Serbia welcomes home Eurovison hero

May 14 - Some 25,000 people welcomed Marija Serifovia after she won the Eurovision Song Contest.

Cheering crowds thronged into Belgrade's historic downtown area, firing flares, blasting car horns and singing their hearts out to celebrate the victory.

The Saturday competition showcased the usual tactical voting, where states vote for neighbours or allies: Serbia's entry got the maximum 12 points from all fellow ex-Yugoslavs, even those that were its enemies in the wars of the 1990s, Croatia and Bosnia.

The victory also gave hope to Serbia's tiny and harassed gay community, who celebrated the lesbian chic-tinged performance as a rare sight in the conservative Christian Orthodox country.