Paliti Badnjak nema toliko smisla na toplim Havajima koliko u hladnom Čikagu ili Koloradu, ali Crkva nije radi običaja, nego su običaji radi Crkve
Lighting a Yule branch doesn’t make as much sense in the heat of Hawaii as it does in the cold of Chicago or Colorado, but the church doesn’t determine customs, rather customs determine the Church
H ow is Christmas celebrated in sunny California, so far away from Serbia, cold and snow? What does the Yule oak branch mean among the palms of sunny California and how does the declaration“Christ is born”reverberate on the coast of the Paci c Ocean? Speaking exclusively to us from Los Angeles about the most joyous Christian holiday is Maksim Vasilje- vić, Bishop of the Western America Diocese of the Serbian Ortho- dox Church, who has been living in America for the last 12 years. How is Christmas preserved and celebrated in California? - The similarities with celebrations here are great, especially in areas with emigrants, the majority of whom are from Dalmatia and Central Bosnia. The Church consecrates time and space for the holiday, and I think everyone feels that that’s the most important thing. Serbian immigrants have preserved their faith with great ef- fort since the beginning of the 19 th century. Apart from the ‘bad- njak’Yule branch, česnica bread and attending church, Orthodox believers on the continent of North America have a special“shared spread” of the entire parish in the church hall after each liturgy is performed; and on Christmas Day you’ll see a loaf of česnica bread Tekst / Words: Željka Mrđa Fotografije / Photography: George Gligich, Nenad Vukićević, Blaško Paraklis, Profimedia.rs
on every table in that hall. People connect very beauti- fully and strongly, continuing a “liturgy after the litur- gy”. Serbs in America celebrate Easter, Christmas, Pa- tron Saint days and the holiday of Vidovdan, but they also celebrate American holidays like Thanksgiving, with a liturgy performed on that day. How much does the geographical distance and ex- oticness of the area, close to beaches and the ocean, impact on the spirit of this holiday? - Celebrating Christmas enriches the lives of our countrymen, and the palm trees and ocean give it a special note. However, the point isn’t only to celebrate this wonderful holiday in a family atmosphere, rather for followers of the Orthodox faith in the Diaspora to establish links with modern man and enable him to bear witness to true faith. The Serbian church in Cali- fornia is attended by Hollywood actors like Christian Bale, Stana Katic and others. The holiday represents an departure from loneliness, inertia and routine, so modern man can rediscover the meaning of celebrat- ing this holiday and thus overcome loneliness and self- ishness. This holiday bridges the geographical divide from the Balkans to the Paci c Ocean. To what extent have our people succeeded in preserv- ing some traditional and symbolic elements, such as lighting the ‘Badnjak’ Yule branch in their homes? - Christmas is a call to re-examine whether we re- ally love Christ while we mature in this kind of global culture. That day marks the birth of God among peo- ple, while the modern“trendy Christmas”transforms him into an “object”. Christ wants to liberate us from
Teotokos, tempera na drvetu, Vladika Maksim, 2018.
Theotokos, egg-tempera on wood, by Bishop Maxim, 2018
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