From Lucia to Christmas: Slovak Holiday Traditions for Foreign Students

A festive pre‑Christmas atmosphere filled the Faculty of Philosophy of Comenius University on Thursday, December 11, 2025. The 33rd annual From Lucia to Christmas event took place in Moyzes Hall and the faculty atrium. Foreign students studying at Comenius University, along with high school students from abroad spending Advent at our university, enjoyed experiencing the holiday spirit in Slovakia.

15. 12. 2025 11.35 hod.
By: Office for External Realtions of the CU Rectorate

The event, traditionally held every December by Studia Academica Slovaca – the Center for Slovak as a Foreign Language, was moderated by Eva Španová and Helena Ľos Ivoríková, lecturers of Slovak as a foreign language. They guided participants through Advent and Christmas traditions in a humorous and engaging way, introducing customs and festive foods, while the folk ensemble Rudnianska muzika performed classic carols.

The cultural program also featured high school students – compatriots from Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom – who took part in the Advent in Bratislava event organized by the SAS center during the week of December 8–12. Under the guidance of lecturers Peter Tollarovič, Lucia Anna Trubačová, and Eva Španová, the students presented the results of creative workshops in writing, visual arts, and theater.

At the end of the program, participants had the opportunity to taste traditional Slovak Christmas dishes mentioned during the presentations, served in the festively decorated atrium of the faculty. The menu included the Christmas cake štedrák, personally baked by Jana Pekarovičová, director of the SAS summer school. A Christmas message board and a “wish box” also contributed to the warm and cheerful atmosphere.

Thanks to the cooperation of SAS, the Department of International Relations at Comenius University, and the Foreign Relations Office of the Faculty of Arts, nearly 150 Erasmus and full-time international students at Comenius University were able to enjoy the event. “We are very pleased that we could offer our students from abroad an event that introduces them to our language, customs, and culture in an experiential way. Our long-term goal is to help them integrate as well as possible into Slovak society and into life at the university and in the city,” said Ivana Dzúriková from the International Relations Department of Comenius University.

Among the guests were representatives of the Ministry of Education, Research, Science and Youth of the Slovak Republic, the Office for Slovaks Living Abroad, Comenius University Vice-Rector for International Relations Jozef Tancer, and Renáta Kamenárová from the University of Pittsburgh (USA), where Slovak language and culture are taught.