Two Unique Hvar Festivals
It has beaches, sun, gastronomy and nightlife, but two new Hvar festivals in recent years have shown the true diversity of natural Hvar and its inland heritage.
While the Carpe Diem Full Moon party might be the best known event in the Hvar party calendar, it is not the largest, with the unlikely winner of that accolade going to the less fashionable village of Dol, which has held a festival in August called the Puhijada in recent years.
Derived from the word "puh" meaning dormouse, the Puhijada celebrates the rather unusual Dol tradition of eating dormice, one of only three locations in all Croatia to do so. The Puhijada has grown over the years into a very popular event, with a week of festivities celebrating the considerable culture of the central Hvar inland village.
Pride of place, however, is reserved for the final evening of the festival, when grilled dormouse is available on the menu. Quite delicious, although a little fiddly...
The event is organised by an association called Tartajun, who have done great works in recent years promoting the heritage and traditions of Dol. Their work has been mirrored in nearby Velo Grablje by another assocation of young people, Pjover, who have performed wonders in a village with a permanent population of just five.
Once the centre of lavender production for all Dalmatia, Pjover have seized on the lavender tradition to create perhaps Croatia's most aromatic festival, and the Lavender Festival in the last week of June is a true throwback in time, and one not to be missed.
Inland Hvar is a fabulous region full of natural beauty, centuries of heritage, and wonderful legends and traditions. To find out more, why not contact us to take a tour of discovery?
*Author - Paul Bradbury
*Photo Credit - Romulić & Stojčić multimedia studio
