Gradska opstina Palilula

Under the auspices of Palilula-Niš City Municipality, on the 6th of October, the Twelfth International manifestation – concert “FRIENDSHIP MEETINGS – THE JOY OF EUROPE IN NIS 2019” was held on the 6th of October. The traditional gathering with the songs and games of the children of Macedonia, Bulgaria, France, China and Serbia, at the Nis Cultural Center, was opened by Aleksandar Zdrale, President of Palilula. The organizer of “Friendship Meetings” is the Center for Traditional Culture and Spirituality “Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic” in Nis in cooperation with the Children’s Cultural Center in Belgrade.

“Joy of Europe” is the largest and oldest international event of children’s creativity, celebrating its 50th birthday this year and “Friendship Meetings” in Niš are held for twelve years and in that moment Nis becomes a city of children from all over Europe and China, says Miljko Petrovic, director of the Center traditional culture and spirituality “Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic” in Nis, organizer of “Friendship Meetings – Joy of Europe 2019”. The Golden Choir Festival Choir, Skopje and Euro Art Center, Shtip – Northern Macedonia, The Golden Thrace Folklore Ensemble, Haskovo – Bulgaria, The Perpetumobile Art Studio Choir in France, Children’s Group of the Art Institute in Shanghai – Public Republic of China. Serbia is represented by the Vuk Karadzic Folklore Ensemble in Niš, the winner of the May Song Festival of the Children’s Cultural Center in Niš, the “Magic” Niš Choir, the Bajlamos Dance Group in Pirot. Toddlers and numerous guests were greeted with their performance by composer Minja Subota and TV author of children’s programs Predrag Vukovic-Pedolino.

The program of this year’s concert was various, from the participation of choirs, dance groups, folk ensembles. ” The children showed the best in children’s art. They could see what and how their peers in other environments were doing. The program leader was a children’s poet and prominent cultural worker, Vlasta Cenić. The children participating in the program were guests of their peers from the elementary schools “Njegoš”, “Kole Rašić” and “Sveti Sava”. For the participants of the “Friendship Meetings – Joy of Europe 2019”, the Mayor of Niš organized a reception and the children from Bulgaria also had a reception at the Consulate of the Republic of Bulgaria in Niš.

Twelfth Friendship Meetings in Niš were also marked by the twinning of the Golden Thrace Folklore Ensemble, Haskovo – Bulgaria and the host of the Meeting, the Vuk Stefanovic Karadzic Center for Traditional Culture and Spirituality in Niš. Acknowledgments were also given to the organizations and participants of the program, as well as the acknowledgment “honorary member of the Center to the director of the Children’s Cultural Center in Belgrade and the leader of the Folklore Ensemble in Haskovo-Bulgaria. The event was assisted by the Municipality of Crveni Krst, the City of Mediana, the Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Trade Union of the City of Niš, the National Museum, the Tourism Organization of Niš, the Nis Cultural Center, the Institute for Emergency Medical Assistance, the PUC “Mediana”, the Institute for Quality of Work and Environment May 1 and the Business Academy.