Vidovdan - Definition and Overview

Vidovdan is a religious holiday, St. Vitus' Day, observed on June 28 in the Serbian Orthodox calendar.

Vidovdan is also a date of historical importance:

• on June 28, 1389 the Ottoman Empire defeated Serbia in the Battle of Kosovo
• on June 28, 1914 the assassination in Sarajevo triggers the First World War
• on June 28, 1921 the Serbian king proclaimed the new Constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution (Vidovdanski ustav)
• on June 28, 1989 — the 600th anniversary of the battle of Kosovo — Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic publicly launched a Serbian nationalist campaign at the site of the historic battle