On 12 March, Slovenia celebrates Gregorjevo, or the day when birds get married. According to the old Julian calendar, this is also the day when spring begins. Many years ago, on the eve of St. Gregory's Day, craftsmen used to float boats downstream with burning candles inside. This was a symbolic way of bidding farewell to winter and looking forward to the arrival of spring when they would no longer need artificial light for their work.

This tradition is still alive in Slovenia, so we decided to make our own "Gregorčke" boats together with the children in the nursery section. We made the boats entirely out of degradable materials - paper, wood, and cardboard packaging.

The day before St. Gregory's Day, we took a walk to the Ljubljanica river and sent our boats down the stream, wishing for the arrival of spring. Along the way, we had a mischievous companion, a nutria that decided to have the most beautiful boat for snack.