Zagreb, the capital of a country full of stories and symbols of courage and strength: Croatia. This company is composed for a majority of Croatian people but you can also find on it ethnic groups, including Serbs, Hungarians and Romanians. When the country was under Soviet dictatorship, the church was suppressed, but gradually it has regained its power. Croatia's culture reflects a mix of ethnicities and a complex history of domination.
Many locals venerate the Virgin Mary, and shrines to her worship have been erected in several cities throughout the country.
Croatia is a very family-oriented country, even though small families are the norm in modern times. In general, people are very close to their more distant paternal and maternal relatives and consider them a pillar of support.
Weekends are usually reserved for spending time with family.
If you are invited to the home of a Croatian family, it is polite to bring flowers to the hostess and / or chocolate or wine to the host. The flowers must be in odd numbers and must not be chrysanthemums, as these are used at funerals. Most Croats tend to be nationalistic and refer to their country as "our beautiful homeland". They are very proud of their cultural heritage and their nation, which has endured many invasions, occupations and foreign domination. Croats keep their culture very much alive through music, folk tales, customs, dances and rituals. As for greetings, the most common gestures are handshakes, eye contact and greetings depending on the time of day: "Dobry jutro" in the morning, "Dobry dan" in the afternoon and "Dobro veer" in the evening. It is a good idea to address people by their title and surname: "Gospodja" for Miss, "Gospodice" for Lady and "Gospodin" for Sir. Wait until you are told to address people by their first name. At parties, the hosts usually introduce new people to the guests. They introduce the women first, then the men; the older people first, then the younger people.
Dining etiquette in Croatia is not very formal. People like to enjoy their food and have a nice conversation while doing so. However, if you are at someone's house, you should definitely wait to be told where to sit and wait for the signal to start eating. Unfold your napkin and place it on your lap. You will probably be offered the food a second time. It is customary to decline the food and accept it later if the host insists. When you have finished eating, you should leave some food on your plate. The official currency of Croatia is the Croatian Kuna. For comparison purposes, 1 Croatian Kuna is worth today (March/2021) the equivalent of R$0.86 (86 real cents) and 13 Euro cents. In short, it is a devalued currency when compared to the Real and the Euro itself.