Sabantuy was organized by Russians who moved from Kazan — Rushan Valiev and Ildar Zakirov. The Tatar national holiday was held on the beach in Tivat.
“The celebration took place on the beach behind the airport. We started with 20 participants, and then there were more, about 50–60 people. It was a very warm celebration and went very well. Thanks to the organizers,” saidTatar-Inform news agencyAydar Garaev, a native of the Muslyumovsky District of Tatarstan who now lives in Montenegro.
“Since this was the first Sabantuy, we did not aim to gather a large number of participants. The main thing was for Tatars to come and get to know each other. Traditional games and competitions were held with local specifics in mind. For example, the sack fight was not held on a log, but on a boat — the loser fell straight into the water. We brought real katyk (ed. - curdled milk). In the sack race, I won a T-shirt. We broke a pot — although it was plastic. There was a contest to cut down prizes while blindfolded. The atmosphere was warm, without any formality. Tatar songs were played, and we also sang and danced,” Aydar said. The first Sabantuy was held without belt wrestling.Beachgoers also became interested in the games. “Rushan’s daughter studies at a local school, and she translated. Montenegrins also joined the celebration. They dived face-first into katyk to find a coin, and cut down prizes,” Garaev added. According to Aydar, for a first Sabantuy, it was very good! In 2010, Aydar bought an apartment in Montenegro, and now he provides services to tourists.