Traditional Games Tournaments and Rowing Batana Regatta Celebrate 5th Anniversary for Rovinj Town Day and St. Euphemia’s Feast Day

 

Five full years of love and patience were needed to restore the tournaments, which attract more and more competitors and spectators just like in days gone by. The same holds true for the regatta dedicated entirely to the batana boat: the 5th Rowing Batana Regatta – in memoriam C. Pellizzer.

While the tournaments have no set categories—with young men most often testing their skill and agility on the greased pole, all generations pulling the rope and carrying fish crates, and mora (cantada) alongside card games remaining the favorites among elders—the regatta is adding a new category this year alongside the existing three.

Joining the "Senior," "Junior," and "Lady" categories will be the youngest generation, to whom the batana paddle is passed down as a heritage. Eufemia Benussi Krelja, the most successful female competitor in the regatta and an active member of the Association "Kuća o batani-Casa della batana," took the initiative to start coaching children aged 10 to 17—some of whom participate in the TRANS MARIS Interreg Italy–Croatia mentorship program—to prepare them for their debut performance and forge a stronger bond with the traditional boat, the symbol of the town of Rovinj-Rovigno. During the celebration of Town Day and the feast day of its patron saint, St. Euphemia, the youth competition on September 16—where they will make their first regatta strokes—will be a heartwarming sight that inspires hope and brings true meaning to the often-used phrase "heritage preservation."

The Ecomuseum "Batana" invites all fellow residents, friends, and visitors to join in evenings filled with tradition, games, competition, and good cheer—where, of course, there will be no shortage of heritage preserved through flavors, bites, and song. An added reason to visit the permanent exhibition of "Kuća o batani-Casa della batana" is a new photo timeline. Displayed in a fishnet on the first-floor wall, a series of photos will take visitors back to the beginnings of the revived traditional tournaments and the launching of the batana regatta, highlighting their growth into beloved town events that preserve the spirit of Rovinj-Rovigno.