Lyrics
Celotno besedilo pesmi »Dedek Mraz« z angleškim prevodom.
Siva kučma, bela brada, topel kožuh, zvrhan koš.
#(2x) Joj, že prišel je med nas stari, dobri dedek Mraz.
#Rdeče žoge, knjige, zvezki, punčke, sanke in še kaj.
#(2x) Joj, že prišel je med nas stari, dobri dedek Mraz.
#English translation
A grey fur cap, a white beard, a warm fur coat, a heaped basket. (×2) Oh, he has come among us now, old, good Grandfather Frost. Red balls, books and notebooks, dolls, sledges and more besides. (×2) Oh, he has come among us now, old, good Grandfather Frost.
#Rights
The words of this song are by Janez Bitenc and are still in copyright. They are reproduced here, credited, for family and classroom singing; no reuse licence has been obtained, and nothing on this page may be copied further. Rightsholders can ask for a correction or removal — see lyrics & credits.
Dedek Mraz at a glance
- Country of origin
- 🇸🇮 Slovenia
- Sung in
- Slovenian
- Words by
- Janez Bitenc
- First known
- Words by Janez Bitenc; published in 1957 in the ZPMS booklet "Dedek Mraz prihaja"
- Best for ages
- 2–7
- Mood
- playful, traditional
- Last updated
- 27 August 2026
Meaning and origin
This is Slovenia’s great winter arrival song, sung every December to welcome Dedek Mraz — Grandfather Frost, the Slovenian gift-bringer. It paints him in a few quick strokes: a grey fur cap (a kučma), a white beard, a warm fur coat, and a basket heaped to the brim — and then bursts into the joyful refrain that “old, good Grandfather Frost has come among us.” The presents tumble out of the second verse: red balls, books and notebooks, dolls, sledges, and more besides.
The words were written by Janez Bitenc (1925–2005), the beloved Slovenian composer and writer of children’s songs whose pieces nearly every child in the country knows by heart. They appeared in 1957 in Dedek Mraz prihaja (“Grandfather Frost Is Coming”), a booklet the Zveza prijateljev mladine Slovenije published to help organisers stage Dedek Mraz celebrations — it held a story and songs by Bitenc for the cultural programme, among them this one, along with sketches of costumes and decorations. Simple, warm and instantly singable, the song has become inseparable from the Slovenian New Year — the one that, more than any other, means the good old man with the grey cap is on his way.
Common questions
- What is "Siva kučma, bela brada" about?
- The arrival of Dedek Mraz, "Grandfather Frost". He comes with a grey fur cap (kučma), a white beard, a warm fur coat and a heaped basket — and the refrain rejoices that "old, good Grandfather Frost has come among us", bringing red balls, books and notebooks, dolls, sledges and more.
- Who is Dedek Mraz?
- A Slovenian winter gift-bringer, a counterpart to Father Christmas, who traditionally brings presents to children around New Year. This song is one of the best-known about him.
- Who wrote "Dedek Mraz"?
- The words are by Janez Bitenc (1925–2005), the Slovenian composer and writer of children's songs whose pieces nearly every Slovenian child knows. They were published in 1957 in "Dedek Mraz prihaja", a booklet the Zveza prijateljev mladine Slovenije (Slovenian Friends of Youth Association) issued to help organisers stage Dedek Mraz events, and the song has been a December favourite ever since.
