The
most beautiful time of the year is slowly getting closer! Do you want to get away from fog, grey and gloomy days and escape to sunnier and warmer places? We have a great suggestion for you!
Visit the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, the pearl of the Mediterranean, where you will experience unforgettable moments with your family and friends.
Dubrovnik is a small town in the south of Croatia, known for its
unique historical buildings, beautiful nature, crystal clear sea and pebble beaches. Unfortunately, Dubrovnik is visited by large crowds of people during the summer months, who do not even have the opportunity to enjoy and experience the city. Therefore, we invite you to visit Dubrovnik during the Christmas holidays and experience the charm, traditions, customs, but also the way of life of the inhabitants of this small town.
During the winter months
Dubrovnik is transformed into the most beautiful Christmas fairy tale, filled with the sound of singing, the smell of delicious traditional sweets, but also full of people. This time it is the locals who return to the old town after a busy summer season.
It all starts with the
lighting of the first Advent candle, which announces the beginning of the Advent season, but also with the
opening of the Winter Festival in Dubrovnik. The city is beautifully decorated, full of colourful lights, Christmas decorations, but also full of traditional decorations such as oranges and laurel leaves. On the main street, Stradun, there are small wooden shops where you can find handmade souvenirs, but also a wide gastronomic offer.
For all lovers of
gastronomy, the stands offer grilled sausages, various stews, but also cooked cod. This dish is traditionally prepared by older generations and made with boiled potatoes, onions and garlic. All lovers of sweets will be delighted by the selection of sweets, such as candied orange and lemon peel, candied almonds and kotonjata, fresh quince cake.
The most awaited day in Dubrovnik, apart from the feast of St. Blaise (the patron saint of Dubrovnik), is
Christmas Eve and Christmas. The festivities begin early in the morning, when you can hear the
shots of the Dubrovnik trombunjeri (a historical military formation) waking the city's citizens from their sleep and announcing a great feast.
We recommend you to
spend Christmas Eve in the old town of Dubrovnik. A little hint: Dress festively... And don't worry, you won't be overdressed. You will be surprised by the large number of young and older people of Dubrovnik in their best suits and most beautiful dresses.
The city fills up this morning with the singing of the Kolendars, who congratulate the city and its citizens on Christmas Eve and the upcoming holidays. The Kolendars are a traditional group of singers who during Christmas Day visit the old town, churches and hospitals and sing Kolenda (traditional Christmas carol), but also other Christmas carols.
In the afternoon, the city calms down as it is time for lunch and family gatherings. The traditional lunch consists mainly of white cod, fish and other seafood, and for dessert the popular Kotonjata, poppy seed and walnut cake. We believe that you need a break from an already exhausting day and a hearty lunch until the young Kolendari wake you up again. When it gets dark, the young Kolendari visit their neighbours and congratulate them with a song on Christmas Eve. The neighbours often reward the young singers with a variety of fruits and sweets.
Once it is midnight, everybody meets again at church, where they all celebrate Christmas together.
Christmas day is usually spent with closest family members. The traditional Dubrovnik Christmas lunch consists of homemade soup, green menestra, lamb or roasted pig with potatoes and as dessert various cakes. In the late afternoon you will usually see the locals on a walk through the nature or in the old town while having a coffee or mulled wine with their friends.
However, if you decide to visit Dubrovnik in the summer months, don't worry,
the Christmas spirit in this city never fades. In the Old Town, in a small street called Ulica od puca, there is a Christmas shop with beautiful Christmas decorations. Here you can buy as a souvenir for your friends and family or you can give it to yourself as a present or maybe as a reminder that you have to visit Dubrovnik at Christmas time.
Ana-Marija Tot
22.12.2020
MY ISTRIA GUIDE
