hrvatski

Slavljenje blagdana na srednjovjekovnom hrvatskom priobalju

Croatian scholars of the medieval period have rather extensively dealt with patron saints, their feast days and individual holidays on a local level. This article is intended to be a survey of church calendars, similarities and differences in celebrating holy days and feasts along the Croatian Adriatic according to the city statute laws and published sources. Cities of Poreč, Dvigrad, Rab, Zadar, Šibenik, Trogir, Split, Dubrovnik and Kotor were taken into the account. Official ecclesiastical calendars (as set forth in the 12th century Gratian’s Decretum, for example) listed for obligatory observance all Sundays and 36 feast days (in the later period up to 40) as festes principales. However, there was always a supplement allowing parishioners to celebrate any other feasts that met the approval of their bishops. In this way each diocese was afforded an opportunity for the observance of the days of local significance, which resulted in establishing numerous local holidays. The other, even more important, factor that contributed to the diversity of the local church calendars was the fact that secular authorities (for the city councils were the ones that issued decrees on which feasts were to be observed and how) favoured some specific holy days in order to strengthen the cohesion within the community and especially to promote its political alignment. The feast days of patron saints have always had special significance for the community. (Concerning this matter there has always been a complex question of acquiring and collecting the relics, which led to increasing the number of and refashioning the legends). Again, city statute laws regulate holiday rights and obligations. Citizens were not allowed to work, except for the urgent matters (usually wartime activities, food supply and health care) and those approved by the city authorities. Three days before and after the feast all offenders, except those accused for murder, were granted immunity so they could join the celebration. Fraternities, apart from their beneficiary service, were involved in decorating churches and organizing processions and other aspects of popular piety. Days just before and after a patron saint’s day were also a time for organizing the annual fair: generally all merchants were allowed to bring in their goods without paying the regular fees. Attention is also given to public festivities such as ones connected to military successes, a change of political establishment or the ones connected to royalty: honouring a visit of a royal (or of some other high official), or celebrating a royal birth or marriage. Toward the end of the Middle Ages there are more and more sources regarding carnival activities.

blagdani, svečanosti, sveci zaštitnici, pučka pobožnost, srednji vijek, gradski statuti

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