Cravat Day in Croatia

Lovers of frilly, neck-based dandiness, rejoice! Today is specifically Cravat Day in Croatia and generally International Necktie Day the whole world over. But why cravats and why Croatia, I hear you ask? According to legend, during the Prussian war in the 17th Century, Croatian mercenaries were seen to keep their shirt collars shut using lengths of cloth.Obviously, French aristocrats loved that kind of thing and adopted this neck cloth business and started wearing then with aplomb. The term ‘cravat’ derived from the French word for ‘Croat’ in recognition. Experts believe that all subsequent ties and bow-ties developed from this humble beginning, though they can’t decided which one came first.The Croatians are understandably proud of their invention and so celebrate all things connected to decorative neck wear on this day. The government declared October 18th ‘The Day of the Cravat’, though you don’t get a day off. You just get to wear a cravat without the usual, accompanying shame.