So…why Slovenian Easter eggs?

Well, it’s no secret that I am in love with Slovenia! And I pretty much consider myself an honorary Slovenian because I am married to a man of Slovenian heritage, have a Slovenian surname, AND I’ve climbed to the top of Triglav (the highest point in Slovenia, and a rite of passage in Slovenian culture.) 

So the real question here is, WHY NOT? 

Several spring seasons ago I was thinking it would be pretty awesome to incorporate some of my husband’s heritage into our own holiday traditions at home here in the States. After some research on the topic, I became fascinated by Slovenian Easter traditions! 

Exploring Easter traditions in Slovenia 

There are a lot of traditions and customs surrounding Easter in Slovenia, (it’s not ALL about the Easter eggs, but they are a big part of it).

In Slovenia they call Easter velika noč or “big night” and it is a three-day holiday of feasting and family. Now this is something I can really get behind, cause you know I love food. 🙂 

It all kicks off with “big Friday” where many Slovenians fast for the big feast by not eating any meat.  

Then “big Saturday” comes along, and a frenzy of food prep begins, along with making lots of Easter eggs. All the traditional Easter foods are put into baskets and covered with beautifully embroidered cloths. Then, the baskets are taken to the church and blessed by the priest , a centuries-old custom called žegen.  

The food items in the basket symbolize the sufferings of Christ, such as: 

• Easter eggs (usually colored red) to represent the blood of Christ 
• Smoked ham or meat, to represent the body of Christ  
• Potica, (a traditional Slovenian dessert) to symbolize Christ’s crown of thorns 
• Sausages, to symbolize the ropes Christ was tied with  
• Root of horseradish, that represent the nails Christ was crucified with 

Side note: the potica is a big deal for holidays in Slovenia, I will touch on this in a future blog post!

When Easter finally arrives on “big Sunday” Slovenians usually attend morning mass. Then they return home, where they finally get to feast on all the lovely Easter foods with their families. It’s a full weekend of feasting and family and it all sounds very lovely to me. 🙂

Let’s focus on those beautiful Slovenian Easter eggs…

As a central part of the blessed Easter basket, Easter eggs are a big part of the celebrations in Slovenia. They are called velikonočna jajca, pirhi or pisanice depending on what region they are from – and what dialect is spoken there. Each region likes to put their own little spin on the egg decorations.

These gorgeous eggs are from Bela Krajina, a region in southern Slovenia, where their pisanice are famous for their intricately carved patterns.

I was the most intrigued by the beautiful deep reddish hues (that almost resemble carved wood) of the ones dyed naturally with onion skins.

I am still very much in awe with how involved with nature and a natural way of living the Slovenians are. Of course this would extend to egg dying! Although, I think commercial egg dyes are available in Slovenia too these days, I still prefer the natural method. 

So, several Easters ago, I vowed to master making these beautiful eggs. And I did pretty good! 

But this year I felt the need to up my game and add more colors than just that deep reddish hue. Still naturally of course. So here’s how it went…. 

My next attempt at making Slovenian Easter eggs…

The traditional pirhi eggs I made in past Easters are from boiling eggs with red onion skins to create that beautiful deep reddish color. Simple. Easy. So let’s take it to the next level!

Dye ingredients:

After some research, I found some ideas for making other colors from natural ingredients. So, here’s the ingredients for the colors I attempted:

• Beets (2, sliced/chopped)– for a pink hue 
• Blueberries (1 cup, smushed) – for a deep blue hue 
• Spinach & grass (bunch, torn) – for a green hue 
• Turmeric – (1-2 teaspoons) for a bright yellow hue 
• Red onion skins (as many as you can gather*) – for the classic deep red hue, I had to keep these, I’m good at them!

*Note: Some ingredients (such as the blueberries) can get pricey. If you are going for cheap, try the onion skins! Just buy one onion at the store and gather as many loose skins as you can from the surrounding onions. Or you could just ask the grocer if you can have the skins, instead of just shadily grabbing all the other onions like I do. 🙂

Other things you will need: 

• White or brown eggs (I tried with both, the colors look a little different on each) 
• Herbs, leaves, flowers or a wax crayon for marking on the eggs 
• Panty hose or a cheese cloth 
• Twist ties or string 
• Vinegar 
• Salt 

Let’s do this!

The process is really quite simple, and fun!  

Start by gathering some herbs or leaves from outside. I love using clovers and leaves from my backyard, parsley or cilantro. 

Next, wet the outside of the egg slightly and the leaves will stick to the surface more easily. 

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Then wrap the egg with panty hose, pull tightly and secure with a twist-tie or some string. Trim the excess. 

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Add the various dye ingredients to different pots. Drop in 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of salt to each. Then add the eggs and finally, just enough water to just cover the eggs. 

Bring the water to a boil for just a few minutes then reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 20-ish minutes. Then turn off the heat and allow the eggs to cool to room temperature in the dye. 

Once cool, fish ‘em out and unwrap the surprise!  

I was surprised by…

The results…

My results were… well… let’s just say, hit & miss. LOL

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I shall rank the dye ingredients for you (from best to worst results):

1. The onion skins – like clockwork produced beautiful red eggs with bold patterns. Win!
2. The blueberries  – produced some beautiful navy bluish eggs. Navy blue? Who knew?
3. The turmeric – beautiful color, but for some reason wanted to peel off the eggs. 
4. The beets – technically they came out pink-ISH but kindy muddy looking compared to the color of the beets.
5. The spinach & grass – dead last for these guys, literally NO green at all transferred to the eggs, and I ended up boiling them for so long (hoping to get SOME results) that I boiled the brown off my brown eggs. LOL

Not exactly the beautiful vibrant rainbow of eggs I was looking for but eh, screw it! I had fun making them!

Here’s a tip: Polish the eggs with a teensy bit of olive oil and the color will appear more vibrant.  I did this with the ones that came out the best and they shone beautifully. 🙂

I decided to take my beautiful (and not-so beautiful) Slovenian Easter eggs out into the yard for a glamour shots photo shoot. And you know what?

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I think they look pretty damn good.

I’d still call it a win! Wouldn’t you?  

So, there you have it. Beautiful naturally dyed Easter eggs to make and enjoy this Easter. Not only are they totally safe and natural, I feel a tad more cultured because they are Slovenian. 🙂 

Happy Easter or Veselo velikonočne praznike!  

Have you made naturally dyed Easter eggs? Have some tips? Or new ideas to share? Let me know in the comments below! 🙂

Want some more ideas on feeling cultured when you don’t have time to travel? Check out:3 International themed dinner ideas for a cultured night in