Celebration in Jelsa – Fisherman’s Night is a real tourist attraction

Traditional fishermen’s nights have been held for years all over the Adriatic, and Jelsa on the island of Hvar has a long-standing tradition of these folk festivities.

It is a great opportunity for tourists from all over the world to feel the revived past of former times, hanging out on the city’s waterfront with the hosts to the sounds of music, intoxicating smells of fish, and murmurs of various languages.

Jelsa, island of Hvar, Photo: Adria fun

Jelsa has a rich fishing past. Most of the inhabitants in the 19th century were fishermen, heavy workers, and craftsmen, and some of them participated in the fifty-year fishing epic on Lampedusa and throughout the Mediterranean. Jelsa also had a considerable fleet of merchant sailing ships that sailed the oceans. They say that it was almost equal to that of the much larger Split.

As I was on business in Hvar at the end of July, I decided to visit this event, which normally occurs several times during the tourist season.

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

On that sultry evening of July 31, the well-kept waterfront in Jelsa was quite full of tourists and locals walking along it. When I arrived, my attention was already attracted by the offer of handmade products made of lace and wool, which was spread over several beautiful stands. “Here you go sir…buy something…” one of the older ladies said loudly as I looked at her handicrafts with interest.

Handicrafts from Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

The purchase did not happen, however, because my attention was quickly drawn to the music that was spreading along the waterfront, so I headed toward the source of the sound. The group Koperonti from the island of Brač played on the stage, and the repertoire was classic Dalmatian …a sequence of Oliver, a sequence of klapa music, and all of this garnished with a few international hits…

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

The central place on the waterfront is Veli most, and it was there that the biggest crowd was because the first Fisherman’s Night of the year had already started. Tourists were already patiently standing in a thirty-meter-long line to taste the prepared food and the local wine offered.

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

The smell of fish, squid, brudette, and various shellfish wafted intoxicatingly from the stalls where the food was eaten immediately and prepared, so even the one who thought he wasn’t hungry must have become hungry. You know about the “hungry eyes” syndrome that occurs when there is plenty of good food, but there is too little room in the stomach. The guiding thought with hungry eyes is always the same – tomorrow this won’t be here, I’d better rush in as much as I can now.

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

That’s why tourists flocked to get a large portion of fish specialties and a glass of wine for only 15 euros. “It’s unprofitable for me, but the city asked me to organize it, so I do it like every year,” Rino Buljubasić, a local fisherman and organizer of food and drinks at the Fishermen’s night, told me. He tells me that it is difficult to find labor for such parties because no one will work even though he pays 100 euros for three hours of work, so he hired his daughter and friends who had their hands full…

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

“There will be at least one more Fisherman’s night like this in this tourist season because tourists love it,” says Rino while overseeing the pouring of white and black local Hvar wine from plastic canisters. I ask him if it is his wine, to which he says with a smile that it is not, but that he gets it from friends from nearby wineries.

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

The Fisherman’s night lasted until late at night, and the line for tasting food and drinks did not shorten until everyone had eaten and drunk everything provided for that evening.

Fisherman’s night in Jelsa, Photo: Adria fun

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Rino tells me as he puts the remains of plastic cups and plates into garbage bags.

I wave to him in a good mood while I climb the cargo sculpture a moment later to pose for the last photo of the day…

Jelsa, donkey – tovar, Photo: Adria fun

Maybe next year I’ll come again… who knows…

This publication was co-financed by the Fund for the Promotion of Pluralism and Diversity of Electronic Media.