What is something you’ve noticed in a neighbouring Balkan country that was visibly different from your country?
Posted by Substratas@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 97 comments
Could be anything: food, architecture, flora (plant life), the way people look or behave, etc.
dushmanimm@reddit
All of our Balkan neighbors have different alphabets
Bobinho4@reddit
your asian neighbors too
dushmanimm@reddit
True 😭😭 Technically we share a really little border with Azerbaijan and they use the latin alphabet too but I guess that barely counts
Bobinho4@reddit
good point on Nkhchivan, I was so close to it when I visited that part of Turkey.
alexidhd@reddit
Well, I'm Romanian. 3 out of 5 countries that border Romania write in a completely different alphabet - that's pretty visible as soon as you cross the border. That being said, I've been to various Balkan countries and I think the most similar country to us would be Bulgaria culturally. The most distant ones from a cultural perspective would be Greece and Slovenia - Greece because of its warmer climate that led to their cuisine being entirely different from the rest of the Balkan peninsula, people are more mediterranean than balkan in terms of attitude. Slovenia while technically Balkan has various parts that look more Austrian than Balkan/Croatian.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Yeah; so I know we also are Romanians, but politically, we are your independent neighbor, and you don't call Moldovans the most similar ones but Bulgarians? Wow.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Why should he? Why is he expected to feel more similar to Moldovans than to Bulgarians?
Checky_3rd@reddit
Because you, OP, asked about differences between the neighbouring countries compared to theirs, which Moldova happens to be neighbouring Romania.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Yes, but this thing right here 👆 is textbook emotional blackmail.
Their experience of Romania might be different from yours; they might have a different upbringing, or maybe they’re born in a region that is culturally closer to Bulgaria than to Moldova.
Checky_3rd@reddit
I undersand that the OG question requires subjective answers, however, you also have to take into account that some things are objectively true. Gravity exists, and we all accept it as an objective truth, right? The same applies to this case, Moldova, is objectively the closest in terms of culture, traditions, language, ethnicity and history to the Romanian State.
Again, I have no problem with each individual experience and thoughts about others, but I simply cannot fathom the fact that a subjective opinion > objective truth.
MartinBP@reddit
Sure, but North Macedonia and Serbia are also objectively closer to Bulgaria culturally/linguistically/ethnically/whatever, however most Bulgarians would probably say Romania, Greece or even Turkey (if they're from the Turkish minority or Roma) feel closer to us.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Exactly, but that doesn't mean it's true. Everybody has their own views, and it's ok to be wrong sometimes. Heck, I wrongfully assume things all the time, and I have to live with that, now, of course you could try to learn the objective truth or stick with your personal bias on what is the truth, that is entirely your choice.
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
Well they speak basically the same language.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
So do people in Lugano & Stromboli.
Antique_Birthday6380@reddit
Moldavet per Rumunet jane sikur Kosovaret jane per ne. Vendose pak trurin ne pune.
alexidhd@reddit
Oh :)) that’s because I never see “Balkan” and think “Moldova”. Like I have them in separate mental categories
Checky_3rd@reddit
so what would you define the political state of Moldova, inhabited by the Romanian population who somehow is different than the Romanian population in Romania who IS part of the Balkans by your logic? No offense btw, 'scuze' if I seem rude in any way. I'm just curious.
alexidhd@reddit
I see them as Romanians as people but I don’t associate the state with the Balkans I don’t know why exactly. Moldova is more like Romania but with heavier USSR influence as you were full part of the Union while we were just a satellite state.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Understandable. I see your point of view, but by the same logic, Bulgaria is more heavily influenced by Turkiye than Romania, because Bulgaria was annexed by the Ottoman Sultanate in the 14th century and got it's independence in 1908. While Romania, and subsequently the Romanian Principalities were never incorporated into the Ottoman Empire, and were instead only Tributaries and Client States.
I won't argue with your point further, but all I am saying is that your reasoning is not a valid one in my perspective, thats all. Not to mention how objectively speaking, the Moldovans while we were influenced by the Russians, the same could be applied to Transylvania. The only real 'pure' Romanian you would find is in the Moldavia and Wallachia regions, who weren't as influenced by German/Hungarian or Russian influences.
In conclusion, I respect your POV, but the objective truth is that Moldova is literally Romania 2.0.
Bulgaria is ethnically, linguistically, traditionally and historically more different than Moldova in terms of how similar we are to Romania.
MartinBP@reddit
Small correction: Bulgaria gained autonomy in 1878. The formal declaration of independence was in 1908 but the country was completely self-governing long before that.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Yeah, I am aware, but technically on paper it was still a subject of the Ottoman Empire, but also a client kingdom of Russia, as Russia was placing the Tsars on the throne until then.
floare_salbatica@reddit
I doubt anybody disagrees with you, I don't understand why you're so mad about it. 😅
Checky_3rd@reddit
Again, I am sorry if I accidentally gave the idea that I am angry or frustrated. My Bad. I am just trying to point out that the idea of the OG commenter is flawed academically speaking. Like I said, I have no ill intentions towards the person, I am just debating against their argument.
Off-topic, btw, hey, long-time no see lol, idk if you remember me, this is the 2nd time we meet in a thread in this sub lol.
floare_salbatica@reddit
He he, yes, I do recall chatting with you once. Dunno, people are entitled to their opinions. I was baffled when I first came across so many Romanians online calling Serbs our brothers. Don't get me wrong, they're probably cool and I don't recall ever having unpleasent interactions with them, but they were more like a neighbour that we rarely think about in my mind. And I feel like we're much closer to Bulgarians in many aspects.
Checky_3rd@reddit
That I agree. I feel like the closest you can get with 'brothers' is in 'Orthodox Brothers' or 'Subjugated Brothers' due to our Ottoman Past, but by the same logic, almost every Balkan nation are 'Subjugated Brothers' lol.
With Bulgaria, we DO have the shared history of the Second Bulgarian Empire, which is more commonly referred to as the 'Vlach–Bulgarian Empire' in Romanian Historical records due to the Asen brothers.
theteagonnachewcam@reddit
As a Bulgarian I feel Romanians much closer to us culturally than Northern macedonians
Checky_3rd@reddit
May I ask why?
MartinBP@reddit
We share lots of traditions and history with Romania, considering we were part of or influenced by the same empires for a long time. Also shared pre-Roman history with the Dacians and Thracians. Bucharest felt very homely in a weird way, you know you're abroad but everything is familiar. We've also been linked as the only Balkan countries in the Warsaw Pact and later joined the EU together, so lots of social and economic developments over the last 80 years (and before WW2 tbf) happened simultaneously in both countries. Honestly I'd say the main difference is the language and the Austro-Hungarian influence in Transylvania.
With North Macedonia, we share culture, history, language (touchy subject), but politically we're very distant. They're very much part of the ex-Yugoslav cultural and communication sphere, they see themselves as Yugoslavs, feel connected to Belgrade as an old imperial centre and in general have been very hostile for decades, even before their independence. These differences are completely political though, not cultural. Best comparison I can make is with the Moldovanists of PSRM/Shor vs Romania. Or Poland and Belarus.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Understandable. And I can see Romania and Bulgaria being politically similar, and maybe traditionally too in some parts, but linguistically, historically and ethnically, in this case Moldovans are more similar, we are basically the same people.
Here is the genetic make-up of all Romanians (including Moldovans)
Paleo-Balkan (Dacian/Thracian/Illyrian-like) = 14%
Roman/Italic & Romanized Balkan = 65.5%
Slavic = 15.5%
Others = 5%
\~75–80% of core vocabulary is Latin-derived.
\~10–15% Slavic-derived.
remainder from Greek, Turkish, Hungarian, Albanian, etc.
Here is the genetic make-up of all Bulgarians
Slavic = 40–60%
Paleo-Balkan (mainly Thracian) = 25-40%
Romaioi/Greek & Romanized Balkan = 5-15%
Proto-Bulgar (Turkic) = 1-5%
Others = 0-10%
\~75–85% Slavic vocabulary.
majority Greek and Turkish influence.
small Romance/substrate influence, mainly from the Romanized Thracian populace prior to 700s AD
in terms of DNA similarity between Romanians and Bulgarians, there are around \~15–30% similarities in DNA mixture.
As for shared vocab, there are maybe \~10–15% recognizable due to borrowings and Balkan contact.
theteagonnachewcam@reddit
Could be psychological. The more I talk to Romanians, the more common traditions I learn about. The way they generally look at the world also feels very close to ours. Also the shared fate in joining the EU together has created a cool camaraderie. In the meantime nms have been actively trying so hard to prove they're their own country, they've bent over backwards to create an artificial cultural rift between the two peoples.
Excellent_Jeweler_43@reddit
We have been in the same kind of path for a long time now. We joined the WW2 in the same kind of way, we got occupied and shoehorned into the USSR in the same kind of way, we had the communist regime in the same, or atleast very similar kind of way.
Then we tried to break away from it without fully breaking away from it in the same kind of way, then we joined the EU and Schengen in the same kind of way and so on.
Also we share a lot of pre-Ottoman history to the point I would say we have been the same people in the First and Second Bulgarian Empires, but later they branched out and created Wallachia to try and stay away from direct Ottoman control. It’s also not a coincidence that the First, the Second and the Third Bulgarian States all start from the region that is modern day Romania.
Checky_3rd@reddit
I see. I understand your POV.
Lopsided_Summer_5536@reddit
Hi, not the person you are replying to, but I want to share my perspective as someone born and partially raised in Transylvania region, living for quite some time in the Banat region, with grandparents from the Moldova region (were I actually used to spend some of my childhood summer holidays), and friends from Oltenia and Muntenia regions.
In my opinion, there is a clear difference between all these parts of our country, and I do not think that the northern half feels balcanic at all. For someone from that region I think Moldova feels most similar.
I started to notice the balcanic influences and similarities only when I moved to Banat, and I think that is thanks to other 'vinituri' (just like me) coming from Oltenia, and to the ethnic serbs that are present in this part of the country. In addition to this, there are also some central european influences here, but not quite as in Transylvania. That's why I feel like the most similar to us are Serbia and Bulgaria.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Completely understandable, I agree with you.
floare_salbatica@reddit
I wouldn't think of you because I consider you Romanians.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Yeah, but like I said, 'Moldovan' is merely a political term, not a ethnical one. Similarly, A person is British, but their ethnicity is Welsh. They were born into the political state of UK, but have the DNA of a Welsh. I know it's confusing, but using your logic, you consider our state non-existent, similar to Serbia not recognizing Kosovo and North Korea not recognizing South Korea. You get what I am saying?
floare_salbatica@reddit
Yes, I do get it. In the end, you decide if you want to stay an independent country or unite with us ( although sadly I don't think this will happen). And, again, I often forget about Moldova because, without wanting to sound condescending, I see you as an extension of us.
Checky_3rd@reddit
😞I mean..yeah, after Maia Sandu leaves, the chances would definetly lower...Honestly, I don't see a reason for the existance of a Moldavian country, and I feel bad for my people who still are brainwashed by Moscow...
As you should lol, and I am proud of that, I hope others share the same view as you...
Substratas@reddit (OP)
But something from a country bordering yours. Say, Bulgaria. Was anything that looked somehow different?
MartinBP@reddit
Romania, specifically Bucharest, seemed to have way more quirky events, experimental cafés and in general more investment in culture. Felt like it was westernising more than Sofia. At the same time, people were clearly more religious. I saw people attending a service (?) at the monasteries (we also don't have urban monasteries), people praying in churches, doing the cross sign on public buses. I've never seen that in Bulgaria, people are very secular and only attend churches for weddings.
Greece is more laid-back and cosmopolitan. Also more religious Ike Romania. Central Athens though is in a much rougher shape than Sofia. Graffiti, broken shop windows, wires hanging everywhere, mopeds almost hitting you when crossing the road. A big contrast with the nicely displayed historical sites.
Serbia felt very... repressed? Russian ads everywhere, nationalist graffiti, armed police because of the protests. Belgrade's centre is nice with better restaurants than Sofia and the pedestrian area and Kalemegdan are much better for a walk than Vitoshka, but in general it feels smaller and poorer than Sofia (which it is tbf, EU does wonders), public transport is lacking and the nationalistic environment is just incomprehensible.
Checky_3rd@reddit
The further south you go, it's more hot, duhh 😜 😀
Seriously now, Hellas barely has any trees. I mean, any GOOD trees. Bulgaria has TOO MANY TREES. Serbia feels like Russia 2.0 (not in a nagtive way), Montenegro is Serbia 2.0, North Macedonia tries too much to prove that they are descendant from Alexander the Great, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina have too many Muslims. Croatia and Slovenia feel like Czechia and Slovakia, and Turkiye has the worst terrible Turkish food. Yeah, ironic I know, but I have been TO MULTIPLE Turkish cities (Izmir, Istanbul, Ankara, Antalya, and a city close to Old Ikonion) and ate Turkish food there...it doesn't compare to the Turkish food you find in Hellas.
And finally, Romania, especially in Transylvania is too germanized for my liking.
MartinBP@reddit
We stole all the Greek trees. That's why Basil II was so pissed at us.
Checky_3rd@reddit
Brooooooooo, thats so funny! 😄
Early-Show2886@reddit
The main wave of emigration of Germans from Romania (Transylvanian Saxons, Dobruja Germans, Banat Swabians) to Germany occurred in several phases: primarily between 1940 and 1945, and between the late 1960s and the collapse of communism in 1989/1990. Between 1967 and 1989, approximately 226,654 individuals were released through a "buyout" arrangement funded by the Federal Republic of Germany. Thus, it is questionable where—if anywhere—you would still find a "Germanized" population remaining in Romania today.
floare_salbatica@reddit
Is there such thing as too many trees? If so, give it to me! Also, what do you mean by "Germanized"?
Checky_3rd@reddit
Seriously, I travelled through Bulgaria on 3 separate roads from Hellas to Romania.
'Kylata' road until 'Sofia', and from 'Sofia' to 'Vidin'.
'Lozengradtsi' road until 'Polikraishte', and from 'Polikraishte' until 'Giurgiu'.
'Svilengrad' road until 'Shumen' city, and from 'Shumen' until 'Giurgiu'.
Basically, I travelled on both West, Central and Eastern Bulgarian sides, and like 90% of the road, is basically a road with trees on both sides, NO KIDDING.
As for the 2nd thing, I travelled to Sibiu, Brasov, Bistrita, etc, almost most cities in Transylvania have Saxon or Hungarian origins. I have no problem with external influences in cities objectively, but I would rather prefer going to more conservative communities of the specific state. For example, you wouldn't be going to visit Russia, but instead of exploring Russian culture, you go to a Turkic town in central Asia or in the Far East, would you? Or go to Romania and visit the Gypsies, Hungarian or/and Székelys communities, right?
Off-topic, btw, hi. How's the weather in your region? Here in Hellas, it's like we're on the surface of the sun 😄
floare_salbatica@reddit
Dunno, man, I love trees so what you're saying about Bulgaria sounds like a fever dream to me. And I agree that people from Transylvania are more "German-like", but as someone who lived in Germany for over a decade, I'd say they're still closer to Romanians. And you should visit other regions of the country, you won't see any German influences. People in the south are pretty warm and chatty.
And hello, it's nice and sunny in Bucharest today. But it probably won't take long until we reach your stage. July and August are unbearable around here as well. Don't forget to stay hydrated. Greetings. 🤗
Checky_3rd@reddit
So then you should visit Bulgaria, it has tons of trees lol. Off-Topic, I would use to climb all sorts of trees as a kid lol, not anymore though, If I try to climb a tree here in Greece, you would either fall due to how weak the branches are or not climb at all due to how small they are.
And Yeah, I ain't saying that the Saxon cities in Transylvania are non-recognizible, but they are still different compared to cities like Craiova, Iasi or Braila if you know what I mean.
Yeah you too, as the years pass, it's getting even more hot gradually lol, or maybe it's just me lol, anyways, Greetings to you as well. 😄
kuhinjski@reddit
Using highways in Bulgaria is very cheap. You can travel all around the country for the whole week and pay the same price you would pay for one way trip from Niš to Belgrade.
Like, we are not only paying the highest gas prices in Balkans but they are also ripping us off for the use of highways. Im not sure how the car registrations work in other countries but im sure we are also paying much more than the others.
determine96@reddit
Hm.. So Boyko maybe was right when answering after he was asked why in Serbia which isn't in EU the roads are better with - that his mistake was teaching Bulgarians to drive cheaper than in the other countries 🤔
kuhinjski@reddit
Thats also true. The roads over there are bad but id take bad roads over expensive travel lol
MartinBP@reddit
I feel like, aside from the new Europe Highway from Sofia to Serbia, the rest of the regions you border are just in general very dilapidated and give a bad impression. Northwestern Bulgaria has been the poorest region of the country for decades now, most of the ok infrastructure is in the south from Sofia to Burgas, particularly from Pazardzhik to Burgas along the Thracian Plain which is serviced by the Trakiya Highway and new high-speed rail.
kuhinjski@reddit
Actually i know the rest of Bulgaria better than the western part we border with lol. Ive never been to Vidin or Sofia. I usually visit either the region around Blagoevgrad or Dobrudza.
determine96@reddit
Yeah people here adapt differently, mainly by driving SUV's exactly for that reason.
Every 3th-4th car at least in my town is some of Toyota Rav4 series and similar.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Oh yes, Eastern Balkans + North Macedonia are very inexpensive. Western Balkans + Greece are in a crisis because the prices have skyrocketed.
GreatshotCNC@reddit
Oh boy. Something that somehow comes to mind first is that people eat banitsa (Bulgarian cheese pie) with fortunes in each slice for New Years'.
Meanwhile, in Greece we've got Βασιλόπιτα, which is essentially a tsoureki-like cake with a single coin for a single winner inside.
Idk guys, eating a cheese pie for New Years' isn't common in Greece. I was very confused when I found out that was the case in the neighbouring country.
AnarchistRain@reddit
Coin variant of banitsa also exists
arcane_labor92@reddit
But it is pitka, not banitsa
MartinBP@reddit
Some people apparently use banitsa.
Kitsooos@reddit
The "original" vasilopita in Greece was also cheesepie. They still do it in some regions of Epirus.
The sweet vasilopita is an Asia Minor thing and it was popularised in Greece by the Anatolian Greek immigrants after the population exchange.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
We have that too - we call it kulaç!
GreatshotCNC@reddit
I checked it out and kulaç looks similar to other kinds of bread we also have but not Vasilopita
Of course, the idea is similar but a bit different in every Balkan country. Cake/pie with something like a charm or a coin inside
No-Championship-4632@reddit
Romanians are very keen on properly maintaining their house roofs for some reason, it's not like that here.
Stealthfighter21@reddit
Their roofs are metal, which is not the case here.
Mestintrela@reddit
Turks use butter almost everywhere instead of olive oil in the same foods. I noticed because I expected similar taste in similar dishes but alI I ate were too heavy and smelly for my palate.
We hardly use butter anywhere in the islands. Even in Crete that they use butter in a few more dishes like pilaf it isnt so heavy.
The butter they use wasnt just simple butter but the kind of authentic heavy smelly butter you cant find here in the supermarket.
I am sure when they come here our foods will also seem smelly to them too. Reeking of olive oil. And I absolutely dont mean this comment as offensive in any way. Just a major difference.
Sweet_Bridge_3001@reddit
Im from the Aegean shore of Turkey so we use a lot of olive oil too but you absolutely cannot cook with olive oil, it smokes and burns, turning bitter, it loses all of its deliciousness.
For cooking you need butter, everything else olive oil.
Mestintrela@reddit
Cooking with olive oil is the whole basis of greek cuisine. Why exactly you cant cook with it? It is definitely much healthier than cooking with saturated fats like butter and animal fat.
We saute vegetables in olive oil, use it in roasts, soups, in sauces and in the pot. Even in french cuisine inspire dishes we substitute many parts of butter with olive oil.
Sweet_Bridge_3001@reddit
Olive oil has a low smoke point, thats why you cant cook everything with it. Certainly vegetables and soups, any kind of low heat cooking, but not for frying, roasting or baking.
Also, olive oil has a distinct flavor that dominates many other flavors and tastes, its not desirable when you are going for a specific flavor profile, neutral oils are better in those circumstances.
Mestintrela@reddit
In Greece we fry with it all the time and as far I know so Italians also from south of Rome. We fry fish, steaks, calamari , meat and even french fries with olive oil. There are also olive oil cookies and cakes that substitute all or most of butter with olive oil in baking. And pancakes or donuts and other pastry too.
I know it has a strong flavour but we are used to it. That is why I said that if Turks ate greek food they also would find it smelly same as Greeks find the turkish butter smelly. But because we are used to our own cuisine we dont smell it.
I personally even cook Thai, Indian and chinese dishes with olive oil. I call it "fusion cuisine" and for sure it is not authentic but I dont even taste the olive oil anymore. For my palate actually olive oil goes very very well with Indian and Chinese cuisine but the Indians and Chinese who have tried it dont think so. With Thai and Japanese cuisine the olive oil doesnt fit so well imo.
InternationalPie1306@reddit
Thats not true. There is Olive oil with a low smoking point yes, but also refined olive oil (max 243 C) which you can use for stir frys etc.
I prefer butter tho, way more flavor complexity
GreatshotCNC@reddit
This aversion to the authentic butter you mentioned is indeed a very Greek thing from my experience.
btweenthatormohammad@reddit
I'm in a city in the Aegean coast and some restaurants make kavurma with olive oil, which is really weird. You''re supposed to use the fat of the animal, not some vegetable.
I don't really like olive oil in foods, only in salad but that's all.
amazingamy19@reddit
They have the sea
thesadbudhist@reddit
They're landlocked, pretty noticable
amazingamy19@reddit
When you fail to find the beach, you immediately see the difference.
Kitsooos@reddit
Waaaaaay too much goat in Turkey. Just way too much.
Not to sound like an insensitive dick, but you people could really use some pork in your diet.
ivanp359@reddit
In Turkey- Alcohol is fuuuuuucking expensive. First time in Istanbul I had to reconsider not ordering a second beer for lunch, cause a bottle of Efes costed more than a massive plate of Adana kebap. Heartbreaking. How do yall survive this?
Young_Owl99@reddit
What kind of meat you ate ??
Yes Alcohol is super expansive but so do meat lol. Adana kebap shouldn’t be that cheap!
ivanp359@reddit
Isnt adana traditionally lamb (I think), also that was like about 10 years ago, and the lira-lev ratio was way lower
Young_Owl99@reddit
Yes both were much cheaper back then but I never remember a time that beer is more expensive than Adana Kebap. Still super suspicious!
Anyway the important thing is you are still alive and hopefully healthy buddy!
idontknowitatall123@reddit
i was in belgrade once and its ok, developed, busy, lots of stores…
the only thing i didnt like were the graffiti (war based)
just my experience, besides i loved walking down the streets, very pretty
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
Now, it's even worse. Thanks to vučić
Poglavnik_Majmuna01@reddit
The cities anywhere south of Vojvodina are very different both in urban planning, architecture and cleanliness.
Belgrade was a huge and chaotic urban mess.
Nis felt very odd because as a city of 200k inhabitants it had no historic urban core (aside from that neglected fortress which was more of a park). The city just looked like a huge suburb of Belgrade.
Unable-Stay-6478@reddit
I'm from Belgrade - that's correct.
Sweet_Bridge_3001@reddit
In Greece, I needed to pick up an item from somewhere, so i asked a Greek friend commuting from there if he could pick ut up for me. Mind you this is an hour drive for me, so no big deal if he says no, he said absolutely yes, no problem.
Next day i ask him, he says he forgot, its fine, whats the rush, sit down lets eat and drink so we do. Next day is the exact same, i said i can go get it myself no problem, he says absolutely not, he made a promise, he will fullfil it.
It took me 2 weeks to recieve the package, we did eat and drink a lot. I know its an anectode but i got the impression that there is no urgency in Greece, just vibes and chilling.
Renandstimpyslog@reddit
Bulgaria was so green. I realized how horribly deforested Turkey was when I was there.
Greeks don't drink tea. They don't have that many cats and they prefer small dog breeds.
Archaeopteryx111@reddit
Hungary and northern Serbia are very flat.
SuspiciousShock8294@reddit
There is significantly more Bulgarians in Bulgaria than there is in Serbia... I think they're up to something. 🤭
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Lmao, no, but seriously. Anything in particular that you’d say is noticeably different?
SuspiciousShock8294@reddit
I dunno man. There's more Muslim people in Bosnia than in Serbia. I always tend to look at differences as a thing of beauty, if it makes sense? Surrounding countries (especially the ex-Yu) are full of people that are (for me) basically the same. So, the things that are culturally different are always interesting to learn about. It would suck if everyone and everything was the same everywhere.
Example is that the Greek people revere Easter as a more important holiday as opposed to here in Serbia the most "important" religious holliday being Christmas.
I've spent Easter in Santorini once and i remember that their churches fire a ton of fireworks at midnight, almost competing at which church makes the most noise. Not something we'd do here. But i thought that to be amazing and really fun to witness.
Mestintrela@reddit
Really? You dont even have fireworks in Easter? Wow ..Fireworks here are the kindergarten level only for the most tame neighborhoods.
If you havent gotten your ears blown up by firecrackers, seen some weeds or even buildings caught on fire by accident and a couple of kids almost losing two fingers, you havent seen greek easter.
Meanwhile in Christmas only the most religious go to church.
Archaeopteryx111@reddit
No fireworks in Romania for Easter either. I think Christmas is more important and festive in the places that have a real winter.
SuspiciousShock8294@reddit
Nah! Not at all man. We do fireworks for New Years (the traditional, and the as we call it The Serbian New Year, which the old calendar New Year's Eve basically, since our church is still sticking with it). Easter is no fireworks or fires of any kind. On the Eve before Christmas Day we gather around parochial churches and light sort of ceremonial fires with oak tree branches, and we make mulled wine and rakija, and lots of people hang out late into telhe night.
Usual-Package7120@reddit
I hope they never change the calender thing, as a diaspora cro/serb (moved during the war), I've grown up with both new and old calender religious holidays, so x2 of each, every year. This is the best things ever, pls keep this old calender it's been great celebrating the same things twice per year honestly.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Not the bots reminding their friends to downvote this post.
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Yassss queen keep sharing & downvoting 👑
Substratas@reddit (OP)
Downvote me all u want baby, you’ll never catch up with my pace 😂😈