Festivities marking 28th anniversary of Croatian Armed Forces and of Croatian Army Day
The 28th anniversary of the establishment of the Croatian Armed Forces and of the Croatian Army Day will be marked with a ceremonial programme in the centre of Zagreb and around the Jarun Lake Recreational Area on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26 2019.
The weapons and equipment of the Croatian Armed Forces will be on static display in the Jarun Lake Recreational Area on 25 and 26 May 2019. 
From 1pm – 5pm (Army) beans stew will be served to visitors.
On Sunday 26 May the delegations of the Ministry of Defence and of the Croatian Armed Forces will lay wreaths in the morning, The memorial mass for the fallen in the Homeland War will be recited in the Church fo St. Mother of Freedom (Jarun) at 10.30am.
The ceremonial programme will open wiht a concert of the Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra at Zrinjevac Square at 12.00 and in the Petar Preradović Squadre at 12.45, (performing the pieces: Križ na grudima, Moja domovina, Happy, Ta tvoja barka mala,Gubec beg, Os passaros no Carnaval, Nikola Šubić Zrinski,Vilo Velebita).
The ceremony of Grand Changing of the Guards will take place in the St. Mark's Square at 1pm, and the Honorary and Protection Battalion will perform ceremonial drills in the Ban Josip Jelačić Square, followed by a concert by the Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra.
The static display of the weapons and military equipment will be complemented with the ceremonial programme by the Croatian Armed Forces in the afternoon, comprised of honorary volleys at 6.30pm, parachute jumps, ceremonial drill by the Honorary and Protection Battalion, a demo-exercise by the Croatian Army, the Croatian Air Force and the Special Forces Command and an aerobatic sequence by the “Wings of Storm“.
In addition, the legendary MiG 21 flown by the hero of the Homeland War- Rudolf Perešin, is displayed in front of the Ministry of Defence (until the end of May). The aircraft with which the Croatian pilot Rudolf Perešin overllew from Bihać to Klagenfurt returned to Croatia on 7 May 2019 (after 28 years), in the meantime displayed in the Military Aviation Museum in Zeltweg, Austria.
TENTATIVE PROGRAMME
JARUN RECREATIONAL AREA
10am - 9pm - static display of weapons and equipment used by the CAF
- demonstration drills
- presentation of defenders' associations
- exhibition of the Military Museum
- presentation of the military education system
1pm and 5pm - serving of Army beans stew
3pm - 6pm - MINEX demo-exercise
6pm - 9pm rehearsal
- MARK'S SQUARE and BAN JOSIP JELAČIĆ SQUARE
4pm - 8pm (rehearsal of the programme scheduled for Sunday)
SUNDAY, 26 May 2019
WREATH LAYING BY DELEGATIONS OF MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND OF CAF
09:00am
- at the tomb of the Defence Minister Branko Vukelić in the cemetery at Vukmanić, Karlovac;
- at the Central Cross in the Jamadol Cemetery in Karlovac;
- at the tombs of late defence ministers and chiefs of the General Staff:
- at the tomb of Minister Šime Đpdan in “Boninovo“ Cemetery in Dubrovnik,
- at the tomb of Staff Gen. Janko Bobetko in the “Viktorovac“ Cemetery in Sisak,
- in memory of the fallen members of CAF and civilian victims of Homeland War,
- at the Central Cross in the “Lovinac“ Cemetery in Split,
- at the Central Cross in the “Miroševac“ Cemetery in Zagreb.
WREATH LAYING BY DELEGATIONS OF MINISTRY OF DEFENCE AND OF CAF AT THE MIROGOJ CEMETERY IN ZAGREB
08:30am
Wreath laying at the tombs of the former defence ministers and chiefs of General Staff:
- at the tomb of the wartime Defence Minister Gojko Šušak,
- at the tomb of the Chief of General Staff, Staff Gen. Petar Stipetić,
- at the tomb of the Chief of General Staff, Staff Gen. Zvonimir Červenko,
- at the tomb of the Chief of General Staff, Staff Gen. Martin Špegelj,
- at the tomb of the Chief of General Staff, General Imre Agotić.
09:00am
Delegations lay wreaths:
- in the Memorial Park at Monument “Voice of Croatian Victim – Wall of Pain“,
- in front of the Central Cross in the Alley of Fallen Croatian Defenders ,
- at the tomb of President Franjo Tuđman,
(en route to Crematorium)
- at the Common grave of unidentified victims of the Homeland War – Cenotaph
CHURCH “SVETA MATI SLOBODE“
10:30am – 11:45am Memorial mass for the victims of the Homeland War,
11:45am – Noon Wreath laying at the memorial monument to “Sveta Mati Slobode''
CONCERT BY CROATIAN ARMED FORCES ORCHESTRA IN CENTRE OF ZAGREB
Noon - 12:35
CONCERT IN ZRINJEVAC SQUARE – after the concert the Orchestra heads towards Petar Preradović Square (through Teslina street)
12:45pm - 1pm
CONCERT IN PETAR PRERADOVIĆ SQUARE - after the concert the Orchestra heads towards Ban J. Jelačić Square (through Margaretska street and Ilica)
- MARK'S SQUARE
1pm - 1:15pm
Ceremony of Grand Changing of the Guard,
1:15pm - 1:25pm
Exhibition drills by the Honorary and Protection Battallion in front of St. Mark's Church,
After the ceremony the visitors and members of Honorary and Protection Battalion head towards Ban Josip Jelačić Square (through Radićeva street).
BAN J. JELAČIĆ SQUARE
2:00pm
Ceremonial drill by the Croatian Armed Forces Orchestra
Ceremonial drill by the Honorary and Protection Battalion
JARUN LAKE RECREATIONAL AREA
10:00am – 9:00pm
Static display of weapons and military equipment
1:00pm and 5:00pm - serving of (Army) stewed beans
6:30pm
Ceremonial programme:
- parachute jumps
- honorary volleys
- hoisting of the national flag and the performance of the national anthem of Croatia
- demo exercises, ceremonial drills by the Honorary and Protection Battalion, the MINEX demo – exercise: performance by the “WIngs of Storm“ Aerobatic Team
Source / photos: MORH