Several months earlier than usual, the Jelsa Tourist Board announced the programme for Holy Week 2018 on October 31, 2017, one of the most important times of the year for local people and a unique time to visit Croatia's premier island.
What a difference a couple of years makes.
From an island which struggled to promote its events at all, and almost never in English, the Jelsa Tourist Board is leading the way in informing tourists of what is happening, and with plenty of notice.
One of the most interesting times to visit the island is Holy Week and Easter, where extended families return from Zagreb and elsewhere to celebrate this religiously important time of year. At the centre of the week is the UNESCO Za Krizen procession, which takes place through the night from 22:00 simultaneously in Jelsa, Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirce, Vrboska and Vrbanj. The main Za Krizen procession is just one of several, and information about the rest was always impossible to find, even in Croatian.
No longer. A full five months before Easter, here is the bi-lingual programme of events and processions. A truly fascinating time to visit - and check out the recently published report by Vatican TV 2000 on the 2016 procession. Easter on Hvar - magical.
If you are interested to know more about the story of the crossbearers, there are two fascinating options - this interview with a Jelsa crossbearercrossbearer, and the wonderful Hvar TV video below following a Pitve crossbearer through the night.
