Sharp, direct and usually ironic and black, humor is a way of life in Serbia and a way to overcome any misfortune.

To understand Serbian humor, means to understand the way of life in Serbia. Like across the globe, humor is an everyday necessity, and occasions for a good joke are found everywhere – whether sad or happy. Serbian humor is sharp, and on moments perhaps too direct, but above all original and authentic. What makes us laugh elsewhere would probably be strange – Serbian humor is ironic and one of its characteristics is that jokes are often made on our own expense.

To understand Serbian humor, means to understand the way of life in Serbia. Like across the globe, humor is an everyday necessity, and occasions for a good joke are found everywhere – whether sad or happy. Serbian humor is sharp, and on moments perhaps too direct, but above all original and authentic. What makes us laugh elsewhere would probably be strange – Serbian humor is ironic and one of its characteristics is that jokes are often made on our own expense.

Serbs can make a good joke and at different comic situations, but mostly they make jokes on their own actions and everyday events. Here humor is a universal drug, the solution for all kinds of situations and the main condition and reason to have a great time. Due to specificity of Serbian humor, we find British comedies with sharp and effective slogans the most appropriate.

Jokes and quotations from local films have become cult quotes. Quotes like: “He fixed it, all right!”, or “Admit it, and Djura will forgive you for having beaten you!”, might seem strange to others, but in Serbia they will put a smile on people’s faces as everyone will understand their meaning.

If they can’t change the behavior of their loved ones, affect decisions made by their friends or fix neighborly relations, people in Serbia often quote some cynical quotes from one of local film classics: “I’m sorry that you are all mine, and not the children of an enemy of mine. To the one who knew you, eternity in hell would be a piece of cake.” As an invitation for a good night out, that includes parties and dancing till early dawn, an average citizen in Serbia will use the popular quote “Kids, do you like speeding?”.

That is why our jokes are best understood by our neighbors or foreigners who have spent some time in Serbia and felt uniqueness of Serbian humor. There are few of those who after some time spent in Serbia and everyday day interaction with locals have forgotten the directness and wit of people in Serbia.

Favorite pastime or simply a small talk, telling jokes in Serbia – from already legendary jokes about blondes, mischievous boy Perica, about personalities of former countrymen from all over ex Yugoslavia (most famous being typical characters of Mujo and Haso from Bosnia & Herzegovina), but also about people from all regions of Serbia, is an everyday necessity. Some of favorite jokes are those about policemen… Serbs also like to make jokes about local politicians, whose everyday activities are followed by numerous jokes.

The uniqueness and authenticity of Serbian humor was also rewarded by numerous international awards for short humorous literary forms. The Association of Aphorists from Russia, Romania, Italia, Poland and many other countries consider that the best aphorisms are written in Serbia. The language in aphorisms is sharp, and the topics are up-to-date.

There are no embarrassing questions and forbidden topics. This could seem a bit strange to people visiting Serbia for the first time, but actually it is quite simple and it can be understood with a little help of knowing Serbian history and the mentality of our people.

 

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