Folklorama - Serbian "KOLO" Pavilion

Hi Blog! On Friday, August 14, 2015, we experienced a taste of Serbian culture. A couple days ago, Grant and Doreen introduced us to their friends - Desa, Sasha and their boys, Yanko and Novak. Desa and Sasha are Serbians who emigrated to Canada 20 years ago. Desa was kind enough to email us a whole list of things to do around Winnipeg. One of the events she mentioned was Folklorama.

Folklorama is the largest and longest-running multicultural festival of its kind in the world. It began in 1970 as a celebration of Manitoba’s centennial, and has grown into an annual two-week festival of global culture that takes place the first two weeks in August. Over 40 volunteer-run pavilions participate each year, showcasing unique cultures in venues throughout Winnipeg. Pavilions feature lively entertainment, cultural displays, warm hospitality and authentic ethnic cuisine. With over 40 cultures to choose from, we knew we wouldn't be able to visit them all. Since Desa recommended this event, we decided to visit the Serbian Pavilion.

After spending the better part of Friday touring around downtown, we timed it so that we would leave downtown and arrive at the St. James Civic Center in time for the 6:00 p.m. start. The first show started at 6:45. That gave us time to get something to eat and drink before the show. They had plenty of homemade Serbian goodies. We decided to try different dishes and share them. Our plates are full with sour cabbage rolls, meat pie, cheese pie, coleslaw and baklava!

What better to wash down all that good Serbian grub with than good Serbian libations. David decided to be adventuresome and tried the Old Falcon's Plum Brandy. Kathy's drink of choice was Niksicko Gold, a Serbian lager beer. The brandy packed a punch, while the lager was light and refreshing.

As we finished our dinner, a volunteer came around selling small cups of Serbian coffee. When we ordered two cups, she asked if we wanted to learn how to make it. We had learned from our friend, Grant, that Serbians take their coffee seriously. In fact, the first time Grant and Doreen met Desa and Sasha, Sasha made them Serbian coffee. It really made an impression on them. We eagerly followed the volunteer to the coffee station. We enjoyed her demonstration, but rather than try and repeat the instructions, we found a You Tube Video. Now, you too, can enjoy a good cup of Serbian coffee.

We returned to our seats with our coffee to await the start of the evening's entertainment. There were lots of happy noises coming from the crowd.

According to our program, KOLO is the traditional dance of the Serbian people, with many local varieties. It is folk dance in which dancers, both male and female, join hands to form a magic circle that moves, breathes, and lives with music. Here are the senior dancers taking the stage.

The senior dancers are really good. They recently won a Trophy for Best Choreography from the Annual Folklore Festival in New Jersey. While the seniors were impressive, the juniors were just plain cute. You could tell they just loved to dance.

Just before we left, Dave did a little shopping at the Serbian merchandise table. We brought home blueberry nectar and Mama's Homemade Style Ajvar.  Ajvar is a type of relish, made principally from red bell peppers, with garlic, eggplant and chili peppers.  It is known as "Serbian salad" or "Serbian vegetable caviar." Kathy is trying to decide whether to have some now or wait for breakfast.

On our way out, we stopped and talked to some of the dancers. We really enjoyed learning about Serbian culture and heritage. The food was fantastic, the music was lively and the dancing very energetic. Now, we just can't wait to try the Ajvar!

Laku Noć!