About the Choreography

Choreography "Pod noć pođoh na vodu - Đurđevdan in Vučitrn"

On the eve of Đurđevdan (St. George's Day), people pick wild garlic, willow, and fragrant flowers. Doors of the house and other buildings in the yard, such as stables, barns, and storehouses, are decorated with wild garlic and willow. People go to the spring to fetch water, into which they dip fragrant flowers and leave a red egg overnight. In the morning, girls wash their faces with this water, believing it would make them healthy and rosy. Married women jump over a tub with this water to be more fertile. During the day, girls weave wreaths and decorate the house surroundings. Men whip children with nettles early in the morning for good health.

For the Vučitrn choreography, songs and dances such as "Pod noć pođoh na vodu," "Đurđevo leto proleto," "Dva bilbila," "Pušteno oro," "Stojkovo kolo," "Katrinče devojče," and "Paprikaš" were chosen.

A characteristic of Vučitrn's dances is that girls dance separately from men, accompanied by singing, while music only accompanies men's dance. An especially important dance for girls is "Pušteno oro," where they compete to attract the attention of young men.

A unique feature of these dances is that dancers do not hold hands, rarely hold shoulders, and most often hold handkerchiefs or have their hands free.

Today, there are almost no Serbs in Vučitrn. Those remaining inhabit villages like Gojbulja, and the Serbian municipality has been relocated to Prilužje, formerly a community center. About 5,000 Serbs live there today, steadfastly preserving their heritage. In 2013, they built a church dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord.

Research for this choreography was lengthy, from 2003 to 2006, when it was completed. Investigating the music and dance was challenging, and reconstructing traditional costumes, which are quite unusual in this part of central Kosovo, was even more difficult. Therefore, collaboration with the Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade, led by curator Ms. Mirjana Menković, and the Museum in Priština with a temporary seat in Belgrade, headed by Ms. Mina Darmanović, was invaluable. Their dedication to reconstructing the costumes in the KUD workshop yielded results.

For conceptualizing the choreography, texts by Stevan Mokranjac, Miloje Milojević, sisters Danica and Ljubica Janković, and Miodrag Vasiljević were used. Special thanks are due to the Žarković family, originally from Gojbulja, the old Vučitrn residents, Mr. Rado Trifunović, and Ms. Ljilja Čukarić from the Faculty of Physical Culture, who recounted the customary part applied in the choreography. Zoran Rakić, Predrag Mašić, and Dalibor Disić skillfully preserved the cultural life of this region. They revived amateur creativity by gathering children and working diligently with them to preserve the identity of this area. They have become well-known not only in Kosovo and Metohija but also beyond.