This past weekend, Sudbury's Serbian community came together to celebrate its culture at the annual Serbfest event.
It was also an occasion to honour the community’s half-century old Saints Peter and Paul Serbian Orthodox parish.
Members of the ethnic community gathered with Mayor Brian Bigger at Tom Davies Square on July 17 for an official proclamation to recognize the festivities.
“We are so happy to be in a country that allows us to choose where we belong,” said Father Jovan Marjanac. “Even though this is not the biggest city, it is united and close knit. I appreciate that it gives us recognition and support.”
The Serbian community might not have the population in Greater Sudbury it once did, but the church has increased its influence by reaching out to other Orthodox societies in Sudbury.
“Our church is home not only to Serbs, but to Russians, Egyptian Copts and other heritages,” Marjanac said. “This weekend is a time of celebration for all cultures within our congregation, which is a blessing.”
“I am thankful to participate in this event and I am looking forward to attending the festival tomorrow,” Bigger said in his address on Friday. “The Serbian community has had a notable presence in our city for over a hundred years and plays an important role.”
Following his speech, Bigger and Marjanac raised the Serbian flag over Tom Davies.
Around a hundred people attended the festival on Saturday at the church on Antwerp Avenue, including many non-Serbs as well as Croatians, Ukrainians and Canadians, who came to have a good time with friends and family.
They gorged on traditional Balkan cuisine of roasted pork, delicious cevapi (a cross between a sausage and hamburger with onions and coleslaw) with a mandatory selection of beer, spirits and wine to wash it all down.
The three-piece band, Special Edition, lived up the atmosphere with feet-stomping Serbian music.
While this definitely a Serbian event, love and gratitude toward Canada was strongly prevalent.
“Canada is the best place in the world,” said Slobodan Nikolic, who moved to the country in 1968. “I traveled many countries, over 50, and I never saw a place so accepting.
“But it is still important to know where you came from, so we try to do certain things like Easter, Christmas and festivals like we did back in Serbia.”
A Mass was given by Marjanac the next day at 10 a.m. to celebrate the liturgy and a final feast was held at 11:30 a.m. in the church’s basement.
