Seriously Serbian Trivia Quiz

Answer: Kosovo

Serbia considers the region calling itself the Republic of Kosovo to be an autonomous province called Kosovo and Metohija, with a similar level of self-government within the structure of the Serbian Republic as enjoyed by the northern region of Vojvodina, which joined Serbia at the collapse of the Hapsburg Empire. Kosovo's population is largely Albanian, rather than Serbian.

Its independence has been recognised by 23 of the current 28 members of the European Union, but it is not recognised by the United Nations, since it has not acquired diplomatic recognition with all members (most notably, with Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council).

A number of other international groups have recognised it, including the International Monetary Fund and the International Olympic Committee.

Answer: Danube

The stretch of the river that flows through Serbia is not as famous as, say, the portion that flows through Vienna, but over a fifth of its length lies in Serbia. Originating in the German town of Donaueschingen, the Danube flows through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine and Romania, where it terminates in a delta, part of which is in Ukraine. On its journey, Europe's second-longest river passes through four national capital cities: Vienna (Austria), Bratislava (Slovakia), Budapest (Hungary) and Belgrade (Serbia). Serbia's lowest point, with an elevation of 17m, is found near the Danube, at Prahovo.

Answer: Fresco

Fresco painting is done on fresh lime plaster, while it is still damp. The water-based paints are partially absorbed into the wall, so that the color merges with the actual plaster, and becomes a part of the wall, not just a surface layer. The image in the question, known as 'The White Angel', is part of a larger fresco called 'Mironosnice na Hristovom grobu' ('Myrrhbearers on Christ's Grave'), which was painted around 1235 CE.

The angel is seated outside the empty tomb where Jesus' body had been laid, as women arrive to tend to the corpse.

The fresco, on the south wall of the monastery, was painted over in the 16th century, but uncovered and restored in the 20th century.

Answer: Trumpet

The Guča Trumpet Assembly, as it is also known, attracts over half a million visitors annually. The first event, held on 16 October 1961, was exclusively for trumpets, and they are still the centrepiece of the event, but it has expanded to include other brass instruments, as well as folk song and dance groups.

The town's love affair with the trumpet began when Prince Milos Obrenović organised the town's first military band in 1831. Trumpet performances are part of the celebrations for almost all events - from births, deaths and marriages through harvest festivals, celebrations of saints' days and state holidays. Each occasion has its appropriate music, but they all involve the trumpet.

Answer: Illuminated manuscript

This collection of the four Gospels is one of the oldest surviving examples of a book written in Church Slavonic, the liturgical language of the Orthodox Church used in Serbia and some other nearby countries. The book was produced in Kotor (now part of Montenegro) between 1186 and 1190, and is thought to have been copied from an earlier work that has not survived.

It was kept in the Hilandar Monastery, in what is now Macedonia, until it was given to Alexander I Obrenovic of Serbia in 1896, when he visited the monastery.

It is now on display in the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade.

Answer: Kosovo Maiden

'Kosovo Maiden' is alternatively called 'Maiden of the Blackbird Field'. It shows the eponymous young woman tending to the dying Pavle Orlović, who tells her that her fiance Milan Toplica has died in battle against the invading Ottomans, along with his two comrades Milos Obilić and Ivan Kosančić. The poem is one of a number of Serbian epic poems written between the 14th and 19th centuries. They are usually performed accompanied by music from a gusle, a single-stringed musical instrument.

Scholars classify Serbian epic poems into a number of cycles, based on their subject matter. They include poems about Slavic mythology, poems about historic events before the Battle of Kosovo, poems about the events surrounding the Battle of Kosovo, poems about historic events after the Battle of Kosovo (are you getting the idea that this battle looms large in the country's sense of history?), poems about the Serbian king Marko Mrnjavčević, poems about the outlaws known as hadjuks, poems about the guerrilla soldiers known as uskoks, and poems about the liberation of Serbia and of Montenegro.

Answer: Kolo

Kolo dancing is done by both men and women, although some specific dances involve only one gender at a time. It needs at least three dancers, and usually involves several dozen. Dancers hold their hands around each other's waists, forming the circular shape that gives the dance its name.

The basic steps are usually elaborated on differently in each region, so that a master in one place will find himself struggling elsewhere to keep up. The music for the dance, also called kolo music, is in a two-beat metre, and may be accompanied by an accordion, or other traditional instruments such as a frula (a wind instrument similar to a recorder), a tamburica (a round-bodied string instrument resembling a mandolin) or a sargija (similar to a tamburica, but with a much longer neck). Traditional costumes for men include a loose shirt tucked into trousers with a blouse effect, and trousers that are baggy around the thighs, but tightly-fitting below the knees, with a velvet vest. Women wear white dresses with long skirts, heavily embroidered with floral designs, and velvet aprons. Special shoes, made from pig skin and molded to fit each person's foot individually, may also be worn.

Answer: Serbian revolutionary leader

As noted in an earlier question, conflict with the Ottomans during the 14th century was followed by Serbia being made part of that empire, until the Serbian Revolution of the early 19th century. Đorđe Petrović, known as Karađorđe, is generally considered to have founded modern Serbia when he led the First Serbian Uprising (1814-1813).

His colorful life included being born to a family of pig farmers, fleeing the country after he killed a local Ottoman lord, joining the Austrian army, and then joining the hadjuks after the Austrian army had been defeated by the Ottomans, so that he could continue the fight.

In 1804, he was elected to lead the fight against the Janissaries who had taken control of the region. Although the war continued, he established a functioning government with himself as its head, creating the title of Grand Vozd of Serbia to describe his position.

In 1813, he again went into exile, and did not participate in the Second Serbian Uprising (1815-1817).

Answer: Predrag "Peja" Stojakovic

Predrag Stojakovic was a basketball player, who was selected as an NBA All-Star three times. His professional career started in 1992, with Red Star Belgrade, where he played until 1994, when he moved to the Greek team PAOK. His NBA careers involved playing for the Sacramento Kings (1998-2006), Indiana Pacers (2006), New Orleans Hornets (2006-2010), Toronto Raptors (2010-2011) and Dallas Mavericks (2011).

Tennis is another sport in which Serbia has produced some dominant players. Novak Djokovic, Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic have all been ranked Number One in the ATP or WTA rankings. Djokovic has been one of the dominant figures in the game since turning professional in 2003, winning a number of Grand Slam titles (including three in the year 2011), and finishing as the top ranked male player in 2011, 2012 and 2014. At the time of writing this quiz, there is clearly much more to come!

Answer: Plums

Slivovitz, or Sljivovica, a form of the spirit known as rakija throughout eastern Europe, gets its name from the Slavic word for the damson plum, 'sljiva', with the suffix -'vica' added to denote that the drink is distilled from plums. It is also called plum brandy. Rakija from other regions may also be made from other types of fruit. Sljivovica is usually drunk chilled (keep it in the freezer to make sure it is nicely chilled - it won't freeze at normal home freezer temperatures) from special a shot glass called a 'čokanji-čokanjčići'.