For outsiders, the Serbian practice of publishing detailed, paid death notices in newspapers like Dnevnik might seem like a relic of the pre-digital age. But in Novi Sad, the umrlice are far more than announcements; they are a complex social ledger of grief, respect, and collective memory. The tradition of umrlice in Novi Sad predates the internet by over a century. Historically, in a city that was a melting pot of Serbs, Hungarians, Germans, and Jews, the obituary was a legal and social necessity. Before instant communication, the daily paper was the only way to inform the wider community—colleagues at the Novosadska fabrika cevi (Novi Sad Pipe Factory), neighbors in Podbara , or distant relatives in Sremska Kamenica —of a death and the subsequent funeral arrangements.

However, the online version lacks the ritual. It is information. The printed version is ceremony. To read the umrlice of Novi Sad is to understand the city’s demographics. On one page, you will see a Catholic cross next to a name of Hungarian origin. On the next, a traditional Serbian slava (family patron saint day) mentioned in the thanks. You see the scars of the 1990s (the occasional obituary for a soldier) and the reality of modern life (increasing notices for cancer).

Today, while Facebook and WhatsApp have sped up communication, the printed umrlica remains the "official" word. It carries a weight that a text message cannot replicate. A standard umrlica from Novi Sad follows a rigid, poetic format. It usually begins with the solemn phrase: "S dubokom tugom javljamo rodbini, prijateljima i poznanicima da nas je napustio/la naš dragi…" (With deep sadness, we inform family, friends, and acquaintances that our dear… has left us).