Zagorje: 500 gunshots to celebrate 500 years of an Easter tradition

The day before Easter is usually a quiet time of reflection and waiting but not in Zagorje. Locals in Kostel, near Pregrada, celebrate the anticipation of Easter by firing flintlock pistols. 

The noise of pistols firing symbolizes the thunder that preceded Jesus' resurrection. Locals have been nurturing this tradition for hundreds of years. In fact, this year was the event's 500th anniversary, which was celebrated with 500 gunshots. President Zoran Milanović was a guest and tried his hand at firing a flintlock pistol.

"You'd be hard pressed to find a home in Kostel that doesn't have this kind of weapon at home. It's a deeply rooted tradition here. We like to say you're born with the pistol and you live and die with it,” says Milan Flegar, the head of the Kostel Pistol Association.

Pregrada Mayor Marko Vešligaj says the tradition may be old but younger generations are very much eager to take part.

"It's a memento of times past. It makes older people a teary-eyed and inspires pride in the younger population. They feel they want to be part of it. They want to take out that pistol and fire it under the castle,” says Vešligaj.