Young girls from the Slavonia region in northeastern Croatia take part in the Procession of Queens every spring in Gorjani. The tradition started when the village was invaded by the Turks during the Turkish invasion. A legend says that the Turks captured all the men of the village. Their wives put on colorful clothing, decorated their men's hats with artificial flowers, and armed themselves with sickles and scythes to defend themselves. They then proceeded to the Turkish camp. The Turks thought the Gorjani women were ghosts, so they ran. When they did so, the village women freed their husbands, fathers, and brothers. Since that time, the Gorjani women still dress up in this manner every Whitsunday to commemorate the event. This has been preserved in its original form to a great extent. The only modification is that now the costumed young women hold sabers rather than sickles and scythes.
Traditionally, the spring procession of Ljelje is held on Whitsunday. Young women gather at the home of one of the participants in the afternoon. Then they marched in procession through the village. They stop by every house with open doors to sing and dance. The house owners would give the young women presents. Recently, some minor modifications have been added to the procession. Since the custom was revived a few years ago, Ljelje attends the mass on Whitsunday, and afterward, they perform a circle dance accompanied by the music of tambura players, and then they parade through the village from the church's courtyard, visiting the homes of those who specifically requested Ljelje visit them.
At Whitsunday, the performers move from house to house, performing for the families they encounter. In the procession, the girls in a group are divided into ten kings (kraljevi), who wear sabers and men's hats, and about five queens (kraljice), who wear white garlands like brides. The queens comment on the dance in the song while the kings dance with their sabers. Afterward, the family joins in large folk dance and provides refreshments before the girls move on to another house. The next day, the group visits another town or village and returns for a feast at one of the performers' houses.
In addition to the elementary school, the church, and many of the town’s families take part in the preparations for the procession. This ritual is particularly meaningful for the women that participate in it. Although the origin of the ritual is uncertain, villagers view it as symbolic of Gorjani. In addition, they see it as a chance for their children to shine through their beauty and elegance. Unfortunately, some villagers believe that traditions of this nature are beginning to disappear. The festival has been preserved in its original form in Gorjani until today, with interruptions between 1956 and 2005.
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