Child Participants in Serbian Folk Tradition – Folk Customs in the Service of Socialization and Community Education

Absztrakt

This study examines the Serbian folk customs associated with children, with particular attention to their role in education, socialization, and the shaping of identity. The author presents how the rituals connected to religious and communal holidays – such as Detinjci, Materice, Oci, the burning of the Badnjak, Korinđanje, the breaking of the Česnica, Easter egg-tapping, and the Saint Sava Day school celebrations – communicate communal values to children in playful and experiential ways. Special emphasis is placed on the Serbian community of Deszk, Hungary, where these traditions are still alive today, and where educational institutions consciously support the cultural integration of children. The author argues that traditions are not merely relics of the past but identity-shaping forces oriented towards the future, especially within minority communities.