fake, while not forgetting to buy a clown’s plastic red nose – because that money goes to charitable caus- es. The adults also indulge in intox- icating mulled wine, because its 1st January and they have no need to rush anywhere. Sweet treats on Knez, romance at Kalemegdan While heading home, or back to the hotel, Belgraders and the city’s guests stop to spend time in the parks, which have been trans- formed into a multitude of mi- ni-winter wonderlands, spruced up with decorations and delicacies. The following days, while everyone is relaxing, provide the ideal time for a stroll along Knez Mihailova Street, which has gained the appear- ance of a glistening tunnel. Along- side the festive mood provided by street musicians, the atmosphere is also shaped by log cabins offer- ing various delights.
Just a step or two further and you can already be at the Bel- grade Fortress, the rich history of which seems to be slumbering in January. The whitened Kalameg- dan will cause your heart to dance with romance, with its icy parks and snow-covered towers taking on a fairy-tale appearance – particular- ly at night, when subtle lighting is switched on and the river shimmers at the foot of the ramparts. Christmas at the Temple of Saint Sava Belgrade residents and guests ease leisurely and with a sense of romance into 6 th January, ready to celebrate Christmas Eve, which is commemorated on that date in the part of the Orthodox world that observes the Julian calendar. In all churches, priests recite prayers for an abundant year ahead, while the believers arriving with ‘badn- jak’ Yule branches for burning on
January in Belgrade Festive joys of a snow-swept city January renders Belgrade one of the world’s most romantic cities, but that doesn’t retract from its title as the “capital of entertainment”, though that entertainment tends to be found during the day, and mostly on the city’s streets
I t all begins in the early after- noon hours of New Year's Day, when people gather in Sve- togorska Street, the Street of the Open Heart. Traffic is halted to allow the youngsters and their chaperones to move from stall to stall, trying candy floss and oth- er sweet treats, enjoying the per- formances of jugglers and check- ing to see if Santa's beard is real or
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