Era-style humor

Zlatibor is widely known as an urban mountain, a place where you can rest and relax, go skiing or just have a good time. Many people have heard about Zlatibor because of the delicious homemade kajmak, prsuta and „komplet lepinja“.

But, how many people are familiar with the unusual type of humor, which is very characteristic for this region?

Beautiful landscape, green pastures, fresh air and the hard living conditions have influenced the character and the mentality of the people from this region. This never-ending struggle for survival, cheerful spirit and simple-mindedness of these people led to the creation of this unusual and unique type of humor.

However, humor is more than just interesting stories which make people laugh. Humor is a state of mind and it is an important part of people’s lives. Humor is an intellectual, distinguishing trait of the people who create it, interpret it and transfer it from one generation to the next. This truly makes Era-style humor a distinguishing cultural and social trait of the people from Zlatibor region.

Era-style humor stories are full of wisdom, acumen, perspicacity and eloquence. They are witty remarks that people from these parts used to confront potentates, clergymen, merchants, teachers… By expressing distinct national insurgency they actually fight for their rights, values and justice.

A young man named Rade bought a horse from a certain landowner. The landowner said that he will deliver the horse tomorrow. The next day he came and said: “I’m sorry lad, but the horse died”. The lad replied: “Ok, but I want my money back”, “I’m sorry, but I have already spent the money” said the landowner. “Bring me the carcass then” said Rade. “Ok, but why?” asked the landowner. “I’m going to run a raffle. The horse will be the prize, I only ask that you don’t tell anyone that the horse is dead”. A month later the landowner saw the young man on the street and asked him “what have you been up to”? “Nothing special, I ran that raffle though. Each ticket was five euros. I sold two thousand tickets and I made then thousand euros”. “And nobody complained?” asked the landowner. “Only the person who won the horse. I gave him his money back and I showed him the carcass. He didn’t complain!”

Rade now works in a bank and he might be playing you, banks are only doing their jobs and they always find new “horses” to fool.

Relja Radović, a worker in Čigote, told this joke on 6.3.2013.

Everyday life, sad and funny events inspired the people from this region to write them down and retell them in a specific way. Full of humor, wisdom and wit these stories deal with important social topics, problems that aren’t usually talked about and they also promote positive social values.

Many travelers and researchers who passed through this region noticed this trait of the people who have grown up and who live here. Many scientists and people who gathered “Era-style folk stories” dealt with this phenomenon, which further emphasizes the importance, meaning and tradition of Era-style humor in the cultural heritage of Serbian people.

Summer street era-style festival

Several years in a row a traditional event, which promotes the unique Era-style humor, has been held in Čajetina and on Zlatibor. A series of charming, sophisticated and funny happenings will cheer you up, make you laugh and you will become familiar with this authentic type of humor, whose immediacy and wisdom will astonish you.

The importance of Era-style humor as a part of the cultural identity of the Serbian people has been recognized by the Center for Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia. Alongside twenty six other elements, it has been inscribed on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia on 18.6.2012.

Era-style witticism in diaspora

Era-style humor, jokes and stories have made their way even across the borders of Serbia. Namely, people who leave their homeland continue telling these stories. One of them is Boban Boba Simonović, an agriculturist from Zlatibor, who enjoys making people laugh. He doesn’t only tell jokes; he also loves to surprise his audience with Era-style witticisms.

“The most famous Era-style story is definitely Ero s’ onoga svijeta (Ero the Joker, literally Ero from the other world). However there are many more interesting, but less known stories. Stories about people from Čajetina are my favorite and I gladly tell them on gatherings. People in Slovakia find these stories interesting and funny” says Boban Simonović who has been living and working in Slovakia for five years.