Culture of Montenegro

Theculture of Montenegrois as pluralistic and diverse as itshistoryandgeographical positionwould suggest.Montenegro's culture has been influenced by theSerbian Empire, theByzantine Empire,ancient Greece,ancient Rome,Christianity, theOttoman Empire, theRepublic of Venice,Austria-Hungary, andYugoslavia.
TheSlavais exclusive custom of theSerbian Orthodox Churchbelievers, each family has one patron saint that they venerate on their feast day. The Serbian Orthodox Church uses the traditional Julian calendar, as per which Christmas Day (December 25) falls currently on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar, thus the Serbs celebrate Christmas on January 7, shared with the Orthodox churches of Jerusalem, Russia, Georgia and the Greek Old Calendarists.
A Montenegrin tradition made into law in Montenegro byKing Nikoladuring his reign, consisting of newly-weds planting anolive treeon their wedding day as a symbol of marriage.
Montenegrin society is still very conservative. According to the 2011 census, the vast majority of more than 96% of Montenegrin residents declare themselves as members of some religious organization.
WhileEastern OrthodoxChristianityis the dominant religious denomination in Montenegro, there are also sizable numbers of adherents of bothCatholicChristianity and Islam. The dominant Church is theSerbian Orthodox Churchalthough traces of a forming Montenegrin Orthodox Church are present.
Thebadnjakis a tree branch or young tree brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening ofChristmas Eve, a central tradition in Eastern Orthodox Christmas celebrations in Montenegro. The tree from which the badnjak is cut, preferably a young and straight Austrian oak, is ceremonially felled early on the morning of Christmas Eve. The felling, preparation, bringing in, and laying on the fire, are surrounded by elaborate rituals, with many regional variations.
The traditional folk dance is a circle dance calledkolo, which is common among Montenegrins,SerbsandMacedonians. It is a collective dance, where a group of people (usually several dozen, at the very least three) hold each other by the hands or around the waist dancing, forming a circle (hence the name), semicircle or spiral. It is calledOro(or the "Eagle dance") in Montenegro. Similar circle dances also exist in other cultures of the region.
Montenegrins' long-standing history of struggle for freedom and independence is invariably linked with strong traditions of oralepic poetry. Traditionally, they are delivered to the audience accompanied by the music produced by agusle, a one-string instrument played by the story-teller (guslar), who sings or recites the stories of heroes and battles indecasyllabic verse. Historically, these songs have had an immense motivational power over the population. The guslars commanded almost as much respect as the best ofwarriors, as they were as much the authors, thus history writers, as they were interpreters. Presently, these traditions are somewhat livelier in the northern parts of the country (also shared with people in easternHerzegovina, westernSerbia, and centralDalmatia).
Montenegrin cuisine is a result of Montenegro's geographic position and its long history. The traditional dishes of Montenegro's heartland, and itsAdriatic coasthave a distinctivelyItalianflavour which shows in the style of bread and cheese-making and meat curing, as well as the wines andspiritsproduced and consumed.
The second large influence came from theLevantandTurkey,sarma,musaka,pilav,pita,burek,ćevapi,kebab, and sweets likebaklavaandtulumba, etc.Hungariandishes are represented bygoulash, satarash, and djuvech.
Montenegro has a number of significant cultural and historical sites, including heritage sites from the pre-Romanesque,GothicandBaroqueperiods. The Montenegrin coastal region is especially well known for its religious monuments, mostly related toVenetianarchitecture, including theCathedral of Saint Tryphon, thebasilicaofSt. Luke(over 800 years), Our Lady of the Rock (Škrpjela), theSavina Monastery, and others. The ancient city ofCattaro(now calledKotor) is listed on theUNESCOWorld Heritage list, even as a perfect example of the Venetian architecture. TheByzantineinfluence in architecture, and in religious artwork is especially apparent in the country's interior.
Montenegrin literaturerefers to the entire (historical and modern) corpus ofliteraturecreated inMontenegro, written mainly inMontenegrin,Serbianand other related languages spoken in the country.
Although there are works written at least 800 years ago (like theChronicle of the Priest of Duklja), the most important representatives are writers who lived in 19th and 20th century and wrote mainly inSerbian. The first literary works written in the region are ten centuries old, and the first Montenegrin book was printed five hundreds years ago.
InVenetianCattaro (actualKotor) there were a group of writers and poets that introducedRenaissanceculture incoastal Montenegro, writing inLatinandItalian:Ludovico Pasquali,Giovanni Bona de Boliris, Giovanni Polizza, Giorgio Bisanti, Girolamo Pima, Timoteo Cisilla, Giovanni Crussala, Giuseppe Bronza and Girolamo Panizzola.
The first state-owned printing press (Printing House of Crnojevići) was located inCetinjein 1494, where the firstSouth Slavicbook was printed the same year (Oktoih).A number of medieval manuscripts, dating from the 13th century, are kept in the Montenegrin monasteries. On the substratum of traditional oral folk epic poetry, authors likePetar II Petrović Njegošhave created their own expression. His epicGorski Vijenac(The Mountain Wreath), written in theMontenegrinvernacular, presents the central point of Montenegrin culture at the time.
The Faculty of the Fine Arts inCetinjehas helped usher in new talent. Some of the most prominent painters from Montenegro includeMilo Milunović,Petar Lubarda,Dado Đurić,Uroš Tošković,Vojo Stanić,Dimitrije Popović,Boris Dragojevićand sculptorRisto Stijović.
The music of Montenegro represents a mix of the country's unique musical tradition and Western musical influences. The music of Montenegro has been relatively overlooked, especially in comparison with its literature and visual arts. Nevertheless, the 20th century produced several outstanding composers and interpreters.
In the 10th and 11th centuries a composer of religious chants (Jovan of Duklja) was the oldest composer known from theAdriaticcoast. At the end of the 12th century a script was made, now calledLjetopis Popa Dukljanina, which described the secular use of musical instruments. Seven liturgies from the 15th century, written by aVenetianpublisher L.A. Giunta, have been saved at St Clare's church inKotor. In those centuries the typical music "venetian style" was introduced to coastal Montenegro (then calledAlbania Veneta).
Religious music development was sparked in the 19th century, when a Catholic singing academy was opened in Kotor. Also, until the musical renaissance of the 20th century, Montenegrin music was mainly based on the simple traditional instrument, thegusle.The oldest singing society, named "Jedinstvo" was formed in Kotor in 1839. The first music school in Montenegro was founded in 1934 inCetinje.
Traditional music heritage is somewhat different in different parts of Montenegro. In traditional music, different styles can be noticed in theGulf of Kotorarea, Old Montenegro andSanjakregions. Old Montenegro traditional music is based around the traditional instrument, thegusle. The music is mainly vocal, or instrumental-vocal. Many songs are adapted from theepics, and are based on the events and tales from Montenegrin tradition.
Due to the country's turbulent history, filled with defensive wars and constant fighting for freedom, the development of culture, especially music, was a secondary interest forMontenegrins. The first notableMontenegrincomposer was Jovan Ivanišević (1860–1889). He composed piano miniatures, orchestra, solo and chorus songs that were performed even inPrague. He died when he was only 29 years old. In the 19th century, there were also manyoperaswithlibrettosinspired by Montenegro and its culture, like the famous "Balkan Empress".Other prominent 19th-century composers include Aleksa Ivanović and Dragan Milošević, who graduated from Prague music schools.
In the beginning of the 20th century, when music schools were first introduced, and culture started developing faster, Montenegrin music started flourishing. There have been a number of notable classical music composers from Montenegro, especially during the 20th century. In the first half of the century, two musical schools developed: one based in Cetinje, and the other one inPodgorica. An important role in the music development of that time was played by Radio Titograd, which broadcast various music programmes daily, and helped popularise the music. At that time, composers started returning to the roots, introducing many traditional elements in modern compositions. Also, during the 1940s and 1950s, musical schools were opened in Kotor, Podgorica, Cetinje,Tivat,Herceg Novi,Nikšić,Bar,UlcinjandBerane.
The Argentine composer Mauricio Annunziata, taking possession of the Montenegrin culture, religion and music, produced the cantata Akatist Op. 108, Hymns of Praise to Saint Basil of Ostrog at the Basilica Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome in May 2008, for solo voices, chorus and orchestra, also in version for organ. This concert marked the second anniversary of the Independence of Montenegro and it was held before the entire diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See and the highest authorities of the Vatican City. The work was hugely successful in the Italian version of the text produced by Dragana Polovič.
Today, Montenegro is known for several award-winningclassical guitarists, among themMontenegrin Guitar Duo(Goran KrivokapićandDanijel Cerović) andMiloš Karadaglić.
Probably the best known rock band from Montenegro isPerperfromCetinje. Other notable rock bands include DST (fromNikšić) andHighway, Autogeni Trening, Gospoda Glembajevi and Mikrokozma (from the capital,Podgorica). Rock musicians from Montenegro who were popular throughout the former Yugoslavia includeMarinko Pavićević,Miladin ŠobićandRambo Amadeus. While the notable pop singers from Montenegro areSergej Ćetković,Vanja Radovanović,Slavko Kalezić,Bojan Marović,Knez,Vlado Georgiev,Nina Petković,Andrea Demirović,Stefan Filipović,Nina Žižić, also pop music groupsNo NameandD mol. There are currently several active rock and pop Festivals in Montenegro, the most notables areSea Dance Festival,CetinjeBeer Fest, "City Groove" inPodgorica, "Lake" and "Bedem" Fests inNikšić, and many other summer music festivals.
Considering its population of about 600,000 people, Montenegro has produced a number of outstanding film directors and actors includingDušan Vukotić, the first Yugoslav Oscar winner (for the short animated film category in 1961),Veljko Bulajić, andŽivko Nikolić.
Other notable
Montenegrin directors and filmmakers include:Krsto Papić,Branko Baletić,
Velimir Stojanović,Zdravko Velimirović, Bane Bastać,Predrag Golubović, Krsto Škanata, Milo Đukanović, and perspective filmmakers of new generation Ivan Salatić,
Gojko Berkuljan, Marija Perović,Nikola Vukčević,Željko SošićandIvona Juka.
In 2013, the Montenegrin filmBad Destinybecame the first film from the country to be submitted for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Notable theatres include theMontenegrin National TheatreinPodgorica, the Theatre of Nikšić inNikšić, and the City Theatre inPodgorica. Montenegrin National Theatre is the only professional theatre and along with the Faculty ofDrama, located inCetinjeis responsible for the lion's share of theatre production in the country. During the summer months, the City Theatre inBudvatakes precedence as a stage for performers coming from all corners of the formerYugoslaviaand the world.
Many scholars believe that the biggest contribution to Montenegrin music in theater was by Dionisio de Sarno San Giorgio, the Italian composer who spent most of his life in the country. His "Balkan Empress" – inspired by the work of King Nikola – received high praise from Italian critics during the second half of the 19th century.