Countries Archives: Bosnia-Herzegovina

Bosnia and Herzegovina

LonelyPlanet.com’s Bosnia and Herzegovina page begins by describing this formerly war-torn nation as the “most easterly point of the West and the most westerly point of the East.” Its Flickr slideshow bears this out; there’s a mix of Western and Eastern architecture, with the skyline of traditional Central European villages (such as this one) peppered with minarets, and an ethnic diversity of people in cities like Sarajevo–people who really did once live together in peace.Â

Bosnia and Herzogovina’s unique musical form is the Sevdalinka, which mix Turkish, Bosnian, Muslim religious and even Jewish/Sephardic music, such as a song we sing in class, “Kad ja podjoh na Benbasu.”

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Kisa Pada

COUNTRY: Serbia/Croatia…Bosnia?

LANGUAGE: Serbian? Croatian? (depends on the version)

“Kisa Pada” is a Croatian lullaby . . . or is it Serbian? No, it’s Croatian . . . or is it a Bosnian sevdah?

“Kisa Pada” is one of the many songs that shows us how mixed and mingled people have always been in the Balkans. Languages in the region have always flowed into one another, religous affliliations and ethnic identities cross shifting international boundaries. The wars that engulfed the former Yugoslavia in the ‘90s were especially painful because fighting happened between people who had been neighbors for hundreds of years.

Everyone claims “Kisa Pada.” In music class we’re take a stand. Who owns “Kisa Pada?” We all do.

Lyrics of All Around This World version:

Kiša pada, trava raste, gora zeleni (3x)
With this rain the grass is growing, the forest is turning green (2x)
In the forest, a tree is growing, slender and so tall. (2x)
Beneath the tree my sister’s sitting, I love her, she loves me (2x)
Kiša pada, trava raste, gora zeleni (3x)

How to sing with Jay each week in your home or classroom Support All Around This World on Patreon Enjoy interactive All Around This World lessons in your home or classroom