Drivenik – vrela i perila

One of the daily tasks of the women in Vinodol was to bring water into the house from the spring. Water was needed for washing, cooking, and drinking for both people and livestock. The woman carried the water in a brenta, a wooden (later metal) open container holding about 25 liters, which she secured on her back with a strap or cloak. A family that had a cow or sheep needed about five brentas of water daily, and even more when doing laundry.

Washing clothes required a lot of care and time. If the laundry was done at home in a washing house, several brentas of water had to be brought from the spring. White laundry was whitened using ash, and afterward carried in a tub to the wash area, washed, beaten with a wooden paddle, and rinsed thoroughly.

Water was fetched regardless of the bora wind or rain, summer heat or cold. A woman carrying a brenta was a common sight in Vinodol up until the mid-20th century. The monument dedicated to her in the center of Grižane serves as a reminder of those times.