Slovenia

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SYNOPSIS

The Cows’ Ball Festival(Kravji Bal) of Lake Bohinj

Slovenia is an alpine country located at thenorth end of the Adriatic Sea. Dairy farminghas been an important agricultural method formany centuries in Slovenia. Carrying on atradition that started in pre-Roman times,Slovenian herders have taken their cows intothe mountain pastures for the summer months1.

Thanks to its dense concentration of high-altitude alpine meadows, the Bohinj valleybecame the center of alpine dairy farming inSlovenia. To take the greatest advantage of thealpine pastures breeders developed a localbreed known as Cika cattle, which areextraordinarily resilient and becamedistinguished for excellent milk yields2.

Boy and Cow

THEN NOW

Herders worked in relative isolation throughoutthe summer.

Modernization has moved the majority of dairyproduction to centralized farms.

Dairy products were produced for the consump-tion of the dairy farmer’s family.

Products are marketed more widely and recog-nized as potentially healthier.

Unique homegrown Cika breed of cattle welladapted to dangerous terrain and harsh weather.

Starting after WWII other varieties were intro-duced to the Cika breed changing the attributesof the local herd.

Fall celebrations were held in local villages atsmall village inns as individual herders returnedfrom the alpine pastures.

Celebrations are concentrated in Ukanc on spe-cific dates, and includes a larger variety ofevents and activities.

Celebrations were not recognized beyond thelocal villages

Tourists from around the world come to Ukancto join in the celebration every year.

1 Traditiones 42(2):49-68 · November2013

2 EAAP – European Federation of AnimalSciences: volume 131

3. Where the Cowbells Ring: European News;RTV SLO, Jaka Bartolj, August 2017

4 Slovenia Revealed: MMC RTV SLO, JakaBartolj, August 29, 2014

5 Slovenia: Lonely Planet 2nd addition: pg. 148

performances, agricultural equipmentdemonstrations, local crafts, and localfood/drink/cheese (nothing on a stick). Thebig event is the return of the cows’ parade thatculminates in the judging of the cows.

Cows’ Ball Parade

The traditional life of Bohinj herders survivedwell into the 20th century but ultimately large-scale dairy production made traditional high-mountain grazing uncompetitive. Now amodern dairy farm produces the same volumeof product as the alpine farmers didpreviously5.

In recent years there has been increaseddemand to maintain the cultural environmenton Alpine mountains and conserve the Cikabreed. Research has found the milk fat of thesecows grazing in the Alps to be morenutritional, with an increased amount ofpolyunsaturated fatty acids3. The EuropeanUnion has also recognized traditional MohantCheese as a product with its designated originin the Bohinj valley5.

Currently several herders continue the traditionthat had been passed down from theirancestors, although on a much smaller scalethan it was 70+ years ago.

In 1954 the Cows’ Ball became an organizedannual event. Surrounded by mountains andlocated within Triglav National Park, Ukanc isperfectly situated to enable the Cows’ Ball toremain an authentic local celebration whileattracting large numbers of visitors2.

Cowherds of Bohinj

Today the Cows’ Ball includes many activitiestraditional folk music and dancing, folklore

In the alpine pastures herders would graze theiranimals and harvest the milk to make butter,curds and cheese as a means of preservation.Initially for family use, in 1873 they formed acooperative that allowed them to sell theirproducts more widely3.

Due to living in isolation during the summermonths the cowherds return in the fall becamea time of celebration. For decades the cattleowners of Bohinj organized local, informalfestivities for their herdsmen in their respectivesmall village inns1.

The Cows’ Ball has its origins in thesetraditional celebrations. In the 1920s localresidents began to join the festivities, whichwere moved to the small village of Ukanc.Waiters from nearby hotels joined in the funand the ritual became a village event4.

Lake Bohinj Valley from Mt. Vogel