November 1, 2021 - All Saints' Day 2021 - a look at how Croatia honors all Catholic saints on November 1. 

Today is All Saints' Day, a holiday where the Catholic Church celebrates all the canonized, as well as the saints who have achieved the ideal of the Christian life and have not been canonized, reports Jutarnji List.

All Saints' Day is traditionally celebrated on November 1, a national holiday in the Republic of Croatia.

The church liturgy emphasizes that the center of the feast of All Saints is not death but life. God calls all people of all nations and all times into the eternal communion of his love. Christ is the redeemer of all men, and God calls them all to be holy.

Zagreb today | Sanjin Strukic/PIXSELL

The worship of the tombs of the saints was known in Judaism, and then two tombs were important: the prophet Isaiah near the pond of Siloam and Zechariah in the Kidron Valley.

With Christianity, the day of death began to be called the day of heavenly birth, which they especially applied to the dates of the deaths of their martyrs. Their worship developed as early as the 2nd century.

Christians first celebrated the martyrs in particular, and over time ascetics, consecrated virgins, and bishops were highlighted as special testimonies of the faith. But, as it is understood today, the notion of saints and canonization can be spoken of only from the 10th century. The first official canonization took place in 993, during the reign of Pope John XV, and the first canonized saint was St. Ulrich.

Zagreb today | Sanjin Strukic/PIXSELL

According to the Second Vatican Council, the veneration of saints stems from the lasting connection between the earthly and heavenly Churches - members of each other, albeit in different degrees and ways, share the same love for God and neighbor, and sing the same song of praise to their God.

All Souls Day is celebrated every year on November 2, when we remember all our deceased. On that day, visits to graves and cemeteries are a sign of attention and faith. On that day, people pray for the souls of their dear deceased, light candles on their graves, and attend Holy Mass, thus connecting with their prayers and begging the mercy of God to cleanse them as soon as possible of all weaknesses and to bring them "where every tear disappears from the eye."

All Souls Day, or the Day of the Dead, expresses hope and faith in the afterlife.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

November the 1st, 2021 - If you want to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus at the Zagreb Fair (Zagrebacki Velesajam), which is something that has been on offer since the beginning of the Croatian vaccine rollout, the City of Zagreb has some important news for you.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the Zagreb City Administration announced on Friday that mass vaccination against the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, at the Zagreb Fair will be transferred to the other two pavilions from Tuesday the 2nd of November.

"Vaccination against coronavirus with some of the available and approved vaccines from November the 2nd, 2021, will be possible at the vaccination point at the Zagreb Fair in Pavilions 8a and 9, instead of the current Pavilion 6," reads the notice issued by the city administration.

The Zagreb Fair can be visited for those wishing to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 08:00 to 12:00, and then on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 14:30 pm to 19:00.

On Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, the first dose of vaccination and the second dose of vaccination with all available types of vaccines and will be normally continued, and on Mondays and Wednesdays, the third dose will be being administered to immunocompromised persons and those with underlying chronic diseases which make them more vulnerable to a worse clinical picture should they contract the disease.

For all you need to know about coronavirus specific to Croatia, including border and travel rules, as well as the locations of vaccination points and testing centres, make sure to bookmark our dedicated COVID-19 section and select your preferred language.

November the 1st, 2021 - OPG Komparak on the beautiful Central Dalmatian island of Korcula has been engaged in dealing with honey and bees for many years, but their step out into the world of gin has seen them attract the attention of expensive hotels.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marta Duic writes, the island of Korcula is the home of OPG Komparak, which is engaged in the production of honey, olive oil, and recently - strong alcoholic beverages.

As the owner Vlaho Komparak says for himself, he decided to work on the family farm, nurturing the principles of "his ancestors" as well as local tradition with a twist of modern technology, and thanks to this approach, today, OPG Komparak creates and produces a whole range of products that are all the very proud owners of eco certificates.

Chickens, turkeys, donkeys and sheep roam around the farm freely, and this OPG also boasts a vegetable garden and a spice garden. It is a farm where figs grow, indigenous varieties such as Zamorcica and Bjelica, there are 620 olive trees, also the indigenous types such as Lastovka and Oblica, and they also have 300 hives and a shop where honey can be tasted and purchased, and customers are free to get better acquainted with the production process and the product range.

You can also see life in the hive because they have a glass enclosure, more precisely a beehive built right next to the shelves with products in the tasting room, which is a fantastic view into the busy lives of one of planet Earth's most spectacular inhabitants.

“This year and 2020 have been devastating for beekeepers, I can literally say that there have never been worse years in the history of beekeeping. Weather disasters, temperature extremes burning the flowers, one above-average warm day is enough and everything disappears... By the way, our farm produces 16 to 17 tonnes of honey in its best years, and during the season it all disappears in less than a month. Today we have about 20 products in our range,'' they stated from OPG Komparak.

Vlaho's sister is a designer by profession, so she took care of the visual identity of the product, and Komparak has been running this business successfully for 12 years now. They offer eight types of honey, even local bitter honey which is characteristic of both Korcula and the nearby Peljesac peninsula.

However, the best-selling product they have is the one made of mandarin, and Komparak says that it always disappears from the shelves first. Guests come thanks to the cooperation with various agencies that OPG Komparak has, and in addition to honey and other bee-made products, this versatile farmer also makes olive oil and strong alcoholic beverages in his brand new distillery.

When it comes to oils, Vlaho says he has 1,500 to 2,000 litres a year and more than two-thirds of it is sold it to regular customers. "In normal years, we also have a honey machine for honey production, but this year it's unfortunately empty. Mandarin honey is the most sought after among the English and Americans, and they're the most frequent guests in our tasting room. Due to climate change, I decided to change the olive varieties as well, now I'm switching to the Moroccan type,'' Komparak stated.

His record-breaking tasting room year was of course, pre-pandemic 2019, when it was visited by 7,312 guests, and more than 6,000 of them passed through this year.

Apart from selling his products on his doorstep and on the island of Korcula in general, OPG Komparak's honey and gin, with the significant “beekeeping” name Trut has recently been sold in Vivat stores in Zagreb and Split and in several smaller specialised stores. Their gin has also entered the offer of the boutique hotel Lesic-Dimitri, and they plan to break into the market of the capital soon.

“We produce dry Trut gin in two variants: lemon and mint and bitter orange, which we procure from subcontractors. This year we started with a small amount, but the gins delighted and conquered the island, and Zagreb's caterers and others from the hospitality sector are also showing great interest.

For example, a cafe in Lumbarda took 100 bottles, and we also have a benefit for our catering and hospitality partners - we give them dried spices and citrus fruits from our family farm ", Komparak pointed out. The main ingredient, bitter orange that is from the island, is dried in its own dryer and they will soon have ten tonnes of bitter orange for a new round of gin,'' added the Korcula-based agribusinessman.

"Our small distillery can produce up to 20 litres of gin a day, and through European Union (EU) funds, we have managed to equip a small and large distillery worth around one million kuna," Vlaho Komparak concluded.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

November the 1st, 2021 - The Croatian 2021 tourist season financial results are finally in following a long period of praise for a remarkably good season marked by a good epidemiological picture.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Marija Crnjak writes, in the first nine months of 2021, the largest Croatian tourism company, Valamar Riviera, reached the level of 93 percent of the pre-crisis year of 2019 in terms of operating profit (EBITDA), and operating revenues in the same period amounted to 1.5 billion kuna, or 75 percent of sales realised back in 2019.

Given the high demand at the peak of the summer season this year, Valamar achieved excellent results in its more northern destinations in the third quarter, especially in camps where 15 percent more revenue than in 2019 was earned and the premium segment of hotels and resorts where 10 percent more revenue than 2019 was recorded. However, in the first nine months of the year, no significant recovery of business was achieved down in Dubrovnik, nor was it the case for tourist facilities with two and three stars.

In 2021, Valamar expects operating profit (EBITDA) in the range of 635 million kuna to 652 million kuna, or up to 85 percent of the realisation from back in 2019 as a result of austerity measures taken in the first part of the year and a strong recovery of operations during the height of this year's summer season. It is estimated that consolidated revenues for 2021 will reach 1,625 to 1,655 million kuna, or about 75 percent of the realisation they company enjoyed back during the record year of pre-pandemic 2019.

Maistra enjoyed 85 percent of its 2019 realisation in the third quarter of this year. In the season, they accounted for 95 percent of their occupied units in comparison to the same time in 2019. Once again, the most significant growth was achieved in the lux segment of their portfolio, which realised a volume increase of 13 percent when compared to 2019. In their first nine months of operations in 2021, the Maistra Group generated 1.15 billion kuna in operating revenues, which is about twice as much as they recorded last year, equal to an encouraging 92 percent of the realisation of the same period in 2019.

Profit before interest, taxes and depreciation (EBITDA) amounted to 568 million kuna, which is three times more than last year and 3 percent more than what they recorded in 2019. Net profits also amounted to an impressive 362 million kuna.

Pula's Arena Hospitality Group generated 93 percent of 2019's revenues in Croatia during the tourist season, and their domestic portfolio functioned better than the hotels they have in Germany, Hungary and Serbia. Unaudited total revenues in the third quarter for this region represented only 39 percent of total revenues when compared to the same period in 2019. The company's total consolidated revenues for the first nine months of 2021 are at the level of 414.9 million kuna and represent an increase of 81 percent on an annual basis, which indicates very strong recovery.

Accelerated recovery in Croatia with total revenues of 380.2 million kuna shows an increase of 143 percent when compared to the previous year and has reached 75 percent of revenues earned back in 2019. There has also been a very strong jump in the consolidated EBITDA for this particular group, which reached 162.5 million kuna when compared to the 18.6 million kuna recorded last year (representing 65 percent of 2019's profit).

In the first nine months of 2021, Plava Laguna generated operating revenues at the level of 972.4 million kuna, which is 124 percent more than last year and 18 percent less than back in 2019. The growth of operating revenues was generated by an increase in business volume with an increase in average net prices of 8.7 percent as a result of an increase in the share of individual sales channel(s), especially in regard to hotels and apartments.

The nominal level of operating profit EBITDA adjusted for one-off positions amounted to 487 million kuna and the company recorded a significant increase compared to the same period last year of 261 percent. In the first nine months of the year, the group generated a profit of 340.2 million kuna, while in the previous year, a concerning loss of 70.1 million kuna was recorded.

It's worth noting that Plava Laguna recently announced that this year, the company will reward its employees with a maximum of 5,000 kuna as a non-taxable reward, a Christmas bonus in the amount of 3,000 kuna, a gift in kind worth 600 kuna and a rebate in the amount of 70 kuna gross per day of vacation, as well as a gift for the children of their employees up to 15 years of age in the amount of 600 kuna. The right to a Christmas bonus within this company is being exercised in the proportional amount of a maximum of 3,000 kuna for all employees who have worked for at least two months during the year.

For more on the Croatian 2021 tourist season financial results, make sure to check out our dedicated business section.

November the 1st, 2021 - The Croatian company Pa-Sta, which creatively means both So what? in Croatian and also spells out the name of a much loved Italian food, has attracted the attention of huge chain stores.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Ivan Tominac writes, the global coronavirus pandemic opened some new vistas for many people, and it pushed Renata Buric from Zagreb into what are often choppy and challenging entrepreneurial waters. In those circumstances, she became the owner of the Pa-Sta brand, which deals with the production of homemade, hand-made ravioli.

"As I grew up in a very traditional family that always respected the homemade food we ate, I simply decided that I'd try to make some homemade pasta, although in practice I didn't know much about it," said the Croatian company Pa-Sta's owner Renata Buric.

This is how the Facebook page Pa-Sta was created, where she posted a couple of pictures of several types of classic pasta. She published her page within the group Virtualni Zagrebacki plac and, to her surprise, it wasn't long before she received her first order.

"In fact, I can't describe to you how successful I considered this order and how much it motivated me to go on, and most of all it awakened in me a spark of curiosity for knowledge and possibilities - which sounded something like; what more could I do?

So I set out to explore, study, play with colours and try to do something different. My first post of colourful ravioli was met with great customer approval and there was a really big boom after which the story carried on all by itself. That's why today I like to say that Pa-Sta chose me, I didn't choose it,'' Buric revealed.

Ravioli she makes are special in many ways, and they are characterised by creativity in terms of top quality.

“Although we have pasta on the market that comes in different colours, what we can't find are the producers who used those same colours in an imaginative and creative way where they played with different motifs. We even have ravioli with dots or dashes and bows that are black with white dots. In addition, our ravioli are large, rich (the weight of one piece is about 50 grams) precisely because of their quality as the raw materials we use are some of the best.

In the end, we're in balance with the consumer basket and the market value of other Croatian products, because it was in our interest to make our pasta accessible to every customer,'' explained the Croatian company Pa-Sta's owner.

Renata decided to make it by hand instead of using a machine, and thus made the job really difficult. However, there have been zero regrets because the result of such a way of working is incomparable in its quality and taste compared to machine production.

“Each roll of dough is mixed by hand, the only thing we use mechanically is a dough thinning machine, it's a little bigger than the classic household machines. Each hole in the dough is cut by hand. We also stuff the ravioli by hand, then we cut and pack it. Basically, every single step in the process is manual. In fact, making ravioli is a physically demanding job. In addition, one needs to be very patient because every step is really important, and sometimes due to the nature of the food some steps in production can be more demanding than usual.

Beetroot or spinach are live foods and they aren't always the same, so you have to know how to adapt them in processing in order to get the maximum quality. Sometimes we have problems when, for example, the weather is humid, rainy or too hot, and the dough absorbs water or dries up quickly. In general, the process itself requires constant adjustment to the weather and to various seasonal conditions,'' explained Renata.

The Croatian company Pa-Sta's beginnings were very modest with about 100 kilograms of pasta per month, but their production capacity has grown significantly thanks to the Start Croatia project and the Spar Hrvatska retail chain - about a tonne of ravioli now comes out of their small manufactory per month.

“Our biggest challenge was learning and adopting all the items we needed to be able to compete out there on the market at all. I'd like to emphaside that the Start Croatia project has really helped us a lot in this segment,'' concluded Renata Buric.

For more, check out Made in Croatia.

November 1, 2021 - Swedish strategist Jens Gustafsson has been sacked as the Hajduk coach after losing to Slaven Belupo 3:2 on Sunday in Koprivnica. 

As of today, Jens Gustafsson is no longer the coach of the first team of HNK Hajduk, and together with his assistants Andreas Brännström and Torbjörn Arvidsson, he leaves the Hajduk bench, reported the Split club on their website Monday morning. 

Jens Gustafsson took over the first team on May 28 this year. Under his leadership, Hajduk played a total of 17 games and recorded nine wins, three draws, and five defeats. He led the last match in Koprivnica, where Hajduk was defeated 3:2.

"First of all, I would like to thank the President and the Sports Director for their trust. I am grateful for all the time I spent in Hajduk and for everything I have experienced in the past from people in Split and Dalmatia.

Special thanks go to our fans who have always been supportive of the whole team and me. I wish Hajduk all the best in the future. This is a great Club, and I am sure the team will get better and better later this season," said Jens Gustafsson on his departure.

"We wish coach Gustafsson a lot of luck and success in the continuation of his career," said HNK Hajduk. 

HNK Hajduk will announce the new coach of the first team next week.

Hajduk lost to Slaven Belupo in Koprivnica on Sunday in the 14th round of the Croatian First League. The Split team is currently fighting for 4th place with Gorica and Lokomotiva, which now have only three points less. Slaven Belupo was the last-placed team of the Croatian First League going into Sunday's match. 

Hajduk will play the current last-placed team Hr Dragovoljac on November 6 at Poljud.  

To follow the latest sports news in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

To learn more about sport in Croatia, CLICK HERE. 

November 1, 2021 - The 2021 Croatian camping offseason is in full swing and recording better results than ever. 

The offseason in Croatian camps, which make up a quarter of tourist accommodation, has recorded historical results, reports HRT. And all this despite being red on the European Covid map!

The atmosphere in some camps in Istria - both in terms of occupancy and weather - is more reminiscent of late spring.

An incredible picture in Funtana in western Istria is more suitable for September, not for the middle of autumn

" We walk around a little bit, take swims. We go to the city by bicycle," said Stevo from Slovenia.

With fifteen hundred guests, the camp is half full. Most guests are Germans, mostly vaccinated or with a Covid recovery certificate.

"The measures have been tightened in Germany, and we, as before, have decided to come here. The staff is friendly, the food is excellent," said Manuela from Germany.

"It is getting stricter in Germany; it is not like here," added Mathias from Germany.

"Mostly there was a larger share of mobile homes and a smaller share of campers, and this time we have a larger share of campers. Even the announcements for late autumn and winter are excellent," said the Valamar camp director, Bruno Radoš.

Since the beginning of the corona crisis, sales of camping vehicles have grown by forty percent in Germany. The desire for solitude, freedom, and proximity to the destination affected the excellent camping occupancy in southern Istria, especially loved by surfers.

"It’s already cold in the Netherlands, and the kids have school holidays, so it made sense to come here. We can't swim, but we visit historical centers, surf, and go camping," said Rustam from the Netherlands.

Here, September exceeded the record by fifty percent. As a result, many extended the camping season to October as well.

"So, from October 10, we are on some numbers of 500-600 people a day, which is essentially a filled winter contingent, and the sanitary facilities are heated," added the director of the Kažela camp AHG Alex Živković.

Without heated spaces, swimming pools, and mini clubs for children, the postseason would not exist as so.  

"Even children who are not usually left alone like to stay here with us alone. And the children are coming back to us," said animator Nina Putinja.

Judging by the growing interest of young camping families, the upcoming preseason could be highly successful in this sector. Of course, unless we are surprised by a new pandemic wave.

You can watch the full video on HRT.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

ZAGREB, 31 Oct, 2021 - In Croatia, as well as in Europe and the world, stroke is the second leading cause of death, and 4,950 persons died from that medical condition in Croatia last year, accounting for 8.7% of total deaths, the Croatian Public Health Institute said on the occasion of World Stroke Day, observed on 29 October.

In Croatia, stroke is the third leading cause of death for men, after ischemic heart disease and COVID-19, as well as for women, for whom the two main causes of death are ischemic heart disease and hypertension.

According to the data from 2020, 2,210 men died from stroke (7.5% of all male deaths), as did 2,830 women (9.8% of all female deaths).

The mortality rate increases with age, and a significant rise in mortality can be seen at the age of 60 in men, and above the age of 65 in women.

Over the last 15 years, there has been a positive trend in Croatia of reducing mortality from cerebrovascular diseases, including stroke, and the reduction is 46%. However, according to Eurostat for 2018, Croatia remains in the high sixth place among 34 European countries in terms of mortality.

Importance of early recognition of stroke symptoms

World Stroke Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of early recognition of stroke symptoms and the need for rapid action because every minute is crucial for the outcome.

Getting treatment fast saves lives and improves recovery, so an ambulance should be called immediately if signs of a stroke are noticed.

The symptoms include sudden numbness or weakness in the arm, leg or face, trouble speaking or seeing, sudden trouble walking, lack of coordination or loss of balance, and severe headache.

According to estimates, 14.5 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year, and 5.5 million die from its consequences. There are as many as 80 million people worldwide who have survived a stroke.

The risk of stroke can be reduced if risk factors are recognised and treated, and these include high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and atrial fibrillation.

One should be physically active, exercise regularly, maintain a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, reduce the intake of salt, sugar and fats, limit the consumption of alcohol and not smoke.

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