Jurjevanje Festival from Ritual to Festival

Anotace: The article seeks to provide insight into the process of establishing Slovenia’s oldest folklore festival named Jurjevanje in the town of Črnomelj through a discursive approach. Focused on the Zeleni Jurij (Green George) ritual as the basis of the festival, the article captures the local discourse and explores the festival’s historical development and its connection to broader folklore festivalisation in Slovenia. Key events in the 1930s related to various folklore events and festivals at that time within the region and outside it played pivotal roles. After the Second World War, Črnomelj attempted to revive regional folklore by hosting folk dance group displays, resulting in the emergence in 1964 of the Jurjevanje festival, which blended socialist ideology with heritage preservation. Today, it embodies heritage, identity, and development goals, showcasing the marketability of regional traditions globally.