Marcelo, our long-term European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteer from Portugal, who will spend six months volunteering with Association IKS, discovering the local community and contributing to different activities in Petrinja.
One of his recent experiences was taking part in the Eurodesk information stand during Lovrenčevo – St. Lawrence Day, one of Petrinja’s most important traditional celebrations. Together with the IKS team and other local and international volunteers, Marcelo spent the day talking to visitors, promoting volunteering and European opportunities, running interactive activities and experiencing Lovrenčevo for the first time.
But for Marcelo, the day became much more than volunteering at an information stand. It was also an opportunity to discover the history, traditions and culture of Petrinja, learn more about St. Lawrence and understand why Lovrenčevo holds such an important place in the identity of the city and its people.
In the article below, Marcelo shares the experience from his own perspective – as an international volunteer experiencing Lovrenčevo and Petrinja for the first time.
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St. Lawrence Day in Petrinja — A Day of History, Community and Volunteering
On 10 August 2026, I had the opportunity to experience St. Lawrence Day, or Lovrenčevo, in Petrinja, Croatia.
What initially looked to me like a local town celebration turned out to be much more than a festival. It was a day where history, religion, culture, volunteering, entertainment and community life all came together in the centre of Petrinja.
For us, it was also an opportunity to represent our organisation, meet local people, explain the possibilities offered by volunteering and create a positive connection between our team and the community.
We were there from approximately 8:00 until 16:00, running our stand and taking part in the activities around us. During those hours, more than 100 people passed by our desk, and around 50 people actively interacted with us. For a small volunteering team, this gave us a very real opportunity to communicate directly with people rather than simply displaying information.
Understanding Lovrenčevo
To understand why St. Lawrence Day is so important in Petrinja, it helps to know the history behind it.
Lovrenčevo is celebrated on 10 August, the feast day of St. Lawrence (Sveti Lovro), who is the heavenly patron of both the parish and the city of Petrinja. The same day is also celebrated as the Day of the City of Petrinja. Historical sources connect the date with the capture of the Ottoman fortress of Petrinja on 10 August 1594, when the Christian army of Archduke Maximilian captured and burned the fortress. From 1595, Petrinja remained permanently under Christian rule.
This gives the celebration a meaning that goes much deeper than a normal summer festival. For Petrinja, 10 August represents a historical moment of liberation and thanksgiving, and St. Lawrence became permanently associated with the protection of the town.
St. Lawrence himself was a third-century Christian deacon and martyr in Rome. He is traditionally remembered for his service to the poor and for his courage during the persecution of Christians. His feast is celebrated on 10 August. His story is therefore also a story about service, courage, faith and standing by other people in difficult circumstances.
Those ideas made me reflect on volunteering. Although our work at the event was very different from the life of a third-century Christian deacon, there was still a simple connection: helping other people, giving your time and trying to make a positive difference in a community.
A Church That Represents Petrinja’s History
The Church of St. Lawrence is at the heart of the celebration.
The original church on the site was replaced by the historic church built in 1780, which became an important part of Petrinja’s cultural and architectural identity. During the Croatian War of Independence, the church was completely destroyed in 1992. After Petrinja was liberated in August 1995, reconstruction began, and a new church was built on the same site and in the same general form. It was consecrated on 10 August 2000.
The church suffered further damage in the devastating 2020 earthquake, just as much of Petrinja did.
Knowing this history changes the way one looks at Lovrenčevo. The procession, the church, the people gathering together and the celebration itself are not simply traditions that have survived by accident. They are also expressions of continuity and resilience.
Petrinja has experienced war, destruction, displacement, reconstruction and a devastating earthquake. Yet the people continue to gather, celebrate, rebuild and preserve their traditions.
That was one of the things I found most meaningful about the day.
Our EURODESK info stand
Our own role was much more practical.
We created a stand where people could stop, play games, ask questions and learn about opportunities for volunteering and international mobility.
We had several activities, including:
- a ball-throwing game, where participants tried to knock down cans arranged in a tower;
- rebus puzzles;
- memory games;
- a quiz;
- information about Erasmus+;
- information about the European Solidarity Corps (ESC);
- information about Udruga IKS;
- information about becoming a local volunteer;
- information about opportunities to volunteer abroad;
- and manny more
The games were important because they made the stand approachable.
Instead of asking people to stop and read a large amount of information, we could invite them to play something first. Once they became interested, conversation followed naturally.
That was especially useful with children and younger visitors, but it also worked with adults.
The ball game was simple but effective. People had to throw a ball and try to knock down the cans. It created a small challenge and, importantly, it created an immediate reason for someone to stop at our table.
The quiz and rebus activities gave us another opportunity to interact with people and introduce information about volunteering in a relaxed way.
Learning Through Interaction
One of the most valuable parts of the experience was seeing how different people responded.
Some visitors were immediately curious about volunteering abroad. Others were more interested in the games. Some came because they wanted a prize. Others simply wanted to understand what our organisation was doing there.
That was fine.
A community event does not require everyone to become a volunteer immediately. Sometimes the first step is simply discovering that an opportunity exists.
This is particularly important when talking about the European Solidarity Corps. Many young people may never have heard of ESC before. A simple conversation at a local event can therefore be the beginning of something much bigger.
Someone can hear about volunteering abroad today and, months later, decide to apply for a project.
That is why information stands matter.
Small Prizes, Big Conversations
For each game, we had prizes and promotional materials.
People could win things such as T-shirts, notebooks, lighters, flyers and other interesting promotional items.
The prizes helped attract attention, but I don’t think they were the most important part.
The real value was the conversation that happened around the game.
A person might come to throw the ball at the cans and leave having learned something about Erasmus+. A child might play a memory game while their parent discovers that their son or daughter could participate in an international volunteering project. Someone might pick up a flyer and only read it later.
These are small interactions, but volunteering is often built from exactly these small moments.
Experiencing Petrinja Beyond Our Stand
Although we were busy with our activities, we were also able to experience the wider atmosphere of Lovrenčevo.
There was food around us, and during lunchtime we had the opportunity to eat and take a short break. The stands offered tasty local food and other products, while the surrounding area was full of activity.
There were horses, religious celebrations, dancing, theatrical performances and cultural activities taking place around the town.
The centre of Petrinja felt alive.
The celebration was not just one event happening in one location. It felt more like the whole centre of the town had become a meeting place.
This is one of the reasons Lovrenčevo is so interesting.
The event combines the religious celebration of St. Lawrence with the cultural identity of Petrinja. Traditional crafts, music, folklore, food, community organisations and entertainment all become part of the same experience.
One particularly interesting example of Petrinja’s cultural identity is the petrinjska stucka, the traditional ceramic vessel associated with the town’s pottery tradition. It was historically used for carrying liquids such as water or wine and is today recognised as one of Petrinja’s characteristic souvenirs and symbols.
These traditions make the celebration feel connected to the town itself rather than being an event that could take place anywhere.
A Celebration Built Around Resilience
The more I learned about St. Lawrence and Petrinja, the more I understood the deeper meaning of the celebration.
Lovrenčevo is joyful, but it also carries memory.
It remembers the historical liberation of Petrinja in 1594. It celebrates St. Lawrence. It remembers the destruction of the old church during the Croatian War. It celebrates its reconstruction. And it takes place in a city that is still recovering from the 2020 earthquake.
The rebuilt Church of St. Lawrence is therefore particularly symbolic. The church was destroyed, but it was rebuilt. Petrinja suffered enormously, but people returned and rebuilt their homes and their community.
This gives the celebration a message that goes beyond religion:
a community can be damaged without losing its identity.
Our Team
Another important part of the day was our team.
We worked together as one unit: Marcelo, Ilaria, Nadja, Iva, Milan, Ivan, Luka and Tea.
Everyone contributed in different ways.
We had to organise the stand, explain the activities, communicate with visitors, manage the games, distribute prizes and information, answer questions and keep the atmosphere positive.
But we were also able to laugh together, talk between activities and support each other when the stand became busy.
For me, that teamwork was one of the best parts of the experience.
Volunteering is not only about the people you help. It is also about the people you work alongside.
A good volunteering experience creates relationships between people who might otherwise never have met.
Being Ambassadors
During the event, we were not only volunteers running games.
We were also ambassadors for our organisation.
Every conversation represented an opportunity to show people what volunteering can look like.
We wanted visitors to see that volunteering is not simply about giving something away for free or working without payment.
It can be about learning, travelling, meeting people, developing communication skills, discovering different cultures, gaining confidence, helping communities, working as part of an international team and discovering possibilities that may not otherwise be visible.
For me, this was probably the most important message of the whole day.
What St. Lawrence Means to Me After This Experience
Before this event, St. Lawrence Day was simply the name of a local celebration.
After spending the day in Petrinja, it became much more meaningful.
The story of St. Lawrence is traditionally associated with courage, service and concern for people in need. The history of Petrinja is associated with survival, destruction and rebuilding. And volunteering is associated with giving time, helping others and contributing to a community.
These three ideas connect surprisingly well.
Service. Courage. Community.
That is what I will remember from Lovrenčevo.
I also learned that you don’t always need to organise something enormous to make an impact. A simple game, a short conversation or a flyer can introduce someone to an opportunity that could eventually change their life.
Maybe the person who stopped at our stand for five minutes will one day volunteer abroad.
Maybe someone who had never heard of the European Solidarity Corps will eventually apply for a project.
Maybe a young person who was initially interested only in winning a notebook will remember that there are opportunities to travel, learn and help others.
We cannot know what happens after the conversation.
But we can make the conversation worth having.
A Day I Will Remember
We were in Petrinja from around 8:00 until 16:00, and during those hours we experienced much more than simply running an information stand.
We met people. We played games. We answered questions. We promoted volunteering. We educated. We laughed. We worked together. We ate together. We observed local traditions.
And we became, for one day, part of a celebration that has a history stretching back centuries.
That is what made St. Lawrence Day so unique for me.
I came as a volunteer, but I left with a better understanding of Petrinja.
I learned that Lovrenčevo is not simply a festival. It is a celebration of a city, its patron saint, its history, its traditions and, above all, its people.
And perhaps that is the strongest connection between St. Lawrence and volunteering.
Both are ultimately about people.
St. Lawrence is remembered for serving people who were poor and vulnerable. Petrinja remembers its own history of suffering and rebuilding. And volunteers continue that tradition in their own small way by giving their time, energy and knowledge to others.
Our team — Marcelo, Ilaria, Nadja, Iva, Milan, Ivan, Luka and Tea — had the privilege of being there together. We were able to work, laugh, connect, promote, educate and relate to the people of Petrinja.
For one day, our small stand became one small part of a much bigger story.
And I hope that more people will discover the privilege of volunteering — whether locally, through organisations such as Udruga IKS, or internationally through opportunities such as the European Solidarity Corps.
Lovrenčevo showed me that a community celebration can be more than entertainment. It can be a place where history is remembered, traditions are kept alive, people meet one another and new possibilities begin.
For me, that is what made St. Lawrence Day in Petrinja such a memorable experience
- Marcelo
This Eurodesk activity was implemented by Association IKS as a Eurodesk multiplier with the support of Eurodesk Croatia. The participation of international volunteers in the activity was supported through the European Solidarity Corps programme, under the volunteering project implemented by Association IKS which is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.