The Serbian cultural and educational society Saint Sava organized the St Sava International Folk Dance Festival with participating societies from Slovenia, Republic of Srpska and Austria.

After a two-year break, on 4 February 2023, the St Sava society organized the St Sava International Folk Dance Festival in the Kokrica Cultural Center attended by a large number of visitors and program participants. The Hymn to Saint Sava was performed to start the program. Janez Černet, the deputy mayor of Kranj, addressed the present program participants and spectators, and noted the efforts of the St Sava society on preserving and nurturing the traditions of the Serbian people and commended their overall work. Zlatomir Bodiroža, the president of the Alliance of Serbian Associations of Slovenia, also addressed the present, highlighting the thirty-year activity of the St Sava society and the role of the society in its activity in the field of culture, as well as in other fields.

The hosts of the program welcomed especially the guests from the Republic of Srpska, the Alat – Swisslion Society Trebinje, Republic of Srpska, and then the donors of the society, who had supported holding of this festival, and also support many other activities of the society.

The first to perform was the St Sava Serbian cultural and educational society Kranj with dances from Gruža. The St Cyril and Methodius Macedonian cultural society Kranj presented dances from Macedonia. To ensure international character of the Festival, guests from Škofja Loka, members of the Komušina Croatian cultural society performed dances from Bosanska Posavina.

Special attention of the audience was attracted by the performance of guests from the Republic of Srpska, members of the city of Trebinje cultural and artistic society Alat – Swisslion, who presented dances from Herzegovina, leaving a very strong impression on the audience. The Petar Kočić Serbian cultural society performed dances from Užice.

The program continued with a mix of Serbian folk songs performed by the singing group of the St Sava Serbian cultural and educational society Kranj, and Zavičaj Serbian Cultural Society from Klagenfurt performing a choreography with dances from the area around Leskovac.

Members of the Vuk Karadžić cultural, educational, sports and humanitarian society from Radovljica also presented themselves to the audience. Other guests from Austria, the Nikola Tesla Serbian club from Villach, performed dances from Niš, and Brdo cultural society from Kranj presented dances from Dimitrovgrad.

In their second participation, the guests from Trebinje, Alat-Swisslion performed the Wallachian dances and then members of the St Sava society, also in their second appearance, performed dances from Pčinja.

At the very end of the program, Miloš Milić, the president of the St Sava society, addressed the audience and on behalf of the society, organizers and hosts of the Festival, as well as on his own behalf, thanked all the program participants and the visitors who had gathered in large numbers. Then he presented all the participants with certificates of appreciation for participating in the program of the St Sava International Folk Dance Festival. He thanked especially the guests from Trebinje and exchanged gifts with Nedeljko Lambeta, the president of Alat-Swisslion. Nedeljko Lambeta also addressed those present, thanking for the invitation, participation in the Festival and the hospitality, and also commending the Serbian societies in Slovenia that work to preserve the traditions of the Serbian people in Slovenia.

Source and photo: NAŠ GLAS KD Brdo