Serbia - Burnet Middle School

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CultureGrams
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Republic of
2014
Serbia
Republika Srbija
Serbia is the world’s largest exporter of raspberries, selling one-third of the raspberries in the world every year.
The Roman emperor Constantine the Great was born in the present-day city of Niš, Serbia, around the year AD
274.
Serbia has one of the highest refugee populations in Europe, with more than 300,000 displaced people making
their homes there.
The Miroslav Gospel is the oldest Serbian document. Dating back to the 12th century, the 362-page manuscript is
written on parchment and decorated with beautiful, colorful illustrations. The book is on display in the National
Museum of Serbia, in Belgrade.
The Serbian Orthodox Church teaches that each family is protected by a specific patron saint.
The linden tree is native to Serbia. The linden grows as high as 80 feet (24 m), and its delicate white flowers are
used to make medicinal teas and shampoos.
Serbia is home to more than 140 mineral springs and dozens of spas, where visitors can go to relax in hot mineral
waters said to be good for the bones and for many other health problems. Some of these springs date back to
Roman times, and they are still popular today.
Except for close friends and family, Serbians never refer to other people by their first names. They use their last
names.
Flag
The Serbian flag was most recently adopted on 16 August 2004. The red, white, and
blue are traditional Slavic colors and were inspired by the Russian flag. The coat of
arms includes the historic symbols of the double-headed eagle and Serbian cross in the
center. The four Cyrillic cs surrounding the cross are thought to stand for Samo sloga
Srbina spasava (“Only unity will save the Serbs”). The crown symbolizes Serbia’s royal
heritage.
National Image
The double-headed white eagle known as the Beli Orao is the national symbol of
Serbia. An ancient artist’s creation, the mythical eagle appears on Serbia’s flag and
coat of arms, dates back to the Nemanja royal family, and is believed to be the king of
animals.
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Serbia
Land and Climate
Area (sq. mi.): 29,913
Area (sq. km.): 77,474
Located in southeastern Europe at the crossroads of western Europe and the east,
Serbia is about the size of the Czech Republic or the state of Maine. Serbia is a
landlocked nation; however, several major rivers flow through the country, including the
Danube, Sava, and Tisa in the north, as well as the Morava and Drina in the south and
east. In the north is the large Vojvodina plain, which is used for most of the farming in
the country. Wheat, barley, corn, plums, melons, and berries are some of the top crops
grown there. Farther south, Serbia is covered in rolling hills, valleys, and mountains,
with the North Albanian Alps and Šar Mountains in the southwest, and the Balkan
Mountains in the east. Forest covers around 30 percent of the nation’s land.
The climate is central continental. Serbian winters are cold, averaging 32°F (0°C) in
January; summers are warm, averaging 75°F (23°C) in July. In the north, summers are
quite humid, with regular rainfall, particularly in May and June. In the south, summers
are dry and winters are marked by heavy snowfall. Central Serbia is susceptible to
strong winds (košava) that pick up speed on the plain of Vojvodina.
Population
Population: 7,243,007
Most of the population is ethnic Serbs (83 percent). Hungarians make up 4 percent of
the population and are centered primarily in Vojvodina. Serbia is also home to smaller
numbers of Romanians, Croats, Ruthenians, Turks, and Slovaks. Hundreds of
thousands of refugees now live in Serbia after being uprooted from their homes during
the wars in the former Yugoslavia. Nearly a third of Serbians live in the capital city of
Belgrade. The next largest cities are Niš, Novi Sad, and Kragujevac.
Language
The main language in Serbia is Serbian, which is a Slavic tongue almost identical to
Croatian. In fact, before 1990, the language of Yugoslavia was Serbo-Croatian. Serbian
can be written in both Cyrillic (the official alphabet) and Latin scripts. The Cyrillic
alphabet has 30 letters, and schoolchildren are required to learn both. In 1974,
Albanians and Hungarians won the right to use their language in local government,
media, and education. In addition to Serbian, several other languages have official
status in Vojvodina: Hungarian, Romanian, Slovak, Ruthenian, and Croatian.
Can You Say It in Serbian?
Hello
Zdravo
(ZDRAH-voh)
Good-bye
Dovidjenja
(DOH-veed-JEN-jah)
Please
Molim
(moh-LEEM)
Thank you
Hvala
(HVAH-la)
Yes
Da
(dah)
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No
Serbia
Ne
(nay)
Religion
The majority of Serbs belong to the Serbian Orthodox Church. Muslims make up the next largest religion, followed by
Roman Catholics, Protestants, and other faiths. Religion was looked down on during the communist period, but there
has been a renewed level of activity since 1990, as more and more people are baptizing their children and holding
religious wedding ceremonies. Serbian Orthodox members celebrate Christmas on 7 January instead of 25 December
because the Orthodox Church follows the Julian calendar for their holy days, which is 13 days behind the Gregorian
calendar.
The Serbian Orthodox Church has a great impact on local culture. It teaches that each family is protected by a patron
saint. On Krsna Slava (patron saint day), the family prepares large amounts of food for visitors and lights candles for the
saints. The local priest comes and blesses all the rooms of the house. Hosts serve the food with a spoonful of žito, a
mush made of wheat, sugar, and nuts. The žito is offered in memory of family members who have passed away.
Kumovi (godparents) are very important in the Serbian Orthodox religion. They are close friends of the family who are
responsible for the baby should anything happen to its parents. They also name the baby and are considered important
members of the family from that time on.
Time Line
AD 1100
AD 1159
The Nemanja Dynasty begins
1219
Saint Sava establishes the Serbian Orthodox Church
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Serbia
1220
Stefan Nemanja is crowned Serbia’s first king
1389
The Battle of Kosovo takes place; many of the Serb nobility are killed
1389–1815
The Ottoman Empire rules Serbia
1800
1804
Serbian peasant George Petrovic leads an uprising against the Turks
1815
Serbian leader Milos Obrenovic leads a second revolt
1817
Serbia becomes a self-governing principality
1878
Serbia gains independence after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire by
Russia and Serbia
1900
1914
Austria declares war on Serbia at the start of World War I
1918
The Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes is formed after World
War I
1929
The kingdom is renamed Yugoslavia
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1945
Serbia becomes one of the republics in the new Socialist Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia, under the leadership of Josip Broz Tito
1980
Tito dies
1989
Serbian nationalist Slobodan Milosevic becomes president of Serbia
1991
Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, and Bosnia break away from Yugoslavia
1992
Montenegro and Serbia form the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia;
Croats and Bosnian Muslims engage in bloody warfare over
independence
1995
The Dayton Accords bring an end to the Bosnian war
1997
Milosevic becomes president of Yugoslavia
1998
The Kosovo Liberation Army rebels against Serbian rule; Serb forces
fight back and hundreds of thousands of Kosovo Albanians flee
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1999
Serbia
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) starts air strikes on
Belgrade in response to the Kosovo conflict; Milosevic withdraws
Serbian forces from Kosovo
2000
2000
Protestors storm parliament after Milosevic is accused of rigging
election results; Milosevic quits, and Vojislav Kostunica is sworn in as
president
2001
Milosevic is arrested in Belgrade and charged with misuse of funds and
abuse of office
2002
Milosevic goes on trial in The Hague for genocide (the destruction of a
racial, political, or cultural group) and war crimes; leaders from
Yugoslavia, Serbia, and Montenegro sign an agreement to set up the
new Union of Serbia and Montenegro
2003
Serbian president Milan Milutinovic surrenders to The Hague on
charges of crimes against humanity; Serbian Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic is assassinated in Belgrade
2004
Violence erupts between Serbs and ethnic Albanians in Kosovo
2006
Slobodan Milosevic is found dead in his cell in The Hague, where his
trial was continuing; Montenegro declares independence from Serbia;
Serbian voters approve a new constitution that declares Kosovo to be
part of the country
2008
Kosovo declares its independence, while Serbia says the move is
illegal
2010
The Serbian parliament apologizes for the 1995 massacre of
thousands of Muslims by Bosnian Serb forces in Srebrenica
PRESENT
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Serbia
Early Tribes
In the sixth century, the group of tribes known as the Slavs migrated from the north into
the Balkan region, including what is now Serbia. Naming their new land Sclavinia, the
Slavs farmed and herded their animals. Over the next several hundred years, each
tribal group fought the others for control of the land. Single leaders able to unite the
various tribes were few and far between. At the same time, the land became a
battleground between rival empires. The armies of the Franks, the Bulgars, and the Byzantine Empire all clashed over
Sclavinia. Eventually, the mighty Byzantine Empire gained control of the region, and it
was at this time, in the mid-800s, that two monks from the Eastern Orthodox Church
were sent to teach the Serb people about the Bible and Christianity. These two monks,
Cyril and Methodius, created a new alphabet known as the Cyrillic alphabet. The Cyrillic
alphabet is still the alphabet used in Serbia today. In the early 1300s, Serbia was united
by Tzar Stephen Dusan, and the kingdom prospered for some time, expanding its
borders to include territories across much of the rest of the Balkan Peninsula. This
period is known as Serbia’s Golden Age.
The Ottoman Empire
In 1389, the powerful Ottoman Empire attacked and defeated Serb forces at the Battle
of Kosovo. The Turks made Serbia one of their own provinces and ruled the state for
the next five hundred years, enslaving much of the population. Many Serbs fought back
against the Ottoman occupation, but it wasn’t until after fighting many battles and
receiving the support of neighboring Slavic countries such as Russia, Poland, and the
Austro-Hungarian Empire that the Serbs were able to force the Turks to recognize
Serbia as an independent nation. Serbia achieved full independence in 1878, with the city of Belgrade as its capital. In
1912 and 1913, Serbia fought in the two Balkan Wars. The Balkan League, made up of
Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, and Bulgaria, was victorious over Turkish forces. But
when a Serb shot and killed the Austro-Hungarian Archduke Ferdinand, it sparked the
beginning of World War I. Austria immediately declared war on Serbia and invaded.
Russia joined Serbia against Austria, and the rest of the world soon became involved in
the conflict.
Yugoslavia
At the end of World War I, the various Slavic powers chose to band together in a show of power. The newly formed
nation became known as Yugoslavia in 1929. Unfortunately, uniting so many different people, ethnic groups, and
religions was no easy task. They disagreed over everything from how to run the country to cultural traditions and
lifestyles. Serbians formed the majority of the population, and the Serbian king Alexander I took the throne. King
Alexander was murdered by Croatian terrorists in 1934, and just a few short years later, Germany invaded Serbia
under the reign of Adolf Hitler. The Yugoslavian government fell apart, and so the country suffered from both a civil war
and a world war. Croatians supported German and Italian forces and formed a terrorist force known as the Ustasa,
whose goal it was to destroy Serbs, Jews, and Gypsies. By the end of the war, hundreds of thousands of Serbs had
been murdered in concentration camps.
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Tito
There were groups of resistance fighters who opposed the Germans. Led by a man
known as Marshal Tito, Yugoslav freedom fighters worked tirelessly to keep Hitler from
gaining complete control of the country. With help from Great Britain and the United
States, the resistance was able to force German forces out. When the war ended, Tito
became the head of the government. He ruled for the next 35 years as a Communist
president for life. He maintained peace between the different ethnic groups and
religions through strict control, while fostering rapid growth in the country as a whole.
Tito also resisted joining together with other Communist states in the powerful Soviet
Union. But after his death in 1980, Yugoslavia faced more uncertainty as many of the
republics wanted to separate from the whole.
Civil War and Kosovo
In 1991, Croatia and Slovenia declared their independence from Yugoslavia, and
fighting immediately broke out between Croatians and Serb military forces. Serb
president Slobodan Milosevic sent forces to support the army, and a terrible civil war
began. A few months later, Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence as well, and
once again, Serb forces attacked the government, fighting against the Bosniak majority.
The two remaining republics, Serbia and Montenegro, stuck together, declaring
themselves the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. President Milosevic began a campaign
to rid the country of any and all Bosniaks and Roman Catholic Croatians. Thousands
were rounded up, killed, and buried in mass graves. Eventually, the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) stepped in and managed to stop the fighting. The 1995
Dayton Peace Accord formally ended the war. At the same time, the province of Kosovo was demanding its own independence, as
much of the population was ethnic Albanians who wanted a government who
represented them. President Milosevic sent the Serbian army into Kosovo against the
Kosovo Liberation Army. NATO finally stepped in and started bombing Serb forces until
Milosevic withdrew his troops months later. Around 10,000 Kosovar Albanians were
killed in the Serbian campaign, while more than 3,000 Albanians, Serbs, and Roma
went missing.
Serbia Today
Many years of war have taken their toll on the Serbian economy and people.
Thousands of refugees in the country are still homeless, and differences between the
various ethnic groups still exist. In 2002, Serbia and Montenegro agreed to loosen ties
between their two states. The Union of Serbia and Montenegro dissolved completely
when a slim majority of Montenegrins voted for independence four years later. Kosovo
declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Serbia labeled the move illegal,
though the United States and some European countries immediately recognized
Kosovar independence. In recent years, Serbia has received large loans and other aid
from Russia, the United States, the European Union, and the International Monetary
Fund to help keep its failing economy alive.
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Serbia
Games and Sports
Young children in Serbia play the same kinds of games as many children in other
countries, including hide-and-seek, jump rope, and hopscotch. They also love video
games, and there are many video game parlors in the main cities. Soccer, basketball,
volleyball, and tennis (Serbia won the Davis Cup in 2010 for the first time) are
extremely popular sports among children and teenagers, and many kids play them in
school and also in pickup games after school. Serbian basketball and water polo
players are known around the world for their skill. Serbia’s mountains are perfect for
skiing and other winter sports. Skiers from around the world come to the slopes to enjoy
the snow.
Holidays
Christmas is a popular holiday in Serbia. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, it is
celebrated on 7 January instead of 25 December. On Badnje Vece (Christmas Eve),
families attend church and sing Christmas hymns and carols. A Yule branch is brought
outside the church and lit to symbolize the Christ child and the light he brought to the
world. On Bozic (Christmas), families wake up and wait for a neighborhood child to
come and knock on the door. This represents the coming of the Christmas spirit, and
the chosen child receives gifts in thanks. Then children open their presents. A feast is
held later on in the day, and traditional foods are eaten, including roast pork and special
round bread known as cesnica. The loaf of bread is decorated, and a coin is baked in
the center. The person who gets the piece of bread with the coin inside is considered
lucky for the coming year.
Easter is the biggest Orthodox Church holiday and is preceded by a period of fasting.
The holiday is celebrated for four days. The central day is Easter Sunday, when
families start their breakfast with tucanje jajima, a competition in crashing colored eggs,
usually red ones. Traditionally, the main dish at the dinner feast is lamb.
Food
Serbians usually eat three meals a day, though lunch is the largest meal of the day.
Yogurt, eggs, bread, and cheese are common breakfast foods. Lunch is eaten in the
late afternoon after school gets out. It includes anything from roasted meats and stews
to cheese and fresh bread. Dinner is a light meal eaten later in the evening. The most
common foods include pasulj (beans), sarma (cabbage leaves stuffed with minced
meat and rice), roštilj (grilled meats), ćevapčići (small, minced meatballs eaten with
chopped onions), punjene paprika (stuffed peppers), and pite (pastries). Bread is
served with every meal. Desserts are often light, such as crepes, puddings, or fruit.
Schools
Adult Literacy: 97.9%
Serbian children begin going to school at age seven. Schooling is free, and students
attend elementary school (osnovna) for grades one through eight. For the first few
years, they study Serbian, art, math, music, and English. As they get older, their
subjects include science, history, computers, and another foreign language. After
elementary school, they get to choose whether or not to go on to high school (srednja
škola) for grades nine through twelve. In high school, students can specialize in a
specific field, anything from medicine to mechanics, or simply prepare more for college.
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High school graduates can go to a two-year technical college, called viša škola (higher
school), or to a university. In order to get into one of the four state-run universities,
students must have good grades in high school and pass an entrance exam. Ethnic
minorities have the right to education in their own language, so some Albanians,
Hungarians, Slovaks, Romanians, and Turks may go to separate schools during their
high school years.
Life as a Kid
It is still tradition that grandparents look after small children before they go to
kindergarten or school. This includes preparing food for the child to eat, visiting
amusement parks or the zoo, and giving small gifts. When Serbian children start
school, they must also begin practicing sports, foreign languages, and music. Children
have many opportunities to hang out together with their friends from school, either in
their neighborhood, at an after school club, or in a music school. Girls and boys hang
out together, but they also have other group activities for members of one sex only.
Boys ride bicycles together or play soccer. Girls go rollerblading or play house.
Kids in Serbia follow events on the internet. Almost all high school–age kids have a
profile on Facebook or a similar social network. Cell phones are a necessity for kids
who are 10 years or older. Serbian kids spend all year looking forward to summer
vacation, which lasts for two months. Those from well-to-do families travel to the
seaside or around Europe. Those who have cousins in other cities go and visit them,
while those who stay at home enjoy being together with their friends and going to one
of the many water parks that exist in all major Serbian cities.
Government
Capital: Belgrade
Head of State: Pres. Tomislav Nikolić
Head of Government: PM Ivica Dačić
Serbia is a republic divided into 29 districts. The president is head of state and is directly elected by Serbian citizens to
a five-year term. Presidents can only serve two terms. The legislature (lawmaking body) consists of a 250-member
National Assembly, which elects the prime minister. The government adopted a new constitution in 2006. Major
political parties include the Democratic Party (DS), the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS), the Serbian Radical Party
(SRS), and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The voting age is 18, but if you have a job you can vote when you're
16.
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Money and Economy
Currency: Serbian dinar
The Balkan conflicts of the 1990s left the Serbian economy in shambles. Large
amounts of money were spent supplying ethnic Serbs in warring areas with food and
weapons and housing refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many live in
poverty. Unemployment is high, while reform is slow. However, since Milosevic’s fall in
2000, foreign nations have donated money, which has helped in recovery. Serbia is
now working hard to become a part of the European Union (EU).
Agriculture is still a large part of Serbia’s economy. These farms produce fruit,
vegetables, wheat, corn, oats, and livestock. Many grow grapes and plums to make
wine and brandy. Natural resources include lead, zinc, copper, and lignite. Textile,
metal, and vehicle manufacturing plants are located in Serbia.
Getting Around
Traveling through Serbia is one of the easiest ways to get from Europe to Asia, and
travel routes through the country have been around for many years. Serbia’s public
transportation system is well developed and serves most of the population. Railway and
bus services connect Belgrade to other major cities. In the country, people either drive
their own cars or take buses to get around. Most roads are paved. Serbia is home to
four international airports.
Music Festivals
Two major Serbian music festivals are famous around the world. They attract hundreds
of thousands of visitors every year. EXIT is a four-day festival in Novi Sad, taking place
every July. The venue is a beautiful setting next to the medieval Petrovaradin fortress
on the banks of the Danube, with some 20 stages and numerous guests from the
region and all over Europe. EXIT features non-stop music and entertainment for the
duration of the festival. The other famous festival is the Guča Trumpet Player’s Festival. Guča is a small village
in central Serbia, but during the month of August, it becomes the world center for
trumpets and other brass instruments. For over 60 years there has been a competition
for the best trumpet player and the best orchestra. In early days, visitors were mainly
Serbian orchestras and the local public, but for some time now, there has been an
increasing number of foreign tourists that enjoy the music and hospitality as well as the
competition between orchestras from around the world and the Serbian orchestras for
the prestigious award—the Golden Trumpet.
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Learn More
Contact the Embassy of Serbia, 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008; phone (202) 332-0333;
www.serbiaembusa.org. Or contact the National Tourism Organization of Serbia, web site www.serbia.travel.
© 2014 ProQuest LLC and Brigham Young University. It is against the law to
copy, reprint, store, or transmit any part of this publication in any form by any
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