You know that whole World Cup thing we have going on for the next month? This may be a nice little getaway for all of you non-football fans.
Because the weather is warm and you’ll probably find yourself heading to Split’s most popular city beach, Bačvice, anyway – why not take part in one of the oldest sports traditions in the city? Yes, we are talking about picigin.
Picigin was created on the sandy beach of Bačvice somewhere around 1923, and who invented the game, we still do not know today. The game is played throughout the year by the young and old, men and women, and is simple enough for anyone to enjoy. The game is played in a circle with two or more players, and the objective of the game is to keep a small rubber ball in the air between the players as long as possible. The game ends once the ball hits the ground, er, water?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=RtAjxMC4AWk
Picigin is played in shallow waters (thanks to Bačvice) with depths never reaching above the knee. And a fun fact? The first Picigin players were also known to wear monokini swimsuits! Today, you can only play the sport wearing a speedo.
One of the least expensive sports you can play in Split, Picigin is even played at the New Year when sea temperatures could drop as low as 10 degrees Celsius!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=S89Yk31X3CM
In April 2005, Picigin had its first official championship tournament which is still held today. With that said, this year, the Ecological Society of Picigin Bačvice organized Picigin Da on Saturday, June 16 at 10 am. The event, as you would expect, will determine which picigin team will be crowned the best of Bačvice.
Here’s a look at the competition from 2013.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v=c6Zoz9s3e4w
Picigin Day is traditionally linked to June 13, the celebration of St. Ante which is also celebrated as the Day of Picigin. At the same time, the event also marks the (un)official start of the swimming season at Bačvice.
Besides picigin, a series of other events will be organized, all for the purpose of promoting the 100-year tradition of picigin as well as a number of other Split sports created in the last century at the popular Bačvice beach.
Source: Dalmacija Danas
