by Dzenana, age 9, asks Deda Mraz do you speak Bosnian or Macedonian, and are you different from Ded Moroz?, about the Dinaric Alps, and Sarajevo’s mosques, churches, and synagogues
Dear Deda Mraz,
My name is Dzenana 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, do you speak Bosnian or Macedonian, and are you different from Ded Moroz?
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 sujuk pastry rolls and coffee.
Love, Dzenana, age 9, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
From the Desk of Deda Mraz
Dear Dzenana, thank you for the treat, it was wonderful. Now, your questions.
Do you speak Bosnian or Macedonian, and are you different from Ded Moroz?
I speak both comfortably, and yes, I am my own person, distinct from Ded Moroz, though we share old family roots and a great deal of mutual respect.
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, Dzenana.
Ho ho ho, Deda Mraz
