March, or Ožujak in Croatian, is the first month of Spring. The weather is usually still on the cooler side, but snow is less likely and a few warmer days are not out of the ordinary. This is a pretty pleasant time of year to hike, run or cycle outside. Croatia in March is perfect for an early springtime day trip with lots of events around to choose from.
Depending on the calendar, Carnival comes to an end some years in March, but this year ended in February. Croatian's celebrate Ash Wednesday or Pepelnica, which marks the end of Carnival, and as with many other Christian religions, is the first day of Lent or Veliki Post. During mass a priest places ashes on your forehead in the symbol of a cross. Lent lasts for 40 days before Easter and is a season of fasting, abstinence, penance and prayer. No matter when Carnival ends or when Easter begins, the month of March is in the middle of Lent.
WineRi - March 8th-9th, Rijeka
This wine and gastro festival takes place in the city of Rijeka. Over 70 local wine producers come together for this delicious and fun event. Other items on exhibition include brandy, liqueurs, prosciutto, cured meat products, cheese, olive oil and chocolate from the Kvarner region. Restaurants, caterers, hotels and retailers participate and live local musicians provide the entertainment.
For more about Rijeka get our Travel Guide or
if you're interested in "Croatia's Tuscany" see our Day Trip to Istria.
Dugi Otok Trail - March 16th, Zadar
This is a trail race through the beautiful landscape of Telašćica Nature Park on the island of Dugi, near the city of Zadar. The race begins and ends in the village of Sali where you are treated to food and live music.
If a trail race is not your thing, there are plenty of other Outdoor Activities you can do!
Festival of Oysters - March 16th, Ston
This festival takes place in the town of Ston and Mali Ston. It traditionally marks the annual feast of Saint Joseph on March 19th with the tasting of local oysters and wines from the Pelješac peninsula. In 1687, St. Joseph was declared the patron saint and protector of Croatia and it's people. There are presentations of traditional Croatian island products, Dalmatian music, folklore performances, raffles and more.
Want to know more about Croatian cuisine? Check this article out!
Croatia's Festival of Lights - March 20th-24th, Zagreb
While most Americans celebrate a festival of lights around Christmas, this festival of lights
happens in the capital of Zagreb during this month. Attractive audio-visual installations and projections come to life at various locations around the city. The theme of the festival is spring which symbolizes the awakening, growth and renaissance. Each of the locations will try to evoke springtime through light performances held from 6:00 to 11:00pm. Zagreb joins other world cities that have a tradition of holding such festivals, like Lyon, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Helsinki, Finland; Prague, Czechia; St. Petersburg, Russia and Berlin, Germany.
Samobor Salami Festival - March 23rd
Known as Samoborska Salamijada in Croatian, takes place in the town of Samobor, where rookies to professionals take part in producing the best salami in the area.
Need help planning your travel to Croatia? Let me design a Custom Itinerary for you!
Palm Sunday, or Cvjetnica in Croatian, takes place either in March or April depending on the calendar of when Easter falls. This year it takes Palm Sunday and Easter take place during this month. Some churches gather with olive branches, like in Igor's hometown of Tribalj, and others use palm branches. In the city of Dubrovnik, it is a tradition to braid the palm leaves, called Pome. The Holy Week continues and make sure to be on the lookout for giant painted easter eggs around symbolizing friendship, love and joy. On Good Friday, or Veliki Petak in Croatian, you fast until Easter on fish, beans, nuts and fruit, but no other meat through Saturday. On Saturday, boiled eggs are painted and different dishes of egg, ham, lamb, leeks and pastries are prepared and placed in a basket that is then brought to the church on Easter to be blessed. Igor's mother puts a little bit of everything in the basket, even the salt you use to dip the raw leeks into before biting. Easter, or Uskrs in Croatian, is celebrated either in March or April depending on the calendar and ends the practice of Lent. It is an old tradition to bury in the ground any scraps that remain after the Easter feast instead of throw in the garbage because the food is blessed, so it's like a Holy version of composting for all those eco-friendly peeps out there...wink, wink, did you see what I did there?
Croatia in March is filled with holidays, festivals and races that will have you discovering more than you ever imagined. Springtime has only just begun!
North Coast Croatia Travel Agency specializes in travel to Croatia and surrounding European countries. Providing consultations, custom itineraries, pre-designed theme itineraries, summer beach rentals and a travel blog. Booking flights, accommodations, cruises, tours, rental cars, transfers, bus/train/ferry tickets, travel insurance and more!
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Happy Travels! Sretan Put!
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