You remember your baba and deda claiming “rakija” was the cure for everything? Or your aunt basing her whole life on the fortune she read in her coffee cup? The memory of your father calling you “tele” when you didn’t know how to do something he couldn’t to do either, is still very vivid? You, too, must’ve rolled your eyes every time your mother insisted you had to eat a meal with a “kašika”?
If you have, then you must have grown up in Serbia. Or have been brought up as Serbian. If you’re craving for a little trip down memory lane, then read on and see just how Serbian you are!
1. You say ‘‘BRE’’ at the end of literally EVERY sentence
The first Serbian word every foreigner learns to say is the famous “bre”. You hear it everywhere and all the time. It is (subconsciously) inserted at the end of every single sentence, regardless of the topic or speaker, thus snatching the title of the most frequently used word in the Serbian language.
The beloved “bre”, with is vibrrrant “R” or looong “E”, doesn’t have any particular meaning but is usually used to stress something. Because of that – when you hear the word “BRE”, you KNOW some crazy story is about to be told!
2. A Serbian holiday requires AT LEAST a month’s worth of preparation
Whether it’s Sveti Jovan, Sveti Nikola or Đurđevdan, Božić (Christmas) or Uskrs (Easter), extensive preparation for any of these holidays begins a month early at the very least. For those who haven’t had the blessing (and the curse) of experiencing this phenomenon, imagine this month as a tornado of “Dodaj mi ovo!”, “Pospremi taj džumbus!” and the obligatory “Zašto mi je ovo trebalo!?”.
However, when the family, friends, and food, arrive – you realize that all the time, energy and stress invested were worth it!
3. You are a “SIN” regardless of whether you’re a son or daughter
If you’re momma’s boy, you are called a “MAMIN SIN”, and if you’re a daddy’s girl you are still called a “sin”- “TATIN SIN”.
So, basically, you’re a “SIN” (a son) either way.
If you were a Mamin Sinčić, you were certainly pampered by your (over-)caring Serbian mother, and probably pressured into bringing your bride home so that you can live next to your mother’s side. Forever.
On the other side, if you were a daughter with the title of Tatin Sin, you were the son your father always wanted which meant you went fishing, watched all the sports channels and learned to drive a car at the age of 5. And you probably loved it!
4. You never sit at the corner-seat of a table because you’re afraid you’ll stay single forever
Serbian superstitions are ridiculously imaginative, each one more than the last. And every region has its own. Every Serbian child grows up hearing over a hundred unbelievably illogical and improbable “claims”.
If you’re Serbian, as a child you never walked under a ladder because you were told you wouldn’t grow anymore. Remember the one you were told each time you had the hiccups? Somebody was talking about you, right? You also got inexplicably excited when you had an itch on your left palm, because you knew you were getting some money. And finally, everybody’s favourite – Never sit on concrete because your ovaries will freeze!
Da kucnem o drvo!
5. You hate Serbia while you live in it, but the second you leave you MISS it
You hate the traffic and the ever-present holes on the roads. You despise public transportation and, more often than not, refuse to pay for it. You resent politics and want to throw your TV out the window during the elections.
You dream about life abroad. But the moment you go abroad, you MISS Serbia. You miss the hospitality of the Serbian people, your family, and your friends (especially you and your friends in a “kafana”), and above all – your mother’s cooking.
Feeling nostalgic now, aren’t you? You better book a ticket to Serbia then. ASAP. Burek and ćevapi are waiting!
Featured photo: www.dailymail.co.uk
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