Solin celebrates Mala Gospa

Mala Gospa, which translates directly into "Little Lady", is the Croatian name for the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated on September 8th. As opposed to Velika Gospa (the Assumption) on August 15th, which honors the end of Mary's earthly life, Mala Gospa celebrates her birth. And while it is not a public holiday like Velika Gospa, it remains a highly cherished religious event across the country.

Mala Gospa is traditionally celebrated at any one of Croatia’s numerous Marian shrines, with church services, open-air mass, pilgrimages, and massive traditional processions. Several key locations in Croatia take center stage on September 8th. However, the Dalmatian city of Solin has the strongest traditional ties with the feast as it coincides with celebrations marking the Day of the City. Solin is not only home to the oldest Marian shrine in Croatia, it is also one of Croatia's hidden gems when it comes to quality of life.

"Solin was declared the most desirable mid-sized city to live in, meaning up to thirty thousand people. But when I'm asked what the most important factor is, I like to say it's the people," said Solin Mayor Dalibor Ninčević after today’s procession.

While Split-Dalmatia County Prefect Blaženko Boban added: "I'm a little older, so I can recall when people would give Solin a wide berth. When many of my colleagues didn't even know this city of almost thirty thousand people existed or where it was. And today it is truly the crown-jewel of Split-Dalmatia County and Croatia as a whole, by almost every metric."

Source: HRT