Editing Christmas in Serbia

[[File:MCB-icon12.jpg|thumb|250px|An [[icon]] representing the [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity of Jesus Christ]].]]

==Christmas Eve==

| isbn = 86-331-1946-3}}</ref> When the log has burnt through, some families let the fire go out, while in others the men keep watch in shifts during the night to keep the badnjak burning.<ref name=v81/>

Another type of the badnjak that has developed among the Serbs has mostly replaced the traditional log, whose burning is usually unfeasible in modern homes. It is a cluster of oak twigs with their brown leaves still attached, with which the home is decorated on the Eve. This cluster is also called the badnjak, and it is usually kept in the home until next Christmas Eve. For the convenience of those living in towns and cities, such little badnjaks can be bought at marketplaces or distributed in churches. In a common arrangement, the cluster of oak twigs is bound together with twigs of [[European Cornel]] and several stalks of straw.<ref name=v81/>

Before the table is served, it is strewn with a thin layer of straw and covered with a white cloth. The family members sit down at the table. Prior to tucking in, they all rise and a man or boy among them says a prayer, or they together sing the [[Troparion]] of the Nativity in [[Church Slavonic language]]:<ref name=spc>{{cite web

| publisher = spcportal.org

| language = sr

| url = http://www.spcportal.org/index.php?pg=647&lang=sr

{|

Christmas Eve being a [[Eastern Orthodox Church#Fasting|fast day]], the dinner is prepared in accordance with that, but it is copious and diverse in foods. Besides a round [[Leavening agent|unleavened]] loaf of bread called ''badnjački kolač'', and salt, which are necessary, this meal may comprise roast fish, cooked beans, [[sauerkraut]], noodles with ground walnuts, honey, and wine.<ref>{{cite web

| publisher = [[Krstarica]]

| language = sr

| work = Кувар

| url = http://kuvar.krstarica.com/c/izdvajamo/svecanosti/trpeza-za-badnje-vece

| last = Ardalić

| first = Vladimir

| first = Mirjana

| year = 2006

| journal = Glasnik Etnografskog instituta SANU

| volume = 54

| location = Belgrade

| language = sr

In central Serbia, once the household members have gone to bed, an elderly woman of the family sticks a knife into the house door from the inside. Alternatively, she puts a [[Crataegus monogyna|hawthorn]] stake by the door, hanging a wreath of [[garlic]] on it. This is done as a protection against [[curse]]s, [[Witchcraft|witch]]es, and [[demon]]s. For the same reason, children are rubbed with garlic on the palms, armpits, and soles before going to bed. In some regions, the men keep watch in shifts by the fireplace during the night, to keep the fire burning.<ref name=v81/><ref name=k/>

|}

A custom to use a domestic animal as a ''polaznik'' was kept in some regions until the first half of the 20th century. A sheep, ox, swine, or calf was led into the house on Christmas morning.<ref name=v87/> In the west Serbian region of Rađevina, centered on the town of [[Krupanj]], the head of household would place a sheep between himself and the fireplace, and pronounce the aforementioned words while striking the ''badnjak'' with a branch cut from it.<ref name=djurdjev/> In the region of [[Bihor, Montenegro|Bihor]], north-eastern [[Montenegro]], a round loaf of bread with a hole in its center was prepared; four grooves were impressed into its surface along two mutually perpendicular diameters of the loaf. After an ox was led into the house, the loaf was put on his horn, and some grain was thrown on the ox. Yanking his head, the ox would throw off the loaf; having fallen down, the loaf would break into four pieces along the grooves. The pieces were picked up and distributed among the family members. This custom was preserved up to the 1950s even in some Muslim families of the region.<ref>{{Cite book

| year = 2003

| place = Belgrade

===Strong water===

====Meal====

[[File:Cesnica.jpg|thumb|250px|Family members break a ''česnica'' at the beginning of Christmas dinner.]]

Christmas dinner is the most celebratory meal a family has during a year. About noon, or even earlier, the family members sit down at the table. When the head of household gives a sign, all rise. He lights a candle, [[Censer|censes]] his family and house, and prays the [[Lord's Prayer]]. After that, the family members kiss each other on the cheek saying, "The peace of God among us, Christ is Born."<ref name=spc/> The head and another man of the family hold the ''česnica'' between themselves, rotating it three times [[Clockwise|counterclockwise]]. The ''česnica'' is then carefully broken among the relatives, so that each of them gets his or her own share of the loaf. The family member whose share contains the coin hidden in the ''česnica'', will supposedly be exceptionally lucky in the coming year. The [[main course]] of Christmas dinner is roast pork of the ''pečenica''. During the dinner, the head of household proposes a [[toast (honor)|toast]] to his family with a glass of wine, several times.<ref name=k/><ref name=v87/> A traditional toast from parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina goes like this:<ref>Vuković, p. 252</ref>

===''Koleda''===

The ''[[Koledarenje|koleda]]'' was a custom that a group of young men, [[mask]]ed and costumed, went from house to house of their village singing special ''koleda'' songs and performing acts of magic intended to summon health, wealth, and prosperity for each household.<ref name=kulisic>{{cite book

|last = Kulišić

Christmas is celebrated for three days. On the second day of Christmas, neighbors visit each other. On the third day, Christmas straw is taken out of the house. Little bundles are made with it, and hung on fruit trees to make their fruit better. A bigger bundle may be stored in a dry place: it will be burned on [[Đurđevdan|St. George's Day]], as a protection of fields against [[hail]]. Another bundle is taken away across the nearest stream – a symbolic elimination of all the vermin that may be present in the house. Men make crosses from the remnant of the thicker side of ''badnjak'', and stick them under eaves, on fields, meadows, vineyards, and [[apiary|apiaries]]. It is believed this will help that the ensuing year be happy and fruitful. A good sign that this will be the case is when there is a lot of snow on Christmas Day.<ref name=v87/>

==Twelve Days of Christmas==

January 14 on the Gregorian calendar corresponds to January 1, New Year's Day, on the Julian calendar; this holiday is also called ''Mali Božić'' ({{lang-sr-Cyrl|Мали Божић}}, pronounced {{IPA-sh|ˈmaːliː ˈboʒit͡ɕ|}}, "Little Christmas"). In some regions, the head and the right [[Boston butt]] of the ''pečenica'' are set aside at the Christmas dinner, and are served for dinner on this day. A part of this meal may consist of little round loaves made with [[cornmeal]] and [[cream]]. The loaves are named ''vasilica'' after [[Basil of Caesarea|Saint Basil the Great]], because January 1 is also the feast day of this saint. People versed in [[scapulimancy]] used the [[scapula|shoulder blade]] of the Boston butt to foretell events concerning the family in the ensuing year.<ref name=v94>Vuković, pp. 94-95</ref> The snout cut from the head of ''pečenica'' could have been used in [[love magic]]. If a girl looked stealthily through the snout at a boy she wanted, who was not interested in her, he would supposedly go mad about her.<ref>Vuković, p. 222</ref>

| url = http://www.srpsko-nasledje.co.rs/sr-l/1998/01/article-16.html}}</ref>

The last of the Twelve Days of Christmas, January 18 (January 5 on the Julian calendar), is the eve of the [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]. Its folk name is ''Krstovdan''<ref group=note>This ''Krstovdan'' should not be confused with the [[Exaltation of the Cross#Eastern practices|Feast of Exaltation of the Cross]], whose folk name in Serbian is also ''Krstovdan''.</ref> – the Day of the Cross. This is a strict fast day; the adults should eat almost nothing. It was believed that the north, south, east, and west winds crossed each other on ''Krstovdan''. The wind that overpowered the other three, would be dominant in the ensuing year.<ref name=v94/>

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[[Category:Serbian traditions]]

[[Category:Serb traditions]]

[[Category:Slavic Christmas traditions]]

[[Category:Observances in Serbia]]

[[Category:Winter events in Serbia]]