Christmas and the time of Advent are a particularly solemn period when the birth of Jesus is celebrated. Christmas songs, holiday dishes, Christmas traditions and traditional Christmas sweets make this most solemn Christian holiday truly special. Christmas and Christmas traditions in Zadar have changed over time, but even today we try to nurture most of the traditional customs specific to this area. We are introducing to you some of the Christmas customs that are still cherished in the Zadar area.
The time of Advent
The time of Advent marks the beginning of the Christmas period and of the spiritual preparation for Christmas, and begins 4 weeks before Christmas. Traditionally, an Advent wreath with four Advent candles is placed on the table at this time, one for each Sunday before Christmas. While the wreath symbolizes eternity, the candles on the wreath signify the coming light of Jesus. The first candle is believed to symbolize hope, the second peace, the third celebrates joy and happiness, and the fourth candle, also called the candle of angels, brings love. In the last few years, the lighting of Advent candles has traditionally been organized on the large Advent wreath located on Petar Zoranić Square.
The event Advent in Zadar has been held on the square of the same name since 2015, offering its citizens and guests a handful of fun events and a special gastronomic offer with a special holiday experience and specially designed Advent houses.
Christmas eve and traditions
Christmas Eve is celebrated the day before Christmas. This evening is very special for all Christians who are waiting for the feast of Christmas, or the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Eve itself, Christians fast and there are mostly fish specialties on the holiday table. A characteristic dish associated with Christmas Eve is codfish. In the past, codfish was prepared on Christmas Eve only in wealthier families, while today it is almost impossible to imagine Christmas Eve without it. Fritule, a dessert made of fried dough with raisins, are traditionally prepared for dessert on Christmas Eve.
For Christmas Eve, the family traditionally gathers around the holiday table and after dinner they go together to the Midnight Mass. One of the customs that was once specific to this area is the lighting of a piece of wood (badnjak), most often a stump that was lit on an open fireplace around which the whole family would gather. Due to the modern way of life, this custom is slowly disappearing, but it is still cherished in some families, and in the villages of the Zadar hinterland, wood is still lit on the village squares.
Some families still cherish the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, while others decorate the tree a few weeks before Christmas in order to enjoy the holiday mood for as long as possible. The Christmas tree decorates the homes up to the feast of the Biblical Magi, on the 6th January. Some citizens of Zadar keep a their Christmas tree until the feast of their patron saint, St. Anastasia which is celebrated on the 15th of January.
In Dalmatian homes, churches and squares you will most often come across Christmas cribs depicting the birth of Jesus. The nativity scene contains figures of little Jesus, Virgin Mary and Joseph in the barn and the Three wise men.
Christmas in Zadar
For the most people of Zadar, Christmas begins in the first hours after the Holy Mass of Midnight. After the Mass, the faithful wish each other a Merry Christmas. On Christmas morning, the faithful go to Holy Mass and after the Mass they gather together with their families at a rich holiday table, which usually contains roasted meat. Christmas is celebrated within the family, while on the second day of Christmas, the feast of St. Stephen, you go to visit friends and neighbors.
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