This year's 51st Ring Race will take place on August 23, and the event marks a major milestone: three centuries and three decades since the first written mention of the knightly competition in 1696.
In Barban, preparations are in full swing for the 51st edition of the traditional Ring Race, an event that this year celebrates an exceptional anniversary-330 years since its first written mention. According to preserved historical records, the knightly competition was held on June 10, 1696, during the local Pentecost fair, organized by the then feudal lord of Barban, Franjo Loredan. The first victor in that distant year of 1696 was Ottavio Queliss.
After 1703, there are no historical records of the Ring Race, but the enthusiasm of the community is credited with ensuring that this nearly forgotten knightly game outlived its historical era. The key impetus for its revival came from Rijeka academic Danilo Klen, who in 1975, at the scientific conference "Barban and the Barban Region in the Past and Present," organized by the Čakavski sabor Barban chapter, presented research on the first written trace. The first revived Race was held in 1976, with Vazmoslav Vale as its victor. Last year, the title went to Antonio Osip. The Race's statute was drafted in 1978, when the "Ring Race" Society was also founded. In 2016, the event was inscribed on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia.
"Barban is a place where tradition has not remained forgotten in the past, but lives, grows, and inspires new generations. The Ring Race is a beacon of our identity and values, a synonym for courage and perseverance, and one of the greatest symbols of Barban," said Aldo Osip, president of the "Ring Race" Society.
Osip emphasizes that the Race's impact on the development of horse breeding and equestrian sports in the Barban region has been immense. "When the Ring Race began in 1976, I believe there wasn't a single horse in the Barban region; riders borrowed them from Rovinj, Poreč, and other places. Today, there are several hundred horses in the Municipality of Barban, and that's the best indicator of how much the Race has influenced the development of horse breeding," he said. According to the rules, anyone born in the geographical area of Istria, including parts of Slovenia and Italy, as well as the islands of Cres, Lošinj, and Unije, may compete. Most competitors are from Barban, but there have also been participants from Žminj, Labin, Izola, Poreč, Medulin, and Rovinj.
The Ring Race regularly attracts the highest state officials. In 2009, it was held under the patronage of the Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia, and from the stands at Gradišće, it was watched by then-presidents Stjepan Mesić, Ivo Josipović, Kolinda Grabar Kitarović, and Zoran Milanović. During July, a delegation from the Race visited President Milanović, Speaker of Parliament Gordan Jandroković, and Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, presenting the program for the 51st edition. President Milanović confirmed that the event will again be under his patronage this year.
"I thank the Society for its dedicated work and preservation of this tradition, whose organization the Croatian Government will continue to support," said Prime Minister Plenković, adding: "For the reconstruction, expansion, and equipping of the center, €1.44 million in grant funds has been secured through the EU's ITU mechanism, which will further improve conditions for organizing the Race, modernizing the riding arena, training horses, and holding competitions."
The grand finale, the 51st Ring Race, will take place on Sunday, August 23, at 5 PM at Gradišće, but the rich program begins as early as Thursday, August 20. On the first day, at 5 PM, the Balinjerada na prstenac starts in Grabr; at 6 PM, the Local Committees' Five-a-Side Football Tournament of the Municipality of Barban follows; at 8 PM, there's a presentation of "Barbanski zapisi" (Barban Records), followed by entertainment with a DJ at Mrzlica at 9 PM.
On Friday, August 21, at 8 PM, the Barban Majorettes and KUD Barban perform, followed by the ceremonial raising of the Race flag and a parade through Barban at 8:30 PM. At 9 PM, an exhibition of antique weapons and a briškula tournament open, and from 9:30 PM, Alka Vujica and Grooversi play at Placa.
Saturday's program, August 22, features the 3rd Robot Race on the Ring at 10 AM, the Ring Hunt and fjonda tournament at 11 AM, and a children's bicycle Ring Race and pljočkanje tournament at 1 PM. At 5 PM, the 32nd "Race for the Wreath" starts; at 9 PM, there's clay pigeon shooting, and from 8:30 PM, Alfa Time band, Jole, and Ivan Licul perform at Placa.
On the day of the Race itself, Sunday, August 23, a ceremonial mass in honor of the horsemen is held at 10:30 AM, a promenade concert by the Lovran brass band at 4 PM, and the 51st Ring Race at 5 PM. The evening concludes with entertainment at Placa featuring Tequila, Tajči, and DJ Kriza, with fireworks at 10 PM.
