Chicago Mayor Hails Serbian Religious Holiday of Vidovdan

Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on Monday that her city administration has proclaimed June 28 to be Vidovdan Day and urged its residents to "join in celebrating" the Serbian religious occasion.

In her official proclamation, Lightfoot noted how Chicago "has one of the largest Serbian American communities in the United States".

"Our Serbian community has a deep history in our city and we are thrilled to support this important holiday," she wrote on Twitter.

Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day) is important for Serbs as it falls on the date when invading Ottoman forces defeated the medieval Serbian kingdom in the 1389 Battle of Kosovo, which led to the loss of Serbian independence for more than four centuries.

"Vidovdan celebrates the resilience and endurance of a conquered people yearning for freedom, dignity and equality - universal ideals which inspire and require are constant vigilance to this day," Lightfoot said in her proclamation.

According to some estimates, around 350,000 ethnic Serbs live in the Chicago area.

Trump ally sparks Vidovdan controversy

A post on Twitter marking Vidovdan by US ex-president Donald Trump's former envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Richard Grenell, caused controversy in Kosovo on Monday.

"Today we honor the Vidovdan heroes," Grenell wrote, referring to the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, when forces led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanovic were defeated.

"Today is a memorial day to Saint Prince Lazar and the Serbian holy martyrs," Grenell added.

Kosovo's ambassador to the US, Vlora Citaku, responded by saying that it was "a Balkan army that fought against the Ottoman conquest" and not just Serbs.

"This battle became the foundational myth that continues to...