Serbs of Montenegro

Serbs of Montenegro

Regions with significant populations
Andrijevica (69.61%), Plužine (60.51%), Pljevlja (59.52%), Herceg Novi (52.45%), Žabljak (50.26%), Šavnik (47.44%), Berane (41.43%), Bijelo Polje (36.31%), Tivat (35,19%)
Religion
Serbian Orthodox Christian
Related ethnic groups
Montenegrins

Montenegrins^{(Accurate regional affiliation of Serbs in Montenegro)} or Montenegrin Serbs (Template:Lang-sr) is a regional, ethnographic group of ethnic Serbs, inhabiting Montenegro. They compose the second largest nation in Montenegro (31.99%, 2004) after the separate nation of Montenegrins. However in response to the Montenegrin independence movement, a significant revival of Serb national identity in Montenegro has occurred.

In January 26, 2010, Serbian President Boris Tadic said it is unbelievable that the Serbs only have the status of national minority, stressing that he wants to build up the relations between the countries since Montenegro's recognition of Kosovo that weakened the diplomacy between Montenegro and Serbia but doesn't understand the position given to the Serbs in relation to the history and manners of Montenegro. He said he has no intentions to mix into the business of Montenegro, only showing what Serbia thinks about Podgorica's handling of the Serb people in Montenegro.

History

Main articles: History of the Serbs and History of Montenegro

Medieval Duklja and its successor-state Zeta were part of the larger Serbian realms that presently are part of southern Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Malesija.

Montenegro was declared a nation-state of the Serbs by its rulers in the 18th and 19th century.

After the fall of SFR Yugoslavia, during the Montenegrin referendum in 1992 (Which ended 95.96% for union with Serbia) Milo Đukanović's outspoke during the campaign: We are proud of our Serb origin and Montenegrin statehood, the proud history of the Serbian people. That's why we believe in a common future and prosperity.

With the victory of the unionist bloc, he concluded: Because of eternal brotherhood links; common blood spilled in wars, because of the eternal dream of the best Montenegrins and Serbians, for a brightly common better future, Montenegro willingly chose to live in a common state with Serbia with open heart.

However after 1997 the pro-Serb stance gradually changed to pro-Independence, and in 2006, Montenegro became independent after 0.4% votes secured the referendum.

Population

Serbs in Montenegro (blue) (2003 Census)

See also: Demographics of Montenegro

Serbs with heritage to Montenegro are approximately 400,000. There are approximately 200,000 Serbs in Montenegro, where they form 32% of its population; however, there are another 200,000 Montenegrin Serbs living in Serbia who migrated from Montenegro.

Municipalities of Montenegro with an absolute or a relative Serb majority are:

• Andrijevica (69.61%)
• Plužine (60.51%)
• Pljevlja (60.11%)
• Herceg Novi (52.88%)
• Žabljak (50.26%)
• Šavnik (47.44%)
• Berane (46.51%)
• Bijelo Polje (40.32%)
• Tivat (35.19%)

Culture

Main article: Serbian culture

Further information: Culture of Montenegro

Language

Main article: Serbian language

Linguistic map. Yellow is Serbian

Serbs in Montenegro speak the Ijekavian dialect of the Serbian language ; around 65% of the population of the entire country speak it as their mother tongue (35% Montenegrins).

Serbian was the official language of Montenegro until 2007 when the new Constitution of Montenegro replaced the Constitution of 1992. Amid opposition from pro-Serbian parties, Montenegrin language was made the sole official language of the country and Serbian was given the status of a recognised minority language along with Bosnian, Albanian, and Croatian. As per 2003 census results, 63.49% of the population declared their mother language as Serbian, compared to 21.96% who declared as Montenegrin, the latter being mainly concentrated in Old Montenegro.

Serbian is written with the Cyrillic script.

Religion

Main article: Serbian Orthodox Church

Serbian Orthodox Church in Kotor

The Serbs are adherents of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the strongest religious institution of Montenegro (with a total of 460,383 followers or 74%).

The current Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Littoral is Amfilohije Radović. One of the largest places of worship is the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Podgorica.

Threat to Serbian Orthodoxy in Montenegro

The Serbian Orthodox Church has been threatened in Montenegro. The newly formed Montenegrin Orthodox Church has claimed all Serbian Orthodox churches in Montenegro and is backed by some 26% of all Orthodox christians in Montenegro. The government has recognized the church, however none of the Eastern Orthodox churches have. The leader is the controversial Miraš Dedeić, a former Serbian Orthodox clergyman with Serbian nationalist views that after being suspended from the Serbian Church, went to Rome and became a Greek Orthodox clergyman. He formed a Serbian municipality within the Greek Orthodox church of Rome for his personal domain and was later suspended by the SOC after commiting adultery with a wounger woman. In 1997 he was excommunicated by the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate of Constantinople from the Eastern Orthodox Church. MOC's leader is anathemized by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and banished from Orthodoxy.

He joined the MOC and has since been anti-Serb. The Montenegrin Orthodox instigated a fight when they came and threatened Serbian Orthodox at the Cetinje monastery in 2009, Police broke the two groups.

Ethics

A very important dimension of Montenegrin culture is the ethical ideal of Čojstvo i Junaštvo, roughly translated as "Humanity and Bravery". Another result of its centuries long warrior history, it is the unwritten code of Chivalry that stipulates that to deserve a true respect of its people, a person has to show virtues of integrity, dignity, humility, self-sacrifice for the just cause, respect for others, and Rectitude along with the bravery. In the old days of battle, it resulted in Montenegrins fighting to the death as being captured was considered the greatest shame.

This code of conduct is still very much ingrained, to greater or lesser extent, in every Montenegrin's ethical beliefs system and it is essential that it be kept in mind in order to truly understand them. Coming from non-warrior backgrounds, most of other South-Slavic nations never fully grasp it, resulting in reactions from totally ignoring it, in the best case, to mocking it or ignorantly equating it with backwardness.

Most of extraordinary examples of Montenegrin conduct during its long history can be traced to the code.

Cuisine

Main article: Montenegrin cuisine

Further information: Serbian cuisine

Traditions

Main article: Serbian traditions

Besides the general Serbian traditions, the area of Montenegro has it's

Christmas

Main article: Serbian Christmas traditions

An old Christmas song from the Bay of Kotor has the following lyrics:

Božić zove svrh planine, one visoke: „Veselite se, Srbi braćo, vrijeme vi je! Nalagajte krupna drva, ne cijepajte! Sijecite suvo meso, ne mjerite! Prostirite šenič' slamu mjesto trpeze, a po slami trpežnjake, svilom kićene! A odaje i pendžere lovoričicom! A ikone i stolove masliničicom! Utočite rujna vina, rujna crvena, i rakije lozovače prve bokare! Vi, đevojke i nevjeste, kola igrajte, a vi, staro i nejako, Boga molite!“

Christmas calls from top of mountain, of that lofty one, “Be rejoicing, O Serbs, brothers, it's time for you to! Replenish the fire with large logs, do you not chop up! Cut off slices of the dried meat, do you not measure! Spread bundles of the wheaten straw instead of tables, and over the straw – tablecloths, embellished with silk! And the chambers and the windows – with the laurel twigs! And the icons and the tables – with the olive twigs! Fill glasses of the ruby wine, of the ruby red, and the first pitchers of lozovača rakia! You, girls and newly-wed women, do the kolo dance, and you, old and infirm people, make prayers to God!"

Montenegrin dances

Main article: Montenegrin dances

• Oro
• Kolo

Prominent individuals

Main article: List of Serbs

• Vasilije III Petrović-Njegoš
• Petar I Petrović Njegoš
• Petar II Petrović Njegoš (Radivoje Tomov Petrović, Rade)
• Marko Miljanov Popović
• Nikola I Petrović Njegoš
• Mirko Petrović Njegoš
• Karađorđe Petrović
• Aleksandar I Karađorđević (his mother was a Montenegrin Serb)
• Puniša Račić
• Mihailo Petrović-Njegoš
• Radovan Karadžić
• Amfilohije Radović
• Milla Jovovich (by her father's ancestry)
• Matija Bećković (by his father's ancestry)
• Batrić Jovanović
• Nikola Vukčević
• Visarion Ljubiša
• Stjepan Mitrov Ljubiša
• Patriarch Varnava (Rosić)
• Radoman Božović
• Jovan Cvijić (by ancestry)
• Vuk Stefanović Karadžić (by ancestry)
• Slobodan Milošević (by his father's ancestry)
• Boris Tadić (by his father's ancestry)
• Petar Lubarda
• Željko Ražnatović Arkan (by his father's ancestry)

See also

• Serbs
• Serbia
• Montenegro
• Montenegrins
• Demographics of Montenegro