The traditional event “Jump over the leather skin”: Students admitted to the coal-mining profession

On December 14, 2018 the traditional event “Jump over the leather skin” was organized by the Faculty of Mining of the University of Banja Luka with its headquarters in Prijedor. The event symbolizes formal ceremony of first year and second year students’ admission to the coal-mining profession.

Prof. Vladimir Malbašić, PhD, Dean of the Faculty of Mining, emphasized that the event is organized for the 8th time, and for the purpose of symbolically introducing future coal-miners to their line of work.

“The youth have modified and modernized the event. Together with our students we have students from Varaždin, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Bor, Mitrovica, Štip, and one student from Bulgaria”, says Dean Malbašić at the traditional event held in the theater in Prijedor.

The event “Jump over the leather skin” is being organized since the 7th century. The miners used to jump over the shaft, whereas we symbolically jump over the leather skin.

First part of the ceremony was a search for so-called fresh-major, which is a trademark of the Faculty of Mining. On December 7, the search came all the way to Banja Luka, where the students were trying to find the major at the minister Petar Đokić’s office in the line ministry in the Government of Republic of Srpska. As the search was not successful, the students went over to the Rectorate building at the University of Banja Luka where the Vice-Rector for Scientific Research and University Development Prof. Goran Latinović, PhD, told the students that the fresh-major they were looking for is in Prijedor.

The students finally found their major in Prijedor, having Nebojša Nikolić, B.S. in Mining, be the bearer of this year fresh-major title.

“Fresh-major is hiding from the freshmen, because he does not want them to ‘ruin his reputation’. After some time of serious convincing, he agrees to take the freshmen to the place where they will ‘jump over the leather skin’, which symbolizes the mine shaft, and so confirm their call as future coal miners”, says Nikolić.

He also added that it was a great honor for his to introduce his young colleagues to this honorable profession.

Mirjana Komosar, a first year of Geological Engineering at the Faculty of Mining, was among the twenty students that were admitted into the coal-mining profession at this traditional event.

“It was an honor to be a part of such activity, and it is wonderful to become a coal-miner, because it is not an easy thing to do and not everyone can do it.”

“Jump over the leather skin” was initiated in Prijedor in 2004, and it is an event that occurs every two years.