Relay of Youth
Encyclopedia
The Relay of Youth was a symbolic relay race
held in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
every year. The relay carried a baton with a birthday pledge to Josip Broz Tito
ostensibly from all young people of Yugoslavia. The race usually started in Tito's birth town Kumrovec
and went through all major towns and cities of the country. It ended in Belgrade
, on JNA Stadium on May 25, Tito's official birthday and Day of Youth, a national holiday
.
The relay first took place in 1945 and was formalized as a national holiday in 1957. It went on after Tito's death in 1980 and was last held in 1988.
In 1987 the winning poster design for the relay caused a national scandal, as it was revealed to be based on a Nazi propaganda poster. The authors, the design division of Neue Slowenische Kunst
, submitted the design in order to protest Tito's cult of personality
, of which the relay was a major part. Along with the rising crisis of the Yugoslav state, this scandal is deemed to have significantly contributed to the decision to discontinue the Relay.
Relay race
During a relay race, members of a team take turns running, orienteering, swimming, cross-country skiing, biathlon, or ice skating parts of a circuit or performing a certain action. Relay races take the form of professional races and amateur games...
held in Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was the Yugoslav state that existed from the abolition of the Yugoslav monarchy until it was dissolved in 1992 amid the Yugoslav Wars. It was a socialist state and a federation made up of six socialist republics: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,...
every year. The relay carried a baton with a birthday pledge to Josip Broz Tito
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
ostensibly from all young people of Yugoslavia. The race usually started in Tito's birth town Kumrovec
Kumrovec
Kumrovec is a village in the northern part Croatia, part of Krapina-Zagorje County. It sits on the Sutla River, along the Croatian-Slovenian border. The Kumrovec municipality has 1,593 residents , but the village itself has only 269 people...
and went through all major towns and cities of the country. It ended in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, on JNA Stadium on May 25, Tito's official birthday and Day of Youth, a national holiday
Public holiday
A public holiday, national holiday or legal holiday is a holiday generally established by law and is usually a non-working day during the year....
.
The relay first took place in 1945 and was formalized as a national holiday in 1957. It went on after Tito's death in 1980 and was last held in 1988.
In 1987 the winning poster design for the relay caused a national scandal, as it was revealed to be based on a Nazi propaganda poster. The authors, the design division of Neue Slowenische Kunst
Neue Slowenische Kunst
Neue Slowenische Kunst , aka NSK, is a controversial political art collective that announced itself in Slovenia in 1984, when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia. NSK's name, being German, is compatible with a theme in NSK works: the complicated relationship Slovenes have had with Germans...
, submitted the design in order to protest Tito's cult of personality
Cult of personality
A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships...
, of which the relay was a major part. Along with the rising crisis of the Yugoslav state, this scandal is deemed to have significantly contributed to the decision to discontinue the Relay.