The Earth Day, which has been celebrated on April 22 for thirty-seven years now, this year brings attention to the problem of climate change, which has been increasingly shaking the world with its devastating consequences, causing immense loss of human lives and material damage. Although the planet Earth is constantly undergoing geological and climate changes, scientists emphasize that human influence is crucial in these changes. On Earth Day, thousands of people strive to raise awareness of the importance of preserving the planet through educational work, concrete actions of assistance and cleaning, and appeals addressed to those responsible for managing cities and countries. Choose a practical form of support and join these efforts!
Ivančica Krivdić
St. George’s Day (Jurjevo) is a folk holiday celebrated on April 23. Many European nations considered this day the true beginning of spring and agricultural work. The strength of spring and fertility is embodied by St. George on a white horse, equipped… With shield and spear, he conquers the dragon, namely the power of winter, darkness, and the underworld. St. George’s Day is also the shepherd’s holiday because on that day, mostly in the northern part of Croatia, shepherds were hired, livestock grazed, and adorned with flowers and greenery. Decorated trees, called “majge,” were placed at crossroads before St. George’s Day, and St. George’s fires, bonfires, were lit, around which people danced, and then they drank water from live springs. In the vicinity of Varazdin, a beautiful custom was recorded: a girls’ dance around the bonfire. The girls decorated their hair with sprigs of nettle, which they threw into the fire at the end of the celebration to protect their health throughout the year. Before St. George’s Day, girls washed their faces for beauty in secluded places in meadow dew, at wells or in water from water mills, and they made wreaths that they threw into the water in honor of water nymphs, rusalkas. According to tradition, herbs collected on St. George’s Day have miraculous powers, especially wildflowers and lilacs, so they were adorned with these flowers as well as green branches. The rain on St. George’s Day is beneficial because it brings a fruitful year. In the villages of northern Croatia, there was a cheerful tradition called the “Jurjevci procession”. By blowing into hazelnut or willow bark trumpets, the Jurjevci announced the return of Green George, who would free his future wife, the Heavenly Mary, from the bonds of winter captivity. It is worth mentioning that the day of Autumn St. George was once celebrated on November 26, but it is now forgotten, and only the one related to spring is remembered.