Festivity of Saint Blaise, the patron of Dubrovnik Inscribed in
2009 (4.COM) on the Representative List of the Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity - Festivity of Saint Blaise, the
patron of Dubrovnik - © 2008 by Ministry of Culture The evening
before the festivity of Saint Blaise in Dubrovnik, Croatia, as
all the church bells in the city ring and white doves are
released as symbols of peace, worshippers gather for a ritual
healing of the throat to preserve them against illness. On the
third of February, the official day of both saint and city,
parish banner bearers flow into the city in folk costume for the
centrepiece of the festival, a procession attended by bishops,
ambassadors, civic leaders, visiting notables and the people of
Dubrovnik. The festivity embodies many aspects of human
creativity, from rituals to folk songs, from performance to
traditional crafts (including the making of the historical
weapons fired in celebration). The ritual dates back in some
form to at least 1190 and has reinforced