I write this on Christmas Eve from Sydney, Australia.  It is going to be another scorcher today with temperatures getting into the mid-thirties.  This is quite a contrast to where I was this time last year spending Christmas in Croatia.  It was below zero!  Zagreb is the capital city of Croatia and has been given the title of ‘Best Christmas Market in Europe’ for the third year in a row!  This is where I got to spend the whole silly season.

Christmas in Croatia is really something special.  About 85 percent of the population is Catholic so this time of year is a big deal,   It happens over a whole month, not just one day.  I spent three months living in Croatia from early November to late January.  During this time I got to see and experience the whole festive season which is better known as Advent.

I was lucky enough to be living with a Croatian family of three (mum, dad and 13-year-old daughter) in Zagreb, so I was able to share all the traditions with them.  Around the end of November, you can see signs that Christmas in Croatia is coming.  However, it all really kicks off on the 6th of December with Saint Nicholas Day (Sveti Nikola).  Traditionally, the day before children clean their shoe/boot and leave them in the window.  They hope that St Nicholas will leave them chocolates and small presents in their boot. If children have been naughty, Krampus (a big monster with horns who sometimes travels with St Nicholas) leaves them golden twigs to remind them to behave.  I got my boot (stocking) with twigs and chocolate.  Maybe I had been naughty and nice!

A week later, on the 13th of December, is Saint Lucia’s Day (Sveti Lucija) which is when people often plant wheat seeds in small dishes.  The grassy sprouts that grow (called Christmas wheat) are put underneath the Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve.  My Croatian family took part in this practice which is not something I have ever heard of or seen before.

Christmas Trees are normally put up and decorated on Christmas Eve but some people put them up and decorate them on St Nicholas’s Day.  Presents are exchanged on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.  For my Croatian family and I, we celebrated on Christmas Eve with extended family at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We had a delicious feast!  There was rakija (local alcohol) and traditional dishes like sarma (cabbage rolls filled with minced pork meat).  My favourite dish was an octopus salad with this divine sauce that Grandpa had made.  Grandpa also made the yummiest chocolate cake and there were lots of sweet treats to be enjoyed.  But Grandpa’s cake was the best.

After dinner we exchanged gifts.  Croatia hasn’t been overcome by commercialism, therefore gift giving is more traditional and children are not spoilt with loads of presents under the tree.  It really is quite special and it feels more traditional.  Mass is also an important part of the evening. We didn’t stay up for Midnight Mass but we did attend Mass after our evening festivities, around 9pm.  This is the first time I have even attended a Catholic Mass and this one was all in Croatian so I didn’t understand a word but it was pretty special to be there.  The Advent season ends on the 6th of January with Epiphany which is the celebration of the wise men who came to visit Jesus after he was born.  On this day Christmas trees are taken down and final Advent celebrations come to an end.  A whole long month of celebrations!

As they would say for Christmas in Croatia, Sretan Božić!  May all your festive seasons be filled with love, laughter and loads of good food!!!

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