Jurjevo, the Green George

How Jurjevo works

Jurjevo is St George's Day, 23 April, and in the villages around Zagreb it opens the farming year. The evening before, each village lights a bonfire called a krijes on a meadow, and neighbours stand around it until late. On the day itself a young man is dressed from head to foot in fresh green branches until only his eyes show. A group of singers, the jurjaši, leads him from house to house. At each door they sing that painted Easter has passed and Green George has come, and the household answers with eggs, food or a coin.

There is no ticket and no gate: you see the custom by being in a village. Turopolje, the flat country south of the airport, keeps the strongest tradition, and Velika Gorica usually holds an organised celebration with a central bonfire. In Zagorje, the hills north of Medvednica, and in Prigorje, the slopes on the Zagreb side of the mountain, the groups walk from farm to farm. In 2027 the day falls on a Friday, so the bonfires burn on Thursday evening. The tourist offices in Velika Gorica and on Ban Jelačić Square in Zagreb know which villages have a group that year.

Getting there from Zagreb

Zagreb Airport lies at Pleso, 15 km south of the centre, and the fields beyond the runway are already Turopolje. Suburban trains and ZET city buses from the Main Station reach Velika Gorica in about 30 minutes. For Zagorje, trains from the Main Station go to Zabok and on toward Krapina and Varaždin, buses leave from the main bus station, and the A2 motorway puts drivers in the hills in about 40 minutes. The villages have no public transport late in the evening, so a hire car is the practical choice for the bonfire. Park on the village road where the locals do.

Where to stay

Stay in Zagreb and go out for the bonfire and the procession. The Lower Town around the Main Station puts the trains to Velika Gorica and Zagorje on your doorstep. If you want to wake up in Turopolje, Velika Gorica has a few small hotels and private rooms close to the villages. In Zagorje the spa villages of Krapinske Toplice, Tuheljske Toplice and Stubičke Toplice have the largest hotels in the hills, with thermal pools for the morning after a cold night at the fire. April is outside the main season, but the spa hotels fill at weekends, so book several weeks ahead.

Costumes, chapels and the market

The Ethnographic Museum on Mažuranić Square is the best preparation for the day. Its display holds costumes and ritual objects from every Croatian region, including the Pannonian villages, and the museum runs a programme on the keeping of customs. South of the city, the Turopolje plain has several dozen oak chapels built without nails and roofed with shingle, and the Turopolje Museum in Velika Gorica explains the noble commune that governed the region for centuries. Back in Zagreb, women from Zagorje and Turopolje sell cheese, cream and eggs every morning at Dolac market above Ban Jelačić Square. Go before 09:00.

Where to eat

The food of Jurjevo country is the food of the Zagreb hills: štrukli filled with fresh cheese, turkey with mlinci, and in Turopolje pork from the Turopolje pig, an old breed that grazes in the oak woods. In Šestine, the Prigorje village on the slope of Medvednica, the old inn by the church of St Emeric serves this cooking, a bus ride of about 15 minutes from the Upper Town. In the centre, Bistro Pod Zidom cooks from what the chef bought at Dolac that morning, and the Esplanade Hotel by the Main Station is known for its štrukli.

Practical notes

Late April around Zagreb brings mild days of 15 to 20 degrees, cold evenings and frequent rain, and the bonfire meadows are often muddy. Croatia uses the euro, and cards are normal in Zagreb, but small inns in the hills and anything sold at a village fire may take cash only. Children take part in the custom at home, so the day works well for families, and the singing is easy to follow without any Croatian. Ask before photographing the Green George up close, and stay behind the singers at each house: the gift at the door belongs to them.

• A warm jacket and hat, the temperature drops fast after sunset
• Firm waterproof shoes for wet meadows
• A small torch for the walk back to the car
• Cash in small notes for inns and village stalls
• A few coins to give if the singers stop beside you