International children's folklore festival opens in Uzice

UZICE - The 6th Licitar Heart international children's folklore festival has opened in Uzice, western Serbia, with a ceremony that involved its 850 participants.

The festival, which opened late Monday, features 27 folklore groups from 10 countries, which will be performing on nearby Mt Zlatibor, in Mokra Gora, Pozega, Bajina Basta, Visegrad and Republika Srpska until August 23.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin, who said that he is impressed with the number of participants, who include two folklore groups from Russia.

The Uzice festival has brought nearly all of Europe together - maybe not quite all the way from Barcelona to Vladivostok, but there are children from nearly the entire continent, Chepurin said in a statement to Tanjug, The festival is a great event for the city of Uzice and an opportunity to make new friendships and get to know the cultures of other nations, he said.

Welcoming the participants, Uzice Mayor Tihomir Petkovic noted the significance of the festival for promoting the Uzice region.

While in Uzice, the young artists will tour the attractions of the region and then tell their friends across Europe about them, Petkovic said.

The festival will also feature folklore workshops and exhibitions of folk costumes worn by the participants of the festival, who come from Moldova, Russia, Turkey, Albania, Poland, France, Slovenia, Montenegro, Republika Srpska and Serbia.

This year, the proceeds from a charity sale of licitar hearts - richly decorated biscuits that boys used to give girls at fairs as presents - will go to children from Serbia's flood-hit regions.

The Licitar Heart festival is organised by the Era...