Municipality of Perušić - NGO Dedi
Dedi is an organisation that preserves the local heritage and organises social events in Donji Kosinj. The NGO exists since 2005 and has approximately 75 members who cherish the carnival tradition at least 150 years long. They organise the celebration for Saints Peter and Paul’s Day in Donji Kosinj.
Donji Kosinj 173 Kosinj - Croatia/ Lika-Senj County
Tourist experience: Dedi are famous for their long tradition regarding the carnival when the group visits all the villagers in their homes, they sing, make everyone happy, and collect money. The villagers perceive Dedi’s visit as a sort of house blessing, taking away all the bad energies of the previous year. Interestingly, they are bell ringers, which is a tradition that does not exist in other parts of Lika. They have thick sticks, so if the villagers start running away from them, they have to catch and they carry them back on the sticks. During the carnival, they burn ‘mesopust’, a character guilty for everything that went wrong during the previous year, and they use the money they collected for organising a village party for Shrove Tuesday. They also organise the celebration for Saints Peter and Paul’s Day in Donji Kosinj.
Spoken languages: English, Croatian
Experience duration: 1 day, preferably during the carnival or Saints Peter and Paul’s Day
Less than 20 min by walk from the nearest accommodation, car parking or bus station
Accessibility: Accessible to everyone
Tourist contact: Ivan Rast
Cultural immaterial heritage: Local traditions or legend, Local events (theatre, music, dance, exhibitions), Carnival, Traditional work
Hidden intangible patrimony: Gastronomy and culinary practices, Local customs, Community tales, Family tales
Experiences: Showing around
Form filler: Anita Ladišić