Serbian SLAVA
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„Where there is Slava, there is a Serb“ – Serbian proverb
Majority of Serbs are Christians, and Christianity came very soon after the settling of South Slavs in Balkans. Byzantine missionaries and brothers St. Cyril and St. Methodius are considered to be the founders of South Slavic Christianity. It was a very cunning way to introduce Slavs as pagans to the new religion – most of old Slavic gods were implemented in characteristics of Christian saints, and until nowadays we can still find original corelations with ancient Slavic religion.
Serbian Christians are mostly Orthodox Christians, belonging to Serbian Orthodox Church. Along with Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ecumenical Church of Constantinople – Serbian Orthodox Church forms the Council of Orthodox Patriarchates. Thanks to the fact that each nation has a Church of its own, most of the national folklore maintained untouched through the church. Yet, there is one special holiday which differs Serbian Church from others – slava.
Slava is connected to the times of old Slavic religion, when a cult of ancestors was very strong. For Slavs, family and its legacy is one of the holiest things in life; and this custom is highly appreciated even today. In order to maintain this legacy and implement it into Christianity, Serbian archbishop St. Sava canonized this ceremony and formed a unique cultural heritage for Serbs. So, what is slava today?
If you walk into a Serbian home, you will find there an icon depicting a Christian saint. It is believed that this saint is a patron of host’s home and family, and usually is celebrated for generations back. Each Christian saint has his/her day in Orthodox calendary. That very day is the holiest day for the family which celebrates, right after Christmas and Easter. On this day, Serbs are completely dedicated to their family and dearest people.
There are dozens of different manners of celebrating Slava – depending on the region in Serbia – but there are some customs which are the same everywhere: slavski kolač – ceremonial bread which is baked in the night of Slava; žito or koljivo – ceremonial wheat which celebrates the ressurection of Christ and family ancestors; slavska sveća – ceremonial candle which is lit during the whole day of Slava.
Majority of Serbs are Christians, and Christianity came very soon after the settling of South Slavs in Balkans. Byzantine missionaries and brothers St. Cyril and St. Methodius are considered to be the founders of South Slavic Christianity. It was a very cunning way to introduce Slavs as pagans to the new religion – most of old Slavic gods were implemented in characteristics of Christian saints, and until nowadays we can still find original corelations with ancient Slavic religion.
Serbian Christians are mostly Orthodox Christians, belonging to Serbian Orthodox Church. Along with Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ecumenical Church of Constantinople – Serbian Orthodox Church forms the Council of Orthodox Patriarchates. Thanks to the fact that each nation has a Church of its own, most of the national folklore maintained untouched through the church. Yet, there is one special holiday which differs Serbian Church from others – slava.
Slava is connected to the times of old Slavic religion, when a cult of ancestors was very strong. For Slavs, family and its legacy is one of the holiest things in life; and this custom is highly appreciated even today. In order to maintain this legacy and implement it into Christianity, Serbian archbishop St. Sava canonized this ceremony and formed a unique cultural heritage for Serbs. So, what is slava today?
If you walk into a Serbian home, you will find there an icon depicting a Christian saint. It is believed that this saint is a patron of host’s home and family, and usually is celebrated for generations back. Each Christian saint has his/her day in Orthodox calendary. That very day is the holiest day for the family which celebrates, right after Christmas and Easter. On this day, Serbs are completely dedicated to their family and dearest people.
There are dozens of different manners of celebrating Slava – depending on the region in Serbia – but there are some customs which are the same everywhere: slavski kolač – ceremonial bread which is baked in the night of Slava; žito or koljivo – ceremonial wheat which celebrates the ressurection of Christ and family ancestors; slavska sveća – ceremonial candle which is lit during the whole day of Slava.
