Sloga cultural and artistic society from Vukovar hosted and organized the event Vukovar Youth Festival – Regional Meetings of Serbian Folk Dance Societies, held on 8 October 2022 in Vukovar under the auspices of the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia.

The first part of the festival included the photo exhibition Serbs through the centuries in Vukovar, and the exhibition Costumes from around Vukovar, set up in the cultural institution Serb Home in Vukovar. From the old photographs, members of the cultural and artistic societies from the region taking part in the festival had the opportunity to learn more about the immeasurable contribution of Serbs in the development and creation of the image of the city as it is today, and about the royal national costume worn by the girls taking part in the Queen Rite related to the holiday of Pentecost. Its particularity is girls wearing hats decorated with flowers and peacock feathers and a mirror protecting against evil forces. This is also a ritual initiation dance, since the girls playing the queens were ready for marriage, and therefore the costume was completely white. It has not changed much throughout history, and it received an award at the European Festival of Serbian Folklore in 2009, same as the choreography of dances from around Vukovar, which includes the queen rite, and as the choreography that is closest to the original performance.

In the second, folk dance part, the audience in the hall of the Dragutin Tadijanović Elementary School was presented the choreographies of cultural and artistic society Plavi Delija (Sânpetru Mare – Romania), cultural and artistic society Taban (Budapest – Hungary), cultural and artistic society Srpski Vez (Kumanovo – North Macedonia), cultural and artistic society Kolovit (Gradiška – Republic of Srpska) and Folk Dance Ensemble of the Serbian cultural society Prosvjeta from Vukovar.

– This year we decided to make a small step forward and organize regional meetings of Serbian folk dance societies with more than 130 participants and show our fellow citizens how the Serbian community operates through cultural and artistic societies in their countries. Considering what was shown and how the audience responded, we are happy that we had selected quality societies from the region to present the best of Serbian culture and tradition, through dances and songs. From this evening, we hope for future good cooperation – on behalf of the organizers, said the president of the cultural and artistic society Sloga from Vukovar, Branislav Bijelić.

– Today we are in Vukovar for the first time and it is an honor for us to meet with Serbs from the region. The children are delighted because the hospitality and organization are at the highest level – said Dalibor Kitanović, the president of the cultural and artistic society Srpski Vez from Kumanovo, in his impressions.

Similar praise was heard from other participants in the festival, in addition to the desire to gather at a similar event next year.

Source and photo: Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region