Licitar

What it is

A licitar is a biscuit of sweet honey dough, shaped by hand and painted in bright colours and patterns. It belongs to the cultural heritage of Croatia and Slovenia and is the traditional symbol of Zagreb, the Croatian capital. What makes it unusual is its purpose. It is not brought out for a meal as a dessert is. It is an ornamental gift, offered to mark love and friendship, especially at weddings and on Valentine's Day. In 2010 UNESCO added the northern Croatian craft of gingerbread making to its list of intangible cultural heritage.

Origins and history

The craft goes back at least to the sixteenth century. Licitars were made by bakers whom society called Medičari, and their work was held in high regard. A licitar was a gift that carried weight: giving one was thought more sentimental than giving roses, and the biscuits were much sought after. The trade kept its knowledge close, and a few families still guard their methods as secrets. Licitars became widely known through the pilgrimage shrine at Marija Bistrica, near Zagreb. Pilgrims went there for the Assumption or for St Margaret's Day, and they took the biscuits home as a reminder of a long and sometimes hard journey.

Making a licitar

The dough itself is plain: honey, flour, water, eggs and natural colours. The waiting is what takes the time. Once mixed, the dough rests and matures for a few days. It is shaped and baked next, then left to dry for about two weeks. Painting comes after that, followed by another two weeks of drying. The decoration goes on last, and the finished biscuits dry for a final week. Every licitar is made by hand. The usual ornament is a painted line that swirls, with small flowers beside it and now and then a little mirror set in. Honey dough means the biscuit stays edible up to a certain point in the work.

Licitars today

Most licitars sold now are souvenirs. They turn up in the airports of Croatia and Slovenia and in tourist gift shops, and they hang on Christmas trees, go to wedding guests as presents, and are handed out by businesses as gifts. Occasionally they are still given as a sign of affection, though that is less common than it was. Outside the region people often call the biscuits gingerbread, even though there is no ginger in them at all. The UNESCO listing of 2010 honoured the craft rather than the biscuit, and it is the handwork of the Medičari that keeps the tradition going.

How Licitar is kept

The tradition has two halves. A few families of makers, the Medičari, keep the work by hand: the honey dough rests, is shaped and baked, dries, is painted, dries again, and is finally decorated. Then the licitars are given away. Guests at a wedding may take one home, a sweetheart may receive a heart, a Christmas tree may carry one, and travellers once bought them at a shrine to show the family what they had seen.

When and where

Licitars have no single feast day. They are made and sold through the year and come out for weddings, Valentine's Day and Christmas, when some are hung on trees. Pilgrims once bought them at the pilgrimage shrine at Marija Bistrica, which they visited for the Assumption or for St Margaret's Day.

The heart of the craft is northern Croatia, and Zagreb counts the licitar as its own symbol. Makers also work in Slovenia, where the biscuits are called lectova srca. In the past they were sold at the shrine of Marija Bistrica near Zagreb, and today they appear in airports and tourist gift shops in both countries.

What Licitar means

A licitar is a token more than a treat. In the past, giving one was thought to carry more feeling than giving roses, and at times they are still a sign of affection between people. Because they were bought at a shrine and carried home, they also held the memory of a long journey, shown to family and neighbours on return. The bright colour and simple shape do much of the work: the gift says what the giver may not.

Days Licitar is marked

Questions people ask about Licitar

See also

KoloA South Slavic circle dance of linked hands, kept at weddings and gatheringsHoraA circle dance from Southeast Europe, danced at weddings and festivalsIkatA resist-dyeing craft from Southeast Asia, where yarns are tied and dyed before weavingChinese knottingA folk craft of cord tied into lucky shapes, made in China and given as charms

Good reading and sources

• Licitar on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.