Velika Gospa – The Croatian Version of St. Patrick’s Day
Saturday, August 15th, 2009 Posted in Events, Feast Days, Krušvar, Legends, Sinj, Traditions, Vinica, Ćurković | No Comments »The date of August 15th holds a special place in the hearts of most Croats. Much like the Irish who pay homage to St. Patrick (March 17th) or the Italians who mark Columbus Day (October 12), the Croats celebrate the ...
Feast Days Here Again
Friday, December 26th, 2008 Posted in Christmas, Feast Days, Traditions | No Comments »In most Croatian households the feast days of Saint Stephen the Martyr (December 26th) and St. John the Apostle (December 27th) are traditionally celebrated after Christmas. The 27th is traditionally the time of year my family celebrates my feast day or ...
The Rebirth of Old Traditions
Sunday, April 27th, 2008 Posted in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Catholic Church, Events, Feast Days, Traditions, Vinica | 1 Comment »This past Saturday marked the rebirth of an old tradition in the Vinica area of Tomislavgrad. Between the villages of Bilobrci and Ćurkovići lies a cave known as Bilobrkova pećina (Bilobrk's Cave). For the first time since just after World ...
Myth or Reality: Ćurković Family Origins Lie in Glamoč?
Sunday, April 27th, 2008 Posted in Bitelić, Duvno, Glamoč, Perušić-Benkovački, Sinj, Songs, Traditions, Uskoks, Viennese War, Zemunik, Ćurković | No Comments »...A znate li, Turci janjičari, otkolen sam, od koje li strane? Ta ja jesam od Glamoča grada, evo ima čet’ri godinice, da ja jesam u Kunar-planini, po planini ja ga čuvam blaga Ma Alije, Kopčića Alije, ...But do you know, Turks and janissaries, where I am from, from ...
Songs from the Land of Heroes
Sunday, April 20th, 2008 Posted in Andrija Kačić-Miošić, Božo Domnjak, Gusle, Songs, Traditions, Uskoks, Ćurković | 2 Comments »The country of Croatia is often referred to as the land of heroes. This title is a deserving one, owing in large part to the many lives the nation lost over the centuries while defending it's freedom against the machine ...
New Croatian Church in Southern Ontario Opens to Large Crowds
Monday, April 7th, 2008 Posted in Catholic Church, Events, Traditions, Ćurković | No Comments »This past Sunday afternoon the Croatian community celebrated as the new Roman Catholic Church, Queen of Peace, in Norval (Halton Hills) was blessed and officially opened by Bishop Anthony Tonnos of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton. There still work to ...
Croatian Genealogy Problems from A to Ž
Saturday, March 29th, 2008 Posted in Church Records, Culture, Genealogy, Scripts, Traditions | No Comments »For many genealogists researching their Croatian family genealogy history, the path to learning more about their Croatian ancestors is often a struggle due to two main reasons: 1. Lack of knowledge or difficulty in understanding the Croatian and Latin languages. 2. Residing ...
I Never Knew My Baba Had a Tattoo
Saturday, March 15th, 2008 Posted in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Culture, Tattoos, Traditions | 5 Comments »Once primarily the domain of motorcycle bikers, tattoos are fairly commonplace among the younger generation today. Personally, I've always had a strong distaste for them (blame it on my conservative upbringing). Ironically though, it came as quite the surprise to ...
Wise Shepherds & Old Straw Houses
Saturday, March 8th, 2008 Posted in Blidinje, Photos, Traditions, Winter | No Comments »Today it snows yet again. Like many people, this long and brutal snow filled winter has me longing for spring again. Tonight I am trapped inside my home, thinking and dreaming about warmer times, often in conjunction with future vacation ...
Christmas Feast Days
Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 Posted in Buško Blato, Christmas, Feast Days, Traditions | 1 Comment »The two days immediately following Christmas are often special days among Croatians from the Buško Blato area. They are Stipendan (December 26th) and Ivendan (December 27th), imendani or feast days in honour of St. Stephen and St. John the Apostle. ...