Novi Sad Local Customs

Just few tips here... Serbian currency is called dinar. You will be expected to pay with dinars, no foreign currencies are allowed. But that's not a problem, exchange offices can be found on every corner. One euro is around 95 dinars, but for more accurate information, here's a link: http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/t/cf58e/a/affea/0/

Credit cards are widely accepted in shops and restaurant, and atm's can be found on every corner.

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Novi Sad is the capital of Vojvodina, an autonomous region of Serbia that, rather than being an historic region, is in fact composed of three historic geographical regions: Banat, Bachka and Srem. The fact that this is not the Serbian heartland means that there are numerous ethnic, linguistic and religious minorities living here, although Novi Sad itself is fairly solidly Serbian (it is highly unlikely that you will hear anything else spoken). Nevertheless, under the Socialist government, minority rights were enshrined by law and the various minority languages spoken in Vojvodina were protected and recognized to a certain degree. The ones with the most numerous speakers – Hungarian, Ruthenian/Ukrainian, Slovak and Romanian – are used on official buildings and signs, while the others (Romani, Banat Bulgarian, German, distinct dialects of Serbo-Croatian, Turkish, Greek, etc.) might be recognized for use in specific municipalities. The multi-ethnic and multi-cultural heritage of the region is on display at places like the Town Hall and the Municipal Library, but otherwise the most obvious pointer to the patchwork nature of Vojvodinian society is the city’s architecture and the plethora of religious institutions throughout Novi Sad.

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Architecture in Novi Sad varies greatly, although the vast majority of it dates from the mid-19th century onward (the riots of the Revolution of 1848 caused widespread destruction in the city). Outside of the city’s nucleus, which is around Trg slobode and north of it, the styles of construction are not always very pleasing. As you move away from the centre towards the Danube (that is, to the south) Socialist-era buildings dominate, like a plague that has blighted the city. Novi Sad’s railway station is also Socialist-era, but there is considerably more new development in that part of the city, by which I mean post-Socialist, giving Novi Sad a bit more of a modern feel.

On Christmas Day or Christmas Eve, a special meal of Christmas dishes is usually served. In Serbia these family feasts are preceded by a period of fasting. Candy and treats are also part of Christmas celebration in many countries. In Serbia Christmas day is on January 7. This is because the Orthodox church continues to use the Julian calendar for determining feast days. For Orthodox Christians fasting during these times refers to abstention from animal products, olive oil (or all oils, according to some Orthodox traditions), wine and spirits . However, shellfish is allowed in some traditions, though other kinds of meat are not. Fasting can take up a significant portion of the calendar year. The idea is not to suffer, but to use the experience to come closer to God, to realize one's excesses and for alms giving. Fasting without prayer and almsgiving (donating the money saved to a local charity, or directly to the poor, depending on circumstances) is considered useless or even spiritually harmful by many Orthodox Christians. Those desiring to receive Holy Communion keep a total fast from all food and drink from midnight the night before.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the New Year is on 14 January (1 January in the Julian Calendar). Many in the countries where Eastern Orthodoxy predominates celebrate both the Gregorian and Julian New Year holidays, with the Gregorian day celebrated as a civic holiday, and the Julian date as the "Old New Year", a religious holiday.
Like in most countries that use the Gregorian calendar, the New Year's Day in Serbia is a public holiday and is celebrated on January 1. On that day, lots of joyous entertainment and fireworks and other festivities, and elaborate and often large meals are common.
The New Year by the Julian calendar is still informally observed and the tradition of celebrating the coming of the New Year twice is widely enjoyed.
Usually not as festive as the true New Year, for many this is a nostalgic family holiday ending the New Year holiday cycle.

In Serbia, it is considered very rude to yawn without covering your mouth. My friend had told me about this but I was shocked, when, at a nightclub called Piping .... a man walking past me as I was yawning actually reached over, covered my mouth and told me in Serbian that that was very rude.

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Easter is the most important religious feast of the Christian liturgical year, observed between late March and late April (early April to early May in Eastern Christianity). It celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred after his death by crucifixion in AD 27-33 .
Easter eggs are specially decorated eggs given out to celebrate the Easter holiday.
Decorated eggs are much older than Easter, and both eggs and rabbits are age-old fertility symbols. The Passover Seder service uses a hard-cooked egg flavored with salt water as a symbol both of new life and the Temple service in Jerusalem. The Jewish tradition may have come from earlier Roman Spring feasts.
Easter egg origin stories abound—one has an emperor claiming that the Resurrection was as likely as eggs turning red more prosaically the Easter egg tradition may have celebrated the end of the privations of Lent. In the West, eggs were seen as "meat", which would have been forbidden during Lent. Likewise, in Eastern Christianity, both meat and dairy are prohibited during the fast, and eggs are seen as "dairy" (a foodstuff that could be taken from an animal without shedding its blood). Another Orthodox tradition is the presenting of red colored eggs to friends while giving Easter greetings. This custom had its beginning with Mary Magdalene. After the Ascension of Christ, she went to the Emperor of Rome and greeted him with "Christ is risen", as she gave him a red egg. She then began preaching Christianity to him. The egg is symbolic of the grave and life renewed by breaking out of it. The red symbolizes the blood of Christ redeeming the world, represented by the egg, and our regeneration through the bloodshed for us by Christ. The egg itself is a symbol of the Resurrection while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.

Hanging out in the parks is one of the favourite weekend pastimes, especially for kids! The city park in the center is packed, and you can find kids and parents jumping around and chasing the ball, or parents sitting comfortably at benches and watching. It's very active and lively in the parks for the weekend!