As you might probably know, I come from Serbia. Serbia is a great country to visit—you might remember this post about the tourist campaign that was launched last fall. We are very proud of our food (seriously, eating in Serbia should land on anyone's bucket list), beautiful nature, laid-back people and their sense of having a good time. You know that popular saying "if you remember the sixties, you weren't there"? Well, maybe it should be modified into "if you remember partying in Serbia, you did it wrong". But on the other hand, it's not such a good country to live in. This online place of mine is all about nice things, so I'm not gonna write about politics, nepotism, corruption, homophobia and such. I am just going to express my regrets that an amazing and fun event such as Pride Parade is not being held in Serbia's capital because the majority threatens with beating up participants, since it's "not natural / contagious / a bad role model" and a whole bunch of stupid 18th century beliefs.
Well, last weekend Berlin was colorful and smiling, because it hosted Christopher Street Day.
I was looking forward to this event for weeks, because it was supposed to be my first Pride Parade. I strongly believe in equal rights and I was happy I could participate - and not to mention the photos I'd seen earlier, it looked like a big party held all over the town. It turned out, however, that it was my second one, because on the weekend before I had accidentally participated in the one in Warsaw (I know, I know, I still owe you the Warsaw post - coming up soon!). We had no idea they had it that day, so we gladly joined. But this one was much bigger (500,000 people!) and much more fun!!
The name of the Berlin Pride comes from an event in NYC in 1969, when gay people resisted police oppression for the first time in the Stonewall Bar in Christopher Street. In the years that followed, this day was remembered with a procession in New York. And then it became international.
I have to say that I loved it! I loved how all generations came to watch the parade or march - parents with kids, young people, old people. I loved the policemen from several countries who also took part, not for security reasons, but for support. I loved how joyful everyone was. It was an event full of positive energy.
He knitted his costume himself! |
One of the main reasons people don't want to have the parade in Serbia is "it's going to turn our kids gay / what do we tell our kids when they see two girls or two boys kissing?". Well, I'm not gonna spend my words on how ignorant these are, but I'll tell you something: as my friend noticed, we'd both seen more explicit scenes in regular clubs in Belgrade. We'd also seen less clothes on people in regular clubs in Belgrade, and actually all over Serbia. Some mainstream video clips from Serbia are far more explicit than Berlin Pride was - and they usually depict what people in Serbia found normal - heterosexual couples, half-naked girls and stuff.
In fact, the only thing about CSD I did NOT like was the weather. One would expect sunnier and warmer June, but hey. I enjoyed. I was happy. I strongly hope this will also be possible in Serbia one day.
(Oh, and one more thing. Glitter! There was glitter everywhere, people on the trucks threw it onto people in the streets. But somehow I never got it. Heaven knows I'm the biggest fan of glitter in the world. So unfair.)
Love,
Tihana
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