1.
Culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina encompasses the countrys ancient heritage, architecture, literature, visual arts, music, cinema, sports and cuisine. The rock-carving by an artist found in Badanj Cave near the city of Stolac dates back to Paleolithic times and it represents the death of a horse under a rain of arrows. It is the oldest Paleolithic finding in southeast Europe, there is also a rich legacy of Neolithic culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Particularly beautiful items have been found in Butmir near Sarajevo, during the Bronze Age, the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina was occupied by Illyrian tribes such as the Japods in Bihać and the Daors in Daorson, near Stolac. They were directly influenced by the Greeks, as seen in Daorson especially, the Illyrians were conquered by the Romans, who left roads, bridges, and beautiful villas with mosaics all over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The best preserved examples are at Mogorjelo near Čapljina and the mosaics at Stolac, the Christian basilica are found throughout the country, and their carved stone stonework influenced the first original medieval Bosnian art, found on tombstones – stećak. It is written in Bosnian Cyrillic and it referred to the people of Bosnia - Bosnianins. The Charter was an agreement between Bosnia and the Republic of Dubrovnik. The most important item in the National Museum in Sarajevo is the Sarajevo Haggadah, other important items include Hrvojev’s mass and Hval’s codex, both Bosnian books of liturgy produced in Croatia at the start of the 15th century, a 16th-century Kur’an and Leontiev’s New Testament. Bosnia and Herzegovina has a literary heritage. Matija Divković, Bosnian Franciscan and writer is considered to be the founder of the literature of Bosnia. Notable poets include Antun Branko Šimić, Aleksa Šantić, Jovan Dučić, the National Theater was founded 1919 in Sarajevo and its first director was famous playwright Branislav Nušić. Magazines such as Novi Plamen, Most and Sarajevske sveske are some of the more prominent publications covering cultural, the visual arts in Bosnia and Herzegovina were always evolving and ranged from the original medieval tombstones to paintings in Kotromanić court. However, it was the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878 that led to the renaissance of Bosnian painting, the first artists trained in European academies emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. These included Gabrijel Jurkić, Petar Tiješić, Karlo Mijić, Špiro Bocarić, Petar Šain, Đoko Mazalić, Roman Petrović and their generation was succeeded by artists such as Ismet Mujezinović, Vojo Dimitrijević, Ivo Šeremet and Mica Todorović. The Ars Aevi museum of art in Sarajevo includes works by artists renowned worldwide. The most popular traditional Bosnian and Herzogovinian song forms of relatively recent origin are the Bosnian root music, ganga, the rera, other popular surviving forms from the Ottoman era is the sevdalinka. Bosnia is home to the composer Dušan Šestić, creator of the current national anthem of Bosnia and Herzegovina and father of singer Marija Šestić, Sarajevo Film Festival, founded in 1995, has become the biggest and most influential in southeast Europe
2.
History of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes referred to simply as Bosnia, is a country in Southeastern Europe on the Balkan Peninsula. It has had permanent settlement since the Neolithic Age when it was peopled by Illyrians, christianity arrived in the 1st century, and by the 4th century the area became part of the Western Roman Empire. Germanic tribes invaded soon after, followed by Slavs in the 6th Century, in 1136, Béla II of Hungary invaded Bosnia and created the title Ban of Bosnia as an honorary title for his son Ladislaus II of Hungary. During this time, Bosnia became virtually autonomous, and was proclaimed a kingdom in 1377. The Ottoman Empire followed in 1463 and lasted over 400 years and they wrought great changes to the political and administrative system, introduced land reforms, and class and religious distinctions. A series of uprisings began 1831, which culminated in the Herzegovinian rebellion, the conflict eventually forced the Ottomans to cede administration of the country to Austria-Hungary through the Treaty of Berlin in 1878. The kingdom of Yugoslavia was conquered by Nazi forces in World War II, and Bosnia was ceded to the Independent State of Croatia, three years of war began in 1992 which caused around 100,000 deaths and 2 million refugees. Bosnia has been inhabited at least since Neolithic times, in the late Bronze Age, the Neolithic population was replaced by more warlike Indo-European tribes known as the Illyrians. Celtic migrations in the 4th and 3rd century BCE displaced many Illyrian tribes from their former lands, concrete historical evidence for this period is scarce, but overall it appears that the region was populated by a number of different peoples speaking distinct languages. Christianity had already arrived in the region by the end of the 1st century, following events from the years 337 and 395 when the Empire split, Dalmatia and Pannonia were included in the Western Roman Empire. The region was conquered by the Ostrogoths in 455, and further exchanged hands between the Alans and Huns in the years to follow, by the 6th century, Emperor Justinian had re-conquered the area for the Byzantine Empire. More South Slavs came in a wave, and according to some scholars were invited by Emperor Heraclius to drive the Avars from Dalmatia. Modern knowledge of Bosnia in the western Balkans during the Dark Ages is patchy and it was also around this time that the Bosnians were Christianized. Bosnia, due to its position and terrain, was probably one of the last areas to go through this process. It is only from the 9th century that Frankish and Byzantine sources begin to mention early Slavic polities in the region, however, they all too often found themselves in a tug-of-war between Hungary and the Byzantine Empire. In the year of 1137, Hungary annexes most of Bosnia, the first recorded Ban was Ban Borić, vassal to the Hungarian king. However, he was deposed when he backed the loser in a crisis over the Hungarian throne. In 1167, Byzantium reconquered Bosnia and eventually emplaced their own vassal as Ban – the native Ban Kulin, however, this vassalage was largely nominal, and Bosnia had for all practical purposes made itself into an independent state under Kulin
3.
Demographics of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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The census results are contested by the Republika Srpska statistical office and by Bosnian Serb politicians, who oppose the inclusion of non-permanent Bosnian residents in the figures. The European Unions statistics office, Eurostat, however concluded the methodology used by the Bosnian statistical agency to be in line with international recommendations. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, religion is linked to ethnicity, i. e. most Bosniaks are Muslim, Serbs are Orthodox Christian. Bosnias constitution does not specify any official languages, the equal status of Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian was verified by the Constitutional Court in 2000. As a result, the wording of the entity constitutions was changed, the three languages are mutually intelligible and are also known collectively as Serbo-Croatian. Use of one of the three varieties has become a marker of ethnic identity, michael Kelly and Catherine Baker argue, The three official languages of todays Bosnian state. represent the symbolic assertion of national identity over the pragmatism of mutual intelligibility. All standard varieties are based on the Ijekavian varieties of the Shtokavian dialect, Bosnian and Serbian are written in both Latin and Cyrillic, whereas Croatian is written only in Latin alphabet. There are also speakers of Italian, German, Turkish. Yugoslav Sign Language is used with Croatian and Serbian variants, a 2012 survey found that 54% of Bosnias Muslims are non-denominational Muslims, while 38% follow Sunnism. In Bosnia and Herzegovina religion is linked to ethnicity. The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated
4.
Historical Slavic religion
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Slavic mythology is the mythological aspect of the polytheistic religion that was practised by the Slavs before Christianisation. Unlike ancient Greek, Hindu, Chinese or Egyptian mythology, there are no records for the study of Slavic mythology. It has not been proven that the Slavs had any sort of writing system before the arrival of Saints Cyril, fragments of old mythological beliefs and pagan festivals survive up to this day in folk customs, songs, stories and folk-tales of all the Slavic nations. Although Herodotus is himself not convinced by this rumour, he stresses that he has heard some swear it, the identification of Neuri with Proto-Slavs remains controversial, however. According to Procopius, these Slavs worshipped a single deity, who crafted lightning, though not named explicitly, it can be deduced this is a reference to the deity known as Perun in later historic sources, as in many Slavic languages today. Perun simply means thunder or lightning bolt and he also mentions the belief in various demons and nymphs, but does not mention any other names. The Slavic Primary Chronicle is a work with many valuable references to the pagan beliefs of Eastern Slavs. The chronicle treats the history of the early Eastern Slavic state, even though the manuscript was compiled at the beginning of the 12th century, it contains references to and copies of older documents, and describes events predating the Baptism of Kiev. Two deities, Perun and Veles/Volos, are mentioned in the text of the early 10th century peace treaties between pagan rulers of East Slavs and Byzantine Emperors, later, Nestor the Chronicler describes a state pantheon introduced by Prince Vladimir in Kiev in 980 CE. Vladimirs pantheon included Perun, Hors, Dažbog, Stribog, Simargl, the Hypatian Codex of the Primary Chronicle also mentions Svarog, compared to Greek Hephaestus. Also very interesting are the passages in the East Slavic epic The Tale of Igors Campaign referring to Veles, Dažbog, the original epic has been dated to the end of the 12th century, although there are marginal disputes over the authenticity of this work. The most numerous and richest written records are of West Slavic paganism, particularly of Wendish and Polabian tribes, the German missionaries and priests who criticized pagan religion left extensive records of old mythological systems they sought to overcome. However, they restrained themselves from pious lies, claiming pagan Slavs were idolatrous. As none of those missionaries learned any Slavic language, their records are confused and exaggerated, major works include a chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg from the beginning of the 11th century, who described a temple in the city of Riedegost where the great deity Zuarasic was worshipped. According to Thietmar, this was the most sacred place in the land of pagan Slavs, another very valuable document is the Chronica Slavorum written in the late 12th century by Helmold, a German priest. Saxo meticulously described the worship of Svantevit, the associated with it. He also mentioned multi-headed deities of other Slavic tribes, Rugievit, Porewit, according to the manuscript, the most important Slavic deity was Triglav, whose temples in the city of Szczecin were respected oracles. In the cities of Wolgast and Havelberg, the war god Gerovit was worshiped, a corruption of Jarovit
5.
Bosnia and Herzegovina cuisine
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Bosnian cuisine is closely related to other former Yugoslav cuisines, especially Serbian and Croatian. Bosnian cuisine uses many spices, but usually in moderate quantities, most dishes are light, as they are cooked in lots of water, the sauces are fully natural, consisting of little more than the natural juices of the vegetables in the dish. Typical meat dishes include beef and lamb. Some local specialties are ćevapi, burek, dolma, sarma, pilav, gulaš, ajvar, the best local wines come from Herzegovina where the climate is suitable for growing grapes. Plum or apple rakija, is produced in Bosnia, kajmak - a Turkish creamy dairy product, similar to clotted cream Pavlaka - a soured cream product like crème fraîche Ajvar Ramadan pita Vegeta Somun and Ramadan somun. Pogača Djevrek Lepinja Uštipci Meze Wines are produced mainly in Herzegovina, in the regions of Mostar, Čitluk, Ljubuški, Stolac, Domanovići, medovina Kruškovac Pelinkovac Rakija Blatina Žilavka Local spirits are distilled from plums, pears, or grapes, with alcohol content of 45% and higher. Culinary cultures of Europe, identity, diversity and dialogue
6.
Religion in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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However, local authorities sometimes restricted the right to worship of adherents of religious groups in areas where such persons are in the minority. 43% of Herzegovinian and Bosnian Muslims are non-denominational Muslims, societal abuses and discrimination based on religious belief and practice persisted. Religious intolerance directly reflected ethnic intolerance because of the virtually indistinguishable identification of ethnicity with religious background, discrimination against religious minorities occurred in nearly all parts of the country. In some communities local religious leaders and politicians contributed to intolerance, a number of illegally constructed religious objects continued to cause ethnic/religious tension and conflict in various communities. Religious symbols were often misused for political purposes, in a 2009 Gallup poll, 77% of respondents in Bosnia and Herzegovina answered yes to the question Is religion an important part of your daily life. In 1800 40% of Bosnians were Orthodox and nearly half were Muslim, Islam peaked in 1600 when three-quarters of Bosnians followed it. Bosniaks are generally associated with Islam, Bosnian Croats with the Roman Catholic Church, today, Muslims constitute 51% of the population, Christians 46%, and other groups 3%. Younger believers who grew up in the post-communist period also have more freedom to practice their religion, ethnic cleansing during the 1992–95 war caused internal migration and refugee flows, which segregated the population into separate ethnoreligious areas. Within the Federation, distinct Muslim and Catholic majority areas remain, for example, the prewar population of the eastern RS town of Bratunac was 64% Bosniak. In 1995 the population was almost completely Serb, in 2007, after the return of 6,500 Bosniaks, similarly, in Prijedor Municipality in the RS, approximately half of the prewar Bosniak population of 49,500 returned, partially reversing the effects of ethnic cleansing. The Serb Orthodox Church maintains its greatest influence in the RS, with the most influential bishops residing in Banja Luka, Trebinje, the Jewish community, like most other small religious groups in Bosnia, including Protestants, has its strongest membership in Sarajevo. There are several small Christian denominations throughout the country, in late 2011, a Rodnover association named Svaroži Krug, was established in the nation as a part of the panslavic Praskozorje movement. There are eight muftis located in municipalities, Sarajevo, Bihać, Travnik, Tuzla, Goražde, Zenica, Mostar. The more conservative Islamic communities in Bosnia are located in such as Travnik, Bocinja/Zavidovici, Tesanj, Maglaj, Bugojno. 38% of Herzegovinian and Bosnian Muslims described themselves as Sunni Muslims while 54% described themselves as nondenominational Muslims, however 7% of Muslims either refused to answer which Muslim branch they belonged to, said they belonged to no Muslim branch or said they did not know. The law also provides the basis for the establishment of relations between the state and religious communities, as a result of the governmental structure created by the Dayton Accords, parliamentary seats and most government positions are apportioned specifically to members of the three constituent peoples. These stipulations often result in discrimination against others and sympathizers of certain religious communities that do not fit neatly into the three groups. Their claims were not addressed during the reporting period, Bosnias state-level government does not officially recognize any religious holy days as an official holiday, and Parliament continued to disagree on a state law on national holidays
7.
Bosnia and Herzegovina art
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Bosnia and Herzegovina art is the genesis and heritage, from the region of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its constituent ethno-religious groups from prehistoric times to today. In the boundaries of today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina there have many layers of prehistory cultures and their creation. Paleolithic in Bosnia and Herzegovina is marked with the oldest monument of Paleolithic in southeastern Europe - engravings in a cave named Badanj near Stolac in Herzegovina, most famous being the Horse attacked by arrows, preserved in fragments and dated around 14500-12000 B. C. During the time when Neolithic and Copper cultures were starting to appear, in Bosnia and Herzegovina began interesting mixture of Mediterranean cultures and those of Panonian cultures. Herzegovina was under the influence of ceramics from western Mediterranean as seen in Green Cave near Mostar, Čairi near Stolac, Lisičići near Konjic. People used to live in caves or simple settlements on hilltops, in the upper mainstream of Bosna river and northeast parts of Bosnia people used to live in wooden houses built along rivers. In that culture we can see influences from Adriatic cultures on south, original expressions of that culture are ceramic pots on four legs, so called – riton. We can find the also in Danilo culture on the Croatian coast, thanks to these pieces, Kakanj culture is considered a part of wide circle of Neolithic nations that followed a cult of life force. Butmir Culture near Sarajevo is distinctive with fine glazed ceramics with miscellaneous geometrical decorations, figures from Butmir are unique sculptures modeled with hand, heads are almost like portraits with emphasized parts of body. Bronze Age settlements in Herzegovina were built like citadels, and in Bosnia we have necropolises with stone tumuli, during that time, bronze arms, decorated plates, flat necklaces and fibulas were decorated with specific geometrical style of engraved ornaments. From 7th century BC bronze is replaced by iron, and only jewelry, Bronze culture of Illyrians, ethnic group with distinct culture and art form started to organize itself on today’s Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Different Illyrian tribes, under the influence of Halstat cultures from north, with the notable exception of Pod near Bugojno in the upper valley of the Vrbas River, nothing is known of their settlements. In eastern Bosnia in the cemeteries of Belotić and Bela Crkva, metal implements appear here side-by-side with stone implements. Most of the remains belong to the fully developed Middle Bronze Age, very important role in their life was the cult of the dead, which is seen in their careful burials and burial ceremonies, as well as richness of the burial cites. In 4th century BC first outbreak of Celts is recorded and they brought the technique of the pottery wheel, new types of fibulas and different bronze and iron belts. They only passed on their way to Greece, so their influence in Bosnia, in the Neretva Delta in the south there was important Hellenistic influence of Illyrian tribe Daors. Daors have made their unique bronze coins and sculptures, finally, Romans subdued the Illyrians in first century BC, and after that the history of these parts is history of Illyrian provinces of Rome and Byzantium. In Bosnia and Herzegovina Romans built several small temples decorated with reliefs, the complex of step sanctuary in Gradac near Posušje from year 184 AD had marble temple dedicated to recently deceased emperor Marcus Aurelius
8.
Music of Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Like the surrounding Balkan countries, Bosnia and Herzegovina has had a turbulent past marked by frequent foreign invasions and occupation. As a result, Bosnian music is now a mixture of the national Slavic folklore with some Turkish influences along with influences from the part of the world. Rural folk traditions in Bosnia and Herzegovina include the shouted, polyphonic ganga and ravne pjesme styles, as well as instruments like a droneless bagpipe, wooden flute, the gusle, an instrument found throughout the Balkans, is also used to accompany ancient Slavic epic poems. There are also Bosnian folk songs in Ladino, derived from the areas Jewish population, Bosnian roots music came from the Middle Bosnia, Posavina, Drina valley and Kalesija. It is usually performed by singers with two violinists and a šargija player and these bands first appeared around World War I and became popular in the 1960s. This is the third oldest music following after the sevdalinka and ilahija and it is thought to be brought from Persia-Kalesi tribe that settled in the area of present Sprecanski valleys and hence probably the name Kalesija. In this part of Bosnia it is the most common, again, it became the leader of First World War onwards, as well as 60 years in the field Sprecanski doline. In Kalesija its maintained each year with the Bosnian Festival Original music, studio Kemix firm Dzemal Dzihanovic from Živinice together with his artists brought this kind of music to perfection at the end 20th century. With its entirely new form of modernity, it is most common in the Tuzla Canton, sevdalinkas were traditionally performed with a saz, a Turkish string instrument, which was later replaced by the accordion. However the more modern arrangement, to the derision of some purists, is typically a vocalist accompanied by the accordion along with drums, upright bass, guitars, clarinets. Sevdalinkas are unique to Bosnia and Herzegovina and they arose in Ottoman Bosnia as urban Bosnian music with often oriental and sometimes Sefardi influences. Examples are Kad ja pođoh na Benbašu, the anthem of the city of Sarajevo. Ilahije are religious songs that came after or before sevdalinkas and these songs usually deal with religion, but some of them tell tales of how two lovers come together. Modern folk was referred to as novokomponovana narodna muzika for a while and it is based on various influences, sevdah stories with music of Serbia and/or Turkey often with incorporated elements of pop music. During the time of former Yugoslavia, the genre developed jointly in Bosnia and Serbia, Bosnian composers of film scores include Saša Lošić and Nihad Hrustanbegovic Rock music has been very popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the mid-20th century. In the mid 80s, two bands were formed in capital Sarajevo, Bombarder and Parasite from which D. throne emerged as next generation in 1991. One of the pioneer trash metal bands Monolit was founded in Mostar also during the 80s, modern extreme metal scene originate from city of Tuzla. Some notable acts include, Bosnian electronic/dance music has also very popular in Bosnia
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