Zmaj Children Games (Serbian: Змајеве дечије игре / Zmajeve dečije igre) is one of the biggest festivals for children in Serbia and the Novi Sad region. Named after Jovan Jovanović Zmaj, one of the most famous Serbian poets and writers of children's literature, the festival is held annually in June and December in Novi Sad, the capital of the Serbian province of Vojvodina.
The first festival was held in June 1958 under the name "Festival of literature for children, drama and puppet theatre" ("Фестивал дечије поезије, драме и луткарског позоришта"). Its organizer is Matica Srpska in Novi Sad. In 1969, the name was changed to Zmaj Children Games.
The main idea behind the festival is to gather writers, illustrators, critics, publishers, editors and readers of children's literature from Serbia and beyond. The Zmaj Children Games have their own publishing in the form of the magazine "Детињство" (Childhood) and hold a gathering of well respected children's literature authors in Zmaj Jovina Street 26.
Every June for a few days, children's plays, concerts, and shows gather children from Novi Sad and its surrounding region in Zmaj Jovina Street (the main street in Novi Sad's city centre).
Famous quotes containing the words children and/or games:
“Certainly parents play a crucial role in the lives of individuals who are intellectually gifted or creatively talented. But this role is not one of active instruction, of teaching children skills,... rather, it is support and encouragement parents give children and the intellectual climate that they create in the home which seem to be the critical factors.”
—David Elkind (20th century)
“In the past, it seemed to make sense for a sportswriter on sabbatical from the playpen to attend the quadrennial hawgkilling when Presidential candidates are chosen, to observe and report upon politicians at play. After all, national conventions are games of a sort, and sports offers few spectacles richer in low comedy.”
—Walter Wellesley (Red)