Vincekovo in Sveti Ivan Zelina, 26 January
Although January is a fairly quiet time of year as far as events go, it is the month that one of the most charming items on the calendar takes place. Vincekovo! Vincekovo is St Vincent’s Day, officially on 22nd January each year, although most celebrations take place on the weekend before or after. What celebrations might that be, you wonder? As the patron saint of wine, Vincekovo marks the start of the new wine-growing year.
Vincekovo in Sveti Ivan Zelina
In Sveti Ivan Zelina, the small town that lies around 40 kilometres northeast of Zagreb, Vincekovo celebrations will be held this Sunday, 26th January 2025. The day will start with a mass at 11am at the Chapel of the Holy Spirit (Kapela Duha Svetoga). The mass will see winegrowers praying to St Vincent to bless them with an abundant wine harvest during the year, and to protect the vines from frost or hail, disease, pests and similar.
At 12pm, the day moves on to the blessing of the vineyards. Winemakers visit their vineyards to pour a drop of good wine on the wines and adorn them with homemade sausages. These symbolise gratitude and hope for the year ahead.
Winemakers also take a cutting of the vines, to take home and place in water. After a few weeks, they will show how the wines survived through the winter, indicating the possibility of a good harvest.
Following this traditional ceremony, the Hrvatsko pjevačko društvo Zelina (Croatian Singing Society Zelina) will perform, and guests will be able to indulge in a warming glass of mulled wine and a delicious meal of cooked sausages.
The organisers say – “Come, enjoy the charms of the wine-growing tradition and start the new year in good company!”
Wine and Sveti Ivan Zelina
The town has a long tradition of winemaking and indeed of celebrating wine – the first wine exhibition having been held here as far back as 1860. It was Dragutin Strazimir, the parish priest of Donja Zelina who did much to promote winegrowing. As well as writing the first modern book on viticulture in Croatia, he encouraged winegrowers to exhibit their wines and strive to achieve the best quality in their product. This, in turn, improved the economic standing of the region.
His legacy lives on in the wine exhibitions that are still held in the town to this day, and to the importance of wine growing in general in and near Sveti Ivan Zelina.
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More info
You can learn more about the town and its Vincekovo celebrations on the Sveti Ivan Zelina Tourist Board website. Why not come down for the weekend and stay in one of the lodgings there and take part in this traditional event?
