The Karst Wedding (in Slovenian Kraška Ohcet) is a deeply rooted event in our region. Rare, yet highly cherished by the community when it takes place, this celebration holds a special place in local tradition.

Historically, from Thursday to Sunday during the last week of August in odd-numbered years, the village of Monrupino-Repentabor, located on the Trieste Karst, hosts four days of festivities rich in tradition. Following the opening ceremony on Wednesday evening, the celebration begins on Thursday night with historical rituals marking the end of bachelorhood and maidenhood for the soon-to-be-wed couple. On Friday, the groom serenades his bride-to-be, followed by the symbolic transport of the bride’s dowry to the groom’s home. The main ceremony takes place on Sunday in the small church within the Monrupino fortress. From there, a procession departs toward the Karst House (Kraški dom)—a traditional building that became an ethnographic museum in 1968 and, for the occasion, symbolizes the groom’s home—in the hamlet of Repen. There, the bride is symbolically handed over to the groom’s family.

This ancient folkloric ceremony is held every two years, but in recent times, several editions have been skipped due to a lack of candidates. In 2020, after seven years, a couple finally came forward, but the Covid-19 pandemic caused the wedding to be postponed. It was only celebrated in 2022: nine years after the last Karst Wedding.

This year’s bride and groom are Tina Forćić and Thomas Velikonja, who will open the festivities on Wednesday evening with the good-luck concert “Srečno pot novic in novica” in Repen’s main square, organized by the cultural association Kraški dom. Around 500 people in traditional dress from the surrounding area are expected to take part in the packed weekend, alongside curious visitors from the city and tourists, who will likely raise a glass to the couple in one of the nearby osmize (local seasonal taverns).