The people of Zenica welcomed this year’s first spring morning on the banks of the Bosna River, at the Kamberovića Field, where today, along with numerous accompanying events, the traditional Čimburijada is being held, as part of which, after a three-year break, a čimbur of 1,000 eggs will once again be made and distributed.
The celebration of Čimburijada actually began four days ago, when the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zenica and the Zenica Citizens’ Forum Association organized a panel discussion on the topic “Spring Dawn – Zenica čimburijada: between culture and tourism”, and a day later, a Small čimburijada for the youngest people of Zenica was held in the Zenica kindergarten “Dunja”.
“After three years, a čimbur of 1,000 eggs is being made again. It is an attraction. This year, the Zenica Economic Fair ZEPS and the Zenica Citizens’ Forum will change the recipe a little, but I hope that it will suit the people of Zenica and all guests,” said the president of the Zenica Citizens’ Forum Mirsad Mujkić.
He notes that this year they had the support of the City of Zenica and the Tourist Board of the Zenica-Doboj Canton, as well as sponsors.
Mayor Fuad Kasumović said that this century-old tradition is more than just an event for the City of Zenica and its citizens.
“Ecology, socializing, and a cultural identity of the citizens of Zenica are connected here. Today is the first day of spring, when people go out to the banks of the Bosnia,” said Kasumović.
This is evidenced by the fact that this event has been included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus of the state of BiH.
Senior assistant and ECTS coordinator at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Zenica Alen Šabanović, who deals with the phenomenon of Čimburijada from a scientific perspective, said that the Zenica Čimburijada is also the first element from the area of Zenica and the Zenica-Doboj Canton to receive the status of intangible cultural heritage of BiH.
Seventy-year-old Anto Štaka has been coming to the coast of Bosnia with his company for 43 years and they welcome spring with chimbur, song and socializing.
“Years and years pass one by one. Unfortunately, since last year, we have lost eight people who came with me, who died. Which means that every year there are fewer and fewer of us, but what is left of us, we try to maintain the tradition,” says Štaka, adding that he already arrived this morning at 5:40 am with his company.
On the occasion of Čimburijade, the first spring swimming in the Bosnia river will be held today, and it will be performed by Zijad Zahirović at 1:00 p.m., when the Eco-regatta, which starts from Drivuša, will arrive at the finish line.
The Zenica Brass Orchestra, the Bosnia Fokl ensemble and the Zeničke meraklije also entertained visitors to the event with their promenade, while Zenica ecologists, mountaineers, members of the Zenica Mountain Rescue Service, firefighters, and the team from the Emergency Service, which takes care of the health of visitors, set up their checkpoints.
