Serbian Humor – 8+ Favorite Topics of Serbian Jokes

Written by: Milica Bokšan

Serbian humor is quite specific. Laughter is essential to social gatherings, and Serbs always use the opportunity to have a good laugh.

Alongside various drinks and delicious food, jokes cannot be left out.

Often, you can hear jokes that are understandable only to a small circle of friends, and the memories are retold in an interesting and funny way.

Until you find yourself in an environment like this, where you will get to know Serbian humor properly, here are some of the most common topics of Serbian jokes.

To set you up for finding your way in an environment like this, here are some of the most common topics that will help you get to know Serbian humor a little better.

1.   Serbian Jokes About Perica

Perica is the main character of many Serbian jokes. There is probably not a single Serb who has not heard at least one joke about this naughty Serbian pupil.

Serbian language class begins. The teacher calls Perica and asks him:

– Perica, who wrote The Bridge on the Drina*?

A startled Perica replies:

– It’s not me, I swear!

Počinje čas srpskog i učiteljica prozove Pericu:

– Perice, ko je napisao Na Drini ćuprija?

Zatečeni Perica odgovara:

– Nisam ja, majke mi!

* The Bridge on the Drina (“Na Drini ćuprija”) is a famous book by the Bosnian Serb Ivo Andrić, who won a Nobel Prize in literature for this work.

2.   Serbian Jokes About Good Food

Serbian cuisine is known for its wide selection of dishes and incredible tastes.

Whoever happened to be at a Serbian Slava, wedding, birthday or any other celebration could attend a table hosting at least three times as many people as were invited.

Serbs are proud of their culinary skills, and this love for good food is often the main subject of various jokes.

Or, for example, Sarma jokes (Sarma is a traditional Serbian dish made from cabbage, minced meat and spices) as an inexhaustible source of inspiration:

3.   Serbian Jokes About Human Characteristics

Serbs often joke about themselves and their neighbors from the nearest countries. Usually, these are exaggerated characteristics, and they are an essential part of Balkan humor.

Serbian jokes about Serbs

For example, Serbs living in Pirot are often said to be frugal beyond measure:

Piroćanać and Vranjanac are talking in a sports betting shop.

Piroćanac: How much money do you want to bet?

Vranjanac: 200 dinars…

Piroćanac: Wow, do you have a tip?

Piroćanać i Vranjanac razgovaraju u sportskoj kladionici.

Piroćanac: Za koliko ćeš da uplatiš?

Vranjanac: Za 200 dinara…

Piroćanac: Lele, pa to je neka dojava?

Serbian jokes about Balkan people

Jokes between the Balkan people are also widespread. In these jokes, the central theme is some traits that are taken to the extreme for fun. Bosnians are often pictured as not very intelligent, while Montenegrins as not overly fond of work.

Here is one Serbian joke about Montenegrins:

A Montenegrin, a Serb and a Bosnian competed to see who would throw the hammer further. A Serb throws a hammer three meters away, a Bosnian five, and a Montenegrin throws a hammer even to the woods. A Serb and a Bosnian ask him: How did you do it? And he told them: Tool should be as far as possible from me!

Takmičili se Crnogorac, Srbin i Bosanac ko će dalje baciti čekić. Srbin baci čekić tri metra, Bosanac pet, a Crnogorac čak negde u šumu. Pitaju ga Srbin i Bosanac: Kako si to uspeo? A on im reče: Alat što dalje od mene!

Disclaimer: Although they sound offensive, these jokes do not aim to hurt anyone; they were created just for the sake of a good laugh, and all the people of the Balkans joke with each other by retelling them.

4.   Serbian Jokes About Family Relations

It is not uncommon for jokes to include relationships between family members. Most often, these are about relationships between a son-in-law or a daughter-in-law and a mother-in-law:

Husband and wife are watching a horror movie.

Woman: Oh, dear mother!

Husband: So you recognized her, too?

Muž i žena gledaju horor.

Žena: Joj, majko mila!

Muž: A znači i ti si je prepoznala?

5.   Serbian Jokes About Politics

Politics is one of the most common topics at Serbian gatherings; truthfully, it is not always a joke. But the Serbs found a way to make certain difficult situations easier for themselves, turning them into another opportunity for laughter. However, these jokes border on the satire genre.

For example, here is one Serbian Facebook status: I’m asking those on television not to talk about how great we live; ours from Germany started asking us to send them money.

Molim ove sa televizije da ne pričaju kako odlično živimo, ovi naši iz Nemačke počeli da traže da im šaljemo pare.

Explanation: To better understand this joke, it should be noted that many Serbs live in the diaspora, and a certain percentage is left searching for a better life. They got a job there, and it is not uncommon for them to send money to help their family members who still live in Serbia.

6.   Serbian Jokes About Promaja

Promaja (meaning a draft, strong airflow) is an old Serbian fear! It is a part of many Serbian superstitions.

If you find yourself on a bus full of people in Serbia and want to open the window, know that you do so at your own risk.

Serbs, especially the elderly, are extremely afraid of drafts and believe many diseases or pains originate from them.

For many foreigners, this is one of the funniest things about Serbs, and they don’t understand where this fear comes from. But if you have a headache, neck or backache, don’t be surprised if you hear: It’s definitely from the draft.

From the above, it is no wonder that the Serbs are also joking at their own expense.

Or:

7.   Serbian jokes about Baba

Baba (meaning “Grandma”) is a favorite member of almost every Serbian family. She cares for everyone, thinks about everyone, and is always ready to give advice and help.

But the main thing is that you must not leave Grandma’s house hungry! Or even if you are not hungry, you will have to eat because health comes from what you eat.

8.   A Little Bit More of Serbian Humor

As you can see, memes are also very popular in Serbian humor. Here’s a meme where a picture is worth a thousand words:

Explanation: This meme is all the funnier because the pictures show a famous Serbian singer and a woman from a clip that became viral among Serbs on the Internet.

You have probably already seen the warning to newcomers on the door of houses that says: “Beware of the dog.” Here is how it looks on a Serbian house:

It would be illogical not to include a joke about Rakija, a Serbian drink with a high volume of alcohol that you will surely be offered if you visit any Serbian family or tavern.

Homemade Rakija is much more appreciated in Serbia than the one you can buy in supermarkets, and for some reason, it is sometimes poured into plastic water bottles.

You can imagine the face of someone who takes a few big gulps, thinking it will quench their thirst. It’s just a special occasion to laugh. Admittedly, it is funny only to those who observe the situation from the side.

And finally, an important note!

The funniest Serbian jokes are almost impossible to translate into foreign languages.

Take my word for it: it’s a shame you’re still missing out on that amount of fun.

So schedule your Serbian online lessons and discover the whole world of Serbian humor!