Introduction to the Contest for the Most Beautiful Croatian Woman in a National Folk Costume Outside of the Republic of Croatia
The Traditional National Folk Costume Show in Biograd na Moru gathered young women of Croatian descent from all over the world in a celebratory introduction to the grand finale of the Contest for the Most Beautiful Croatian Woman in a National Folk Costume Outside the Republic of Croatia, which will be held on July 5, 2025 in Tomislavgrad.
Held at the city waterfront in Biograd na Moru was a festive traditional national folk costume show, the first event within the program of the Traditional National Folk Costume Show and the Contest for the Most Beautiful Croatian Woman in Folk Costume Outside of the Republic of Croatia.
This event, taking place for the twelfth consecutive year, is the result of the cooperation and dedicated work of the Stećak Association for the Preservation and Promotion of Croatian Traditional Culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Croatian Heritage Foundation, in partnership with: the Town of Tomislavgrad, the Tomislavgrad Cultural and Information Center, the City of Biograd na Moru and the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Tomislavgrad.
The program is held under the auspices of:
- Dr. Dragan Čović, President of the Croatian National Assembly
- The Central State Office for Croats Abroad
- The Government of Herceg-Bosnia County
- The Ministry of Demography and Immigration
As in previous years, participating in the show were Croatian women – representatives of Croatian diaspora and minority communities from Europe and other continents. The richly decorated folk costumes worn by 16 girls from all over the world delighted many tourists and local residents of Biograd.
Among the guests were the Mayor of Biograd na Moru, Ivan Knez, and Zvonko Martić, pastor of the Parish of Kamen near Split and one of the initiators of this program.
The young women walked along the waterfront in folk costumes, at sunset, while the spectators delighted in the one-hour program emceed by Frano Ridjan – through which they could learn about the richness and beauty of Croatian traditional costumes, as well as stories about the contestants themselves.
The show in Biograd was brought to a close with a loud applause, and the young women are now continuing their trip to Tomislavgrad, where the Contest for the Most Beautiful Croatian Woman in National Costume Outside the Republic of Croatia will be held on July 5.
Text and photo: CHF
