Njegovo veličanstvo Hrastovi pripadaju familiji bukve i u našim krajevima prisutno je oko desetak vrsta, a među njima su najpoznatiji cer ( Quer - cus cerris L. ), lužnjak ( Quercus robur L. ), medunac ( Quercus pubescens Willd. )... Vrsta hrasta koja je u narodnu poznata kao cer najčešće se koristi za badnjak. – Cer je listopadno drvo koje može da poraste do 35 metara u visinu, dok u prečniku dostiže i do jednog me-
His Majesty Quercus cerris Oaks belong to the beech family and our region is home to around ten species, the best known of which are the Turkey/Austrian oak ( Quercus cerris L. ), the common oak ( Quercus robur L. ), the downy oak ( Quercus pubescens L. ) etc. The Turkey oak, popularly referred to as “cer” [tser], is most commonly used as the badnjak. “Cer is a deciduous tree that can
grow to a height of up to 35 metres, while the diameter of the trunk can reach up to a metre. Some specimens can live for up
tra. Pojedini primerci mo- gu da dožive starost i do 200 godina. Za hrasto- ve je karakteristično da, kada se iseče sta- blo, na panjevima
to 200 years. A characteristic of
se iz pupoljaka razvijaju mladi izdanci i na taj način se brzo i
oaks is that, when the tree is felled, young shoots sprout from buds on the stump,
lako obnavlja šu- ma koja je pose- čena – kaže dr Uroš
and thus a felled forest quickly and easily restores itself,” says Dr Uroš Buzurović, curator botanist of the Natural History Museum in Belgrade.
Buzurović, kustos botani- čar Prirodnjačkog muzeja u Beogradu.
the house, accompanied by children who chirp like chicks, sprinkle on the floor wheat grain, coins and fruit from a sieve. After dinner the badn- jak is kissed, rubbed with honey and sprayed with wine, then lit in the fireplace as a unique symbol of fire that will spawn a new, eternal light. Children poke and disturb the burn- ing badnjak in an effort to gener- ate the most possible sparks, which symbolise good health, a great off- spring, good crop yields and every other form of wealth. “Carrying within it an entire series of beliefs related to agricul- tural work, the fertility of soil and livestock, Christmas was the most important holiday for the Serbian peasant for a long time. In urban communities, this family holiday has been maintained to this day, under the scope of which mem- bers of the family gather for a sol- emn feast with the symbolic burn- ing of the badnjak and the breaking of the česnica [ceremonial bread],” says Ognjević.
in the middle of winter, the season when nature seemingly dies, is not an act of destruction, but rather her- alds the rebirth of the world that’s announced by the souls of holy an- cestors who visit the family home in the morning, embodied in the form of the položajnik [the first vis- itor on Christmas morning], and greet their descendants. Thus, the položajnik is heartily received and presented with gifts, and in return brings wellbeing and fertility to the family. The dishes from the Christ- mas Eve feast are left on the table overnight and are not washed, be- cause the ancestors eat from them,” once explained famous ethnologist Veselin Čajkanović. Christmas is a unique fusion of the religious and the pagan, a folk festival and a church feast, a fam- ily holiday and a national one, the main holiday of the winter season. Although it can’t be confirmed with certainty precisely when the mass celebrating of Christmas began among Serbs, there’s no doubt that
certain forms of this holiday were commemorated during the Middle Ages. Christmas Day, and Christ- mas Eve in particular – when the whole family awaits the announce- ment of the birth of Christ – repre- sents the point in time and space when both ancestors and their de- scendants gather in the glory of the Son of God. “Starting on the morning of Christmas Eve, when the head of the household and his eldest son head out to ritually chop down a young oak, Christmas Eve encom- passes a series of the most varied preparations for the moment when the family will gather for a Lent- en, but symbolically very impor- tant, dinner,” says gastroheritolo- gist Tamara Ognjević. The badnjak isn’t brought in- to the home before dinner. It’s cus- tomary for the head of the house- hold to carry it into the home with the words: “Good evening and hap- py Christmas Eve”, clucking like a hen as he does so, while the lady of
Badnjak se obično pali uz reči: „Koliko varnica, toliko srećica. Koliko varnica, toliko parica. Koliko varnica, toliko prasadi i jaganjaca, a najviše zdravlja i veselja...“ The badnjak is usually set alight with the words: “How many sparks, that much good luck. How many sparks, that much money. How many sparks, that many piglets and lambs, and most of all health and joy...”
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