CroatianChristmas

=A Different Flavor of Christmas in Croatia = Joy Avelino-Filipovic December 22, 2011 //(with permission of the author - Originally published in the American  Chronicle ) //

   Planning a trip to Europe for the Christmas holiday? I´m sure your list includes- Austria, Italy, Scandinavian countries especially Finland (where attractive Christmas tour packages are offered to Santa´s hometown, Lapland), or perhaps England for the grand Boxing Day sale.

If these countries are on your list, then they are not bad at all for Christmas holiday destination. However,if you´d like to try to experience a different flavor of Christmas-try a reroute of your itinerary to Southeast Europe and visit Croatia.

It may not be known to a lot of travelers that Croatia offers its own distinctive special Christmas holiday celebration that unfolds the exotic Mediterranean culture. It shares a blend of romance, history and cultural tradition wrapped in one Christmas package.

In Croatia, you can feel the waft of Christmas and whiff of Evergreens as soon as celebration of the coming of St. Nicholas starts on the 6th of December. Children anticipate this day with fun and excitement expecting to find" Sveti Nikola´s" ( his name in Croatian) presents in their boots supposedly displayed by the windowsill.

As early as the first week of December, people start sprucing up their glass windows with Christmas lights and Hanukah light decorations to contrast dark winter days. As soon as it gets closer to Christmas, the atmosphere along the streets of the main square become more festive and inviting for a night stroll.

When you walk towards the main square( Ban Jelacic,one of its main attraction is an array of wooden cabin stalls selling traditional Christmas delicacies and drinks like boiled wine,rakija( fermented plum),Croatian Fritters( Fritulle), Frankfurters, caramelized almonds with cinnamon flavor, cakes and all types of pastries among others.

Alongside with this, there are loads of entertainment such as mini children´s shows and musical concerts scheduled on stage every night. No wonder this fascinates a huge number of tourists every year.

Moving around from stall to stall to shop what´s to buy for souvenir from Croatia is a delightful adventure. While shopping, you won´t be surprised to find a popular item- red glossy heart shape decorative piece being sold almost everywhere. This is called "Licitar Hearts". Licitar hearts are made from honey gingerbread dough symbolizing rich Croatian heritage. They say it here, that you only give your Licitar heart away to someone you truthfully love. And yes, if you don´t want to hang them, you can eat them too. These are not only ornaments but some kind of pastry to sweeten up your day.

Once you visit a Croatian family at this time of the year, you won´t miss to spot wheatgrass planted in a decorative pot displayed usually under a Christmas tree. Sometimes they put a candle in the middle of the sprout sometimes they don´t. What´s the wheatgrass for? Well, in Croatia,wheatgrass symbolizes reborn, growth and a new life. Wheatgrass is as pivotal as Christmas tree in Croatian homes. Usually wheatgrass is planted during the beginning of the month of December. Then families observe how tall the sprout would grow until the eve of Christmas as they believe that the taller the sprouts the more prosperous their lives would be for the coming year. Makes sense!

Then on Christmas Eve,"Badnjak"as it is called,families are gathered together at the dinner table covered with fine Croatian hand made embroidery linen embellished with poinsettia flowers to harmonize the elegance of the dinner table with delectable Christmas cuisines served for the family. Once you´re seated at the table, make sure that you´ve got enough space in your tummy for hot beef soup for starters,Sarma( stuffed cabbage rolls sauerkraut,salt cod fish( Bacalao)with potatoes,turkey stuffed with chestnuts,apple, bacons and lemons( purgerica,home made smoked ham,bacon, tossed green salad with fresh olive oil, baked bread and lots of pastries.

Now if you can´t get enough of these, no worries,you´ll eat the same on Christmas day or even more. But just like in any other countries, families go to church together in the morning to receive God´s blessings then followed by a family lunch reunion and gift giving that highlight the day.

During the night, family dinner is never complete without a glass of red wine and a toast- "Zivjeli" for a better year. For young people, dashing to the town square after dinner for a concert or partying culminates their Christmas blast.

Take note, that the more boisterous the merry making the better the Christmas celebration. The day after-on the 26th of December is St. Stephen´s day. It is declared as non-working holiday which gives everyone time to settle down after the long stressful Christmas frenzy.

One can say that there are one thousand and one ways for a country to attract travelers all over the world. But Croatia does it so naturally and simply only by its charm and captivating beauty of its rich cultural heritage, warm hospitality and family traditions especially during Christmas.

However, there´s only one caveat when you visit Croatia. Croatia´s enchanting magic will not only hold your heart in a minute but will keep your soul spellbound forever.

So be warned!