Serbian population has a very nice Orthodox tradition and that is the celebration of the patron saint. This tradition is typical for Serbs. The saint`s day was introduced to Serbian population by Saint Sava. Before Serbs accepted Christianity as their religion, Serbs were polytheistic nation which implies that each home had its own divinity. As Serbs do not like giving up their traditions, Saint Sava introduced to them Orthodox patron saint. This is how the tradition of the celebration of the patron saint has begun. Celebration of the patron saint takes place in a home, and it is handed down by generations. The patron saint`s day is the day when our ancestors were baptized.
As the celebration
of the patron saint would be celebrated in someone`s home, certain preparations
take place. The householder, with the younger members of the family, invites
guests to their home. Meanwhile, the lady
of the house is baking a cake for Patron Saint feast, cooked wheat, red wine
and a candle.
The cake for
Patron Saint represents Jesus Christ, and all family members take part in the
preparation of the cake. The cake for Patron Saint and cooked wheat are taken
to the temple by the householder in order to be consecrated by the priest.
When the priest
cuts the cake and pours red wine on it, which represents the blood of Jesus,
all the family members take part in rotation of the cake. This the most important
part in the celebration of the Patron Saint. When the family comes home from
the temple, the candle is lit. The family members are gathered around the
table, where they take and eat some cake and cooked wheat. In our tradition is
that the household of the family meets the guest and the lady of the house cuts
the cake and puts it on the table. This is how patron saint`s feast begins. If
the celebration of the patron saint is in the time of fast, dishes must be made
according to the rules of fast.
Toast in Serbian
language which is proposed is: “Na mnogajaljeta domu i domaćinu i njegovim
ukućanima! Na mnogajaljeta svoj braći i sestrama koji ovde biše, Bogu se moliše
i lepu slavu podigoše!’’
This celebration is a a part of UNESCO representative listof the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Intention
This celebration is a a part of UNESCO representative listof the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. I want to present it to the Danube neighbors, and beyond, because of the importance it has for gathering people and the idea of unity.
Opis
Jedan veoma lep Pravoslavni običaj kod nas Srba, koji nema ni jedan drugi hrišćanski narod, je krsna slava. Slavu kod Srba je uveo Sveti Sava. . Srbi su pre primanja hrišćanske vere bili mnogobožački narod, gde je svaki dom imao neko svoje božanstvo. Pošto su se Srbi teško odricali tog običaja, Sveti Sava je te idole zamenio Pravoslavnim svetiteljima, te je na taj način nastala krsna slava.Krsnu slavu proslavlja porodica u svom domu i prenosi se sa kolena na koleno. A pored krsne slave, postoji školska slava (Sveti Sava), crkvena i seoska.Za krsnu slavu se proslavlja svetitelj tj. dan kada su se naši preci krstili. Kako bi se slava što svečanije dočekala u kući se vrše pripreme. Domaćin sa mlađim ukućanima poziva goste, a domaćica sprema slavski kolač, kuvano žito, crno vino i sveću.
Slavski kolač simboliše samog Isusa Hrista i zbog toga sve ukućanke radosno učestvuju u njegovoj pripremi. Uz kolač one kuvaju žito, a sve to domaćin na dan slave odnosi u hram kako bi sveštenik oboje osvetio.
Kada sveštenik izreže kolač i prelije ga crnim vinom, koje predstavlja krv Hristovu, onda svi prisutni ukućani, na čelu sa domaćinom, učestvuju u okretanju slavskog kolača. Ovo je najbitniji deo proslave. Po povratku u svoj dom domaćin pali sveću, čiji plamen simbolizuje svetlost nauke Hristove. Sada svi ukućani okupljaju se oko stola gde ih domaćin kadi, a oni se krste i uzimaju osvećeni kolač i žito. Po našem narodnom običaju sada domaćin dočekuje goste. Domaćica seče kolač, donosi ga na trpezu i počinje slavski ručak. Ovde treba još napomenuti da ako je praznik u postu, onda hrana na trpezi mora biti posna. Da je ovo zaista svečan i poseban dan za jednu porodicu dokazuju nam narodni običaji i zdravice nastale tokom ovih slavlja.
ZDRAVICA:
,,Na mnogaja ljeta domu i domaćinu i njegovim ukućanima! Na mnogaja ljeta svoj braći i sestrama koji ovde biše, Bogu se moliše i lepu slavu podigoše!’’
Namera
Ovaj jedinstveni događaj iz Srbije zaštićen je kao nematerijalno kulturno dobro na UNESKO-voj listi. Namera mi je da predstavim značaj slave kao nacionalni identitet i pre svega kao simbol srpskog zajedništva.
Sponsors
This project has received funding from the Staatsministerium Baden-Württemberg and the City of Ulm. This website was funded by BMFSJ.
Design and implementation by Arivum.
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