The 38th Festival of Serb Cultural and Artistic Creativity in Austria was held before a large audience in the Sankt Pölten VAZ hall.

Gold plaques were presented to Stevan Mokranjac Serbian cultural center Vienna, KSZS cultural and artistic society Salzburg, Bambi culture and sport association Vienna, J.J Zmaj Sollenau, Mladost cultural and artistic society Leobersdorf, Zavičaj joint ensemble Klagenfurt and Nikola Tesla Villach.

Silver plaques went to Jedinstvo cultural and artistic society Vienna, J.J. Zmaj Feldkirch and Opanak Salzburg; and the bronze to Trebava cultural and artistic society Saalfelden and Sloga cultural and artistic society Salzburg. This year, the Čiča cup was awarded to the Viennese Stevan Mokranjac Serbian cultural center.

The audience enjoyed the artistic bravura of the dancers, varied choreographies and the entertainment portion of the program. The official event opening was attended by Republic of Serbia’s leading representatives in the Republic of Austria, Ambassador Nebojša Rodić and Željko Obradović, Head of the Permanent Mission of Serbia to the OSCE in Vienna, Markus Wieser (SPÖ), President of the Lower Austrian Chamber of Labor (Arbeiterkammer), and Zoran Anđelković, special advisor to the minister without portfolio in charge of the diaspora, Đorđe Milićević.

– The festival fully met all expectations. All participants are winners, because the most important thing is that togetherness and love for folk dance won. Yet again it was shown that we are unified and that, through folk dance, song, music and folk costumes, we preserve and nurture the Serbian language, tradition and culture here in Austria – says the President of the Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore (AASF), Aleksandar Stanković.

– I would like to thank everyone for coming to the Festival, all participants, representatives of societies, artistic directors and people from the Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore (AASF) who made a significant contribution to the organization. Special thanks go to the sponsors who supported holding of the 38th Festival of Serb Cultural and Artistic Creativity in Austria. The next thing we are looking forward to is the European Festival of Serbian Folklore, to be held in Novi Sad at the end of May with participation of a large number of societies from Austria – emphasizes Stanković.

The 38th Festival of Serb Cultural and Artistic Creativity in Austria event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, i.e. the Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, and organized by the Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore (AASF).

What is the Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore?

The Austrian Association of Serbian Folklore was founded in 2020 and gathers 26 Serbian associations, clubs and cultural and artistic societies from Austria. The main mission of the Association is to develop, improve, coordinate and connect cultural and artistic societies, both with each other and with other relevant cultural institutions in the motherland and the Republic of Austria, while its main activity is the preservation, encouragement and performance of Serbian traditional dances.

Source: Telegraf.rs

Photo: Directorate for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region