The idea of such a topic came to one of my colleague from Yugoslavia, Mrs. Biljana Simunovic Beslin and myself in 2001 at the Summer School of Georg Eckart Institute in Braunschwieg, Germany. Due to unexpected circumstances we could not continue our cooperation afterwards. That is why I have decided to continue this enterprise and finish it.

At the turn of a new century and a millennium people’s traditions and historical heritage play an important role in shaping their national identity. For all the peoples in the Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Turkey, Yugoslavia) the celebrations and commemorations are really vital. This is a unique way for presenting themselves in the eyes of the others. The important dates for the peoples of the Balkans concerns mostly independence, important peace treaties, uprisings against the foreign oppressors and so on. In the Balkans, the national identity was used for a long period of time as a political instrument. Celebrations and commemorations were used by the political institutions sometimes only to justify their actions. But how people reacts in such moments ? What about the attitude of the students ? Do they understand the inner sense of these dates ? What is the meaning of these celebrations ? Is it the same for the officials and for the ordinary people ? What is the role of the school in these commemorations ? Is it any proper way for students to get closer to these moments and understand their significance ? These are only a few questions to answer.

Target group:

14-18 years old students in all the Balkan countries

Teaching and learning about important dates in the history of a people is not an easy task for the teachers all over the Balkans. In 2002 students use not only what they have learned at school, but in their families too. In order to approach these dates teachers should use not only history but civic education classes as well. So, oral history or the unofficial history and the modern information technology become more important than the knowledge acquired in the school. The most important teaching methods are empathy, comparison, critical thinking, multi-perspectivity, role play, debate. Teachers should make the students understand and properly use historical terms such as celebrations, feasts, commemorations, everyday life, national holidays, national identity, the image of the other.

Tasks for the students:

Accordingly to their age and abilities, students should know and understand the main dates and their importance for a certain state; they should find out if these dates are common or specific for every state or nation; they should learn to be motivated as citizens in a democratic society and which are their rights in a political system where tolerance, mutual understanding and respect of the basic human rights are essential.

Text of the unit:

• A short presentation of the history of the Balkans (the main Empires which dominated this area for centuries and the consequences).

• Common celebrations and commemorations

  • New Year (1January);

  • Labor Day (1 May);

  • Religious holidays (Christian, Muslim, Jewish etc.)

• Specific celebrations and commemorations