Prayer under Midžor | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

"Đurđevdanski susreti - Molitva pod Midžorom" is a tourist event held every year, on the eve of St. George's Day, in the mountain villages of Vrtovac and Balta Berilovac, located approximately 35km from Knjaževac.

The solemn prayer takes place on St. George's Day in the village of Vrtovac, at a place called Kalavat, and is based on an ancient ritual that combines Christian and pagan customs. By celebrating St. George's Day, nature and the village awaken from their winter slumber with a traditional event. St. George is considered the patron saint of shepherds, and this is one of the liveliest holidays in the municipality of Knjaževac, associated with a great number of customs. The ritual procession (litija) on that day sanctifies the cheese, decorates the area around the cell with flowers, and the most significant act of the ritual is the sacrifice of a lamb.

With the "Molitva" ritual, which is included on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia, the municipality of Knjaževac earned the title of "Exceptional European Destination" in the first EDEN competition in 2014, focusing on "Local Intangible Cultural Heritage."

The second part of the event is an ethnic festival traditionally held on the first Saturday after St. George's Day, in the courtyard of the old village school building in Balta Berilovac, which was declared the Museum of Education of Stara Planina in 2011. The festival preserves tradition and promotes the cultural heritage of Stara Planina, signaling the end of the winter and the beginning of the summer tourist season. The event allows visitors to familiarize themselves with traditional crafts and taste traditional specialties.

The festival includes sports and entertainment shepherd games, as well as competitions in preparing traditional specialties and homemade dishes. It encompasses several competitive categories, such as the St. George's traditional feast, best cheese, belmuž, lamb soup, products made from medicinal herbs and forest fruits, traditional crafts and souvenirs, and the most beautiful shepherd's pie.

The Knjaževac region is best known for its cheeses, but also for its fine wines and brandy. A local specialty is belmuž, but in Knjaževac's restaurants and taverns, you can always find homemade cheese pie, proja with cabbage, rolled cabbage leaves, and wild garlic salad.

Since 2012, belmuž has been included on the list of intangible cultural heritage of Serbia. Once a shepherd's and ritual dish prepared on the first day after sheep milking on St. George's Day, May 6th, it is now served in many Serbian households, and its unique taste also captivates tourists who visit some of the local cuisine restaurants in the vicinity of Knjaževac, where this dish is most commonly served.

The organizer of the event is the Tourist Organization of Knjaževac, which provides bus transportation for all interested parties to the villages of Vrtovac and Balta Berilovac at 10 AM in front of the Memorial Park.

Molitva pod Midžorom is one of the most significant events in this part of Serbia and undoubtedly a special attraction of Knjaževac and its surroundings. More information about this year's edition of Đurđevdanski susreti can be obtained from local media and the Knjaževac Tourist Organization website.