Intangible cultural heritage as a tourist brand of Serbia

Abstract

Presented as a part of intangible cultural heritage, Serbian national folklore is rich in spiritual and worldly values and it is transposed in customs, celebrations, music, songs, dances, stories and legends. As a part of tourist offer, these elements are presented in numerous festivals and tourist events. In the year 2012, the Network on the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Serbia was formed. The National Centre for Intangible Cultural Heritage registers 27 elements of intangible cultural heritage, among which most representative are the patron saint festivity, St. George's Day ritual, the national dance - kolo, singing accompanied with the musical instrument gusle, Vuk's Parliament, naive painting of Slovak minority, Pirot carpet-making and pottery from Zlakusa village, which reflect the national cultural identity both of Serbian people, and partly of certain ethnic minorities. There are also some elements that are not included in this list, but they also represent a significant tourist value, such as the harvest bread ritual (Dužijanca), Haymaking in Rajac, folk-shoe making (opanak) and many others. In this paper, categorization and classification of intangible heritage is made. Those cultural elements that have certain tourist potential and as such may represent a significant factor in the formation of Serbian tourism brand are identified.