If you’re not from Serbia, your first surprise might be that the “holiday season” isn’t just a week or two around 25 December. For young Serbs, winter holidays last almost a full month – from late December, through Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, all the way to Serbian New Year on 13 January. It’s less a holiday and more a season: a long, festive stretch of social plans, family rituals, travel, and (inevitably) overspending.
What makes Serbian winters unique is the way old traditions blend with modern urban rituals. For most young people, it's less about strict religious observance and more about being together, eating well, catching up, and slowing down after a chaotic December. Even younger people who don’t consider themselves religious still take part in some of the classics: bringing in a badnjak, sharing a long Christmas lunch, or gathering with extended family they may not have seen since summer. Alongside these centuries-old customs are fully modern rituals: Christmas markets and Winter Fests in city squares, crowded shopping centres lit with festive lights, mulled wine stands, and photoshoots under oversized New Year decorations. And of course, everything ends up on Instagram and TikTok, because if you didn’t post your mulled-wine-at-a-market moment, did it even happen? Even in winter – perhaps especially in winter – the deep café culture, essential to everyday Serbian life, brings young people into smoke-filled, warm cafés to sip coffee, share cakes, play cards, and chat.
Data consistently show that Serbs dedicate 20–30% of their monthly income to end-of-year expenses. Gifts, food for several family gatherings, trips, nights out, and “just this one more” New Year’s Eve outfit add up quickly. For many households, this amounts to tens of thousands of dinars. Young adults tend to divert a large part of that budget away from gifts and towards nightlife and social events. Big city centres such as Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac, as well as small towns, fill with themed parties, DJ nights, and expensive New Year packages. It’s the one time of year when a single night out can cost as much as a week’s worth of groceries – and people still go for it.
As for winter travel, it is also peak travel time. Young Serbs use the holiday stretch for activities such as quick ski trips to the Kopaonik or Zlatibor mountains with friends, spa weekends, or short city breaks in Belgrade or Novi Sad just to soak up the festive atmosphere. Crossing borders is also popular – Vienna, Budapest, Timișoara, and Prague are classics – though ticket prices and border queues can be a reality check. Interestingly, research shows that what drives young Serbs to pick a destination isn’t just the snow or the sightseeing. It’s the emotional experience: good food, cosy settings, and the feeling of doing something for themselves before the new year begins.
And when they escape the city, the countryside becomes a quiet winter refuge. Whether it’s visiting grandparents in a village, renting a small cabin with friends, or just taking a long snowy walk somewhere outside the urban chaos, nature is a reset button for many young Serbs during this time of year. It’s not always glamorous; sometimes it’s muddy boots, wood-burning stoves, and homemade strong drink. But it’s part of the rhythm of the season, and going back to your roots as the places they visit are often the grandparents' house or a place connected to family history.
What makes Serbian winters unique is the way old traditions blend with modern urban rituals. For most young people, it's less about strict religious observance and more about being together, eating well, catching up, and slowing down after a chaotic December. Even younger people who don’t consider themselves religious still take part in some of the classics: bringing in a badnjak, sharing a long Christmas lunch, or gathering with extended family they may not have seen since summer. Alongside these centuries-old customs are fully modern rituals: Christmas markets and Winter Fests in city squares, crowded shopping centres lit with festive lights, mulled wine stands, and photoshoots under oversized New Year decorations. And of course, everything ends up on Instagram and TikTok, because if you didn’t post your mulled-wine-at-a-market moment, did it even happen? Even in winter – perhaps especially in winter – the deep café culture, essential to everyday Serbian life, brings young people into smoke-filled, warm cafés to sip coffee, share cakes, play cards, and chat.
Data consistently show that Serbs dedicate 20–30% of their monthly income to end-of-year expenses. Gifts, food for several family gatherings, trips, nights out, and “just this one more” New Year’s Eve outfit add up quickly. For many households, this amounts to tens of thousands of dinars. Young adults tend to divert a large part of that budget away from gifts and towards nightlife and social events. Big city centres such as Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, and Kragujevac, as well as small towns, fill with themed parties, DJ nights, and expensive New Year packages. It’s the one time of year when a single night out can cost as much as a week’s worth of groceries – and people still go for it.
As for winter travel, it is also peak travel time. Young Serbs use the holiday stretch for activities such as quick ski trips to the Kopaonik or Zlatibor mountains with friends, spa weekends, or short city breaks in Belgrade or Novi Sad just to soak up the festive atmosphere. Crossing borders is also popular – Vienna, Budapest, Timișoara, and Prague are classics – though ticket prices and border queues can be a reality check. Interestingly, research shows that what drives young Serbs to pick a destination isn’t just the snow or the sightseeing. It’s the emotional experience: good food, cosy settings, and the feeling of doing something for themselves before the new year begins.
And when they escape the city, the countryside becomes a quiet winter refuge. Whether it’s visiting grandparents in a village, renting a small cabin with friends, or just taking a long snowy walk somewhere outside the urban chaos, nature is a reset button for many young Serbs during this time of year. It’s not always glamorous; sometimes it’s muddy boots, wood-burning stoves, and homemade strong drink. But it’s part of the rhythm of the season, and going back to your roots as the places they visit are often the grandparents' house or a place connected to family history.