Krk island – St. Nicholas arrives in cabriolet instead of boat

In the area of Krk Town and other local centres, this year there will be no traditional Advent events and programs that would include the gathering of a larger number of people, but a way has been found to enable children to meet St. Nicholas.

Due to “new normal” circumstances and all those formally prescribed or common-sense restrictions on social distancing, this year, apparently, the schedule of Advent events and gatherings on the island of Krk will remain more or less empty.

Of course, this is especially true for the secular part of the program events that have been organized during the December weekends in recent years, primarily by the island’s tourist and cultural institutions, but also by numerous local associations. As we were told in the Krk Tourist Board, at least in the area of Krk town this year, due to the need to continue implementing measures aimed at preventing the spread of coronavirus, no events or street gatherings are planned in the upcoming Advent. These days, we find out, a kind of coordinating meetings were held at the island level among the leaders of all local tourist boards. do not do in other Krk local units, or tourist destinations, at least not in a form that would involve attracting more people to a place.

Compliance with measures

In the circumstances in which from week to week, in fact now and from day to day there is an increase in the number of patients and even deaths from the viral disease that marked this year, such “announcements” of organizers and initiators of cultural and entertainment events on the island of Krk miracles. As presented to us in response to our inquiry on this topic from the Tourist Office of the Krk Tourist Board, caterers who in the coming pre-holiday period may decide to offer their fellow citizens some additional “outdoor facilities” and a suitable offer at the time of year, will be able to do the same, of course, subject to compliance with all those currently valid legal provisions, i.e. with strict and consistent compliance with epidemiological measures, restrictions and recommendations, which, we hear in recent days, tend to further tighten and tighten.

Unlike Advent “street” events and a catering offer, or entertainment and music programs that will, understandably, be largely absent this year, representatives of the Cultural Center of Krk town tried to find a way to even in such “pandemic” circumstances, enable children from the area of the island town and its surroundings to meet Saint Nicholas, their dear guest, heavenly protector and donor whom the boys and girls have so far welcomed on the waterfront and with whom they then hung out on Vela placa or in the gallery space of Krk’s Decumanus.

There will be presents too!

Wanting to maintain this tradition, which means a lot to the youngest people of Krk, but also to respect all measures and recommendations regarding the preservation of the health of our fellow citizens, which is an absolute priority for all of us, this year we decided to welcome and socialize with this saint. Maja Parentić, the director of the Cultural Center of the City of Krk, in whose direction this program is regularly held, revealed to us that we live in a more appropriate way. This year, St. Nicholas will not sail to Krk by boat or hang out with children in our central square but will show himself to all our children with his “head and beard” and greet them from an attractive cabriolet with which we will ride him, accompanied by crampus. 

Noting that in the coming days the Cultural Center will announce the exact and precise schedule of cars that will drive through St. Nicholas and the surrounding areas on Saturday, December the 5th, the director of the Cultural Center said that in this interesting, original and attractive way children nevertheless to enable them to see and greet their dear visitor, this time from a distance, from their yards and from the doorsteps, without the need to gather, print and “mix” the little ones. With the same goal and with the same restrictions, we will organize the distribution of gifts provided by the City Administration this year as well, which will be distributed to children in all kindergartens in the area during the first working day of the week after the arrival of St. Nicholas. Children will receive gifts in the space of their educational groups, and children who do not attend kindergartens will be informed about the manner, time and place of receiving well-deserved gifts by a letter received by their parents, explained Parentić, convinced that despite changes and epidemiological adjustments, the little ones will not be deprived of the joy and excitement that the reception of St. Nicholas regularly brings with it!

Source: Novilist.hr