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On Good Friday people from all villages which belong to Lovrec are walking in procession about 13 km through all villages’ wearing a big cross on the shoulders. It is a great honour to carry the cross and during procession people are changing to wear it. The choir sing in procession the impressive melodious song "Crying of Our Lady" from the 15th century. They called this procession “The cross way”. Through whole way of procession people pray and sing recalling Jesus suffer to the final death on the cross. Interesting thing is that in villages people meet them and offer them food and refreshment. This is some pictures how it looks like.

Tradition of Good Friday is to eat fish and drink red wine. Children use to paint eggs and grandmothers bake sweet bread for Easter day. They always made more to give family and friends. The most interesting animation for children at Easter is to make a egg competition and stamp each others egg, the strongest egg wins and the owner of that egg is winner.

Easter Sunday involves going to the early morning mass with small baskets filled with food to be blessed; eating a breakfast of ham, eggs, grated horse radish, spring onion and home-made bread; and a dinner of turkey. Little children might also get candy from the Easter Bunny.And Easter Monday is for visiting relatives.

I wish you all a very happy and blessed Easter!

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In Dalmatia, Christmas food is very various. It is depended from town to town,from islands to island. I am bringing you some old receipt what we preparing day before Christmas.

That day everybody prepares cods on two ways.

One is legendary "Bjanko brudet" or "white brudet"…he is very dry.
and the other one is “Brudet” he is with lot of sauce.

BRUDET:

You need for 4 people:
Cod
1 kg potato
3 dl olive oil
Garlic, parsley, 2 laurels
1 spoon of honey
Salt, pepper

How to make:

After you take a cod from water where he was for 24 hour you need to thresh him
and than clean him from the bone. Take of the skin from him and cut on slice.
When you do that put all meet in warm oil for 5 minutes. When you take him out
In same meat fry garlic and when he become yellow you need assort one file of cod
than one file of potato’s on slides. When you finish whit folding, put inside serrate garlic,
salt ,pepper, parsley, laurels. From time to time you need to shake whole pot with out mixing.

…Serve"brudet" with nice bottle of white wine.

….and some delicious dessert later.

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Two dearest saints to Croatian children are celebrated in December: St. Nicolas (6. 12.) and St. Lucia (13. 12.). Why? They bring sweets. Or at least that’s what our parents told us.

3 days ago St. Nicolas came, brought sweets in to homes and kindergartens. My sister’s son is 2 years old, just started to speak, but he can say St. Nicolas very well. Especially because, in the morning, the sock he had left on the window the evening before, was full with sweets. Since St Nicolas day, I’ve noticed some change in his behaviour he is kissing and hugging me more and listening more to what I say. Now I know why, he learned I Kindergarten about St Nicola. Although he is so small, he understood that St. Nicolas doesn’t give anything to bad kids. I guess he is already preparing for next year.

My sister, by the way told me that she had forgotten about St. Nicolas, so she had to run in market at nine in the evening. That made me laugh, I remember, when I was small, my mother also used to go somewhere late in the evening, day before St. Nicolas. Later I find out there is no St. Nicolas, and understood why in my sock I always could find same chocolates as in my favourite market here on Hvar.

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Today is the first Sunday before Christmas day, we are burning one candle at the Christmas wreath, Some of us buying ready wreath at the florist but I prefer to make it by my self.

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus so several years ago i got the idea to every year do Bethlehem and houses from argil. The process of making is long, but if you have love, will, talent and a little bit of patience to do that, you just don’t feel the time. First day I am making the shape of figures. Than I leave them on the balcony two days to dry up.

After drying I am taking them to one person who burn them on higher temperature to connect the argil and make them stronger and resistance. Fifth day I am continueing my work with very strong glue to connect all part of Bethlehem and house, and last part of work, when i put all together, is the best, I do that with nice shinning spray and pearls… and colors wich I need for house.

One more day takes for draying and my Christmas decorations are reedy for bestowal. Christmas decorations are so popular and they are everywhere, they are part of Christmas tradition everywhere. Making an Advent wreath it’s little easier and it is a great way to prepare the mind and hearts of your family for Christmas days what are on the way!

I like to make them because they have incredible value, and …there is big smile on the recivers face, and that’s what Christmas is all about, small things made with lot of love for each other.

Here is some of my works. I hope you will like it.

If you have others ideas to what i could make plese dont  hesitate mail, i always enjoy sharing ideas with others.

Christmas time is just starting…so i will write more about what we do here in Croatia, enjoy preparing for Christmas time.

Aneta