CROATIAN CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS • Borna Dorontić • Petar Lukačević About St Nicholas • Christmas for most people starts on December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas • Children clean their shoes and leave them on the window St Nicholas vs. Krampus • Those who have been good will wake up and find shoes filled with sweets and gifts • Those who have not been good fear the arrival of Krampus, who will bring them sticks to beat them with Adventski vijenac – Advent wreath • 4 weeks before Christmas Croatians prepare a wreath and 4 candles are placed in churches, main squares and people homes Sowing of PŠENICA- WHEAT SEEDS • Old tradition is sowing wheat seeds in a bowl of water, usually on st.Lucy´s day 13th December • The wheat will grow until Christmas and is then used to decorate the table on Christmas • It is usually wrapped with red, white and blue ribbon from the Croatian flag BADNJAK- CHRISTMAS EVE • The main celebrations starts • We decorate the christmas tree • This day is a fasting day and we eat fish (cod fish called BAKALAR) • Many people like to go to a Midnight Mass to the church –we call it POLNOĆKA BOŽIĆ-CHRISTMAS DAY • In the morning the presents are waiting for us under the Christmas Tree • You will not be hungry in Croatia for Christmas • We traditionally prepare : turkey-purica , roasted pig-pečenka , sarma-minced meat wrapped in cabbage CHRISTMAS COOKIES AND CAKES • We have: fritule-something like small donuts, strudel, walnut (orahnjača) and poppy-seed cakes (makovnjače) , honey cookies • CELEBRATING CHRISTMAS • Christmas eve and Christmas day are mostly celebrated with close family but on 26th December friends and extended family visit each other • There are also many Croatian Christmas songs CHRISTMAS IN POŽEGA CHRISTMAS IN OUR SCHOOL.