Czech community in Banát preserves 200-year-old traditions

Jaroslav Bodnar, a descendant of Czechs living in Bela Crkva within the Banát region of Serbia, describes how his community has preserved its cultural identity for 200 years. The community, which migrated from the Czech lands to the Vojvodina region following a journey from Vienna, has maintained the Czech language and traditional folk songs.

Bodnar notes that because the community had limited contact with outside musical influences, they have kept their ancestral songs unchanged for two centuries. He compares these traditions to a permanent part of their identity, stating they carry these old songs ‘like a backpack on their backs.’ The Czech minority in Serbia is primarily located in areas such as Bela Crkva, Vršac, and Kruščica.