The music of Croatia, like the divisions of the country itself, has two major influences: Central European, present in central and northern parts of the country including Slavonia, and Mediterranean, present in coastal regions of Dalmatia and Istria.
Bunjevci are a South Slavic sub-ethnic group living mostly in the Bačka area of northern Serbia and southern Hungary, particularly in Baja and surroundings, in Croatia, and in Bosnia-Herzegovina. They presumably originate from western Herzegovina. As a result of the Ottoman conquest, some of them migrated to Dalmatia, from there to Lika and the Croatian Littoral, and in the 17th century to the Bácska area of Hungary.
Zorya is a figure in Slavic folklore, a feminine personification of dawn, possibly goddess. Depending on tradition, she may appear as a singular entity, often called "The Red Maiden", or two or three sisters at once. Although Zorya is etymologically unrelated to the Proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn *H₂éwsōs, she shares most of her characteristics. She is often depicted as the sister of the Sun, the Moon, and Zvezda, the Morning Star with which she is sometimes identified. She lives in the Palace of the Sun, opens the gate for him in the morning so that he can set off on a journey through the sky, guards his white horses, she is also described as a virgin. In the Eastern Slavic tradition of zagovory she represents the supreme power that a practitioner appeals to.
"Istrian scale" refers both to a "unique" musical scale and to the folk music genres from Istria and Kvarner which use that scale. It is named for the Istrian peninsula. Istrian folk music is based on a distinctive six-tone musical scale, and the peninsula's two-part, slightly nasal singing. The two-part singing and playing in the Istrian scale, a traditional singing practice characteristic of the Istrian region and the north Adriatic coastal area and islands, was inscribed in UNESCO's List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
Dodola and Perperuna, are Balkan rainmaking pagan customs practiced until the 20th century. The tradition is found in South Slavic countries, as well as in near Albania, Greece, Hungary, Moldavia and Romania.
A vila, or víla[ˈviːla] is a Slavic fairy similar to a nymph.
Zvonimir "Zvonko" Bogdan is a Serbian Bunjevac performer of traditional folk songs of Serbia, Croatia, Hungary and Romania. He is also a composer, wine producer and harness racer.
Gvozd is a municipality in central Croatia, Sisak-Moslavina County. Its seat is located in Vrginmost (Вргинмост), which was renamed to Gvozd from 1996–2012. It is an underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the First Category Area of Special State Concern by the Government of Croatia.
Lidija Bajuk is a Croatian singer-songwriter and poet. She performs traditional Croatian folk songs, mostly from her native region of Međimurje, and writes songs inspired by traditional folk music. She has also published several collections of poetry and fairy tales based on Croatian folklore and Slavic mythology.
Vojnić is a municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. There are 4,764 inhabitants, 45% of whom are Serbs and 37% of whom are Croats. The municipality is part of Kordun. Vojnić is underdeveloped municipality which is statistically classified as the First Category Area of Special State Concern by the Government of Croatia.
Dancing tradition in Serbia is represented by various styles of dances in the country and it is called Kolo. The word Kolo originated from the Slavic word meaning a ‘wheel,’ circle, or circuit. As with other aspects of Serbian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of Serbia, developed according to the local traditions and also acquired elements from other parts of the country. Kolo used to be performed near churches, at war fronts, weddings, and other occasions; the Serbian community described it as a circle dance around the church. At these celebrations, the Serbians start a circle dance, then, people hold each other’s hands, making a chain or a union, following the same rhythm; their hands are either in a V or W formation.
Bugarštica, originally known as Bugaršćica, is a form of epic and ballad oral poetry, which was popular among South Slavs mainly in Dalmatia and Bay of Kotor from 15th until the 18th century, sung in long verses of mostly fifteen and sixteen syllables with a caesura after the seventh and eighth syllable, respectively.
Croatian dance traditionally refers to a category of folk-dances, the most common being the kolo.
Vinkovačke jeseni[ʋiŋkɔʋatʃkɛ jɛsɛni] is a traditional folklore festival in Vinkovci, Croatia.
Maja Bošković-Stulli was a Croatian slavicist and folklorist, literary historian, writer, publisher and an academic, noted for her extensive research of Croatian oral literature.
The Rugova war dance is a traditional Albanian sword dance named after the Rugova region in Kosovo.
Antun Nikolić Tuca Croatian musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger, music producer, ethnographer, tamburitza virtuoso
Zdravko Krstanović is a Serbian poet, prose writer, critic, book editor, literature historian, playwright and journalist.
Jerry Grcevich is a Croatian American folk musician, tamburitza virtuoso and composer. He is a frontman of the Penn Sembles.
Simo Budmani was a merchant and author from Dubrovnik who lived and worked in Novi Pazar, though intermittently traveled throughout the Balkans and the Ottoman Empire as a Levant merchant.
