Yogi Lonich on New Album, Playing China & Chris Cornell
February 13, 2020 - Croatia's list of impressive returnee stories continues with a Croatian Californian musician who has played with the world's greats, and is set to release his latest album. Meet Yogi Lonich.
Yogi Lonich is a former Buckcherry, The Wallflowers and Fuel member, California born and raised artist with Croatian roots. Even though he has been awarded a prestigious Grammy nomination for "Best Hard Rock Band" and a Kerrang award for "Best Hard Rock Performance" with Buckcherry, he still says he got lucky to live in the right place at the right time.
"It's good to have energy on the stage and project it to your audience. That's where you want to be. You want to connect personally with whoever you’re dealing with because then something actually will happen; there will be chemistry."
(Yogi Lonich with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top)
You started playing guitar at the age of 12. Who had the most significant influence on your music taste?
My sister Plavka had the greatest influence on me because she was always singing, acting, dancing as a child. She was teaching me about pop music, rock, new wave… Plavka has been my biggest musical push because I probably wouldn't be playing guitar if it wasn't for her singing. I could say she needed a musician, and I was like: "Well, I could play the guitar." So I kind of started with her. She has had success; she has hits with German production team Jam & Spoon and a big pop dance hit in the 90s called "Right in the night".
If we are talking about famous rock musicians, then I'd go with Eddie Van Halen, Angus Young (AC/DC), and Brian Setzer of the Stray Cats, who pushed me towards blues and jazz.
(Yogi Lonich with Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin)
You've played many great concerts along with fantastic artists. Who was your favourite artist to work with?
Chris Cornell was the most fun gig I had. He was cool to us, he treated us like a band, not like he was the boss, and we were the employees. Chris expected us to come to the rehearsal, know the songs, and express them with our own creativity.
Occasionally with pop musicians, you just have to go and play exactly like the record, and they don't want to hear any interpretation. But Chris was different; he let us express ourselves. We felt like a band on the stage. We were able to walk anywhere on the scene. It wasn't like we had to stay in our corner and let him be the star. No, he was very open, he liked to joke around. He was a friend…
My soulmate in guitar playing is Jimi Hendrix. There is something in his spirit and in freestyle of playing that connects with my kind of playing. My second fav is Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin. He was a great composer of rock riffs and soloing, but also a had a great stage persona.
Is there one concert you will never forget?
I played the Woodstock ‘99 in New York, in front of the 150 thousand people. It was great! James Brown was playing as well as Red Hot Chilli Peppers… That was a lot of fun because we were playing rock, and people were loving it. I also played with the same band Buckcherry at the Osaka Dome. There were another two bands playing, Aerosmith and Mr Big. Those are unforgettable because of the size, but I really have so much fun playing with my trio here in Zagreb. Just expressing and improvising… It's stress-free!
You can still hear people talking about the legendary scene on the stage – when Chris Cornell shaved your head. Was that planned?
It was planned…but only on the same day. I was telling the other guitar player, Pete Thorn, that I want to get rid of my long hair. Then Pete said: "Why don't you have Cornell shave it on stage?" And I thought: "Well… Great idea!" So during soundcheck a few hours before the show, and I asked Chris: "Hey Chris, what do you think about shaving my hair on the stage?" He just said: "Sure" and walked away. We were in New York, playing at Webster Hall, so I had to go find a beauty salon and buy a razor and extension cord. We decided to do it on the encore, at the end of the show. Right as I start soloing, I sat down and Chris began to shave my head, but it took so long! I thought it was going to take 45 seconds, but he was very dedicated, acting a professional.
(Chris Cornell shaving Yogi’s hair onstage)
After many successful collaborations, you’ve recorded a few dozen songs of your own. I believe every single one of them has a story. Which one is the most important to you?
There is a song, a Long Time Coming from my second solo album called Hesitant Poet. It's a song about embracing change in your life and not being afraid to step into the unknown of life. It's about not always taking the easiest path. Even if it's something is difficult, but you feel in your heart, there’s a change you have to make so that you can evolve to the next level.
How do you maintain a busy touring lifestyle with the relaxed life you’ve become accustomed to?
My touring life is not as busy as it was when I lived in Los Angeles. Now I'm touring a few months per year, while as before I was on tour eight months or more per year. That was my schedule for a couple decades, but now I just want to enjoy, go to the coast, have coffees with friends, but I still want to play some gigs with my trio. I want to make music and release albums as well as go on tour with some prominent artists once in a while.
Some people have a problem adjusting to home life vs. tour life. It’s sometimes referred to as "post-tour blues". Every night on tour you have people congratulating, applauding you, wanting to be your best friend. One gets used to all the benefits. Then you come home and it's dead silent. Nobody is calling and you don't have attention from fans. Because of this, some touring musicians become depressed. I have experienced a little bit of it, but you can always do other things to balance that, like meditation, yoga etc. It helps you stay grounded through the whole thing. I'm not taking it for granted; I'm just not taking it so seriously. I think of it as some people appreciate my music, and that's great, but I try not to let it go into my head.
A few weeks ago, you toured China. How would you describe a day on tour in China?
When I go to China for one concert, it takes four to five days. The first day is all travel because I'm flying from Croatia to Frankfurt, then to a large city in China like Beijing, lastly I fly to the city where the concert will take place. There are always 3 to 6 hour layovers between flights where you just sit at the airport waiting for the next flight. So, it's usually around 20 hours until I get to my hotel room. The second day is day off, just to acclimate to the time zone a little bit. The third day, we are rehearsing and sound checking which lasts about 5-6 hours. The fourth day is the show day. We usually have 30 minutes of rehearsal. After that, we just sit in the arena dressing room because of the rules that no one can leave the arena due to security checks. Sitting in our dressing room for three hours is not that glamorous. Around 7 P. M. is the concert and it lasts for two and a half hours. After the show, there is a huge banquet celebration. Around 100 people including the band, dancers, backup singers, stage technicians, managers etc. participate in the meal. Every table receives ten courses of Chinese food. We are usually extremely tired and jet-lagged after the concert, but this celebration is their tradition, and we appreciate them having us there so we participate. The last day is again, a travel day returning home, which means another 20 hours of traveling.
(Yogi Lonich jamming with TCN's Janja Sestak)
Along with touring, you still manage to produce songs, and a new album is on the way. Who did you work with on it? What or who inspired you for this album? When will it be released?
I produced and wrote the music myself. It will be released it on my record label Sound Assembly Music. I have a mixing engineer in Los Angeles named Kyle Mangels and mastering engineer Andrej Lončarić, who is the director of MPA (Music Production Academy) in Zagreb. The musicians who played are; drummer Marc Slutsky, John Cornell on bass, and Sharlotte Gibson singing back up on Got You Where I Want You. The album is coming out on the 17th of February.
This album was inspired by moving to Croatia and reconnecting with blues and rock influences of Jimi Hendrix, B. B. King and Led Zeppelin. My previous album was more acoustic, more pop, so now I wanted to release and album that rocks a bit. It was important for me be able to reproduce the music live on the stage with a trio. It’s not a record that has a bunch of studio tricks. This album is an honest and authentic representation who I am today as an artist.
For more about Yogi, visit his official website.
About Yogi:
As former Buckcherry, The Wallflowers and Fuel member, California born and raised artist, Yogi has a curriculum vitae which reads like an encyclopedia of musical legends. He has shared the stage and/or recorded with an impressive list of artists including: Chris Cornell, Melissa Etheridge, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Alanis Morissette, Shakira, DJ Zedd, Natasha Bedingfield, Nikka Costa, Anastacia, Five For Fighting, Bonnie Raitt, Booker T Jones, Meredith Brooks, Koshi Inaba (Japan superstar/B’z vocalist) as well as Chinese superstars, Jeff Chang, Leehom Wang and Jason Zhang.
He was also honored to play with Jimi Hendrix’s own Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame opening of the Jimi Hendrix exhibit. He’s toured in support of rock icons The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, Aerosmith, AC/DC, KISS, Lenny Kravitz, Linkin Park and Korn. This list highlights just a few of the many collaborations Yogi’s been a part of during his impressive career, which just keeps getting stronger.
Yogi Lonich talks about his new album and some forthcoming dates.
Ivan Mlinar, a Young Bladesmith Mastering His Craft in Koprivnica
February 6, 2020 - While much of the younger generation prefers gadgets to traditional crafts, there are exceptions, such as Ivan Mlinar from Koprivnica.
A lot of young people have left Croatia to find the place when the grass is greener. But not all. Meet Ivan Mlinar, a young bladesmith who is fulfilling his dream and finding the grass green enough in Koprivnica.
When you realise that Ivan has been involved in reenactment since he was a child, it isn't surprising that he fell in love with swords and knives. As he grew, he was showing more significant interest in making them himself.
Apart from the influence of the reenactment scene, Ivan's unusual career decision also had its roots in his time at high school, and Ivan's interest in the show 'Forged in Fire'. After many episodes, he decided to try something by himself. He started his search for different types of steel, different kinds of material which he found in the local landfill, such as springs. But as he began gathering equipment, he needed to figure out how to shape this material without a proper forge. So he improvised. He took some planks, wooden beams, bricks, sand, and soil and made his forge. Besides this, he also made pliers which he is still using.
As time passed, he experimented with many types of steel to see how much he could get from a certain kind. Also, he figured out the scheme of the forging and also how to spend less material. That is how the first hardening knife was born. It was quite surprising how durable that knife was. Ivan was satisfied with it and decided to get more into this story. He got quality materials as well as a gas forge. As his friends were buying brand new mobile phones and Play Stations, he was investing all his money into the workshop.
In April 2019, things started to get serious. He dug more into research, made better knives as well as their functions and handles from various woods. At that time, he met a man from England who was interested in his work and wanted to buy something from him. According to Ivan, everything was dealt with within 15 minutes. The man was pleased, money sent, and Ivan more confident in what he was doing. Step by step, the circle of people who knew about Ivan started getting bigger and bigger.
Ivan contacted one of the most famous and one of the best bladesmiths, Kyle Rover. Kyle is a Master Smith in the American Bladesmith Society and also a professional who enjoys sharing tips and tricks with beginners. As Ivan and Kyle were talking, Ivan figured out he needed to start from the beginning. "When you start doing something, you want to be the best immediately. Later you figure out you need to learn taking step by step." So he started again.
Ivan is now a member of the American Bladesmith Society. There are three levels you can achieve: Apprentice, Journeyman Smith, and Master Smith. To become an apprentice, you have to pass the exam. After three years, you can apply for the Journeyman Smith as in, you have to make a knife good enough to pass tests of durability at one of the Master Smith's workshop. This society holds on traditionally, so they only accept knives that are forged.
There are no Master Smith in Croatia, and the nearest one is in Germany. One of the conditions all members have to respect is they always have to help other people if they are asked for advice. Also, members have the privilege of having their products published on the web site of the ABS.
As his love for forging was growing, he wanted to turn his hobby into his job. At the age of 20, he opened a workshop under the name "IM Bladesmithig". The whole process started in November, but as bureaucracy in Croatia takes some time to do its job, the workshop officially opened its doors in December. I was curious about how that went.
"You really need to prepare your nerves for that. No matter when you come to the office, they are on a break, launch, or have zero interest in you. To be precise, they weren't quite sure what they needed to do, so they just sent me to another person. They don't want to reveal to you all the details you have to know, so you could fail, close your firm and return the money to them."
Strange, but not surprising.
People in Croatia still aren't familiar with the quality of forged knives. "People like shiny knives, they care only about stainless steel. I always say you have to take care of the blade. But, people don't want to buy things which they have to take care of. They tend to buy cheap knives, but it always turns out that cheap things are the most expensive ones."
There are always those people who think they know more than the person who's the actual job that is. Ivan has no problem with explaining to people how things are, but still, not everyone believes it.
Depending on the difficulty, it takes him from a couple of days to a couple of weeks to get a knife done. He also made handles and cases for knives and all that knowledge he found by himself. There are not many people in Croatia whose job it is, so Ivan had to take care of it in his way.
As for further plans, he mentioned starting a YouTube chanal as well as a webpage where all of his products will be available. One interesting thing is that a lot of people asked him for some instructions. They are more than just keen to learn from him, so he is currently thinking about some courses. But now, several orders are awaiting him as well as his wish to make katana, sword, and wakizashi.
Make sure you support young people by following Ivan on his Facebook page and Instagram. In the end, maybe it's time for replacing your old kitchen knife with a brand new IM knife.
The Rimac Automobili Effect: Porsche Discovers Zagreb
February 6, 2020 - The Croatian car industry may be minuscule, but it is top quality. Rimac Automobili investors Porsche discover the capital city of Zagreb.
Can a few good men and women transform a country?
Possibly not, but imagine if each of Croatia's sectors had a Rimac equivalent.
Croatia didn't have a car industry at all until a young Mate Rimac started playing around with a car in his garage. Ten years later, Rimac Automobili has been hailed as one of the most exciting companies in the global automotive industry, its electric hypercars the fastest in the world.
A rapidly expanding company in an industry which simply did not exist now has 600 permanent employees at the last count, as well as an A-list of corporate investors. Among them, some of the biggest names in the industry, Porsche and Hyundai.
And whatever Porsche is doing with Rimac in the labs and factories, there are plenty of other spin-offs for Croatia with the association of the Porsche brand.
Such as gorgeous videos of Zagreb and Croatia, like this one which was posted on the official Porsche Facebook page yesterday and has already been viewed more than 50,000 times.
The capital of Croatia, Zagreb, represents the ideal bridge between past and future, between tradition and innovation. The Porsche Travel Experience Croatia talked with Mate Rimac, founder of Rimac Automobil about the vibrating town.
To follow the latest in the Rimac story, follow the dedicated TCN section.
Croatian Shipping Company and Slovenian Iskra Join Forces
As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak/Privredni.hr writes on the 7th of February, 2020, the Croatian shipping company Zadar Tankerska plovidba and the Slovenian company Iskra have jointly taken over the Dubrovnik shipping company GV Line and together they're set to enter the market of regular coastal transport. They believe that this is a challenging but still financially viable business model for both companies involved.
The contract on transferring business interests from the previous owner Lenko Garbin was signed on the 4th of February, 2020, in Zadar. The G&V line company owns the Nonna Anna catamaran that maintains the state line of Lastovo-Korcula-Mljet-Sipan-Dubrovnik and vice versa. The new owners plan to expand that here in Croatia, which they believe is necessary given the fact that the international eye is no longer solely focused on just Southern Dalmatia and that there is steady growth of tourist traffic in the Republic of Croatia as a whole.
It is well known that the fleet that maintains regular and tourist shipping lines is outdated, and Tankerska plovidba and Iskra will first and foremost take care of the quality of their service and respect the highest environmental standards when procuring their new ships.
Tankerska plovidba is the largest Croatian shipping company with a tradition of more than 60 years. It has 12 cargo ships in its fleet, and operates another 6 from the Tankerska Next Generation shipping company, in which Tankerska plovidba owns 51 percent of the shares.
The Slovenian Iskra Group is a leading regional provider of intelligent industrial solutions and state-of-the-art electrical products, with a long tradition (founded in 1946).
It is the largest Slovenian company dealing with process automation, communication and security systems for the distribution of electricity, transmission and network systems, communications through high voltage lines, the automation of railway and road transport, and software solutions in the field of energy and logistics.
A year ago, their company established in Croatia, Iskra Shipyard, took over a shipyard in Sibenik, which was bankrupt. In that short period, they have increased their workload by 20 percent and are creating new jobs.
Follow our business page for more.
So Long, NK Zadar? Bankruptcy on Horizon for Former Club of Modric, Vrsaljko, Subasic
February 7, 2020 - All signs are leading to NK Zadar going bankrupt. In an effort to protect whatever financial assets they currently possess, the club's leaders have established a new club, HNK Zadar.
24 Sata reports that almost two months ago, the NK Zadar leaders came together to form HNK Zadar due to financial problems within the club.
At its session on November 15, the Supervisory Board formed the Association of the Croatian Football Club Zadar, with its headquarters at Hrvoja Ćustića 2, the same address as NK Zadar.
HNK Zadar was registered in the Register of Associations of the Republic of Croatia on December 16. Its president is Damir Knezevic, who was appointed by the City of Zadar in July last year to replace NK Zadar director Svetko Custic.
It is logical to assume, therefore, that the City was also behind the decision to establish HNK Zadar. So, did the Knezevic-led administration do this as a loophole to prepare for bankruptcy?
“HNK Zadar was founded due to the financial problems at NK Zadar s.d.d., above all, to protect the NK Zadar football school because it is the most important. Given the blocks that took place in December and January, we had to protect the football school so it would continue to function,” said Damir Knezevic.
Thus, the management was expecting the clubs' accounts to be blocked and resorted to founding a new club for this reason.
“The decision to found the Association was made by the people who currently operate the club. I did not know that the account would be blocked, but I saw that it was a possible scenario,” said Knezevic.
Knezevic sees no problem with being the director of NK Zadar and the president of HNK Zadar at the same time.
“The same practice is known in other Croatian clubs that have been in a similar situation. HNK Zadar is not operational, it is idle, and the question is whether it will function. It will depend on what the assembly decides,” says Knezevic, however, HNK Zadar is ‘active’ in the Register of Associations.
A bankruptcy decision is also expected.
“The answer can be given by the club owner, which is the shareholder. They must be thoroughly acquainted with the financial situation of the club. They know the income and where it comes from, and they know the expenses. Bankruptcy? I will not participate in it or enforce it. As a director, I will hold authority under company law,” he explains.
The money the City needed to give the club to function this year went to a loan the club raised last summer with the guarantee of the City, so there was nothing left in the register. Knezevic expected an inflow of money from the transfer of Ivan Santini from Anderlecht to China, but that went to the debt collectors.
Zadar should return to the Second Croatian League this season, but has not been granted a license. They are currently in fourth place in the Third League-South rankings with good prospects of getting a promotion, but without the money, they'll go nowhere.
The players, allegedly, had no idea.
“I told coach Pincic that players should be told about the financial uncertainty in the club recently. We will tell them soon,” Knezevic concluded.
HRT reported that the players requested an urgent meeting with Knezevic, who eventually addressed them in the locker room. Among other things, the players were told that they would not be able to be paid and were told to contact Mayor Branko Dukic.
The team captain Jure Jerbic also commented:
“The truth is, we had a meeting with the club director because we want to know what we are up to and what the plan is for the future. Director Knezevic said that the club's account was blocked and that the financial situation was tough and that made our salaries questionable. He also said that we should wait for the general meeting in the middle of March, but that doesn't make sense. That is too long, and we must know about our destiny in a few dyas. Next week we are going to talk to Mayor Dukic so we will see what and how to proceed because we received no response from Knezevic.”
The club, which grew World Cup stars like Luka Modric, Danijel Subasic, Sime Vrsaljko, and Dominik Livakovic, has hit rock bottom.
To read more about sport in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
Reactions to Foster Care Decision Range from Joy to Condemnation
ZAGREB, February 7, 2020 - The We Can! platform and a same-sex couple who wants to foster a child said on Friday they were pleased with a Constitutional Court decision under which everyone is entitled to foster under equal terms, while In the Name of the Family and Vigilare said it was bad for children and the judiciary.
Earlier today, the Constitutional Court published a decision in which it concludes that courts and relevant bodies have the duty to enable everyone to participate in "the public service of foster care" under equal terms. The court reached the conclusion after considering motions for the assessment of the constitutionality of three Foster Care Act articles which numerous political parties, associations and individuals claimed discriminate against same-sex partners.
Sandra Benčić, a member of the We Can! political platform, told Hina the Constitutional Court's decision followed the practice of the European Court of Human Rights under which there must be no discrimination based on sexual orientation in foster care and family life.
Benčić said the court found that the Foster Care Act had provision that could be discriminatory but did not repeal it, instead giving clear instructions on how to interpret the law so that it did not have discriminatory effects.
Benčić has sued the head of the Zagreb Social Welfare Centre, Tatjana Brozić Perić, for refusing to enforce the Administrative Court ruling which allowed Šegota and Kozić to apply for foster care.
The president of the conservative In the Name of the Family NGO, Željka Markić, said the Constitutional Court, "as a political body" of the ruling HDZ and opposition SDP parties, had overstepped its authority and delivered a decision that was harmful for children without parents and for democracy.
Speaking to Hina, Markić said the court confirmed the Foster Care Act was in line with the constitution and not discriminatory, and that the Zagreb Social Welfare Centre had rejected the homosexual couple's fostering application in line with the law, but still ordered the judiciary and administration bodies to interpret the law contrary to what it said.
Markić said the decision was harmful to children without parents whose best interest, she added, was not to be fostered or adopted by homosexual couples.
She said the decision was also "very dangerous" for democracy as the Constitutional Court, instead of repealing the Foster Care Act, if it considered it anti-constitutional and discriminatory, and returning it to parliament for further procedure which would include public and scientific consultations, had assumed the role of legislator.
The Vigilare NGO said the Constitutional Court had acted unlawfully, overstepping its authority and damaging Croatia's legal system. "They suspended the rule of law, usurping the powers of the Croatian parliament as the highest legislative body," it said in a press release.
Vigilare said the decision was against children's interest and another step towards "the deconstruction of the family and moral values" in Croatia.
More news about LGBT issues can be found in the Politics section.
NGO Against Increase in Taxes on Tobacco, Coffee, Non-Alcoholic Drinks
ZAGREB, February 7, 2020 - The Lipa taxpayers' association opposes the Finance Ministry's plan to increase taxes on tobacco, coffee and non-alcoholic beverages as it believes that their sole purpose is to patch holes in the budget caused by the failure to implement reforms and lack of transparency.
"The (planned) government regulations will increase the tax burden. However, the government does not plan to spend the money to be obtained through higher taxes on improving the health sector but rather for patching budget holes. Even though the ministry is referring to an EU directive, we note that the EU has continually recommended that Croatia implement reforms in all segments of its public sector yet those recommendations are ignored to a large extent," the association said in a statement.
It believes that the introduction of excise taxes on e-cigarette liquid and heated tobacco products is a very bad measure that will discourage consumers from switching to less harmful products.
Excise taxes already account for more than 80% of the price of cigarettes and they end up in the state budget while hospitals still owe more than nine billion kuna and work in very bad conditions, Lipa says.
It proposes that in order to keep the same level of the tax burden, the state should lower fuel excise taxes while increasing tobacco taxes and introducing special taxes on sugar and coffee.
Tobacco prices are expected to go up soon because the Finance Ministry recently put to public consultation a draft regulation envisaging an increase in tobacco excise taxes by 40 kuna per thousand cigarettes, and it also plans to introduce excise taxes on some new tobacco products, including e-cigarette liquid and heated tobacco products.
The public consultation lasted until February 3.
The government last increased excise taxes on tobacco in 2018, after which the price of cigarettes went up by around 2 kuna per packet.
More news about taxes in Croatia can be found in the Business section.
Michel and Plenković to Meet with Western Balkan Leaders
ZAGREB, February 7, 2020 - European Council President Charles Michel has convened for February 16 an informal meeting with Western Balkan countries' leaders which will also be attended by Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković as the premier of the country presiding over the Council of the European Union.
The meeting will also be attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.
The meeting has been convened as part of preparations for an informal summit of all EU member states and Western Balkan states due in Zagreb in May.
On Wednesday, the Commission proposed a new, stricter methodology for EU accession negotiations, which was France's condition for opening them with North Macedonia and Albania.
More news about Croatia and Western Balkans can be found in the Politics section.
Exports Rise by 5.7%, Imports by 4.4% in 2019
ZAGREB, February 7, 2020 - Croatia's commodity exports in 2019 totalled 114.1 billion kuna, up 5.7% on the year, while imports reached HRK 184 billion, an increase of 4.4%, the national statistical office said on Friday.
The foreign trade deficit was 70 billion kuna, 1.66 billion kuna higher than in 2018. The coverage of imports by exports increased from 61.2% to 62%.
In 2019, commodity exports to EU countries totalled 78.3 billion kuna, up 5.6% on the year, while exports to non-EU countries went up 6% to 35.75 billion kuna.
Commodity imports from EU countries went up 7.4% to 147.8 billion kuna, while those from non-EU countries dropped 6.1% to 36.2 billion kuna.
Expressed in euros, Croatia's commodity exports in 2019 totalled €15.4 billion, up 5.8% on the year, while imports went up 4.5% to €24.8 billion. The foreign trade deficit was €9.4 billion, up from €9.2 billion in 2018.
Commodity exports to EU countries stood at €10.6 billion (+5.6%), while those to non-EU countries were €4.8 billion (+6%). Commodity import from EU countries were €20 billion (+7.5%), while those from non-EU countries were €4.9 billion (-6.1%).
More economy news can be found in the Business section.
Carnival Days 2020 and 6th Cetina Region Carnival Kick Off in Sinj!
February 7, 2020 - After Sinj mayor Kristina Križanac handed over the city keys, the Sinj Carnival Association, in the presence of a dozen of its members, announced its brief but memorable rule in the Alka city. The Cetina Region Carnival can officially begin!
Through February 25, the citizens of Sinj and their guests can expect a lot of fun and laughter as part of the vibrant Carnival program.
Thus, on February 8, the traditional Tripiciada, a competition in the preparation of tripe, will be held. As always, when it comes to food, there is no compromise - this competition is ruthless, and the winner’s secrets are not revealed at any cost.
Saturday morning, February 15, is reserved for the children’s masquerade. The colorful and cheerful procession of little superheroes, princesses and princes, fairy tale characters and cartoons is always accompanied by playful laughter.
Milan Sabic
Later in the day, at 2 pm, a different kind of carnival procession begins. From the Sinj Hippodrome, the Carnival procession of the Cetina region begins. This year, they will gather for the sixth time, driven by the success and attendance of past events. The Carnival tradition of this region has been preserved for centuries by carefully and strictly established rules.
After the Feast of the Holy Three Kings, the best bearers and guardians of the Carnival customs in the region visit the villages and hamlets. How precious they are is also evidenced by the fact that they are on the list of protected intangible cultural assets of the Republic of Croatia.
The Carnival groups are from the villages of Gljev, Han, Obrovac Sinjski, Bajagic, the municipality of Otok (Jelašce, Priblace, Živinice, Gala, Ruda, Udovičići, and occasionally groups from Glavičica-Priblace, Ovrlja and Korita), while in Trilj, there are groups from Grab, Jabuka, Košuta, Vedrine, Vrpolje, Čačvina and Velić.
The most attractive and impressive part of the procession is the ‘didi’ (old men), who carry the fleece of sheep on their heads, standing tall at a height of up to 1.5 meters, with bells around their waist. They are dressed in old clothes with colorful fringes sewn on. The 'didi' symbolizes the ritual battle of good spirits in winter, and chase them away by making noise and jumping.
Zeljko Zrncic
This year's Carnival will also feature Grobnički Donodolaši, an old carnival group from Grobinscina (near Rijeka).
In addition to the traditional Carnival groups who preserve the precious traditions of the Croatian people with ritual, numerous groups participate in the spectacle, and with their comical stage performances, completes the whole procession.
Sime Strikoman will also commemorate this year's show with his famous millennium photo.
On February 21, a memorial evening will be held to commemorate the early departure of dear and beloved fellow citizen Vlatko Rogulj.
On February 22 and 23, the Sinj Carnival will be presented at the Rijeka Carnival and will crown their reign in Sinj on February 25, on the carnival Tuesday, with a traditional parade procession and masquerade at the Alkar Hotel.
To read more about Inland Dalmatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.
