O KRUNISANJU I KRŠTENJU ABOUT CORONATION AND BAPTISM
Prema uverenju srednjovekovnog čoveka, ovo je praznik na koji se otvaraju dobro čuvane kapije između neba i zemlje, a milost Božja doslovno lije na verujuće Moć Vaskrsa među srednjovekovnim žiteljima Srbije sagledava se iz niza ondašnjih dokumenata, sa fresaka i iz žitija vladara, crkvenih poglavara, svetitelja, ali i iz dragoce- nih zapisa na marginama rukopisanih knjiga. Često se me- đu verujuć im svetom može čuti da je Vaskrs praznik nad praznicima, da se nijedan drugi hrišć anski praznik, ma ka- ko veliki i značajan, ne može porediti s Vaskrsom. U našem vremenu to ushić enje može delovati romantičarski preuve- ličano, ali kada se setimo da suština Vaskrsa počiva na či- njenici trijumfa života nad smrć u, odnosno onog ključnog obeć anja koje je istorijski Hrist dao (i ispunio) svojim sled- benicima, onda današnja vesela priča sa šarenim jajima i čokoladnim zečevima dobije potpuno drugačiju dimenziju. Vaskrs postaje posebno zanimljiv kada sagledamo nje- govu važnost u prošlosti Srbije ili – da budemo sasvim pre- cizni – u prošlosti srpskih zemalja u srednjem veku. Koliko je Vaskrs bio važan, možda ponajbolje svedoči činjenica da su srpski vladari – da pomenemo samo jednog, najvišeg u hijerarhiji – imperatora Stefana Dušana Nemanjić a (1308– 1355), birali taj praznik da se krunišu ili pak da krste svog sina prvenca i naslednika prestola. Tako se Dušan Silni kru- nisao za cara Srba i Grka na Vaskrs, 16. aprila 1346. godi- ne u Skoplju. Prema uverenju srednjovekovnog čoveka, ovo je praznik na koji se otvaraju dobro čuvane „kapije“ između neba i zemlje, a milost Božja doslovno lije na verujuć e. Vla- dar koji u tom času primi svetu tajnu miropomazanja, pre- ma opštem uverenju, koje posebno podupire Crkva, dobija najmoć nu podršku za izvršenje svojih obaveza. Ono što je za vladara kruna, za običnog čoveka je kr- štenje ili venčanje, a Vaskrs je upravo praznik na koji se, posle najdužeg posta u hrišć anskom kalendaru, Srbi najra- dije venčavaju ili krštavaju novorođeno potomstvo. Po na- rodnom verovanju, u ovo doba godine je idealno i premi- nuti, jer Vaskrs navodno garantuje direktan odlazak u raj, bez obzira na minuli učinak u životu.
According to medieval belief, this is a holiday when the otherwise strongly guarded “gates” between heaven and earth are opened, with the grace of God literally pouring onto believers. Serbia’s medieval view of the power of Easter can be seen from a series of documents dating back to that period, but also from frescoes and the lives of rulers, church lead- ers and saints, as well as from precious notes in the mar- gins of handwritten books. Believers are often heard refer- ring to Easter as the holiday of holidays, claiming that no other Christian holiday – no matter how major and signif- icant – can be compared to Easter. That jubilation might seem romantically exaggerated today, but when we consid- er that the essence of Easter is based on the triumph of life over death, or the key promise given to followers (and ful- filled) by the historical Christ, then today’s happy story of colourful eggs and chocolate bunnies takes on a completely different dimension. Easter becomes particularly interesting when we observe its importance in Serbia’s past, or more precisely, in the past of the medieval Serbian lands. Perhaps best testifying to the importance of Easter is the fact that Serbian rulers – such as the highest-ranking Emperor Stefan Dušan Nemanjić (1308- 1355), to mention only one – chose this holiday for their coronations or to baptise their firstborn son and heir to the throne. And so it was that Dušan the Mighty was crowned emperor of the Serbs and Greeks on Easter, 16 th April, 1346, in Skopje. According to medieval beliefs, a ruler who receives the holy sacrament of anointing at that time enjoys strong support from the Church and receives the most powerful support for the fulfilment of his obligations. That which is represented by a coronation for a rul- er is equivalent to a baptism or wedding for layfolk, and Easter is the holiday when – following the longest fast in the Christian calendar – Serbs prefer to stage weddings or baptise their newborns. It is also popularly believed that this is the ideal time of the year to die, because Easter supposedly guarantees direct entrance to heaven, regard- less of past “deeds” in life.
86 | Vaskrs » Easter
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