Business culture in Serbia

Serbia is a kind of crossroads of Europe. The shortest roads connecting Western Europe and the Middle East run through this country. This geographical feature became one of the reasons for the tragic fate of this Balkan land, which from time immemorial served as a bait for all kinds of aggressors and occupiers. The complex historical path of Serbia left an indelible mark on the character of its people, which can be easily traced to this day.

National mentality

It is generally accepted that Serbs are somewhat more reserved and harsh in comparison with Montenegrins. This opinion is most likely based on the prejudice towards the Serbian people so zealously maintained in the West recently. In fact, they are very hospitable and open people, like most other South Slavic peoples.

The fate of the inhabitants of this small country is both tragic and heroic. One has only to remember the fact that over the last two millennia, not a single war that affected the European continent spared Serbia. Therefore, it should not be surprising that the Serbs are ardent patriots who are not accustomed to hiding this fact. Moreover, Serbian patriotism is not as terrible as it is commonly viewed in the West. Rather, it is based on the sense of national self-sufficiency that the Serbs have suffered for centuries, pride in their history and the deeds of their ancestors, as well as bitterness for the centuries-old genocide of the Serbs.

Serbs highly respect their culture and national traditions, are sensitive to history, and see the Serbian Orthodox Church as the main stronghold of their nation. Young Serbs know the history of their country very well and will be able to conduct a tour of memorable places no worse than a professional guide. Any disdain for local rules and criticism of national principles can greatly offend the indigenous people. Therefore, you should not criticize or discuss the history of the country and national characteristics during a conversation.

Greeting

The traditions of European etiquette are accepted in Serbia. When meeting, men can greet each other with a handshake, regardless of what religion they adhere to. Greeting with hugs between strangers is not used and is more common between acquaintances and relatives.

Features of the working day

Serbia has a very measured and calm way of life. The working day begins very early at seven or eight o'clock and ends at three. Many enterprises in the country operate without lunch and in the middle of the day all employees simply go home. After work, the Serbs have lunch and rest, and everyone spends the second half of the day at their own discretion, not excluding continued work.

Attitude towards guests

The first thing Serbs pay attention to when meeting a new person — his ability to carry on a conversation. In this country, even an ordinary tea party can take several hours and turn into an exciting discussion. In Serbia they are very tired of the war and in conversation they will happily discuss sports, the weather, and personal life, but they will avoid the topics of politics and the last Balkan war, since these events are still too fresh in the memory of local residents.

Residents of Belgrade are very hospitable, they love to set the table and organize all kinds of celebrations. Refusal of an invitation to visit can cause offense for a Serb, so you should always accept the invitation and come to visit with small souvenirs. During a Serbian feast, bread is always served first; housewives often bake it themselves according to special family recipes. The consumption of alcohol in Belgrade is treated rather restrainedly, although its sale is absolutely free. But Serbs love to smoke, and in public places you can often meet people with cigarettes in their hands.

Attitude towards foreigners

In Serbia they treat Russians very kindly. The inhabitants of this country honor the centuries-old connection between our peoples, and this is greatly facilitated by the almost complete absence of a language barrier — The Serbian language, although very vaguely similar to Russian, is nevertheless uniform in its linguistic basis and graphics, and the abundance of people who know Russian “from old times” evens out this difference. Any phrase in Russian will arouse keen interest in Serbia on the part of local residents, and knowledge of at least a couple of local words by foreigners practically erases the boundaries between Serbs and guests of their country.

The English language is not very popular among young people for political reasons, although it is spoken almost everywhere. Serbs prefer to study German or French in schools and universities.