MCMXCV]

Why does Slovenia have so many handsome men?

It must have something to do with us taking and retaining the best features of the neighbouring peoples and those who traversed our territory through centuries.

[rothaer]

1. Have Slovenes called themselves Slovenes (the respective word in Slovenian) ever since or is it a newer label? I ask because I've encountered a number of times that Slavs that had no own political entity often just were viewed generic Slavs without any particular tribal assignment.

2. Connected to this: Have the Slovenes formed what is Slovenia or has Slovenia formed what are Slovenes?

3. Has there at any time been a political movement among Slovenes for forming a separate Slovene national entity before the breakup of the second Yugoslavia?

4. Considering how small (today's) Slovenia is, it has to my perception historically been enormously much distributed into different political entities. Is there any historical entity that is considered representing the core of Slovenia and Slovenehood, politically or culturally?