The Halubajski zvončari project

Objavljeno: 27/02/2017

On Monday, 27th of February, in a place Kosi (Viškovo) the Halubajski zvončari project was presented.

The Halubajski zvončari project was initiated with the aim of marking the centuries-old route of the Halubajski zvončari bell ringers, a piece of Croatian cultural heritage that was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009 together with other zvončari groups from the Kastav area.

Halubajski zvončari are distinguished from other groups of bell ringers by the masks that completely cover their faces, and their traditional pageant that always follows the same schedule during the three days of Carnival (Shrove Sunday, Monday and Tuesday). Although this pageant has traditionally been connected with the ancient rituals of summoning spring and a new life, and chasing away winter and evil, in the villages of the Kastav area it still represents an important part of social life in which local gastronomy, handicrafts and dances are intertwined.

The Zvončari represent a living tradition which has been brought closer to modern generations by using a multimedia approach. The route of the pageant has been marked as a walking and hiking trail that also has an educational purpose. It leads along historical, cultural and culinary sites of interest, which together have become a unique tourist product. In the future, it is planned to provide the route with interactive elements that will acquaint visitors with the customs and legends of the Halubje area.

With their impressive appearance and performance, the zvončari are a first-class tourist attraction and a challenge for scholarly research. These guardians of local folklore traditions and the identity of the Halubje and Kastav area are known far beyond the region’s borders, and are therefore an ideal example of connecting the indigenous and traditional with the new and modern. With its Halubajski zvončari project, Viškovo Tourist Board has connected the past with the future in an interesting way and enriched the tourism offer of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County with a new recreational, sports, cultural and culinary offering which does not depend on the summer season and the sea.

We need our past in order to shape our present and create a vision of the future. 

Take a walk, sample our specialities, and experience our diversity!

Viškovo-Kastav-Rijeka

Viskovo Tourist Board especially thanks to: 

• The Municipality of Viškovo
• Damir Host, president of the Halubajski zvončari association
• All members of the Halubajski zvončari association for their cooperation and support
• Our hosts in the villages in the Kastav area for their hospitality and cooperation on the project
• Lidija Nikočević PhD, director of the Ethnographic Museum of Istria
• Marina Frlan Jugo
• The Town of Kastav
• Kastav Tourist Board
• The City of Rijeka
• Rijeka Tourist Board
• The Tourist Council of Viškovo Tourist Board
• The Kombinat creative collective