slavlje / Celebration
Slavi se Božić po julijanskom kalendaru Christmas is celebrated according to the Julian calendar 7. januar / 7 th January
BOŽIĆ Christmas
The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated on 7 th January, according to the Julian calendar, and the period around Christmas represents the most beautiful holiday of the whole family of winter celebrations
C hristmas represents a unique synthesis of the religious and the pagan, a folk and church holiday, a fam- ily and national celebration – it is the main holiday of winter. Al- though precisely when the mass celebrating of Christmas began among Serbs cannot be confirmed with certainty, there is no doubt that this holiday was observed in certain forms during medieval times. Christmas Eve, when the whole family awaits the announc- ing of Christ’s birth, represents a point in time and space when both ancestors and descendants gath- er in the glory of the Son of God. Christmas Eve is celebrated on the sixth day of January, which is also the last and strictest day of the Nativity Fast. Its Serbian name is derived from the Badnjak Yule oak, which is chopped down by the head of the household before dawn on the morning of Christmas Eve and is brought into the home that same evening. After the tree is brought into the house, togeth- er with straw and roast meat, all members of the household gather around the table, recite prayers, wish one another a happy Christ- mas Eve and sit down for a feast that is a Lenten meal consisting of various dried fruits, bread, beans, fish and other dishes. During the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, special joy is brought to children by the character of Božić Bata, lit- erally meaning Christmas Broth- er. Prior to heading to bed, they place their boots on the window- sill, 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 arriv- al of Christmas. The lady of the
Najlepši praznični običaji / The most beautiful festive customs
house rises before everyone else and bakes a special Christmas bread loaf called česnica that has a coin placed in the dough. The peo- ple greet each other with the words “Christ is born!” and the response “Truly he is born!”. The first guest, known as the položajnik, meaning position holder, then arrives at the house and relays positive 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 ar- rival of the položajnik symbolises 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 česnica loaf is broken into as many pieces as there are house- hold members. It is believed that whoever gets the chunk contain- ing the coin will have good luck throughout the coming year. The members of the household then formally exchange Christmas greetings and sit down to a rich, non-Lenten feast that includes, in addition to the česnica bread, roasted meats and various oth- er treats. The celebration of Christmas is linked to some other folk be- liefs. For instance, all those who’ve quarrelled during the year should reconcile; some work should be started symbolically after Christ- mas lunch in order to ensure that the people will be diligent through- out the year; the holiday is cele- brated in the circle of the immedi- ate family and the table shouldn’t be cleared from Christmas Eve un- til St. Stephen's Day (9th Janu- ary), and nor should the house be cleaned. Christ is born! Truly he is born!
Rođenje Isusa Hrista se po julijanskom kalendaru praznuje 7. januara, a vreme oko Božića predstavlja najlepši praznik za celu porodicu B ožić je jedinstvena sinteza verskog i pa- ganskog, narodnog i crkvenog, porodič- nog i nacionalnog – to je glavni zimski praznik. Iako se ne može sa sigurnošću tvrdi- ti kada se tačno počelo s masov- nim proslavljanjem Božića u Sr- ba, nema sumnje da su određene forme ovog praznika poštovane još u srednjem veku. Badnji dan, a posebno Badnje veče, kada čita- va porodica dočekuje objavu ro- đenja Hristovog, tačka je u vre- menu i prostoru kada se u slavu Sina Božjeg okupljaju i preci i po- tomci. Šestog dana januara proslav- lja se Badnji dan, koji je ujedno
poslednji i najstroži dan božićnog posta. Naziv je dobio po badnja- ku, koji pre svitanja, na Badnje jutro, seče domaćin, a unosi se uveče. Nakon unošenja badnja- ka, slame i pečenice svi ukućani se okupljaju oko stola, izgovara- ju molitve, čestitaju jedni drugi- ma Badnje veče i sedaju za trpe- zu, koja je posna i koju čine razno suvo voće, hleb, pasulj, riba i dru- ga jela. U noći između Badnjeg dana i Božića deci posebnu radost do- nosi Božić Bata. Pre spavanja u prozore stavljaju svoje čizmice, u koje će im Božić Bata u toku no- ći ostaviti poklone. Rano ujutru, na Božić, zvone zvona na pra- voslavnim hramovima najavlju-
jući dolazak ovog praznika. Do- maćica ustaje pre svih i od testa pravi pogaču koja se zove česni- ca pa u nju stavlja novčić. Ljudi se pozdravljaju rečima: „Hristos se rodi“ i otpozdravljaju: „Vaisti- nu se rodi“. Zatim u kuću dolazi položajnik, koji upućuje lepe že- lje domu i ukućanima, a domaći- ca ga daruje pripremljenim po- klonom. Položajnik simbolizuje mudrace sa istoka, koji su, prate- ći zvezdu, došli da se poklone no- vorođenom Isusu. Veruje se da je položajnik osoba koja će cele go- dine donositi sreću u kuću. Česnica se lomi na onoliko delova koliko ima ukućana. Veru- je se da će onoga ko dobije deo sa novčićem sreća pratiti tokom či-
tave godine. Ukućani potom če- stitaju jedni drugima Božić i se- daju za mrsnu, bogatu trpezu, na kojoj se, osim česnice, nalazi i pečenica, kao i razne druge đa- konije. Sa proslavljanjem Božića po- vezana su još neka narodna ve- rovanja. Trebalo bi da se pomire svi oni koji su tokom godine bili u svađi, da se posle ručka simbo- lično započne neki posao kako bi ljudi cele godine bili vredni, pra- znik se proslavlja u krugu poro- dice, a trpeza se ne rasprema od Badnje večeri do Svetog Stefana (9. januara), baš kao što se i ku- ća ne čisti. Hristos se rodi. Vaistinu se rodi.
64 | Božić » Christmas
Christmas » Božić | 65
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