ST VITUS DAY CELEBRATIONS AT GAZIMESTAN BETWEEN THE TWO WORLD WARS
Abstract
Public celebrations at Gazimestan, the death place of the most promineni Serbien heroes, and at the Mazgit field were the Turkish Sultan Murat was killed, were rather modest in the period before the first world war. Only after the Yugoslav nations were united into one state, the conditions became fevourable for the Serbisn people to worthily repay its debt to the praised heroes of Kossove who had verisied at the battle of Kossovo on 28th June (St. Vitus’ Day) in 1389, and to erect a modest monument in memory of their patriotic deads. Between the two world wars, every year on St. Vitus' Day long processions of Serbain people coming from Priština, Vučitrn and other directions gathered at Gazimestan to give requiem mass to the Kossove heroes. These manifesiations were attended not oniy by common people from Kossovo, Serbia and from other parts of the country as distant as Boka Kotorska (Bay of Kotor), Dalmatia, Skopje and many others, but also by the very high-ranking government and state representatives from the adjoining regional administrative units. Spectators stated that they found the parades and reviews of military units of all branches of service in the Yugoslav Army, and especially of cavalry in their dress uniforms and with sabers, particularly impressive. Serblan villagers, dressed in their festive costumes, contribuied greatly to the beauty and splendor of these public celebrations giving them the character of the greatest folk gatherings. In the richly composed program a prominent place was given to horse races in which courageous village youth riding their best, carefully selected horses took part. The best horsemen were given standards, Yagoslay tricolour, as & prize.
The most magnificent St. Vitus’ Day celebration was held in 1839, on the 550 anniversary of the battle of Kossovo. Dancing and singing national songs, the Serbian people expressed their joy that the nation, after many centuries of slavery, finaliy succeeded in establishing the state in which it could freely and completely develop all its economic and cultural potentials.
