ČESNICA Česnica
THE HEART OF THE CHRISTMAS TRADITION Nothing symbolises Christmas among Orthodox Serbs like the česnica, a ritual bread that’s broken during breakfast on Christmas Day. It is the heart of this holiday, a special breadcake that’s eagerly awaited by all those gathered for the festive feast of 7 th January. This is the kind of ancient ritual bread that people have been offering as a sacrifice to the gods since time immemorial, to ensure their prosperity, progress and, above all, the fertility of the crops on which they depended. Although it is essentially just a round bread made from white flour, the česnica has a thousand metaphorical faces, depending on the tradition of each individual region of Serbia or part of the world where Serbs live. In the not-so-distant past, when the majority of Serbs lived in rural areas, the česnica was kneaded and baked by men, specifically crop farmers. It was believed that the success of crops depended on this loaf, so the preparation process included specific rituals. They would always use water drawn from wells and springs early on the morning of Christmas Day. The name of this ritual loaf is of Slavic origin and comes from the term čest – meaning part or share, which points to the tradition of sharing the loaf among all those participating in the ceremony. The česnica is never cut, but rather broken by hand. In bygone times it was broken exclusively by men, with the oldest among them deciding which piece would go to which member of the household. Back then, the česnica, which today contains only a single coin, was made with many so- called markers inside, i.e., small ornamental elements symbolising crops and traditional rural tasks. When the head of the household handed out the pieces of this bread, everyone would check to see what their piece contained and would thus discover which jobs would be their responsibility until the next Christmas. The česnica is baked from unleavened dough in some parts of Serbia, with just a little salt and oil, while elsewhere it is enriched with milk, eggs and yeast. In some Serbian households it is even made as a sweet cake, with honey and walnuts.
SRCE BOŽIĆNE TRADICIJE
Kod pravoslavnih Srba ništa ne simbolizuje Božić tako kao česnica, obredni hleb koji se lomi tokom božićnog doručka. Ona je srce praznika, kolač koji s nestrpljenjem očekuju svi okupljeni oko svečane trpeze 7. januara. Reč je o drevnom obrednom hlebu, kakav su ljudi od pamtiveka prinosili kao žrtvu bogovima da bi obezbedili blagostanje, napredak, a pre svega plodnost useva od kojih su živeli. Iako je u osnovi reč o okruglom hlebu od belog brašna, česnica, metaforično, ima hiljadu lica, u zavisnosti od tradicije svakog pojedinog kraja Srbije ili dela sveta u kojem Srbi žive. U ne tako davna vremena, kada je većina srpskog stanovništa živela na selu, česnicu su mesili muškarci, ratari. Verovalo se da od nje zavise usevi, pa su je u procesu pripreme pratili naročiti rituali. Uvek se koristila voda s bunara i izvora izvađena u rano jutro na Božić.
Samo ime ovog obrednog kolača je slovenskog porekla i dolazi od pojma čest – deo, udeo, što ukazuje na tradiciju deljenja kolača na onoliko komada koliko je onih koji prisustvuju obredu. Česnica se nikada ne seče već se lomi rukama. Nekada su je lomili samo muškarci, a najstariji među njima je opredeljivao koje parče ide kome od ukućana. Tada je česnica, u koju se danas stavlja samo novčić, pravljena sa mnogo takozvanih belega, odnosno malih objekata koji simbolizuju useve i seoske poslove. Kada domaćin podeli česnicu, svako bi proveravao šta je u svom delu kolača dobio i tako je znao koji će poslovi biti u njegovoj nadležnosti do sledećeg Božića. U nekim krajevima Srbije česnica se mesi od beskvasnog testa, tek s malo soli i ulja, dok se drugde obogaćuje mlekom, jajima i kvascem. U nekim se kućama pak pravi kao slatka pita s medom i orasima.
Ovaj kolač sa nestrpljenjem očekuju svi okupljeni oko trpeze 7. januara / This breadcake is eagerly awaited by all those gathered for the feast of 7 th January
Christmas » Božić | 85
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