CHRIST IS BORN! We’re celebrating the most joyful Christian holiday People gather every Christmas Eve in front of churches across Serbia to participate in the ritual of burning Badnjak oak branches, and next comes Christmas Day, which is celebrated with great joy in the family home. S tarting in the early morn- ing, when the head of the household and his eldest son head out to ritually fell a young oak tree, Christ- mas Eve is comprised of a series of the most varied preparations for the moment when the family will gath- er for a symbolically very significant, albeit Lenten, dinner. CHRISTMAS EVE DAY & EVENING The Badnjak yule oak is brought into the house before dinner, and it is customary for the head of the house- hold to carry it into the home with the words “Good evening and Hap- py Christmas Eve to you all”, while clucking like a hen, and in the mean- time the lady of the house scatters grains, coins and fruit from a sieve, accompanied by the children who tweet like chicks. After dinner it is kissed and set ablaze in the fireplace as a unique symbol of the fire that will give birth to a new, eternal light. The children shake the burning Bad- njak briskly, in order to form as many sparks as possible, which symbolise
joy is brought to children by the char- acter of Božić Bata, literally meaning Christmas Brother. Prior to heading to bed, they place their boots on the windowsill, which Božić Bata will fill with gifts during the night. Early on the morning of Christmas Day, the bells of Orthodox churches ring out to announce the arrival of Christ- mas. The lady of the house rises before everyone else and bakes a special Christmas bread loaf called česnica that has a coin placed in the dough. The people greet each oth- er with the words “Christ is born!” and the response “Truly he is born!”. The first guest, known as the položa- jnik, meaning position holder, then arrives at the house and offers pos- itive wishes for the home and the members of the household, while the lady of the house presents him with a gift prepared in advance. The arrival of the položajnik symbolis- es the arrival of the three wise men, who came to worship the newborn Jesus by following a star from the East. It is believed that the položa- jnik brings good luck to the house throughout the entire year ahead. The members of the household then for- mally exchange Christmas greetings and sit down to a rich, non-Lenten feast that includes, in addition to the česnica bread, roasted meats and var- ious other treats prepared by the la- dy of the house. Some other folk beliefs are linked to the celebration of Christmas. All those who’ve quarrelled during the year should reconcile; some work
good health, many descendants, good crop yields and all other blessings. Ac- cording to Orthodox Christian con- cepts, the Badnjak yule oak symbolis- es the tree that shepherds brought to the Bethlehem cave stable where Je- sus was born and Joseph burned the branches to warm the Virgin Mary and the newborn Jesus, heralded by the sparks that flew skywards. CHRISTMAS Conveying an entire series of beliefs related to agricultural work, land and livestock fertility, Christ- mas was the most important holi- day for rural Serbs for a long time. It has retained its nature as a family holiday in urban communities to this day, under the scope of which mem- bers of the family gather for a festive meal with the symbolic burning of a Badnjak yule oak and the breaking of česnica bread. During the night between Christ- mas Eve and Christmas Day, special
Christmas » Božić | 77
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator