Lazarus Saturday (Krupanj)Лазарева субота

Lazarus Saturday in Krupanj is a community folk festival held each year on Lazarus Saturday (one week before Orthodox Palm Sunday). It features a parade of hundreds of children in traditional Serbian costume singing Lazarev songs and performing folk dances (kolo) through the town, echoing the seasonal fertility rites of spring 1 2. The day’s program typically includes a morning performance at the Ethno House “Cvetinović” in nearby Banjevac, followed by a noon-time procession (defile) along the town promenade, and concluding with a communal bonfire around which children dance 2 1. Folklore ensembles from across the region participate, making it one of Rađevina’s largest cultural events (on the order of 400 performers and thousands of spectators) 3 2.

Lazarus Saturday (Lazareva subota) is rooted in Serbian Orthodox tradition as a springtime feast of renewal, but it also preserves pre-Christian customs where girls (lazarice) adorned with flowers and willow branches visit homes to bring blessings. In Krupanj, the festival reflects this heritage: children collect gifts and dance in circles around willow branches and bonfires for fertility and communal well-being 1 2. As one journalist notes, the event in Krupanj has become 'a festival of children’s smiles and joy,' blending religious commemoration with local folk ritual 2 1.