Because of its coastal border, Croatia is in a really special position, geographically speaking, but it is also linked to three other key areas: north-central Europe, east Europe and west Europe. Croatian culture has been influenced significantly by these nearby regions. Lots of people have visited the country - in fact, tourists have travelled to Croatia ever since the early fourteenth century!

Croatia has a very long and varied history, and much of this is still evident in the country today. The country's history has had a big effect on the nation and the Croat people.

History

A lot of relics of the past can be seen all over the country, so it's really no wonder people travel far and wide to explore it. There's a city called Pula, which has a 2,000 year old amphitheatre, and another city, Split, which has a palace that was built by a Roman Emperor called Diocletian in the third century. Dubrovnik is a walled medieval city - it is renowned as the best preserved of all walled cities in the whole of the Mediterranean.

The thousands of islands along the coast include many signs of the past too. Brijuni is a group of 14 islands with plenty of Roman and Byzantine buildings. The island of Korcula is said to be where the explorer Marco Polo was born (in 1254).

A Croatian Christmas

Christmas is an important celebration for the Croat people This festival has been celebrated in Croatia since the ninth century. Christmas is not only important in terms of Christianity, but is also viewed as a time to reflect on how the Catholic Church has helped the Croatian people in the past, when other countries have ruled over Croatia. During the wars in the early 1990s, many of the churches were destroyed in order to try and overrule the people, but finally Croatia succeeded in claiming independence, for the first time in a thousand years.

Christmas customs vary, depending on what area in Croatia you are in. For example, there are lots of different carols and loads of different types of food, and these can be very specific to particular parts of the country. Saying 'Merry Christmas' is the same though wherever you go in Croatia - they say 'Sretan Bozic'.

In the coastal regions, the traditional Christmas Eve dish is fish - salted cod. The Croatian people also eat special Christmas Eve bread, called Badnji Kruh. This is made of dried fruit, nuts and honey. Another type of bread is made before Christmas and is generally braided and glazed in sugar. It is often left on the dinner table until the Epiphany, 6 th January, when it is then eaten.

On Christmas day the Saints give gifts to the children: which Saint gives the gift depends on where you are in the country. The main day for giving presents in Croatia is St Nicholas Day, which is on 6th December.

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