Pupils and staff at Visoko Primary School (Osnovna škola Visoko) marked Bread Days – a day of thanksgiving for the fruits of the earth. The event was accompanied by the scents of homemade bread, cakes and other bakery delicacies, and this year’s occasion carried the message: “Mum and Dad, be healthy because I love you, because I need you”.
The youngest pupils used this message to remind everyone of the importance of caring for health and undergoing preventive check-ups. The school hall was filled with imaginatively arranged exhibition spaces. Pupils from all grades, with the help of parents, mothers and grandmothers, presented bread products, cakes and produce from gardens, orchards, vineyards and forests, with each class contributing to the creation of the autumn exhibition.
An appropriate cultural and artistic programme was prepared by the pupils and their teachers. Through song, recitations, dance and dramatic performances, they conveyed a message of gratitude for nature’s gifts. Following the programme, the parish priest of the Most Holy Trinity parish in Visoko, the Reverend Ivan Vragović, blessed the bread and bakery products with a special prayer. This was followed by a social gathering featuring delicacies prepared by the industrious hands of the pupils and their families, and the most successful class exhibition spaces were awarded symbolic prizes.
Nada Horvat, principal of Visoko Primary School, highlighted that Bread Days have been marked at the school for more than two decades. The observance of Bread Days, first in schools and then in kindergartens across Croatia, was initiated by the Lijepa naša Association with the support of the Ministry of Science, Education and Youth. The school is an eco-school and has participated continuously since 2001.
A special feature of this year’s observance was the link between Bread Days and the public health campaigns Pink October and Movember. In 2023, the school joined the “Mum, be healthy” project by the Sve za nju Association, which promotes the importance of preventive and regular check-ups and encourages women to care for their health. This year, the message was extended to fathers, with a reminder of the importance of men’s health and preventive check-ups as part of Movember. The importance of prevention and regular health check-ups was discussed by Assoc. Prof. Dr Spomenka Kiđemet Piskač, MD, president of the Health Council of Varaždin County.
The Visoko Municipal Office also supported the marking of Bread Days. Mayor Dragutin Mateković emphasised the importance of such school events, which teach children gratitude, respect for work and nature, as well as the value of family. Anđelko Stričak, the county prefect of Varaždin County, also joined the observance, praising the long-standing work of Visoko Primary School in preserving tradition, promoting ecological awareness and developing responsibility towards oneself and others.
