Hvar culture

The harmonious symbiosis of human settlements on the island of Hvar and the landscape is especially impressive in some old villages and small towns such as Humac, Prilozi, Maslinovik, Jurkov Dolac, Rašnik, Zablace, and Malo Grablje. Some of them were built as cottages for shepherds (”trini”) on the eastern and south sides of the island. One can enjoy their specific folk architecture and admire the old household objects which can still be found in some houses.

Among folk customs , the most interesting are island processions during Holy Week, especially the procession “za Križem” (behind the Cross) which takes place at night from Maunday Thursday to Good Friday in the circle of five parishes: Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik Svirce, Vrbanj and Vrboska. It began as a penitent’s procession after the miracle in 1510 when tears of blood were shed from the small Cross in Hvar, during the tensions between the patricians and the plebeians before these lat ter revolted. The processions from ali six parish churches begin at exactly midnight (lasting for eight hours) in the direction of the sun’s circle, so that they do not meet each other, as this would be a sign of misfortune according to popular belief. The road from one church to the other is lit by burning balls of ashes or sponges soaked in paraffin oil, while the windows of the houses are lit by candles and other lighting. The selected bearers of the cross lead the processions, barefoot and dressed in white tunics like all other brotherhood members. It is a great honour to carry the cross, so that those who carry it must prepare the Wedding feast of Our Lord on Easter Monday. The choir sing in procession the im pressive melodious song “Crying of Our Lady” from the 15th century. The priests only see depart and receive the processions at their destinations.

Hvar is also the island of the pink fields of lavender . From the first three twigs found in Velo Grablje, this aromatic plant of exceptional quality developed ali over the fields of Hvar.The lavender oil is used for destroying moths and for the production of perfume and lotion. It blossoms in June, July, and August, and the medical part of the plant are flowers which should be picked as soon as they blossom.

Well-known are Hvar cakes too, especially the pepper cakes from Stari Grad. The poet Hektorovic mentioned in his “Fishing” this traditional cake of Hvar. The essential component was saffron which was a very important product of the island in the 16th century, together with honey – and also coriander, an antiseptic and the component of numerous love potions.

Hvar’s history

The name of the island is without doubt Greek in origin, from Pharos (lighthouse).

The island of Hvar was populated already in the prehistoric times (caves Grapceva and Po-krivenik, with painted pottery). The island was later inhabited by the Illyrians, who came into conflict with the Greek colonizers in the 4th century BC. Numerous tumuli on the island are of Illyrian origin.

Hvar accepted the Greek settlers but was the only one that had an Ionic settlement (Pha-ros, today Stari Grad). The remains of the ancient colony include parts of walls, graves with pottery of Apulian origin and numerous inscriptions. Hvar played an important role in the Roman-Illyrian conflicts, when its rulers (Demetrije Hvaranin) tried to preserve its independence.

In Roman times Hvar lost its earlier importance. On the collapse of the Roman Empire, Hvar came under the Byzantine rule, as well as the entire Dalmatia . In the 7th century it came under the Nerentani (Narentini), with whom it joined the Kingdom of Croatia in the 11th century. In the following centuries Hvar recognized the sovereignty of the Croatian-Hungarian ruler, the Bosnian King Tvrtko, the Split Duke Hrvoje, the Dubrovnik Republic, Venice (1278-1797, with an interruption in the period 1358-1420), France and Austria.

After the First World War, together with the entire Dalmatia, it was annexed to Croatia . In the 16th and the 17th centuries Hvar was a prominent centre of the Croatian literature (Petar Hektorovic, Hanibal Lucic). The town of Hvar and other towns and villages on the island have numerous architectural and cultural monu-ments, which bear witness to outstanding artistic traditions of the island, the economic prosperity of its population and the relations Hvar used to maintain with cultural centres of the past centuries.