Each 26 December, Slovenian Independence Day commemorates the official proclamation of Slovenia’s independence referendum, which occurred on 26 December 1990. Slovenia became its own republic, independent of the former Yugoslavia.
The referendum was held on 23 December of that year. 95% of voters supported the establishment of an independent and sovereign nation. The holiday was previously known as Independence Day between 1991 and 2005. The current name was adopted in September 2005, following the proposal of the then-opposition Social Democrats, to emphasize the national consensus at the time of the 1990 referendum, which was supported by all political parties represented in the Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Slovenia at that time.
In order to celebrate the momentous day, Google Doodle observed the 25th Anniversary of Slovenian Independence and Unity Day 2015 on 26 December 2015.
About the Republic of Slovenia
The Republic of Slovenia is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Italy on the west, Austria on the north, Hungary on the northeast, Croatia on the southeast, and the Adriatic Sea on the southwest. Slovenia is primarily mountainous and forested, covers 20,271 square kilometers (7,827 square miles), and has a population of 2.1 million (2,108,708).