Bodrog Fetival

By Ljiljana Samardzic

Backi Monostor, Aug 11, 2009, (Serbia Today) - It is very rare to find a village in Serbia that has not been abandoned by young people. Young people in Backi Monostor are not only firm about living in their birthplace - they have strong will to make it vivid. “Bodrog fest” is their initial idea about tending tradition, which grew out in famous, traditional festival visited by many foreigners from Austria, Germany, Holland, Hungary and other European countries. Festival was held on August 7th and 8th with quality program.
The name of this event originates from a small place located near Backi Monostor. This place, called Bodrog, vanished mysteriously. In order to prevent vanishing of its history as well, the festival was called after this small village. “The initial idea was to preserve all beautiful things related to tradition of people who live here and nature as well. As visitors could see, most of items produced here are made from natural materials from our surroundings. So, the idea to show all our wealth through this festival which has traditional, natural and ecological character was born”, Zdenka Mitic, one of the organizers, told Serbia Today.
Ms. Mitic also said that “this is a beautiful event where everyone can find something interesting.” There were activities for all ages provided. On the second day, early in the morning, an interactive puppet show entertained children, but at the same time was a photo exhibition. The official opening was at noon when equestrians welcomed all visitors. Right after that, a carriage and horse parade followed.
On this very day the Info Center opened. This center will be of great importance for the village, people who live there, but also for visitors. It is the place where you could get all needed information about the village, its surroundings, tourist attractions, and accommodations. The Center is placed in an old house adapted for this purpose. Women societies will be placed here as well, which is highly important in these times when women from small surroundings are fighting for their rights. For that reason, Ms. Vesna Sijacki from Institute for gender equality was present.
Later that day a cultural program was organized, which offered variety of choirs and soloists’ performances. After that, many cultural artistic societies in traditional clothes showed their folklore talent and knowledge. All day long tables with old crafts such as wooden boat building, wooden shoes making, sweets making by old recipes and alike were settled along the streets. There were also exhibited collections of dolls in national costumes, and women handcrafts.
Traditional fish and meat food was served all day for very low prices. One could enjoy local specialties in restaurants along the promenade.
“Bodrog by night” was the closing show where many local bends played, such as Neozbiljni pesimisti, Line out, and Wicked coffee shoppers. This was a great opportunity for them to promote themselves in such a well visited festival.