On Saturday, March 2nd, organized by the City of Sinj and the Sinj Tourist Board, and with the co-organization of the Sinj Cultural Center, the 5th Carnival of the Cetina Region will be held.
Thus, for the fifth time, the town of Sinj becomes the center of the yearly carnival celebration, featuring carnival groups from villages under the Kamešnica mountain, which has a long tradition and boasts the best inventors and guards of traditional customs in the Cetina region. This annual Carnival celebration is on the list of the protected intangible cultural heritage of the Republic of Croatia!
This aim of the event is to popularize exactly this rich tradition of customs that is unique in Europe The layout of the Carnival parade is based on traditional rules, irrespective of any changes, with only men allowed to participate.
The most attractive and impressive part of the procession is the ‘didi’ (old men), who carry the fleece of sheep on their heads, standing tall at a height of up to 1.5 meters, with bells around their waist. They are dressed in old clothes with colorful fringes sewn on. The ‘didi’ symbolize the ritual battle of good spirits in winter and chase them away by making noise and jumping.
In addition to traditional Carnival groups, numerous other groups participate in the project, which, with their comical, witty stage performances, complement and enrich the whole procession.
This year, numerous Carnival groups of the Cetina region will invade the streets with noise and colors from 15:00. The route follows: Hipodrom – Put Šumarije – Put Piketa – Ulica Miljenka Buljana to the bus station – Put Ferate – Ulica Kneza Branimira -Ulica kralja Zvonimira – Brnaška ulica to Trg kralja Tomislava.
The highlight of the event is at the Sinj Pjaca where the groups will be presented. The program will last from 15:30 to 17:00. After the event, the fun will continue with a live music program in the Piccadilly Club – Sinj!
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Photos by Željko Zrnčić
