Za križen, the night procession on Hvar

After the Thursday evening Mass, one cross-bearer sets out from each of six parish churches carrying a heavy wooden cross. He walks barefoot, followed by a procession of singers, and by morning has passed through all five neighbouring villages and returned to his own church. The custom has been kept since 1510.

Six routes, one night

The processions all move in the same direction, in a circle from Jelsa through Pitve, Vrisnik, Svirče, Vrbanj and Vrboska and back. They never meet head-on. The cross-bearer is chosen years in advance, and in some parishes the waiting list runs for decades.

For onlookers: stand at the edge of the road and let the procession pass. No flash, no applause. The best moments are the departure outside the church around 22:00 and the return before dawn. The last ferry off Hvar leaves in the evening, so plan to stay the night on the island.