After the first 2 days of Bara and Čoja, the final tournament will take place today from 17:30 in Vučkovići. Pictures are from the first day of the tournament. The winner of the Bara tournament is Josip Vučković Živac with 10 points (source: ferata.hr, author: Ana Vučković & Nikica Ugrin).

More information about the Children´s Alka from the Sinj tourist board:

In memory of their ancestors Father Pavao, Bože, Tadija and Zec, whose heroism and bravery made them become prominent in the decisive battle against the Ottomans in 1715, the people in the hamlet of Vučkovići (Brnaze near Sinj) instituted in 1955 their Alka Tournament in which only children can participate. The Children’s Alka was naturally instituted following the example of the famous Alka of Sinj.

In the Children’s Alka of Vučkovići, boys up to 10 years of age run on their feet. Their Alka squires are elderly local people, whereas those oldest from the hamlet play the roles of the Alka Court of Honour and the Alka Tournament Master (alkarski vojvoda). In the Children’s Alka procession the standard-bearer rides a horse, a donkey is a symbol of edek (the Pasha’s horse) and the Tournament Master’s adjutant carries the sabre of the hero Bože Vučković.

As the right to participate in the Tournament only belongs to children from the hamlet of Vučkovići, the little Alkari have interesting nicknames: Wolf, Horned Viper, Biter, Hairbreadth, Additional Number, Live Wire, Scatterbrain, Bumblebee, Beetling Brows, Friar, The Apple of Gramps’s Eye...

Uniqueness and attraction in itself, the Children’s Alka Tournament of Vučkovići has been outside the scope of ordinary local festivities and nowadays it makes a precious and unique experience to all visitors, just like the true Alka of Sinj.

All welcome in Vučkovići Brnaze today for the 60th Vučkovići Alka Tournament.

Sometimes, there is simply not enough time to cover everything that is going on during the summer in Dalmatia. Sinj is one of the places, where there have been so many events around the Alka tournament, that it was just not possible to write about all of them on time.

And so, I wanted to write about the Sinj Hair Braiding, which took place on August 8, but I could not find the time to do it. Turns out it was actually good to wait on this one, as the official pictures (Petar Malbaša) of the event got out just yesterday on the Sinj tourist board facebook page and so, I am glad to present you with the full visual.

This initiative started just as a simple support activity for the 300th Alka tournament anniversary. Very similar to the men growing their moustaches for Alka, women wanted to contribute with something very traditional to Sinj and Alka and the whole Dalmatia - hair braiding.

Women chose to meet at Luca Fountain and with several professional hair dressers, hair was braided long into the night.

Women of all ages met to share something together and get their "hair done" in a traditional way. As I get older, I am more and more discovering the simple beauty of hair braiding. Of course, I am very far from creations like this in Sinj, but I enjoy long hair braided in a simple way. These lovely ladies look amazing, don´t you think?

Beautiful ladies in beautiful Sinj, thank you for this, it was a pure pleasure to look at you!!

Another wonderful event organized by the Sinj tourist board this week - Repassage (Jazz Swing Quintet) Concert at Kamičak fortress. Starting at 20:30 on Thursday August 20 with free entrance, it will be a great musical evening on a very special location.

The young jazz swing quintet from Split - Rpassage has had a busy summer, as it seems with live performances in Hvar, Brač, Vis and many more. After Sinj, they will be performing in Zadar, Split, Solin, Murter, Varaždin and Zagreb, going back to Hvar in September.

(photo: repassage fb page)

Listen to their performance recorded in the video below from last year and don´t miss them in Sinj this week!

I remember the first time I heard about Sinj and their way of celebrating the Feast of Our Lady´s Assumption. It was way back, when there was no highway connecting Zagreb with Dalmatia and to reach Split, one had to drive through Sinj (among others).

We used to hit the road on a Friday afternoon to get to Split the next morning, driving through Sinj some time very early in the morning. Usually, this was a quiet time with almost no traffic.

But not on that night.

We chose to travel on a Friday - August 14 once and were shocked about the amount of people walking along the road at 2 or 3 am as we were approaching Sinj. Not only that, but the traffic got really heavy and by the time we reached Sinj, those pilgrims walking by were actually moving faster than we did in our car. Hundreds of people, if not thousands were there to bow to Our Lady of Sinj.

It is a Friday today, a Friday when the next day is the August 15 - Feast of Our Lady´s Assumption and Sinj will celebrate it with thousands of people present. Some of them will be walking part of the night to get to Sinj at 4 am. Watch the road and if possible use the highway.

Or even better, join the celebrations and experience the festivities in Sinj. The Procession with the Picture of Our Lady of Sinj starts at 9:30 followed by a Holy Mass at 11.

(Info and photos: Sinj tourist board)

For those who were present, the memory of the 300th Alka will probably never fade. And for the rest of us, here are some of the beautiful pictures made by Ivan Alebić, who actually did manage to capture a piece of the unique atmosphere of the event with his camera.

The 300th Alka in pictures - it is not the same as being there, but it is pretty close, don´t you think?

Thank you Sinj tourist board and Ivan Alebic for these!!

Although the main event of the year, the 300th Alka Tournament is over, there is much more to see and experience in Sinj this summer. One of the great events taking part tomorrow will be the drama performance about the Sinj Siege of 1715. Starting at 20:30 on Pjaca and followed by the second act from 21:30 in the Old Town. More information from the Sinj Tourist Board:

"Over past few years and under cover of August night, authentic locations of the Old Town and Sinj Town (varoš) have staged the events having taken place prior to the glorious victory over the Ottomans on 15 August 1715.

By the script written by Prof Velimir Borković, the start of the performance is the announcement of the coming of more than 40 000 of Ottoman soldiers from Bosnia over Prolog, the pass in the Kamešnica Mountain, at the end of July 1715. Led by Mehmed Pasha Ćelić, their aim was to conquer the people in the valley of the Cetina River, and above all, to impose their rule on Sinj. The people of Sinj, however, led by Father Ivan Grčić, rejected an ultimatum and preparations were under way by 700 of them for the defence of the Town, both from Kamičak fort and the Old Town fortress.

The seven-day siege of enemy troops on the nearby hills and at the foot of Sinj walls bore no fruit whatsoever. The defenders put up strong resistance, praying to the Mother of Mercy, the Miraculous Madonna of Sinj. Having been once and for all defeated, the Ottomans finally left Sinj and the Cetinska Krajina Region at dawn on 15 August.

I OTTOMANS AT PIAZZA – Piazza 20:30

II SIEGE AT Alka Knights Court 21:30

FREE ENTRANCE"

Living in a small village is great for being close to the nature, having a small community around, organic food on hand and fresh air to breathe, yes - all that is great, but occasionally we desire a city. For the culture. For theatres, historic buildings, public transportation, different people and museums.

Even my child loves museums after we visited the Children´s Museum in Bratislava and with the opening line from the employee of the museum welcoming us: "This is a museum, where everything you see can be touched!", I don´t need to tell you that as a parent to (then) a 2,5 years old this was heaven to my ears. And we love even those who have a bit stricter touching-rules, but so far my search for a really good museum in Split and its surroundings was not so successful.

So, I am pleased there is this brand new museum in Sinj to explore. Opened 2 days ago with those life-sized statues, this Alka Museum will for sure be a hit of the city, not to mention the region. Enjoy the pictures from the Sinj tourist board and head to Sinj - The Alka Museum is open daily from 9 till 21:00.

(photo: Nikica Ugrin Radar)

For months, through various events, presentations and celebrations the whole Sinj and Croatia have been waiting for this day - for the 300th Alka tournament to take place in Sinj. Several thousands of people were today at the racetrack to witness the historical 300th Alka and to celebrate its winner. With 8 points (2 hits in the middle and 1 hit into two), the winner of this year´s Alka is Frano Ivković from Brnaze.

(photo: Ferata.hr)

According to the Ferata.hr website, Frano Ivković is a 31 year old head of horseback riding and a farrier coming from a family with a long tradition of horsebreeding. With wining the Alka, apart from the eternal fame, Frano took home the Croatian tricolour pennant, a golden plaque and 40.000 KN.

The celebrations in Sinj will for sure last until early morning hours with Đani Stipaničev and Neno Belan at the Franje Tuđman Square.

(photo: Ferata.hr)

Congratulations to the winner and to the whole Alka Knights Society and Sinj for the 300th Alka tournament from Total Inland Dalmatia Team!!

The Square of Dr. Frane Tuđmana is hosting the 6th Sinj Rural Products Fair for these 3 days. The fair was opened tonight with all those smells, textures and tastes of the most delicious local homemade products of the region. Honey, cheese, smoked meat and many more for you to try (and buy) in one place. Don´t miss it, the fair will be open for only 2 more days (until Saturday).

(photo: Nikola Belančić, Sinj Tourist Board)

With only 6 days to go until the Alka tournament in Sinj will be held for the 300th time, many people in Sinj are involved in preparations not only for the main tournament, but for many accompanying events these days.

One of the initiatives coming from the young Ivo Alebić was the 300 Moustaches for the 300th Sinj Alka yesterday.  This great photography by Šime Strikoman was taken on August 1, 2015 in Sinj as 300 men from Sinj had grown a moustache to take part in the celebrations of the great anniversary.

It all started 3 months ago as that is how long a moustache needs to grow to look like a real Alka-man moustache and I am sure, it will last for several more days up until the Alka tournament. Moustaches as a symbol of Alka from the men of Sinj - great!!

(photo: from the Pustimo brokove za 300. Alku! FB page)

(photo: from the Pustimo brokove za 300. Alku! FB page)

(photo: from the Pustimo brokove za 300. Alku! FB page)