Празникът на Кирил и Методий в Хърватия или потиснатата памет за славянската идентичност на хърватите
The Celebration of Cyril and Methodius in Croatia and the Oppressed Memory for the Croats Slavic Identity

Summary/Abstract: On the basis of sources from the Croatian periodicals the article aims to explore the origin and development of the celebration of the date of the Slavic Apostles Cyril and Methodius – July 5-th, according to the Catholic calendar – as a popular Croatian celebration in the period 1910-1914. The legacy and symbolism of Cyril and Methodius were imposed permanently in the consciousness of the Croatian society in the 19-th century, thanks to the Slavistic science, Slavophil movement, Catholic Church, and attempts for imposition of the Glagolic Slavic liturgy. Together with the Cyril and Methodius celebrations, the struggle for defending of the Croatian national identity against the foreign cultural and political influences was started and developed. Thus, on the basis of a historical tradition and actual political necessity, a transition from the celebration of the Slavic Apostles Cyril and Methodius from the religious sphere to the civil life was fulfilled at the end of the 19-th and the beginning of the 20-th century. For first time the holiday was celebrated with a civil ritual from the Society “St St Cyril and Methodius” in Istria in 1909. That encouraged the Croatian political, cultural and Church elite to organize national celebration in the next year. For that purpose in Zagreb a Central Committee was created, which promulgated July 5-th for an official holiday (narodni blagdan) and gave directions for its celebration in the whole country. The “Club of Cyril-Methodius Masons” ahead with Prof. Rudolf Horvat, who was also a president of the Central Organizational Committee, played a great role in the organization of the celebrations. All Croatian cultural, educational, charity, sports and other societies and organizations participated in them. The newspapers of the political parties and the independent press gave a lot of information about the celebration and imposed the idea it was an expression of the Croatian national and cultural unity, and a day of political and social reconciliation. In 1913 the “Club of Cyril-Methodius Masons” was transformed in the “Croatian National Guard”, which aim was to make the celebration more popular in the country. But the Austro-Hungarian authorities took measures for its limitation to a purely charity actions. Because of its Slavophil character the celebration became impossible at the beginning of the First World War. After the war, with the imposition of the political ideology of Yugoslavism, it was completely forgotten from the Croats.

• Details
• Contents