Holidays

Holidays in Croatia

Nearly 90 percent of Croats are Roman Catholics, so the annual holiday calendar is dominated by Christian holidays, some of which are also familiar from Germany.

The other public holidays are closely linked to the country’s history and refer to events that are based in the national self-image and were important for Croatia’s development. Banks, shops and often museums are closed on the non-working days.

In addition to the statutory days off, there is the traditional custom of celebrating the name days of patron saints and saints from towns to the smallest hamlet with church services, processions and subsequent joyous folk festivals – an atmospheric experience even for every guest.

Overview

New Year’s Day – January 1

Three Kings Day – on January 6

Easter Sunday – Sunday after the first full moon in spring

Easter Monday – one day after Easter Sunday

Labor Day – on May 1

Front of Corpus Christi – flexible

Antifascism Day – on June 22

Statehood Day – on June 25

National Day of Victory and Gratitude – on August 5

Marian Ascension Day – on August 15

Independence Day – on October 8

All Saints’ Day – on November 1

1st Christmas Day – on December 25

2nd Christmas Day – on December 26

Worth knowing about selected holidays

Patriotic June Holidays

The two non-working days in June represent recent Croatian history, when the country was part of Yugoslavia. Anti-Fascism Day on June 22 commemorates the founding of the first Yugoslav partisan unit in the Brezovica forest near Sisak in 1941, which is considered the first ever anti-fascist military unit in southeastern Europe.

Three days later, June 25 marks Statehood Day, which refers to 1991. At that time, the Croatian Parliament with its two chambers had announced the sovereignty and independence of the country. This was the decisive sign, and the separation from the Yugoslav central state began. A few months later, on October 8, it was done, and full state independence was finally declared. This date is celebrated as Independence Day.

Easter

The sequence of Easter celebrations is similar to Germany, but there are some ancestral customs that have been practiced for centuries during the Easter season. For example, it is customary to make your own rattles and rattles, which then make a lot of noise and help drive away winter.

Traditionally, a lot of wine is drunk at Easter because it was believed to turn into blood in the body, making it strong and healthy. To further stimulate thirst, especially salty foods such as stockfish were served.

As with us, it is part of the spring festival that Easter eggs are ornately decorated. Particularly common is a scratching technique in which the egg is first doused with wax. While the Easter eggs in the south are often coloured red and have white patterns, in other regions lines, spirals, circles and flowers are drawn. When boiled eggs are knocked against each other, the winner is the one who gets away without a dent.