Theater in Serbia

Were you startled and confused by the long line of people in King Milan Street a couple of days ago? The Yugoslav Drama Theater launched a special project offering extremely cheap tickets to all January and February shows, garnering massive interest and media attention.

It’s no secret that hard economic times have hindered theater popularity in recent decades, however, Serbia boasts a vibrant and long-lasting theater culture... So here’s a little look back at its history...

Theater in Serbia dates back to the middle ages. The first plays were held mainly to amuse or help people get through tough times. At the time, they were considered devilish acts, thus church authorities did the best they could to stop this form of street art. Serbian acting troupes traveled to towns and kingdoms across the Balkan Peninsula, such as Dubrovnik and Zeta. 

The first known Serbian actor was Radoje Vukosalić who led a group of artists performing in Dubrovnik in the 15th century. The first Serbian play was a school play “Tragiokomedija” by Manuel Kozačinski in the 18th century. Acting as a profession started in the 1830s, with the establishment of the first professional theater group in Novi Sad.

Actor, dramatist and writer Joakim Vujić is considered the “father of Serbian theater”. He was the first director of the Serbian Royal Theater, founded in 1835 in Kragujevac. Another prominent name is Jovan Sterija Popović, one of the leading 19th century Serbian intellectuals, poets and playwrights. He was the pioneer of theatrical realism in Serbia, as he sought to truly depict the mentality and temperament of Serbian people in his plays. The 20th century theatrical scene was marked by the work of Branislav Nušić who specialized in comedy plays.

(From left to right: Joakim Vujić, Jovan Sterija Popović and Branislav Nušić)

Serbian theatre developed under German, French, Russian and other influences, but has managed to create its own distinctive style – with original pieces and a “domestic twist” to popular pieces from around the world. 

(Written by Uroš Jovanović)

Brace Yourselves, Slavas are Coming

When you say winter in Serbia, you mean Slavas are coming!

The Slava, also called Krsna Slava, is a Serbian Orthodox Church tradition of the ritual glorification of one's family's patron saint among Serbs. But what does this actually mean? It means tons of food, drinks, cake, and most importantly, friends and family.

Serbs usually regard the Slava as their most significant and most solemn feast day. It is inherited from the head of the household—normally the father—to sons. Daughters inherit the Slava only if they stay in the home, while married women normally celebrate their husbands' saint.

And if you have any doubt about the importance of Slavas to Serbs, Slava is officially included on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Thus, Slava will be remembered as Serbia's "first entry" on the list of world's intangible cultural heritage.

Interesting facts:

1. Traditional foods that are prepared for the feast are: "Slavski kolač", decorated with various symbols, such as a cross, ‘dove of peace’ and others relating to the family; and žito - boiled wheat.

2. There are two types of Slava: mrsne and posne. If the celebration takes place during the period of fasting, the feast consists of animal-free (with the exemption of fish) foods, thus making it a posna slava. Otherwise it’s a mrsna slava.

3. There are several Slavas which majority of orthodox Serbs celebrate. The most common Slava is St Nicholas’ Day (Nikoljdan) observed on the 19th of December. The second most widely celebrated Slava is Saint George’s Day (Đurđevdan) which is dedicated to Saint George and celebrated on the 6th of May. There is one Slava that every child in Serbia has celebrated for a portion of its life. It is the Slava of all schools, also known as Saint Sava’s Day.

4. Tradition says “na slavu se ne zove, na slavu se dolazi”, meaning everyone is welcome, invited or not.

If you ever have the chance to go to someone’s Slava, here are some tips: 

- When you enter the house you should say “Srećna slava domaćine/domaćice“, which means “Happy slava, host”. If you want to make it more traditional, you should add “da slavite još 100 godina”... 

- It is common for guests to bring wine, coffee and chocolate, or other gifts, depending on the closeness with the host family. 

- To gain a good insight into how Slavas were celebrated in the 19th century, we suggest you watch the Serbian movie Ivko’s Feast (Ivkova slava). It’s a film about Ivko, a man who celebrates Đurđevdan with people across the town of Niš, and gets in all sorts of comical situations. 

(Written by Bojana Zimonjić and Tijana Šipka)

Busy November!

ESN BelUPgrade has had a very, very busy November so far!

After a successful Halloween trip to Transylvania, our team turned their focus to the 2014 Autumn SocialErasmus Week. During this week, ESNers and exchange students across Europe joined forces to help and inspire those in need.

ESN BelUPgrade organized two events for this season’s SocialErasmus week. In addition to donating blood, our members and international students paid a visit to the National Association of Parents with Children with Cancer (NURDOR) three times. Our lovely volunteers helped arrange and pack Christmas gifts and cards and assisted the hardworking staff at NURDOR in other things that needed to be done. Unfortunately, a planned visit to a children’s shelter in New Belgrade had to be canceled due to bad weather. Overall, the week was a successful one, so we celebrated with a 100-member guest delegation from Zagreb!

On November 18^th, representatives of ESN BelUPgrade and the Tempus office in Belgrade held a presentation on exchange programs available for students in Serbia. Students had the opportunity to hear about the existing and future programs, the application procedure, the experiences of former outgoing students, as well as other important details.

And finally...SEEP! Over the last 4 days, two members of our section, accompanied by the outgoing and newly elected ESN Serbia National Representatives, attended the South Eastern European Platform in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. This is one of 6 regional platforms – ESN international events gathering members of local sections from each respective region. They, literally, serve as a ‘platform’ for sharing experiences between local sections with the purpose of improving one’s practice and building friendships. More than 120 participants had the chance to learn about new aspects of our evolving network, discuss important matters, attend workshops, play games and have a “bloody awesome” time! Our delegation had an unforgettable weekend and returned enriched with new skills, knowledge and inspiration, which they are hoping to transmit to their colleagues back home.