61st Vinkovačke Jeseni opens in Vinkovci with local star Jakov Jozinović

(Photo: Vinkovačke Jeseni)

By Thomas Mustać

VINKOVCI, Croatia – There are some moments when a Croatian city feels less like a place and more like a memory. For Vinkovci, that moment arrives every September, and it’s not just a personal favorite, but one that has become a favorite of mine since making Slavonija my home.

The 61st Vinkovačke Jeseni officially began last night, September 11, bringing ten days of folklore, music, tradition, food and Slavonian hospitality to the heart of eastern Croatia.

(Photo: Vinkovačke Jeseni)

Running through September 20, the beloved festival once again welcomes visitors from across Croatia and abroad, including the Croatian diaspora returning home to reconnect with the sights, sounds and traditions they grew up with.

And this year, the opening musical moment has a particularly local touch.

Jakov Jozinović, who was born in the town of Vinkovci, took on the main stage tonight, thus providing this emerging Croatian artist with the opportunity to showcase his talents for his hometown audience. The expanding list of his tracks, which includes songs like “Ja volim,” “Nećeš spavati,” “Raj,” and “Meri,” has made him one of Croatia’s promising artists and, if not the biggest star right now.

Jakov Jozinović (Photo: Vinkovačke Jeseni)

For Jozinović, however, this is more than another concert. It is a homecoming. Local officials and many within the Slavonija region have described his performance as a long-awaited opportunity for a “child of the city” to finally perform at Vinkovačke Jeseni in his hometown.

But music is only part of what makes Vinkovačke Jeseni so special.

The festival has become one of the most important festivals in Croatia during the last sixty years.

(Photo: Vinkovačke Jeseni)

The folk costumes, tamburitza music, dances, homemade meals, wine, horses, and Slavonian traditions have made Vinkovci the place where several generations gather together. The subject matter of this year’s festival, known as “Vlak slavonske ravnice” (Train of the Slavonian Plains), has a special symbolic significance. It describes both the stories of arrival of people who came to Slavonia seeking for new chances, security, and a better life, and the stories of those who left.

For the diaspora, Vinkovačke Jeseni provides something that becomes especially valuable: a connection to the Croatian traditions.

(Photo: Vinkovačke Jeseni)

The festival’s official opening ceremony will take place on September 18, while the grand finale comes on September 20 with the spectacular procession of folklore participants, horse-drawn carriages and riders through the streets of Vinkovci.

Between those dates, there will be children’s folklore, traditional performances, concerts, Slavonian food, tamburaši, and countless opportunities to simply enjoy the atmosphere. Because that is ultimately what Vinkovačke Jeseni represents.

Come home. Hear the tambura. Taste Slavonia. See the costumes. Watch the horses pass. And remember where you came from. For ten days, Vinkovci once again becomes the heart of the Slavonian plains and a place where Croatians, wherever they live, can feel at home.