Ritam Srbije
Rhythm of Serbia
A t this time of year, Serbs don their best out- fits, housewives dis- play their culinary prow- ess and everyone rushes to avoid being late. They are heading out as guests… to attend Slava. That’s be- cause the season of Slava celebrations be- gins in late October and lasts until early May. This is a season marked by beautiful customs in celebration of patron saints, which have been nurtured by our people for more than seven centuries. Slava is a ceremonious ritual that con- nects the religious and the social, repre- senting one day in the year when almost every Orthodox family celebrates a saint that they believe protects them and will ensure their prosperity. Despite having unclear origins, it is known with certain- ty that Saint Sava canonised and officially introduced the celebration of Slava prior to the 13 th century – and by then it was already sufficiently common and impor- tant among the people. Slava was add- ed to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hu- manity in 2014, alongside more than 350 folk customs and dances from around
the world. The proposal for its inclusion was submitted by Belgrade’s Ethnograph- ic Museum, in an effort to ensure that, beyond its national importance, Slava would also be recognised at the interna- tional level. December is the time of celebrations of Saint Nicholas, the most popular Slava in Serbia. It is often said that half of the Serbs celebrate St. Nicholas’s Day, while the other half attend the celebrations, which is why this day is almost a nation- al holiday. This famous saint was born in Lycia (modern Turkiye), in the city of Pat- ara, around the year 270 AD. Guided by a heavenly voice, he spread faith, justice and mercy among the people. He showed himself to be unusually spiritually gifted already during childhood, and during his school days he expressed a wish to enter the priesthood. He began his spiritual life as a monk at the Novi Sion Monastery. He was ultimately appointed archbish- op of Myra. When his parents died in a great epidemic, Nicholas gave away all the wealth he’d inherited. According to tra- dition, a miraculous voice prompted him to head out among the people and spread faith, justice and mercy, while his very appearance is said to have brought com- fort, peace and goodwill to the people. Traditional beliefs claim that he tamed the sea with his prayers and thus saved sailors from storms, which is why he is al- so considered a protector of sailors and all travellers, but also children, scholars and merchants. He helped the poor, com- forted the people and saved them from starvation, which is why he is primari- ly celebrated for his generosity, and espe- cially his custom of being charitable in se- cret, hidden from view. With a desire to remain anonymous, he didn’t put mon- ey in people’s hands, but rather placed it in their pockets so they’d be surprised when finding it. Legend also has it that he left gifts for children in their shoes or secretly placed presents in windows. It was his charitable work that led to the birth of the legend of Santa Claus, who would leave gifts for children in stockings placed on fireplaces before Christmas. It has long been customary in Serbia to give children walnuts, apples and sweets on the day of this Slava. He died on 19 th December, 345 AD, and his mortal remains still rest in the Basili- ca of Saint Nicholas in Bari, Italy.
SAINT NICHOLAS, PROTECTOR OF THE POOR Serbia’s most beloved saint For more than seven centuries, almost every Orthodox Christian family in Serbia has celebrated its own patron saint through the ritual of Slava. And when it comes to family celebrations in terms of numbers, no saint can rival the Slava of Nicholas (19 th December). The reason for the popularity of this Slava should be sought in the character of the saint himself, who distributed to the poor all the wealth that he’d inherited from his parents
Pošto slava Nikoljdan pada u vreme božićnog posta, slavska trpeza je uvek posna Given that the Slava of St. Nicholas is held during the Nativity Fast, the spread for this feast is always Lenten
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