May Goes Out with a Bang!
Statehood Day (May 30), Zagreb City Day (May 31), and Mayoral Runoff Election Day (June 1)
While many people will escape Zagreb for the long weekend, I’ll be here for this three-day weekend, which includes Croatia Statehood Day, Zagreb City Day, and the Zagreb mayoral runoff election.
Friday, May 30 is Dan državnosti – Statehood Day – which celebrates Croatia’s declaration of independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. On May 19, 1991, 93.2% voted yes to a referendum for Croatia to become a sovereign country. On June 25, the Croatian Parliament adopted the Constitutional Declaration on the Sovereignty and Independence of the Republic of Croatia (Ustavna odluka o suverenosti i samostalnosti Republike Hrvatske). The date has changed through the years, but May 30, 1990 was the convening of Croatia’s first freely elected multi-party Parliament, which would eventually lead to the official declaration of independence the following year.
It is a day of remembrance of the Croatian War of Independence (Domovinski rat), including veterans, those who lost their lives, and Croatia’s first president, Franjo Tuđman (whose name is bestowed on Zagreb Airport as well as a park near where I live). Other cities and towns in Croatia also have public places named after Tuđman.
Saturday, May 31 is Zagreb City Day, which has also been celebrated on different dates in the past. However, since 1999, it coincides with the feast of Our Lady of the Stone Gate (the Virgin Mary) – Patroness of the City of Zagreb – because on May 31, 1731, the painting of Our Lady survived a horrific fire, which was deemed a miracle. Today people flock to the Stone Gate to light candles and pay their respects. The City of Zagreb will celebrate with a variety of activities, weather permitting.
And last, but not least, Sunday, June 1 is a runoff election for Zagreb’s mayor. The mayor since 2021, Tomislav Tomašević, didn’t win a majority 50% or more in the election two weeks ago, so voters will return to the polls and decide between Tomašević (who won 47.59% of the vote) and the second-highest vote-getter, Marija Selak Raspudić (15.67%). My neighborhood friend is going to vote and I am going to accompany her for some “poll-spotting.”
I became familiar with Tomašević through his social media channels (Facebook and Instagram). I’ve been following what his administration has done the past year and his campaign – he’s fascinating to watch. If I were a citizen of Zagreb, I would vote for him based on the progress I’ve seen. He also comes across as very personable and approachable – and he and his family live in my neighborhood, too. Despite some contentious remarks from followers of his accounts, he appears to be the favorite (but we will see). You can read more about him in this recent article, which I found to be very heartwarming.