Primož Trubar Day

Dear lovers of early music and friends of the Seviqc festival,

I would like to congratulate you all on Primož Trubar Day.

Primož Trubar (1508–1586), a great Slovenian and European, sought cultural values that were needed by both Papists and Lutherans – or at least should have been. Trubar is a textbook example of the evaluation of cultural values under conditions of political polarisation. His message is therefore extraordinary and remains a model for our own conduct. Because of principles that today, owing to historical distance, may seem almost self-evident, he faced threats to his life and was frequently forced into exile. Through perseverance, love and determination, he laid foundations that are not only the foundations of the Slovenian state, but also of our shared European identity.

Primož Trubar Day is therefore dedicated to all the quiet, everyday fighters for cultural values, the Slovenian language, culture and the arts, who through their example and actions strengthen the integrity of citizens and communities: teachers, cultural workers, parents, and many others whose work often goes unnoticed, yet whose contribution is invaluable.

8 June, Primož Trubar Day, is a national holiday in Slovenia. Trubar’s legacy transcends religious boundaries and represents one of the cornerstones of Slovenian cultural and national identity. The initiative to establish the holiday was proposed in 2008, on the 500th anniversary of Trubar’s birth, by the writer and academician Boris Pahor, and it was officially enacted as a national holiday in 2010.

On this occasion, I am forwarding the message of Dr Ignacija Fridl Jarc, Minister of Culture, issued for Primož Trubar Day, the national holiday observed on 8 June.

Stati inu obstati.
(To Stand and Endure.)

Throughout the centuries, the Slovenian nation has built its identity upon the power of the written and spoken word, preserved and passed down from generation to generation. Primož Trubar Day is therefore not merely a commemoration of an important historical figure, but also an opportunity to reflect on what binds us together and strengthens us as a community.

Primož Trubar was a man of extraordinary vision and courage. With the first two books printed in Slovenian, the Catechism and the Abecedarium, he not only laid the foundations of the Slovenian literary language, but also opened a space in which the Slovenian word became a vehicle of knowledge, culture and shared identity. Through his work, he established the foundations upon which Slovenian cultural identity developed over the centuries and which today constitute one of the essential pillars of the Slovenian state. His famous message “Stati inu obstati” (To stand and endure) remains a commitment to safeguarding our language, culture and dialogue.

In a time of rapid change, technological development and global challenges, culture and language remain the spaces in which creativity, critical thought and a sense of belonging are formed. It is therefore the responsibility of all of us to nurture the Slovenian language, develop it and confidently carry it into the future.

Today is also a celebration of literary creativity, which enriches Slovenia’s cultural landscape, opens new perspectives and confirms that literature remains a living, important and inspiring part of our society.

Yet, on the foundations of Trubar’s legacy, we must cultivate the awareness that culture is not merely creativity and art. It is something we shape and live every day – through our words, our respect for diversity, our responsibility towards the community and our personal conduct.

Dr Ignacija Fridl Jarc
Minister of Culture