Lake Bled is a magnet for visitors all year round. During one night every year in July the visitors can also enjoy the light show as thousands of tiny candles are released into the water. The candles are in fact egg shells with wax and a wick. The event is part of the annual Bled Summer Festival, which features live music, and crafts, food and drink stalls. The secret of the candles is that they are all made by one man but in a joint effort because the shells come from the eggs that have been used to make the town’s celebrated cream cake.
Every penultimate Saturday in July, this year on July 20th, Lake Bled traditionally glows with the light of candles. Volunteers in boats place 10,000 candles in eggshells on the lake’s surface, a tradition maintained for over 50 years by local resident Andrej Vidic. This event was started by his father in 1972.
Andrej prepares the candles over several months, while the eggshells are carefully separated by the pastry chefs of the company Conditus during the preparation of their delicious cream cakes.
As a maintenance worker at Park Hotel, Andrej’s father first experimented with lights made from eggshells in 1972, which he floated on Lake Bled. He used candles that were left unused in the hotel. The exact origin of this tradition is not known, but rumour says that the idea came from a Swiss guest.
Source:
https://www.bled.si/en/events/main-events/2024052215325978/candle-lights-on-lake-bled/
photo by https://www.bled.si/