Besedilo (Lyrics)
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Čuk se je oženil« z angleškim prevodom.
Čuk se je oženil, tralala, sova ga je vzela, hopsasa.
#Čuk sedi na veji, tralala, sova na vereji, hopsasa.
#Sova čuku miga, tralala, češ, pa se vzemiva, hopsasa.
#Čuk pa sovo vpraša, tralala, kol'ko dota znaša, hopsasa.
#Eno bučo vina, tralala, en'ga peterlina, hopsasa.
#Vino bova spila, tralala, bučo pa ubila, hopsasa.
#English translation
The little owl got married, tralala, the owl took him for a husband, hopsasa. The little owl sits on a branch, tralala, the owl on the doorpost, hopsasa. The owl winks at the little owl, tralala, as if to say, let's marry, hopsasa. But the little owl asks the owl, tralala, how much is the dowry, hopsasa. One gourd of wine, tralala, one sprig of parsley, hopsasa. We'll drink the wine, tralala, and smash the gourd, hopsasa.
#Čuk se je oženil at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Traditional
- First known
- Slovenian folk song; author unknown
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 25 July 2026
Meaning and origin
This is a small comic opera for two owls, and one of the funniest songs in the Slovenian nursery. A little owl — a čuk, the tiny owl — is married off to a larger sova; they sit solemnly on a branch and a doorpost, she gives him a winking proposal, and, in the one practical moment of the whole affair, he asks what the dowry will be. The answer is gloriously modest: a single gourd of wine and a sprig of parsley. Their plan for it — drink the wine and smash the gourd — is the punchline.
It is a Slovenian folk song with no known author, one of the country’s most popular children’s songs, and its charm is all in the telling. The mock-serious little owls, the absurdly small dowry, and above all the sing-along nonsense of tralala and hopsasa make it irresistible to sing and to dance to. Behind the silliness sits a gentle joke at grown-up customs — weddings, dowries, bargaining — reduced to the scale of two birds on a branch.
Common questions
- What is "Čuk se je oženil" about?
- An owl wedding, told as a joke. A little owl (a "čuk", the tiny little owl) marries an owl (a "sova"); they perch on a branch and a doorpost, she winks and proposes, and he asks about the dowry — which turns out to be a gourd of wine and a sprig of parsley. They decide to drink the wine and smash the gourd. The nonsense refrains "tralala" and "hopsasa" carry the fun.
- Where is "Čuk se je oženil" from?
- It is a Slovenian folk song ("ljudska pesem") and one of the most popular Slovenian children's songs. No author is recorded; it is a traditional comic song handed down by ear.
- Why do children love "Čuk se je oženil"?
- For its silliness and its bounce. The tiny owl couple, the absurd dowry and the sing-along "tralala / hopsasa" make it easy and funny to sing, and it is often danced to as well.
