by Mirza, age 9, asks Deda Mraz where do you live, the North Pole or the Balkans?, about the Dinaric Alps, and Sarajevo’s mosques, churches, and synagogues
Dear Deda Mraz,
My name is Mirza and I am 9 years old. I live in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where you can hear the call to prayer and church bells ring out almost at the same time, and my street has three different holiday lights strung between the buildings.
First, where do you live, the North Pole or the Balkans?
Second, a geography question: what mountains surround Sarajevo?
Third, a school question about my country: why does Sarajevo have mosques, churches, and synagogues so close together?
I left you a plate of hurmasice and coffee.
Love, Mirza, age 9, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
From the Desk of Deda Mraz
Dear Mirza, thank you for the treat, it was wonderful. Now, your questions.
Where do you live, the North Pole or the Balkans?
My heart and my usual route stay firmly in the Balkans, though I keep in close touch with colleagues further north when the season demands it.
What mountains surround Sarajevo?
Sarajevo sits in a valley ringed by the Dinaric Alps, with peaks like Trebevic and Bjelasnica rising up close around the city, which makes for a spectacular, sparkling approach by sleigh on a clear winter night.
Why does Sarajevo have mosques, churches, and synagogues so close together?
Sarajevo has been a crossroads city for hundreds of years, where Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities settled and built their places of worship near one another, often within a short walk. This mix of cultures and faiths living side by side is one of the things that has long made the city special.
Srecan Bozic, Mirza.
Ho ho ho, Deda Mraz
