ORIGINS OF NECKTIE (KRAVATA)​

The necktie that spread from Europe traces back to Croatian mercenaries serving in France during the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). These mercenaries from the Military Frontier, wearing their traditional small, knotted neckerchiefs, aroused the interest of the Parisians. Because of the difference between the Croatian word for Croats, Hrvati, and the French word, Croates, the garment gained the name cravat (cravate in French). Louis XIV began wearing a lace cravat around 1646 when he was seven and set the fashion for French nobility. From its introduction by the French king, men wore lace cravats and jabots — pleated, ruched, or frilled — which took a large amount of time and effort to arrange. This new article of clothing started a fashion craze in Europe; both men and women wore pieces of fabric around their necks. Jabots remain today as part of the dress code for legal practitioners in court and for formal academic wear. Cravats were often tied in place by cravat strings, arranged neatly and tied in a bow. International Necktie Day is celebrated on October 18 in Croatia and in various cities around the world, including in Dublin, Tübingen, Como, Tokyo, Sydney and other towns.

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ABOUT CROATIA

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Italy to the west. Its capital and largest city, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, with twenty counties. Other major urban centers include Split, Rijeka and Osijek. The country spans 56,594 square kilometres (21,851 square miles), and has a population of nearly 3.9 million.