BORN ON CHRISTMAS, DIED ON CHRISTMAS EVE: The Oldest Resident of the Zlatibor Region, Grandpa Petar, Passes Away at 101!

The oldest resident of the Zlatibor region, Petar Ćirović from Negbina near Nova Varoš, passed away yesterday on Christmas Eve at the age of 101, having turned a full 100 on this same day last year.

He was born on Christmas Day in 1925 and passed away on Christmas Eve in 2026. Fate decreed that only days would separate his 101st birthday from his final breath, so he did not live to complete another year, but he left behind a full century of life marked by hard work, modesty, and cheerfulness.

He spent his entire life in his native village, on the harsh yet beloved mountain slopes of Murtenica. His century was not an easy one, he once told us—wartime and postwar periods, hard rural labor—but those who knew him will remember him for the smile that never left his face and for the spirit that remained bright until his final days.

Last year, his household organized a magnificent celebration in the courtyard of the family home on the occasion of his great-grandson’s coming of age, during which they also marked his 100th birthday. The celebration, which is still talked about today, brought together relatives, neighbors, and friends from across the region. Many said at the time that it was an event to remember—not just a birthday, but a celebration of an honest and long life.

“I was born a long time ago, I remember many things, all my life the times were hard—wars, crises… but we endured. There was always a lot of work, I lived in Negbina all my life, a village like any village, everyone the same, you work with your strength to gain something and so on, but it’s all right, thank God, there was health, which is the most important thing; when you’re healthy, everything can be overcome. Now I am proud of everything and I regret nothing,” the old man told our correspondent who visited him last year on Christmas.

He recalled being born in an old log house, and he welcomed his 100th year in a large new house, in a yard full of outbuildings, agricultural machinery, a huge barn with a large number of cows, calves, heifers, as well as sheep and goats. And, most importantly, in a house full of people.

Until just a few years ago, Petar did not rest. He spent most of his time herding his flock of sheep not far from the house, and for years, during the summer months, he also served as an anti-hail shooter, defending Negbina and the surrounding villages from hail clouds by firing anti-hail rockets and protecting the labor of the hardworking locals.