Almost 200 children from the local school and daycare, along with employees, took part in the event. They contributed to the already holiday-like atmosphere of the eve of Slovenia’s Silver Jubilee. First, they collected more than 200 umbrellas from various donors. Naturally, the umbrellas were all in the colors of the Slovenian flag: red, white, and blue.

Just before the “living flag” was flown, Milica Zimic, the principal of the Kanal School, told us: “The idea originated among our employees. In fact, the first to propose it was our IT expert, who suggested that we use umbrellas for our giant flag. By organizing this event, we wanted to mark two different occasions. First and foremost, this is our country’s national holiday, but it is also the end of the school year. And we really are celebrating a magnificent double holiday in Kanal today.”

The national flag on the square and in front of the school
The central event was the ceremonial raising of the flag on the square in front of Kanal’s main square. Schoolchildren and children from the daycare were each given an umbrella to hold and they then headed from the school to the square. In today’s heat, the umbrellas served primarily as parasols that protected the children from the sun. Shortly before noon, the music began to play. The marches were performed by students from Kanal’s accordion school and young band members from the town of Deskle. When they reached the square in front of the town hall, almost 200 young people took their places in long, straight lines and opened their umbrellas, causing the red-white-and-blue canopies to cover the entire square. Even a simplified coat-of-arms was included, making the Slovenian flag look perfect. The largest “living flag” in Slovenia was then recreated in the schoolyard.

The “living flag” also flapped
When the event was over, Milica Zimic, the school’s principal, proudly added: “Before today, we only practiced setting up our ‘living flag’ once, with our youngest children in the gym. We never had a rehearsal, so our performance in the main square in front of Kanal’s town hall was our first. I must extend my compliments to all of the children and teachers. They accomplished the task brilliantly!” Thrilled audience members, who had encouraged the children with their unique project, agreed with this assessment. The biggest applause, however, came when they got the “living flag” to flap in the rhythms of marching music. You can see just how they did that in tonight’s edition of Dnevnik, TV Slovenia’s main evening newscast. You’ll also hear from the schoolchildren -- what national symbols mean to them and when the Slovenian flag should be flown.

Mojca Dumančič, TV Slovenija; translated by J. B.