The Second Serbian Cultural Festival called "St. Vitus Day" was organized by the Orthodox Church of St. John the Divine, elder Marek Vavrenyuk and priest Michael Čikvin in Bialystok, 26-29 June.
Like last year, the festival was sponsored by the city of Bialystok and Marshalkovsky offices (regional Parliament), and the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Warsaw was an honorary sponsor. Festival events, on behalf of the Embassy, were attended by Ambassador R. Bogojevic and Consul/First Counselor M. Petkovski. The Serbian Cultural Festival "St. Vitus Day" is conceived as an international cultural event aimed at bringing together, promoting and presenting the culture of Serbia to the inhabitants of Podlaskie region, home to the largest number of Polish Orthodox Christians. Serbian Film Days were held within the festival events showing six more recent films; the vocal group Constantine from Nis and the Orchestra "Bistrik" by Biljana Krstic also had their concerts; the exhibition "Serbia" was opened in the Cultural Center of Bialystok; there was a presentation of the book "Colors of Orthodoxy" and a scientific conference "To die to live - Europe of the 21st century, and the covenant of Prince Lazar" was convened. The Festival began with the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. John the Divine in Bialystok, which was performed by Bishop Suprasalski Gregory, accompanied by the church choir and vocal group Constantine from Nis. Upon completion of the sacred liturgy, Ambassador Bogojevic, on behalf of the Embassy of R. Serbia in Warsaw, handed diplomas of gratitude to priest Michael Čikvin, Eugenius Čikvin, a longtime deputy in the Polish Sejm and Slavomir Nazaruk, President of the Fellowship of Three Saint Hierarchs in Bialystok, in gratitude for the years of activity and the efforts made in bringing together the Serbian and Polish people, in promoting Serbian culture and historical heritage in the Republic of Poland, strengthening the spiritual ties between the peoples of Serbia and Poland, in acknowledgment of humanitarian assistance to the Serbian people, as well as of organizing events in support of the Serbian people in the difficult times at the close of the twentieth century. The Embassy congratulated the organizers of the Festival "St. Vitus Day" in Bialystok on the excellent organization and expressed the hope that the Festival, which has already become a traditional one, will gather an even larger number of participants and get new Festival events, next year.