Vlasi

The Vlasi (sing. Vlah)are an ethnic group whose language is related to the Romanian and the Moldavian. They are supposed toe be the descendants of the old Balkan peoples, the Dacians, the Illyrians, and the Thracians and the Roman invaders. In the first half of the 19th century, Prince Miloš Obrenović settled the Dacia-Roman herders in the mountains of eastern Serbia. Vlasi are the Orthodox Christians, but they have still preserved a lot from their pre-Christian elements and traditions. They live between the Danube, the Morava and the Timok rivers, mostly in the regions of Zaječar, Bor, Braničevo and the Morava area. Their population numbers about 40,000.

LANGUAGE

Vlasi do not have their own alphabet and use a lot of Serbian.

RELIGION AND TRADITION

One can often hear about the Vlah sorcery. And the Vlah sorcerers are known to everyone. They claim that they are able to control the natural forces, using magical words and spells, thus controlling the humans. They are Orthodox Christians, so the majority is not much acquainted with magic. The Christian faith teaches that the man is a true master of the nature, but only to bring it close to God, and to enslave it. The Christian way is the way of love, not violence over another.