Germany hosted its very first Beocamp, a camp dedicated to preserving and nurturing Serbian culture, traditions and customs. ‘Beocamp is an original, educational project and concept conceived and implemented by Andrija and Višnja Karaklajić from the National Ensemble Kolo from Serbia, while the Serbian Cultural Center Vuk Stefanović Karadžić from Rastatt had the honor of hosting and organizing the first Beocamp in Germany,’ proudly stated members of the Vuk Stefanović Karadžić SCC from Rastatt, Germany.

The team of lecturers included Marko Jevtić, ethnologist and anthropologist, in addition to Andrija and Višnja Karaklajić, and the three of them delighted all participants with their expertise, energy and love for folklore.

‘On Saturday morning, at exactly 9:00hrs, 130 children from various Serbian folklore societies from all over southern Germany gathered in the premises of the Vuk Stefanović Karadžić SCC. The participants included children from the Jugos CAS Munich, Drina CAS Augsburg, Đurđevak CAS Aschaffenburg, Sloga SCS Mannheim, Izvor CAS Neu Isenburg, Zavičaj CAS Offenburg, Šumadija CAS Heilbronn, Nikola Tesla SCS Freiburg, as well as hosts from the Vuk Stefanović Karadžić SCC Rastatt,’ said Danijel Tadić, president of the Vuk Stefanović Karadžić SCC.

The children were divided into three age groups – 6 to 9 years old, 10 to 12 years old, and 13 to 15 years old, each with about 40 participants. Workshops were held in three different rooms: in the first room, the children sang and learned about Serbian traditional music under the guidance of Višnja Karaklajić; in the sports hall, they learned the steps and dances of the Serbian folklore tradition with Andrija Karaklajić; while in the third room, through ethnology classes, they learned about folk costumes, customs and the history of folklore culture under the guidance of Marko Jevtić, who led this part of the program.

Seminar finale was a true small spectacle – all 130 participants sang and danced the learned songs and choreographies together, showing how much they had mastered in just two days. The audience awarded the children and their instructors with thunderous applause. Afterwards, the children proudly received their certificate of participation in the first German Beocamp from the Vuk Stefanović Karadžić Serbian Cultural Center Rastatt.

Source: Rasejanje.info

Photo: Vuk Stefanović Karadžić SCC