The Joyous Holiday in Serbian Holy Sites: A trip to Kosovo feels like returning home

Jerusalem and Kosovo – those are the two most beautiful places to be for Easter. This sentiment perhaps best captures the emotions of all those who visit Kosovo on the most joyful Christian holiday. Those who have already made the journey say that going to Kosovo is „the journey above all journeys,” one that evokes the feeling of returning home.

Written by: Katarina Saicic

Despite the difficult circumstances and the fact that in Kosovo „every day feels like the time from Good Friday to Easter," the number of pilgrims is growing. Among them are many young people, and accommodations are fully booked until the end of the year.

Almost unanimously, they say it’s the scents, flavors, warmth, embraces, and faith that conquer fear and anxiety—and that no one goes to Kosovo “until they feel they’ve been called to it.”

Interviewees for Kosovo Online agree that while the monasteries are special, it’s the people who leave the strongest impression on travelers, because they „receive love, embraces, and resurrection” from them.

Tour guide and humanitarian worker Vesna Raonic says that traveling to Kosovo is unique—„the journey above all journeys.”

„The impressions vary: from joy to tears. There are often children on these trips. We've had engagements, we've had baptisms—it truly is a place above places,” said Raonic.

She added that her journey to Kosovo changed her life.

„I went first as a humanitarian worker, and after that I wanted to go even more. Once I got my tour guide license, I’ve gone as much as I wanted. Last year I went as many as 11 times, on top of my regular job. Going to Kosovo and Metohija changes everyone's life, and I know this because people often repeat their trips. Most often, among 50 travelers, I have half returning and half first-timers,” she said.

She emphasized that while some canceled their trips due to the recent arrests of pilgrims, most do not let fear get in the way of their intent to visit Kosovo during the holidays.

„There are always those who waver a little, but those who are determined go—and the most common sentiment is a deep desire to visit. Some may back out, but ultimately, everyone must decide for themselves when it’s the right moment to go to Kosovo, or when they simply feel called,” Raonic stressed.

Despite all the difficulties, interest in traveling to Kosovo remains high, and the number of pilgrims continues to grow.

„We attended the celebration of Saint King Stefan of Decani when 4,200 Serbs were gathered in the courtyard of the Visoki Decani Monastery. All accommodation is booked until the end of this year. The lodging at the Monastery of the Holy Archangels near Prizren was fully booked already at the beginning of the year through mid-November 2025,” said Raonic.

For her, Easter in Kosovo is something truly special, and besides Jerusalem, it is the only other place where one can feel the deepest emotions tied to the most joyous Christian holiday.

„There, we are also with family, like at home. There is no better choice. It is very beautiful and festive. We pilgrims gather with our people who live in Kosovo. Velika Hoca has a whole ritual of wonderful traditions both on Easter and in the days leading up to it. There’s a cultural-artistic program, folk dancing. And not to mention—the women from Metohija decorate the most beautiful Easter eggs in the world. The bus fills up most quickly for Easter—sometimes within 24 hours I have 50 passengers, because entire families sign up. It’s a moment when families can be together and yet still in their own land,” Raonic concluded.

Dunja Marinkovic, a professor of Serbian language and literature who went on a pilgrimage to Kosovo, said she was particularly moved by the “table of love” in the monasteries.

„So far, this has been the most beautiful pilgrimage of my life—a wonderful experience, and I would recommend it to everyone. The program is excellent, and we visited many places—the Monastery of the Holy Archangels near Prizren, the city of Prizren itself where we spent a lot of time, Orahovac, Velika Hoca, the Banjska Monastery, Decani, the Patriarchate of Pec... As the days and journey go on, you are immersed in that unique atmosphere. I would recommend to everyone that they go and visit the Holy Land,” said Marinkovic.

She added that she was particularly impressed by the monastery food, as well as the famous wines from Velika Hoca.

„Monasteries are known for cultivating the tradition of the ‘table of love,’ for their lovely guesthouses—and that experience becomes even more special when shared with a group that knows where it’s going and wants to visit those unique places and monasteries. The atmosphere is beautiful. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with food, drink, and local products. We slept at the Monastery of the Holy Archangels and later in Velika Hoca, where we stayed in local homes and were warmly received. That region is known for its wines, so we tasted their homemade varieties. Wherever you go, you’re warmly welcomed,” Marinkovic described.

With Easter approaching—and this year’s pilgrims having been targeted by the Kosovo police, who detained some of them—Marinkovic said she personally did not feel afraid and had a pleasant experience.

„My experience was pleasant. We went in March, during the commemoration of the March Pogrom, from the 17th to the 19th. We were all a bit concerned before leaving, thinking something might happen, but we didn’t experience any unpleasantness—not even minor incidents. People would just look at the buses, curious, but even among the monks there was no visible fear or anxiety. The atmosphere was warm and peaceful, so everything went smoothly,” she emphasized.

Slađana Busic, a poet and guide for pilgrimages with the organization Serbia for Youth, spent Lazarus Saturday with pilgrims in Kosovo and will also be there for Easter. During a short break, she shared her impressions of the journey and explained why she keeps returning to Kosovo.

„This was the 54th Serbia for Youth trip, and this Easter will mark our third Easter pilgrimage to Kosovo and Metohija. We celebrated the feast of Lazarus Saturday at the Monastery of the Holy Archangels, where Bishop Teodosije of Raska and Prizren served the liturgy. We also attended the liturgy at the Visoki Decani Monastery. We visited the Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis, the fortress in Kaljaja, the Church of Saint George, and the Cathedral in Prizren. In Prizren, we all truly felt as though we had stepped back 1,000 years. Dragica Draga Cacic, who joined us from Munich, said that she has traveled from Spain to Egypt but has never felt better than in Kosovo and Metohija,” she shared.

She added that she is especially encouraged and surprised by the growing number of young people returning to or visiting Kosovo.

„These are young people who don’t even remember the events of 1999, not even those of 2004. So we’re talking about children visiting Kosovo and Metohija. The groups are generally full—on our recent trip, we had 100 people and two buses. Everyone feels, when they arrive in Kosovo, like they’ve come home. Home of all our homes. When we arrive, we’re embraced. We think we’re the ones helping the people there, but when we ask them what they need, they say, ‘We don’t need anything—just come, be with us.’ Love, hugs, resurrection. When you look at the sky and see the Sar Mountains still covered in snow, or Pastrik or Koritnik on the other side, and you know the suffering that’s been endured there—you think to yourself: ‘Here, life is always between Good Friday and Easter Sunday.’ And yet, life continues, and we go forward toward the most joyous Christian holiday,” Busic said emotionally.

Asked about the interest of the faithful given the difficult political situation in Kosovo, Busic reminded that the situation there has never been easy.

„Some people ask us if we’ll go regardless of what happened in Orahovac or despite the detention of some pilgrims, and we tell them—it’s always been like this. People keep returning. There have never been more people in Kosovo than now. There’s nowhere you feel safer than near the Church of the Holy Virgin of Ljevis or in the Monastery of the Holy Archangels, where there is constant singing and immense love—even though the church is gone, and there’s no permit to rebuild it. But the guesthouse is there, and it’s always full—overfull, there’s not enough room for everyone who wants to come to Kosovo and Metohija,” she emphasized.

She noted that fear is always present and that some people back out because of it—but she had a message for them.

„Don’t let fear paralyze you. Instead, pray to the Lord, and you’ll realize we are all in God’s hands. Nothing can happen under this sky without God’s will, without His permission,” Busic said.

She concluded that the most lasting impressions from each journey are the friendships and encounters with the people, which cannot truly be described.

„That’s something that stays with you. Of course, there are the holy sites, the liturgies, the meetings with monks and priests… On the Palm Sunday trip, Dragica from Munich brought humanitarian aid to help build a church in the village of Susice, the Church of Saint Panteleimon. It was another wonderful initiative by Serbian Solidarity. On Easter Sunday, they will bring joy to new mothers and women who will welcome their babies—new residents of Kosovo and Metohija—on that very holiday,” Busic concluded.