Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day
August 5 · Level 10 · #41 of 2238
A public holiday in Croatia that honours the victory of Operation Storm in 1995 and the people who defended the country. It is also observed as Croatian Defenders' Day.
How it is celebrated: the main ceremony takes place in Knin, with speeches, a military parade-style assembly and wreath-laying, while churches hold memorial Masses for the fallen. Flags go up across the country and some towns add concerts.
Knin, which Croatian forces entered on 5 August 1995, sits beneath a medieval fortress, where a Croatian flag was raised that day. For many Croats it marks victory, while in the wider region the memory is painful and views of it differ.