PHOTOS: The 49th Prstenac Race keeps old Croatian tradition alive

by croatiaweek
August 26, 2024
in Entertainment

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

ZAGREB, 26 Aug (Hina) – Erik Žagrić and his horse Zvjezdan are the winners of this year’s 49th Prstenac Race, which took place on Sunday in the Istrian municipality of Barban, and the event’s patron, President Zoran Milanović, presented the winner with a transfer gift, a shield and a dagger.

Žagrić also received a €5,000 reward, presented to him by Istria County head Boris Miletić.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

The Prstenac Race is an equestrian event in which competitors must complete a 150-metre track in three races and hit an iron ring, called prstenac, with a spear.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

“Here, we do not celebrate any great victories, of which there have been many, nor do we commemorate or mourn defeats. This is a celebration of a way of life and the joy that intertwines with many segments and details of Croatian history: from these traditional costumes, the history of this region, which is a blend of the old population of Istria, the Slavic inhabitants of Istria, and settlers from the areas of Dalmatia, the Makarska coast.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

All of this together has created a people who have withstood all challenges and threats over the past few centuries,” said the President of the Republic, Zoran Milanović, in Barban.

(Photo: Office of the President of Croatia/Dario Andrišek)

This year marked the 49th annual traditional race, which is held on the penultimate weekend of August and was revived in 1976, after a 280-year hiatus.