Tucanijada in Mokrin | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Tucanijada is an event that takes place every year on Orthodox Easter in Mokrin, in the north of Banat. This unofficial "world championship" in egg tapping was established in the early 1990s when Easter festivities were introduced in Mokrin, with the central event being the competition of tapping painted Easter eggs.

As Easter is a movable holiday, the period of holding Tucanijada varies each year. Easter festivities begin with the Holy Liturgy on Lazarus Saturday and conclude on the second day of Easter. The Tucanijada, or the competition itself, takes place on Sunday. Although the event is associated with the day Orthodox Christians celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, it attracts both local residents and numerous guests of different faiths to the center of Mokrin. The tradition of egg tapping is practiced worldwide, dating back to the 12th century globally and the 16th century in Serbia.

Following tradition and customs, Good Friday in Mokrin begins with egg dyeing. On that day, a large sculpture of an egg, symbolizing the Easter festivities in the largest Banat village, is also decorated. An exhibition of children's artwork and painted eggs is held, followed by a literary evening at the end of the day.

On Holy Saturday, Mokrin authors and the Women's Association of Mokrin exhibit their works in the village center. The midnight liturgy is a special ceremony that gathers the largest number of believers in the Orthodox Church of St. Archangel Michael.

On Easter Sunday, after the morning liturgy, the youngest competitors engage in egg tapping, followed by the seniors who test the strength of their eggs. The evening is dedicated to celebrating the most joyous Christian holiday, often with a concert on the central stage of Mokrin's square.

The second day of Easter is the last day of the event, marked by the examination of the first-place eggs to check for any irregularities or cheating. This is followed by the award ceremony and the presentation of certificates.

Although the "World Championship in Egg Tapping" may sound pretentious to many, it is a satirical characterization of a predominantly local event that has attracted thousands of visitors from Serbia and the region in recent years.

The residents of Mokrin and the surrounding area, as well as the participants of Tucanijada, take this competition very seriously. Preparations for the "final showdown" with Easter eggs last for months, and eggs are carefully selected and evaluated using various techniques that many Mokrin locals prefer not to reveal completely. The competition is accompanied by excitement and, above all, good fun and the desire to continue a beautiful tradition from year to year.

The multiple champions of the Mokrin Tucanijada are the Prodanov, Blažić, and Terzić families, who jokingly founded the "Academy for Selecting Hard Eggs." According to them, chicken eggs are chosen by tapping them against a tooth to determine the shell's strength and decide which egg will be chosen for the competition. In Mokrin, around 100,000 eggs are dyed for Easter to select the strongest or hardest ones, which are then distributed to residents and guests.

The Easter festivities and Tucanijada are organized by the Mokrin Local Community, with the support of the Kikinda Municipality, where more information about this event can be obtained.