Bob Hope
Божић is Serbian name for Christmas. I know Christmas time in Austria is already over, but the Christmas I normally celebrate is just tomorrow. Therefore, I have decided to write about some customs and traditions related to the Orthodox Christmas.
Firstly, Orthodox Christmas comes two weeks later than of Roman Catholics. It is celebrated on 7th January while we celebrate New Year on January 13th. This is because the Serbs follow the Julian calendar and Roman Catholics follow the Gregorian calendar. However, this does not mean that we do not celebrate New Year on 31st of December. In fact, we celebrate both New Years, the international one and the Serbian or Orthodox New Year. As such, January is really fun in my hometown. Like the most people, Serbs eventually officially accepted the Gregorian calendar, but all holidays, especially cultural or religious, are celebrated according to the Julian calendar.
Like for the most holidays in Serbian culture, Christmas is celebrated for three consecutive days. On the Christmas Eve, the family is preparing for the oncoming celebration. On this day, the food is made according to the rules of fasting, which means that milk and animal products are not eaten. Traditionally, early in the morning the head of each family and
several male relatives, selects the tree from which a log will be cut for their household. An oak log or branch brought into the house is called the badnjak and is placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve. The badnjak can be also bought at marketplaces or distributed in churches, which is more appropriate for families living in the city. It is kept in the home until next Christmas Eve, while the one from the previous Christmas is mostly placed on the open fire built in the church yard, but also on the other suitable locations.
On the Christmas Day, the celebration is announced at dawn by church bells and guns. People are greeting each other by saying "Christ is Born", which should be responded to with "Truly He is Born". A bunch of food is normally prepared for Christmas lunch. Česnica, meat, sarma, rakija and of course, cakes are indispensable parts of Serbian Christmas. Česnica is the most important part of the Christmas meal. It is a round loaf of bread with a coin put into it. Family members hold the česnica between themselves, rotating it counterclockwise while saying a prayer. The česnica is then carefully broken among the relatives, so that each of them gets his or her own share of the bread. The person whose share contains the coin, will supposedly be especially lucky in the following year.
The upper surface of the loaf is routinely inscribed with various symbols, but mostly with the Serbian Cross. The Serbian Cross is a national symbol and consists of four Cyrillic letters S ( С ). They are the abbreviation for the motto: Оnly Unity Saves the Serbs ( Само слога Србина спасава ).
These are the most essential customs of Orthodox Christmas. By far and large, like in almost every culture, holidays are all about being united with your closest ones, your family members and friends. I really miss mine today!
Firstly, Orthodox Christmas comes two weeks later than of Roman Catholics. It is celebrated on 7th January while we celebrate New Year on January 13th. This is because the Serbs follow the Julian calendar and Roman Catholics follow the Gregorian calendar. However, this does not mean that we do not celebrate New Year on 31st of December. In fact, we celebrate both New Years, the international one and the Serbian or Orthodox New Year. As such, January is really fun in my hometown. Like the most people, Serbs eventually officially accepted the Gregorian calendar, but all holidays, especially cultural or religious, are celebrated according to the Julian calendar.
Like for the most holidays in Serbian culture, Christmas is celebrated for three consecutive days. On the Christmas Eve, the family is preparing for the oncoming celebration. On this day, the food is made according to the rules of fasting, which means that milk and animal products are not eaten. Traditionally, early in the morning the head of each family and
several male relatives, selects the tree from which a log will be cut for their household. An oak log or branch brought into the house is called the badnjak and is placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve. The badnjak can be also bought at marketplaces or distributed in churches, which is more appropriate for families living in the city. It is kept in the home until next Christmas Eve, while the one from the previous Christmas is mostly placed on the open fire built in the church yard, but also on the other suitable locations.On the Christmas Day, the celebration is announced at dawn by church bells and guns. People are greeting each other by saying "Christ is Born", which should be responded to with "Truly He is Born". A bunch of food is normally prepared for Christmas lunch. Česnica, meat, sarma, rakija and of course, cakes are indispensable parts of Serbian Christmas. Česnica is the most important part of the Christmas meal. It is a round loaf of bread with a coin put into it. Family members hold the česnica between themselves, rotating it counterclockwise while saying a prayer. The česnica is then carefully broken among the relatives, so that each of them gets his or her own share of the bread. The person whose share contains the coin, will supposedly be especially lucky in the following year.
The upper surface of the loaf is routinely inscribed with various symbols, but mostly with the Serbian Cross. The Serbian Cross is a national symbol and consists of four Cyrillic letters S ( С ). They are the abbreviation for the motto: Оnly Unity Saves the Serbs ( Само слога Србина спасава ).
These are the most essential customs of Orthodox Christmas. By far and large, like in almost every culture, holidays are all about being united with your closest ones, your family members and friends. I really miss mine today!
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