slavlje / Celebration
This special loaf is eagerly awaited by all those gathered for the festive feast of 7 th January N othing symbolises Christmas among Orthodox Serbs like the česnica, a ritu- al bread that is broken during breakfast on Christmas Day. Although the Badnjak Yule oak, as a particularly symbolic tree, and Christmas roast meat, in the form of a spit-roast- ed piglet, form the backbone of the Christmas tradi- tion, the česnica is at the heart of this important ritu- al, as a special loaf that is eagerly awaited by all those gathered for the festive feast of 7 th January. The story of the česnica loaf predates our collec- tive memory. This is an ancient ritual bread that people have been offering as a sacrifice to the gods since time immemorial, in order to ensure their prosperity, pro- gress and, above all, the fertility of the crops they de- pended on. As a sacrosanct part of Serbia's intangible heritage, the česnica reflects the multicoloured fabric of local beliefs and customs. Although it is in essence 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 distance past, when the majority of the Serbian population lived in rural areas, the česnica was kneaded and baked by men, specifically crop farm- ers. It was believed that the success of crops depend- ed on this loaf, so the preparation process was accom- panied by special rituals. So-called untouched water is always used to make this bread, meaning water draw from wells and springs early on the morning of Christ- mas Day in containers that nobody has drank from. The name of this ritual loaf is itself 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 con- tains only a single coin, was made with many so-called marks inside, i.e., small ornamental elements symbol- ising 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 re- sponsibility until the next Christmas. The česnica is baked from unleavened dough in some parts of Serbia, with just a little salt and oil add- ed, while in other parts of the country it is enriched with milk, eggs and yeast, and in some Serbian house- holds it is even made as a sweet cake, containing hon- ey and walnuts.
ČESNICA CHRISTMAS BREAD
U srcu božićne tradicije / At the heart of the Christmas tradition
Sveže i suvo voće, orasi, slama i badnjak sastavni su deo božićne trpeze. Prizivaju rodnu i slatku godinu / Fresh and dried fruits, walnuts, straw and the Badnjak Yule oak are all integral to the Christmas feast, invoking a fruitful and sweet year ahead
Ovaj kolač s nestrpljenjem očekuju svi okupljeni oko svečane trpeze 7. januara Kod pravoslavnih Srba nema većeg simbola Božića od česnice , obrednog hle- ba koji se lomi tokom božićnog doručka. Iako su badnjak, kao naročito simbolično drvo, i božić- na pečenica – odnosno prase pečeno na ražnju, okosnica božićne tradicije, česnica je srce tog važ- nog rituala, kolač koji s nestrpljenjem očekuju svi okupljeni oko svečane trpeze 7. januara. Priča o česnici starija je od kolektivnog pam- ćenja. Reč je o drevnom obrednom hlebu kakav su ljudi od pamtiveka prinosili kao žrtvu bogovi- ma da bi obezbedili blagostanje, napredak, a pre
svega plodnost useva od kojih su živeli. Kao neo- tuđivi deo nematerijalne baštine Srbije, česnica reflektuje šareno tkanje lokalnih verovanja i obi- čaja. Iako je u osnovi reč o okruglom hlebu od be- log brašna, česnica, metaforično, ima hiljadu lica, u zavisnosti od tradicije svakog pojedinačnog kra- ja Srbije ili dela sveta u kojem Srbi žive. U ne tako davna vremena, kada je većina srp- skog stanovništa živela na selu, česnicu su mesi- li muškarci, ratari. Verovalo se da od nje zavise usevi, pa su je u procesu pripreme pratili naro- čiti rituali. Za česnicu se uvek koristi takozvana nenačeta voda, odnosno voda s bunara i izvora izvađena u rano jutro na Božić koju niko pre to- ga nije pio. Samo ime ovog obrednog kolača je slovenskog porekla i dolazi od pojma „čest“, koji znači deo,
udeo – što ukazuje na tradiciju deljenja kolača na sve koji prisustvuju obredu. Česnica se nikada ne seče već se lomi rukama. Nekada su je lomili sa- mo muškarci, a najstariji među njima je određivao koje parče ide kome od ukućana. Tada je česnica, u koju se danas stavlja samo novčić, pravljena sa mnogo takozvanih belega, odnosno malih obje- kata koji simbolizuju useve i seoske poslove. Ka- da domaćin podeli česnicu, svako bi proveravao šta je u svom delu kolača dobio i tako je znao ko- ji će poslovi biti u njegovoj nadležnosti do slede- ćeg 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 me- dom i orasima.
66 | Božić » Christmas
Christmas » Božić | 67
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