Last weekend, the two-day 34th Serbian Folkloric Festival was held at the Bonnyrigg Serbian Center in Sydney, Australia. After a long break (of three years), the event gathered a large number of visitors from many places in Australia. Numerous events took place in the two days, and special attention was attracted by a concert of dancers from 17 cultural and artistic societies and ensembles of church and school municipalities performing the incredible 48 different choreographies from various parts of Serbia and other parts of the Balkans inhabited by the Serbian people. This year’s festival brought together folkloric and cultural and artistic societies from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Wollongong.

The first day was dedicated to kids’ carnival and a car and bike show where motorcycle and car enthusiasts exhibited unique items tuned to perfection.

The festival was officially opened by Nena Borak, a long-time member and secretary of the Ravna Gora Serbian Chetnik Movement. The hosts headed by the president of the Serbian Center, Čedomir Ješić, board members Tanja Zupković and Jovan Čubrilo, with their members and volunteers, excelled at their reception. Such turnout is unprecedented, and for two days, with lots of food and drinks, the visitors enjoyed good music, a cheerful atmosphere, and a rich raffle.

Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia Rade Stefanović and Bishop Siluan of Australia and New Zealand addressed the many guests. In his speech, the Ambassador of the Republic of Serbia in Australia, Rade Stefanović, expressed his satisfaction for having the opportunity to personally attend this event for the first time, and for this traditional festival being held again after a three-year break due to the pandemic caused by the coronavirus. Ambassador Stefanović emphasized that the Republic of Serbia supported all activities that contribute to the preservation of cultural and national identity, and that he saw the Serbian community in Australia as an important link for the improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries.

The opening of the festival was also attended by the Bishop of Australia and New Zealand, Siluan, the mayor of the Sydney municipality of Fairfield, Frank Carbone, a member of the Parliament of Australia, Dai Le, several members of the Parliament of New South Wales, several councilors. Dai Le pointed out that it was a pleasure and a great honor for her to attend this 34th Serbian Folkloric Festival. She added that it was wonderful for her to see the progress the event had achieved since 1987.

Source and photo: Rasejanje.info