The three-day Christmas Fair in Jelsa, titled the ‘Festival of Possibilities’. High quality local produce on offer, but disappointing attendances. Vivian Grisogono reports.
In announcing the three-day Festival of Possibilities, Mr Total Hvar wondered, somewhat wistfully, whether there would be mulled wine. Today the question was answered: no, but there were home-made liqueurs instead. His look of satisfaction after tasting a suitably modest thimble-full indicated that they were delicious, and the mulled wine was not missed. After all, this was a Christmas fair showcasing authentic Hvar products. Mulled wine was invented for colder wintry climes where the sun doesn’t shine as brightly as here.
The fair was small but perfectly formed, with a wide range of goodies, including paprenjoke (‘pepper’ gingerbread biscuits), jams, liqueurs, herbs, body lotions and creams, jewellery, novel souvenirs and delightful Christmas decorations. Everything made by hand, with all plants picked locally. The handmade soaps using honey, lavender, rosemary or other flavours have deservedly become one of Hvar’s most popular and practical souvenir gifts in recent times.
One of the most striking items on sale were exquisitely formed stone clocks in the shape of the island, made by Baldo Štambuk. Baldo has recently graduated from the internationally famous stonemasons’ school (Kamenoklesarska škola) at Pučišće on neighbouring Brać island, the only such training facility in Croatia, which attracts participants from all over the world to its seminars.
Baldo’s father Edi set up a stonemasons’ business in Vrbanj several years ago, producing everything from gravestones to kitchen sinks. Now Baldo is set to join his father’s stonemasons’ business in Vrbanj. ‘Little’ Edi is something of a legend, not least because of the grace with which, despite his impressive size, he accepted his wife Kristina’s decision to dress him up as a fairy at this year’s Carnival festivities (See Jelsa Maskenbal, final picture).
Edi didn’t train as a stonemason, but always loved to work in stone, and took a brave decision to set up his stone business rather than continue his lucrative and highly successful work as a tiler, for which he was in constant demand. One of the people who influenced him was Pero ‘Dude’ Peronja, who, besides being qualified as a carpenter, was expert at working with stone – besides being a gifted natural healer.
As a child in school, Edi was asked to name a ‘National Hero’: he cited Pero ‘Dude’ rather than one of the official Partisan fighters whom children were expected to revere, as he was too young to understand that Pero was himself only a child during the Second World War which had spawned the brave new breed of hero-fighters. But his assessment of Pero, who sadly died a couple of years ago, was not far off the mark for the many people who knew and admired him.
As an adult, Edi worked with and learned from Pero ‘Dude’. Now young Baldo will bring his gifts and skills to the family firm, and will no doubt learn much from his father. The stoneworks are on the road into Vrbanj off the main Jelsa- Stari Grad road, on the left after the Vehicle Testing Station, signposted ‘Baldo Kamen’.
The only sad thing about the Christmas Fair was the poor attendance. The original idea to hold it in the former Gradska Kavana, the ground floor of the Town Council building on Jelsa’s waterfront, would have made it more visible and accessible than it could be in the little museum space by St. John’s Chapel. The providers went to a lot of trouble to create a truly worthwhile showcase of Hvar products, but were badly let down by the lack of official support, particularly the lack of local publicity in the form of posters and billboards. The photo below shows how anonymously the event was presented from the outside. Let’s hope there’s more of a concerted effort next time: it’s certainly in the interests of the local Council and the Tourist Board to nurture this initiative.
