CROATIA

Folklore Festival of Adriatic Croatia "The Moonlight Has Set on the Neretva River"

The festival "Na Neretvu misečina pala" is the most important event in the coastal and island part of Croatia. A few years ago, it included groups from the Adriatic-Ionian region in its program, so its name was supplemented - the Folklore Festival of Adriatic Croatia "Na Neretvu misečina pala".
The festival has the status of an elective festival for the most important national events: "International Folklore Festival in Zagreb", Vinkovci jesseni", "Đakovački vezovi", "Brodsko kolo" and "Meeting of Croatian Folklore Ensembles".
This event contributes to the preservation of cultural heritage and has rescued all the most important dance and music traditions from oblivion, many of which are on the national and UNESCO lists of protected intangible cultural assets. Heritage, folk creativity and, above all, native original songs and dances, are pulled out of grandmother's chests full of forgotten clothes and show the wealth of cultural heritage.
From the 15th Festival, it was also the turn of spiritual tradition, namely the segment of Marian folk songs. In this way, this almost forgotten form of folk vocal expression was not only renewed, but, it seems, revived with new intensity, one could even say a new life.