DJAKOVO, Nov 1 (Hina) - Villagers in Josipovac Punitovacki, eastern Croatia, mark All Saints' Day according to an ancient custom which their ancestors brought from Slovakia.
DJAKOVO, Nov 1 (Hina) - Villagers in Josipovac Punitovacki, eastern
Croatia, mark All Saints' Day according to an ancient custom which
their ancestors brought from Slovakia. #L#
Ethnic Slovaks in this eastern Croatian village light fires in the
streets and then cook dinners in the open on the occasion of this
Christian holiday.
After visiting cemeteries in the morning, villagers prepare
bonfires in the street at dusk and roast lamb, pork or chickens over
those fires.
"As many sparks, so many free souls," the saying goes.
Ethnic Slovaks account for 90 percent of the population of this
village (a Djakovo wider area), in which their ancestors arrived
from Slovakia more than 120 years ago, at an invitation of famous
Bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer.
(hina) ms