Hundreds of San Diegans celebrate heritage, food at 52nd Serbian Festival

Some arrived as teenagers or young adults, wide-eyed and filled with hope; others were native-born Americans and only know secondhand about their storied homeland and its rich history and culture.

But everyone who attended the 52nd annual San Diego Serbian Festival at the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church in Bay Park on Saturday got a taste of what makes the Balkan nation proud.

There were rows of Serbian snacks, such as biscuits and candies, and informational booths from local businesses run by Serbian transplants. There was a pop-up bakery and a children’s play area and an area for more adult beverages featuring Serbian lagers.

In a corner of St. George’s social hall, the church set up a heritage exhibition featuring the region’s most notable citizens, its famed monasteries and samples of its most-favored fashion.

“I came to just hang out with my people and not forget our culture,” said Raja Tasevski of Temecula, who emigrated from her hometown of Ivanjica, Serbia, some three decades ago. She was eating a lunch of homemade sausages, roasted lamb and stuffed cabbage.

“You find your peace and happiness coming to the church,” Tasevski said. “It makes you feel at home.”

Hundreds of people convened for the day to celebrate traditional Serbian food and music, and their shared commitment to community.

They feasted on prasetina (roasted pig), burek (phyllo dough stuffed with meat), gibanica (cheese pita) and pasulj prebranac (baked beans) before turning their attention to desserts like palaeinke (crepes) and torta.

They enjoyed music performed by the Skadarlija Orchestra from Los Angeles, history lectures and tours of the St. George Serbian Orthodox Church and its handcrafted glass mosaic murals.

The parish, which was built on a hill overlooking Mission Bay in 1952, attracts some 600 families, said Father Bratso Krsic, himself an immigrant who left Bosnia when he was 20 years old for a life in the United States.

Krsic said it is crucial for immigrants to recognize their heritage — and pass along their traditions to new generations and to those who may be unfamiliar with their practices.

“It’s not just important for our community, but for the San Diego community at large,” said Krsic, who is now in his 50s and serves as a chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserve. “The only way for culture to thrive, and really for anything, is to be shared.”

Curt Busk is not Serbian. He’s a retired food researcher from Oceanside who had never heard of the Serbian Festival until seeing a notice about it late last week and deciding to attend.

“It’s just a fun, easy-going culture,” Busk said while enjoying a piece of cake. “It’s a little bit like the Greek culture, from what I’ve seen. The church is phenomenal.”