Rajac Grass Mowing | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

"Kosidba na Rajcu" (Rajac Grass Mowing) is a tourist event held every summer in the Valjevo Mountains. In addition to the grass mowing competition, it also includes sports competitions, concerts, and an agricultural machinery fair.

Located in the northwest of Serbia, as part of the Suvobor mountain range, the Rajac plateau rises at an altitude of 600 to 800 meters above sea level. Due to its beauty and favorable climate, this location was declared a nature park in 1963.

Mowing is one of the most significant tasks in livestock regions like western Serbia. In the past, mowers would gather and collectively perform this demanding task, often turning it into a festive occasion.

"Kosidba na Rajcu" is the most famous and oldest event of its kind in Serbia. It was first held alongside a local fair in 1892, but only in the mid-20th century did it transform into a tourist event.

"Kosidba na Rajcu" symbolically marks the ceremonial end of mowing mountain meadows. On this occasion, the mowers dress in traditional summer costumes, straw hats, and colorful embroidered bags. In addition to their skills, the mowers are judged based on their appearance, costumes, and songs, with the most prominent among them having the honor of leading the mowers in the following year.

Alongside the mowers, there are water carriers, hostesses, trumpeters, and singers in traditional attire. The water carriers quench the mowers' thirst with water from clay pitchers brought from cold mountain springs. Local brandy is also served.

On the day of "Kosidba," around nine in the morning, participants gather for the procession, led by the previous year's champion. With the sound of trumpets, the "Đidijsko kolo" dance is performed, a mower's song is sung, and then the procession sets off in a ceremonial parade towards the mountaintop where the mowing takes place.

It is a custom in these regions to complete the mowing by Petrovdan, July 12th, so this event is usually scheduled for the first week after the holiday. Over the course of three days, tradition is showcased, important work is completed, volleyball and other sports are played, and agricultural machinery is demonstrated. The combination of beauty and usefulness is rounded off in the evening with a concert by a well-known musical act.

The scent of freshly mowed mountain grass spreads and blends with the lunch prepared by the hostesses, known as "ručkonoše," which is served on the grass. At the end of the mowing, everyone gathers around the stage to applaud the best mowers and to determine the "Đidija" who will lead the Kosidba next year. Additionally, this used to be an opportunity for young men and women to meet and often arrange marriages.

Today, this event has an international character as, in addition to participants from Serbia, Montenegro, and the Republika Srpska who take part every year, mowers from Great Britain, Iceland, the Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Hungary, and other countries also participate in this competition.

"Kosidba na Rajcu" is organized by the Municipality of Ljig and the local tourist organization. More information about this year's edition of the event can be found on the official website and in local media.