Rakijada in Pranjani | Tourist Calendar of Serbia

Rakijada in Pranjani is a traditional gastronomic event held every year during the May Day holidays in the mentioned village, located at the border of the Čačak, Požega, and Gornji Milanovac municipalities, with the aim of promoting the famous Serbian homemade brandy.

Although you can attend the event as a guest or observer, with the opportunity to taste various homemade products, the most popular part of Rakijada is undoubtedly the competition in consuming this strong beverage.

The organizers will go so far as to claim that the May Day Rakijada in Pranjani hosts the world championship in brandy drinking. Numerous teams from various parts of Serbia, and often from abroad, gather in Pranjani to prove that they deserve the title of champion in this highly demanding discipline.

Rakijada has its roots in another event that was first organized in 2003. At Bekrijada, as this event was called back then, two local teams participated - Bralovići and Lokva. The captains of these teams were also the organizers of the competition and over time, they succeeded in expanding Bekrijada, now under a different name, beyond the local boundaries to become a recognizable event throughout the country. Therefore, the interest in Rakijada has been growing each year.

Bralovići and Lokva are still indispensable teams in the brandy drinking competition. However, their participation is now exhibition-only since they consider themselves beyond competition.

The competition rules, with minor changes, remain the same. Each registered team consists of five members, with four competitors drinking brandy while the fifth member serves as the captain with different responsibilities. The captain pours brandy into the glasses and is strictly forbidden from consuming brandy or other alcoholic beverages. The captain presents their driver's license to the organizer as proof and commits to safely returning their teammates home after Rakijada ends. Once all formalities are met, the games can begin.

In the always crowded main hall of the Cultural Center in Pranjani, the teams take their places on the stage. After the host's introductory words and the presentation of the competitors, the fierce battle for the title commences. The opening discipline is the tasting, where the goal is to identify the type, age, and strength of the brandy sampled on the spot.

The teams then earn points based on how quickly they can empty a 0.7-liter bottle of brandy. This is followed by walking on a beam and then extracting brandy from a barrel using a "natega," a traditional tool made from a special type of gourd.

The competition concludes with the consumption of another bottle of brandy. When all the points are tallied, the champion is announced, receiving not only a diploma but also a symbolic prize: a 5-liter barrel filled to the brim with brandy.

For all information about this event, you can visit the official Facebook page, "Rakijada Pranjani" (https://www.facebook.com/pranjani.rakijada/).