Hvar island

The name of the island of Hvar

It is considered that the name of the island comes from the oldest form of Pharos which the Greek gave to their newly founded colony in the year 384 b.c. Italian names existed for Hvar such as Lesina (means stick on Italian, which suits it due to the shape of the island). .

The short history of the island

Pharos was mostly an agricultural colony. The plan of the field partition on the fertile Starigrad plain is an exceptional historic document. The Roman people had started to attack the Illyric, and the tribe Delmat, two centuries before the new era. They used the ports on the island Hvar for their strategic and logistic goals, as well as the ports on the Pakleni islands, and the island ?edro. On ?edro (the Roman Tauridi) there was a ship shelter.

In Roman times there was a whole net of farming and rural houses close to the water spring, while the high concentration of the building was on the area of present day cities of Hvar, Stari Grad and the surroundings of Jelsa. In that time Hvar was the island of winegrowers, fishermen and tradesmen, which is confirmed by the numerous archeological findings: from the ceramic fragments from the Grap?eve caves which show a ship with two sails and a spiral twisted bow with the inscription. The way of life in the ancient Hvar is further revealed by the findings of the maritime archeology linked to shipwrecks of merchant ships.

The island experienced a bloom in the 16th century. There was an increase in the winegrowing and production of wine and it not only satisfied the needs of the island but there was also leftover for export. Fishing also represented an important source of profit to the local population. Shipbuilding was also very important. King igmund (1416) wanted Hvar to send him skillful shipbuilders for the building of galleys, fast vessels on paddles and sails and brigantines. One of the fatal happenings in European history happened in the Hvar channel close to the Vis Island. The Austrian fleet made out of mainly Dalmatians against the Italian fleet. That was the last battle which was carried out in a traditional manner, the direct collision of ships.

In the year 1147 Venice occupied Hvar and established a bishopric. In the year 1420 the Venetian came again and staid until 1797. Hvar was the richest, independent parish of the Venetian Dalmatia during that period. The Italian island occupied the island Hvar after a long battle in the year 1919. Their occupation lasted until the signing of the Rapal agreement in 1921, with which Hvar, as well as almost entire Croatia, became a part of the Kingdom of Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia, later named Jugoslavia. It became the Socialistic Federative Republic of Jugoslavia after World War 2.

The island modernized in the second half of the 20th century, taking on the positive and negative characteristics of the modern age. After the acknowledgment of Croatia as an independent country, January 15th 1992, Hvar was given a new administrative status, in the frame of a whole territorial organization which was implemented at that time.

Procession with the Cross

One of the oldest customs is the procession for Easter which takes place between the six parishes-Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Cvir?e, Vrbanj and Vrboska.

This procession is held at night between Thursday and Friday before Easter, and it is called To the Cross, and is mentioned for the first time in the year 1658. This 400 year old tradition begins at 11 P.M. on Thursday night and lasts of 8 hours, around 22 kilometer. From all of the six parishes the procession start at 11 P.M. and is seen out by the priest. Not one of the processions never and nowhere meets with the other.

The processions start to proceed in the course of the solar circle, so they dont meet-which is bad luck according to the folk belief. The cross carriers carry a cross 18 kg heavy, which is covered with a black cloth. The candle carriers follow, the singers follow as well: the cross carriers are dressed in white tunics. The procession wasnt held only on the year 1943, at the time of the World War 2, when the Italian occupation of the island was happening.

This procession is the way of thanking God for saving the island from the cholera and death that was devastating at that period.