The Truth about Serbians

People love to organize. They put things in boxes and label them for easy access. As for science, we classify things for better understanding. Unfortunately though, even nationalities are stereotyped and put in boxes. Might be from human nature of trying to make sense of everything. So here are a few Serbian stereotypes: which are true, and which do we debunk.

Stereotype #1: Serbs are Heavy Drinkers

Needless to say, there are several countries known for their ability to imbibe alcohol yet remain firmly rooted to the ground standing straight while most of us are already crawling our way to our beds. It seems that Serbians are one of those of the highest rankers. There is a sliver of truth to this since Serbians tend to throw amazing parties and enjoy merriment. Most times, alcohol is served and there are those who drink a lot. Serbians also make this homemade liquor that can knock the living daylights out of you, but only because it lacks the quality control of commercially sold ones. So sometimes they tend to be stronger than most. Anyway, Serbians love drinking but they are not, in general, heavy drinkers. There are just those who can hold higher doses of alcohol than most. So for this Serbian Stereotype, we say, possible.

Stereotype #2: Serbians are Womanizers

Again, before we begin, let us remember that womanizers can be found anywhere in the world, in any nation. There is just this stereotype floating around about Serbian men being womanizers. This stereotype stems from the history of the Serbians being under a Muslim rule for a time. And, in case you are unaware, in the Muslim law, it is legal for a man to have several wives, provided he can afford raising his family satisfactorily. With this, some men may commit adultery or cheat. But then again, this is not something to be generalized. There is no more adultery and cheating cases in Serbia than there is anywhere else in the world. So for this Stereotype: debunked.

Stereotype #3: They are overly Superstitious

Serbians have a long history behind them. They have been under several regimes and their culture has evolved with each. As with any culture, superstitions are always there, though surprisingly more with religious cultures. Serbian religion mainly comprises of three: Orthodox, Catholics and Muslims. There might be other religions present but these three are the most common. As with beliefs, people tend to feel strongly about superstitions and these are not taken lightly by the Serbs. They have very strong superstitions regarding bad luck and have counter rituals they perform to fight the string of bad luck that is sure to follow. Though upon close inspection, some superstitions have scientific merits, like when the old ones forbid you from cutting your nails at night. The scientific, or say, logical explanation would be: in the olden days, electricity is not available to everyone and at night people rely on lamps and candles for light. Cutting your nails at night, in low light situations, can result to injury by you cutting your own finger. So, for this Serbian Stereotype, yes, but not overly. They feel strongly for their beliefs and this is something everyone should respect.