Croatians are a proud people who love their history. We said that they like to be in folk clubs and societies. In these clubs, they dress like people used to dress in villages. They sing old songs and dance like people used to.

The folk tradition is different in different parts of Croatia.

The part of Croatia next to the sea is called Dalmatia, Istria, and Kvaerner. If you have watched 101 Dalmatians, you could see cute white dogs with black spots. They come from Dalmatia, so they got their name.

In parts of Croatia next to the sea, traditional music has a few different types. There is a “klapa”. “Klapa” is a group of men who sing songs in groups, and there are no instruments. “Klapa” groups sing about sea, living next to sea, or about love.

They usually wear white shirts, black pants, and a red fabric belt.

In modern times, “klapa” groups started using modern instruments, and there are women “klapa” as well.

A part of Croatia with plains is called Slavonija. Parts of Croatia with mountains and hills are called Zagorje, Međimurje, even Lika. All of these have similar folk clubs and instruments, but they are still different from one place to the other. When they dance, a lot of people stand into the circle called “kolo”. They hold each other’s hand, or hold each other around the waist, and dance in circles while singing.

While they are singing and dancing, other people play instruments like “tamburica” .

“Gajde”, similar to the instrument played in Scottish traditional music:

Or “diple”, similar to flute:

Online Croatian lessons for kids: dinolingo.com