# Žabja svatba

"Žabja svatba" ("The Frogs' Wedding") is a comic Slovenian children's song in which frogs from the neighbouring ponds gather for a wedding feast and dance so hard that everything shakes, to a croaking "re-ga, re-ga, kvak" refrain.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Slovenia |
| Sung in | Slovenian |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | traditional children's song; author unknown |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/zabja-svatba/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (sl)

Žabe svatbo so imele,
zbrane od sosednih mlak,
jedle, pile so in pele,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

### Verse 2 (sl)

Skokica nevesta mlada,
ženin bil je dolgokrak,
rajala oba sta rada,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

### Verse 3 (sl)

Po večerji zavrte se,
ko je bil že pozen mrak,
rajajo, da vse se trese,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

### Verse 4 (sl)

Živi ženin naš z nevesto,
glas povzdigne Krakuš svat,
zagrmi jih kakih dvesto,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

### English translation (en)

The frogs were having a wedding,
gathered from the neighbouring ponds,
they ate and drank and sang,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

Little Hopper the young bride,
the groom was long of leg,
the two of them loved to dance,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

After supper they whirl about,
when the dusk was already late,
they dance so that everything shakes,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

Long live our groom and bride!
the guest Krakuš raises his voice,
and some two hundred thunder it out,
re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak, kvak, kvak.

## Common questions

**What is "Žabja svatba" about?**

A frog wedding. Frogs gather from all the neighbouring ponds to eat, drink, sing and dance — the young bride is "Skokica" (Little Hopper), the groom is long-legged — and after supper they whirl about in the late dusk until everything shakes, all to a croaking refrain of "re-ga, re-ga, reg, kvak, kvak".

**What does the refrain mean?**

It is frog-song. "Re-ga, re-ga, reg" and "kvak, kvak" are the Slovenian way of writing a frog's croak (like "ribbit"), so the whole wedding party is heard croaking together — which is much of the fun for children to join in.

**Who wrote "Žabja svatba"?**

No author is recorded for this version; it is treated as a traditional Slovenian children's song, a comic animal-wedding tale of the kind found in folk song across many countries.

## Sources

- [Besedilo.si — Žabe svatbo so imele (Žabja svatba)](https://besedilo.si/ljudska/zabe-svatbo-so-imele)
- [ChoralWiki — Žabe (Vinko Vodopivec)](https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/%C5%BDabe_(Vinko_Vodopivec))