Have you coloured your Easter eggs? You think you have the “toughest” one? Then pack your bags for Mokrin! In this lovely village in Banat, you’ll be greeted with over 150,000 Easter eggs, a lot of fun and of course the biggest, most interesting and most unusual contest for the hardest-boiled egg in the world!
In households across Serbia eggs are traditionally painted for Easter. The whole family participates in this old and joyful custom. The head of the family goes to buy the eggs and other groceries needed for the festive Easter lunch. The woman of the house boils them and prepares all sorts of traditional Serbian delicacies, and the children happily take on the task of decorating these famous symbols of the most celebrated Christian holiday.
Photo by Dragoljub Zamurovic
However, a small village in Vojvodina raised the bar for this old tradition. The locals of Mokrin are hosting the 26th World Egg Tapping Championship. And, believe us, this is not an ordinary egg-knocking “battle”. The “Tucanijada u Mokrinu” is so much more. It represents a mix of tradition, culture, fun and a joyful Easter festivity.
On this occasion Mokrin attracts several thousand curious people from all over Serbia, the region and the world. There have been contestants from Sweden, China, the South African Republic, Canada, Russia…
And even though this tournament isn’t an official World Egg Tapping Championship, the rules are strict and clear as day.
Only chicken eggs allowed
There have been egg tapping contests for goose eggs but the main rule of the “Mokrin Tucinijada” is that chicken eggs have to be used. Every competing egg is carefully examined as this village in Banat is known for its large number of geese.
Once the egg passes the test, it gains the right to compete for the hardest Easter egg of Mokrin.
A hard choice
The “serious” and committed contestants begin preparations up to a few months in advance. They select their eggs right after Christmas, and they also claim the hardest ones come in February and March. Sometimes this difficult selection winds down to a choice between 15,000 eggs. Only around 10 of them make the cut, and usually after that the head of the family chooses the one that will compete.
Although there are no set rules, seasoned candidates consider round eggs to be better than the so-called pointy eggs. Also, one of the more important steps in picking the right egg is the “knock on tooth” method. This is a skill that the experienced Mokrin locals possess and pass onto the next generations.
Fair and square
Did you think the residents of Mokrin forgot to establish what will be considered irregularities? Of course they haven’t! It is considered cheating if you tap your opponent’s egg sideways and not hard enough. Candidates who are doing it properly don’t even have to look at each other.
There is another special rule in Mokrin and it goes “Eggs have souls too”. This means that one has to put love, care and dedication to the very act of egg knocking. This is perhaps the best advice for success.
There can be only one
After going through several phases of selection, tests and opponents, the egg enters the finals. There can be only one winner but before he is to be announced, a traditional custom must be honoured. The winning egg is cut into two with a sabre. One half of it has to be eaten by the jury 
and the other half goes to the contestant.
It’s only after this final degustation takes place that the World Champion can be announced and a money prize given to him.
Finally, another sign of the Mokrin locals’ dedication to this event is the ranking list they create every year. So, victory isn’t the only goal on this contest but a high ranking as well.
Straight to Mokrin!
Whether you’re a fan of such contests or not, one thing’s for sure – a visit to Mokrin is a unique opportunity to have a great time.
The Easter festivities in this village in Vojvodina include a variety of content, events and shows. This is why we strongly recommend you visit Mokrin.
And who knows – maybe your egg will be the “toughest” one!
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