Free grah around Croatia to mark 1 May
- by croatiaweek
- in News
1 May 2019 – Croatians will mark May Day, or International Workers’ Day, today with a public holiday that will see thousands turn out for traditional free lunches around the country.
Over 70,000 portions of free bean soup (grah) and 60,000 bread rolls will be served at Maksimir Park in the capital Zagreb to celebrate Labour Day.
The free lunch is a tradition in Croatia, and there will also be bean soup served at many other locations around the country on Wednesday.
In Split, the largest city on the coast, the tradition to gather on Marjan hill for a free lunch will not take place this year.
Free grah will be served in other cities, including Rijeka, Karlovac, Pula, Dubrovnik, Osijek, Varazdin and Šibenik. Around 5,000 portions will be served in Koprivnica and there will also be free grah served at Krka National Park to guests.
Bean soup is given out to all people as a symbol of a real workers dish and red carnations as a symbol of the blood of fallen workers from the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago. The date, 1 May, has also been known for anti-capitalist protests around the world.
