Tips for Smart Easter Food Shopping in Slovenia

Easter in Slovenia is one of the most significant holidays, deeply rooted in both the religious and cultural traditions of the country. For most Slovenians, who have historically practised Catholicism, this period is a time of spiritual renewal, family unity, and the preservation of folk customs. Despite modern society becoming increasingly secular, Easter continues to play an important role, bringing generations together through rituals, symbols, and shared values.

From Palm Sunday to the Easter Mass

A special place in the lead-up to the holiday is held by Palm Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. On this day, believers come to church with green shoots and branches tied into bundles – these are called "butare" or "butarice". Each region adds its own unique touch to their design, turning the creation of these bundles into a true art form.

Holy Week is accompanied by strict fasting and preparations for Easter Sunday. Among all the necessary tasks, the decoration of Easter eggs, one of the main symbols of the holiday, holds a special place. Depending on the region, Easter egg decorating techniques vary, with the secrets of this craft being passed down from generation to generation.

The culmination of Holy Week is the solemn night mass – Velikonočno vigilijo, which attracts even those who rarely attend church. After the service, families gather for Easter dinner. The main delicacies include ham with horseradish, painted eggs, and regional dishes such as fuline and kostelski želodec, all of which have been blessed in church. Traditional Easter baking, such as potiča, is also a must, along with bread.

It is worth noting that perceptions of the holiday are changing. For many young people, Easter is more of a cultural event than a religious one, but the tradition of family gatherings remains unchanged. Moreover, thematic entertainment is still popular. Children eagerly search for gifts hidden by the "Easter Bunny", while decorated eggs not only serve as table decorations but also become part of holiday customs. They are given as wishes for prosperity, used in games – such as egg battles, where the strength of the shell is tested, or rolled on the ground to "awaken" the fertility of the soil.

In rural areas, customs are observed more strictly. For instance, the tradition of lighting Vuzemnice bonfires is still alive. A significant highlight is the processions with theatrical biblical scenes, which attract tourists. And once every six years, the grand Passion Play in Škofja Loka takes place, where local actors bring a 300-year-old play to life, combining Old Testament stories with Easter themes.

Thus, Easter in Slovenia is not just a religious holiday – it is a time when ancient customs, family traditions, and cultural heritage come together to create a unique atmosphere.

Ahead of the holidays, what the market is offering

Easter 2025 falls on 20 April, so now is the perfect time to start stocking up. Especially as Slovenian retailers transform their stores into true centres of festive spirit in the run-up to the celebration. Every year, the range of products becomes broader, and Easter discounts more attractive, allowing people to prepare for the holiday without exceeding their budget.

Spar: from cheap products to delicacies

The Easter selection in the Spar catalog is quite traditional. Here, you can find ready-made solutions for an Easter basket, filling it with painted eggs, juicy ham, spicy horseradish, and fragrant bread. Spar discount and various product lines allow you to put together a basic set even on a budget by focusing on the retailer’s own brands and the S-Budget line or opting for the premium segment.

For those who enjoy DIY crafts, shelves are stocked with egg decorating kits, while sweet lovers will be delighted with potiča rolls filled with walnuts or poppy seeds. Cosy wreaths and adorable figurines will help decorate the home. Additionally, holiday discounts apply to meat delicacies and cheeses – perfect for a generous Easter feast.

Hofer: an extensive range at an affordable price

The Hofer catalog offers a mix of Austrian and Slovenian flavours. You’ll find meats and smoked products, cheeses and dairy products, farm-fresh eggs, and mini potica rolls that are convenient for travelling, as well as full-sized baked goods for the table. Considering that discounts here are well-balanced and prices remain affordable, this is a great opportunity to stock up on everything needed for the celebration.

Children will love Easter chocolate in the shape of bunnies and egg-shaped sweets, which appear well before the holiday, along with toy sets and other entertainment.

Special attention is given to decorations. The range includes DIY kits to create your own festive décor, as well as ready-made figurines of lambs and rabbits, plastic Easter eggs, flowers, and planters. Adding a touch of spring freshness is easy with home fragrances.

Tuš: from celebration to honouring the deceased

The Tuš catalog offers a rich selection of holiday products, including meats, smoked products, and painted eggs. The bakery section features potiča with various fillings and Easter cakes, while chocolate eggs, bunnies, and other desserts are sure to please those with a sweet tooth. Holiday discounts on wines also come in handy – it's a good idea to stock up on a few bottles in advance.

To create a cosy festive atmosphere, stores offer themed napkins, candles, textiles with folk patterns, and egg decorating kits. Additionally, the range includes flowers and cemetery candles, which are also on sale.

Lidl: everything for the celebration in advance

The Lidl Easter campaign starts early. Several weeks before the holiday, the Lidl catalog is stocked with Favorina chocolate eggs and marzipan figurines. You’ll also find meat products, including sausages and ham, as well as fresh horseradish and delicacies from the Deluxe brand. Lemonades and wines complete the festive menu.

For those eager to try something new or cook a traditional dish, the retailer publishes plenty of recipes to diversify the Easter menu – all with ingredients available in-store.

Children will enjoy toys and various themed sweets, such as Easter candy in the shape of a bunny, while Lidl discount on craft kits and home baking sets will make for cosy evenings of family fun.

Lidl also doesn’t forget about aesthetics: rabbit figurines, vases, scented candles, live plants, and outdoor lights will help decorate your home and create a warm spring atmosphere.

Eurospin: budget-friendly and tasty

The Eurospin catalog focuses on budget categories, proving that celebrating a holiday doesn’t require large expenses. It offers baskets with essential products such as eggs, bread, and cheese. Lovers of Italian cuisine will find Easter-themed pasta, Parmigiano cheese, and olive oil here. Decorations are simple yet stylish.

Mercator: in search of something special

The Mercator catalog will delight gourmets. Sets featuring truffle ham, artisan cheeses, and organic eggs will be the centrepiece of the table. Those who love culinary experiments will appreciate potiča with unique fillings, while eco-friendly wooden decorations and fresh flowers will fill the home with a spring atmosphere and highlight the refined taste of the hosts.

A pleasant bonus is the opportunity to collect points when purchasing holiday products – a kind of cashback in the form of bonuses and discounts.

E. Leclerc: a French touch

E. Leclerc brings a French flair to the Easter spirit. The E. Leclerc catalog features Brie and Camembert cheeses, duck confit, and Lindt chocolate eggs. Among the local products, you can find Slovenian sausages and traditional Easter basket sets.

Stylish European decorations and textiles with Easter prints will help create an elegant atmosphere.

Ahac: drinks and snacks

The Ahac catalog focuses on canned and packaged products, sauces, snacks, and a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages for the festive table. There is also a wide range of sweets, perfect for treating the younger members of the family.

Interspar: everything at once

The Interspar catalog covers a wide range of Easter products: from ready-made festive menus with ham, side dishes, and desserts to chocolate figurines, with holiday discounts available on wines and appetisers.

Additionally, the website offers recipes to inspire new ideas for the festive table and beyond. If there are children in the family, they can be delighted with themed sets featuring games and sweets, colouring books, and even storybooks, which are part of the Spar promotion. To decorate the home, the decor range includes garden rabbit figurines, LED garlands, and home textiles.

Regardless of preferences and budget, Slovenian retailers offer everything needed for the perfect celebration.

Trade fairs - authenticity and a lot of fun

While supermarkets attract customers with promotions, discounts, and imported delicacies, Easter fairs open across the country. Here, you can buy traditional pastries, honey, smoked ham, cheeses, herbal liqueurs, and wines from local farmers, as well as painted eggs, wicker baskets, wool and linen products, wooden toys, and ceramics with folk patterns from local artisans.

But that's not all – a fair is an event where you are more than just a shopper. You can attend egg painting workshops, learn about ancient crafts, and take part in traditional rituals.

If you want to immerse yourself in the authentic atmosphere of folk celebrations and discover ancient dishes, this is the place for you.

What to stock up on?

Even if you’re not planning anything grand for the holiday, it’s worth preparing in advance to avoid last-minute shopping stress.

Essential staples: the basis for a festive menu

Start by planning your meat menu. Easter fairs or local farmers offer truly unique products, but supermarkets won’t disappoint either. If you have the opportunity and conditions, you can prepare everything yourself. For this, you’ll need to stock up on meat, fuel for the smoker, and, of course, ingredients for the marinade. Many of these are often available at discounts in spring.

Many cheeses have a long shelf life, so it's worth taking advantage of that. Sometimes, limited-edition cheeses appear on store shelves, or your favourite variety is available at half price as part of a promotion. Local retailers also offer specialty cheeses made from unique recipes. If your fridge allows, why not save money while treating yourself?

Sauces and canned goods can be bought months in advance. Some don’t even need refrigeration, but it’s always a good idea to check storage recommendations on the packaging, especially for canned fish.

Eggs are another must-have. Just check the expiry date and store them in a cool place.

For baking potiča and Easter cakes, stock up on flour, yeast, sugar, walnuts, raisins, and honey. Gelatin or agar-agar can also come in handy. These ingredients have a long shelf life, but as the holiday approaches, they sell out quickly, and prices don’t always drop. Butter and cream can also wait in the fridge until needed.

The same goes for sweets – they can be bought a month in advance. The only risk is that they might disappear too soon, leaving you without a festive treat.

To make dishes flavourful and special, gather a selection of dried herbs and spices, which are useful for everyday cooking as well.

Stocking up on drinks early is also a good idea. You can buy them months ahead whenever you find a good deal.

What not to buy too early?

Easter preparations in Slovenia are all about balancing early shopping with keeping products fresh. Some ingredients are best bought just before the holiday.

A perfect example is horseradish root – it loses its pungency and aroma when stored for too long.

Fuline filling, a popular dish in Bela Krajina, is made from fresh cottage cheese. Despite the temptation to buy it early, cottage cheese has a short shelf life. If you’re not planning to freeze it, get it 1 – 2 days before cooking to preserve its delicate texture and flavour.

Fresh parsley, dill, spring onions, marjoram, and other greens quickly lose their freshness, as do vegetables. Bread and pastries also stale within 1 – 2 days.

Pre-sliced meats and cheeses should be consumed immediately or within one to two days, otherwise, they may lose both appearance and taste.

In some families, Easter desserts are decorated with fresh strawberries or raspberries. However, these berries are too delicate – buy them no more than a day before the holiday.

How not to miss the best deals

Holiday deals are a great opportunity to save on traditional products, gifts, and decorations. But to catch the best offers, you need to consider a few key points.

• Subscriptions and mobile apps notify you about promotions in advance and often provide exclusive coupons for popular products.
• Social media is another platform where retailers announce discounts and share Easter dinner ideas using their products. Looking for inspiration? Check it out.
• Loyalty cards like Mercator Pika, Lidl Plus, or Spar Club not only help you save on exclusive discounts for regular customers but also allow you to accumulate points, participate in prize draws and other promotions, and receive additional coupons.
• Group shopping is also an effective way to save. Many stores offer discounts on bulk purchases before holidays. If that’s too much for you alone, team up with friends or family – buy everything together and split the products afterward.
• When heading to shopping malls, supermarkets, or online stores, make a shopping list. Deals like “2 for the price of 1” or “free delivery on orders over €50” can sometimes push you into buying things you don’t really need.
• A low price isn’t always a good deal. Supermarkets often reduce prices on ham or cottage cheese close to their expiry date. Always check the dates if you’re not planning to use them immediately.

The best Easter deals in Slovenia start 2 – 3 weeks before the holiday, when almost every store launches promotions to attract more shoppers. Mix and match your shopping between supermarkets, markets, and online stores, take advantage of coupons and loyalty programmes, and don’t forget about rural fairs, where you can save money while experiencing authentic gastronomic traditions.

Geobuyer.si - your rebate assistant

No more running between supermarkets looking for the best prices – now, all Slovenian grocery store promotions are collected on one platform. Geobuyer.si turns your smartphone into a discount guide, showing you where to buy fresh vegetables, meat, cheese, or sweets at the lowest price today.

Forget about endless shopping trips – here, you’ll instantly see, which store has a 30% discount on cottage cheese, where sauces are on a "2+1 free" deal until the end of the week and which chain offers a discount coupon for your next big purchase.

Since current flyers are always available on the platform, you can compare prices across Mercator, Spar, Hofer, Lidl, and other chains. Plus, the blog shares the latest shopping news and tips.

Download the app or bookmark the website – and your shopping will become not only more affordable but also more predictable. Why overpay for milk or eggs when you can get them 20% cheaper just around the corner? With Geobuyer, you save not only money but also time – which you can spend on creating your next culinary masterpiece.