On Saturday, 13.11.2021, in “Stadthalle Dietikon”, Canton of Zurich, the Association of Serbian Folklore of Switzerland, after a two-year break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, successfully organized a folklore festival. The event, which opened with the intonation of the anthem “Bože pravde“, gathered thirteen cultural and artistic societies, and as many as 638 participants, in front of over 1,000 spectators. It was not possible to enter the event without a 3G certificate (vaccinated, recovered, tested), so for that purpose, a quick testing point was set up behind the hall.
The Consul of the Republic of Serbia in Bern, Predrag Mandić, greeted those present on behalf of the Embassy and His Excellency Ambassador Goran Bradić, emphasizing that similar events are the heart and veins of our people in the diaspora, and that this is the latest evidence that associations are slowly emerging from the pandemic crisis. He underlined the support given to the associations because of the richness of cultural heritage that they leave to future generations, and called on parents to enroll their children in the Supplementary School in the Serbian language, which is free, organized by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia. He also reminded that on the website of the Embassy can be found a lot of useful information about enrolling students in lectures on Serbian language, as well as up-to-date information regarding the COVID-19 regime of entry into Serbia and Switzerland. The host, president of the Association of Serbian Folklore of Switzerland, Nenad Milenković, as well as the archpriest of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Zurich, Branimir Petković, addressed the audience. Representative of the Consulate General of the Republic of Serbia in Zurich, Vice Consul Živorad Petrović, was also present.
The festival was officially opened by Arno Gujon, director of the Office for Cooperation with the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region. He pointed out that the Office has been supporting folklore manifestations and associations for many years, but that this year is special because for the first time in the previous seventeen years, the purchase of folk costumes for children was financed in the amount of aprox. 45,000 euros. He called folklore a sport with a soul, expressing admiration for the energy with which young generations nurture tradition and perform on stage. As he stated, the Serbian “kolo” is what connects Serbs across all meridians, something that he will definitely teach his children as well. After the festival, Arno Gujon held a meeting with representatives of cultural and artistic societies and the organizers.