June 1, 2023 – As soon as the first quarter of this year was over, the numbers of tourist arrivals and overnight stays in Slavonia started pointing towards a record tourist season. The heart of Baranja, Beli Manastir, is full of life and serves as an excellent example.
Several hundred more arrivals than last year and more than a thousand more overnight stays are proof that Baranja is a very important stone in the mosaic of continental tourism, emphasizes Glas Slavonije.
“We are happy with these results and we hope that we can achieve even more. We have noticed that guests are staying longer than usual. Domestic guests continue to lead the way, but we note that 500 or so more foreign guests arrived in our area than last year, accounting for approximately 1,200 overnight stays more than in 2022”, says Matej Perkušić, director of Baranja Tourist Board, adding that in a week’s time, and surely by the end of June, the numbers will certainly be higher.
BAranja bećarac days
And if that doesn’t say it all, just look at the calendar. Events are a tourist magnet, and next weekend it will be difficult to decide where to start. Beli Manastir is hosting the 28th edition of Baranjski Bećarac. It all kicks off on Friday (June 2) near the church of Saints Peter and Paul. Starting at 4 p.m., the Danube Championship in cooking beans (Šokački gra’) is taking place. In addition to that, at 4:30 p.m., the exhibition “Baranja – the cradle of bagpipes in Croatia” is opening in the church. Next up, a concert of folk church Marian songs will begin at 6 p.m. The first day ends with the sounds of tamburica fun with TS Rubato. Saturday will se cart races (11 a.m.), a product fair (3 p.m.) and the Tisto (pasta) Festival (4 p.m.).
it’s all about the food in Beli Manastir
As for the pasta, this is the 3rd edition of the Festival. Lokšice, trganci, rezanci, zavezanci, čikov, valjušči, taške, tarana… there are many forms and names of the eastern Croatian pasta tradition which you can experience. At the festival, Danube pasta masters from Draž, Gajić, Duboševica, Topolje, Batina, Mohač, Bački Monoštor, Bereg and Subotica will all be there. The organizes emphasize that there will be sweet and savoury versions on offer, and the tasting will cost 10 euros. As a special treat, traditional wedding carriages will be presented as well. To round it all up, you can enjoy an ethno-concert by Zrinka Posavec (quintet), a heritage show and some tamburica music with TS Garavi.
Gastronomy will certainly be in focus on Saturday in Beli Manastir as well. As part of DZMH’s Day of Hungarian Tradition, the Baranja Beans competition starts at 2 p.m. at the main square. Following that, at 3:30 p.m., TS Kubikus (Novi Bezdan) and Aranycsardas (Korođ) are playing. The registration fee for the Beans competition is 20 euros. Finally, the announcement of the winner is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
