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[[File:MCB-icon12.jpg|thumb|250px|An [[icon]] representing the [[Nativity of Jesus|Nativity of Jesus Christ]].]]
'''Serbian Christmas traditions''' are customs and practices of the [[Serbs]] associated with [[Christmas]] and a period encompassing it, between the third Sunday before [[Christmas Day]] and [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]]. There are many, complex traditions connected with this period. They vary from place to place, and in many areas have been updated or watered down to suit modern living. The [[Serbian language|Serbian]] name for Christmas is ''Božić'' ({{lang-sr-Cyrl|Божић}}, pronounced {{IPA-sh|ˈbǒʒitɕ|}}), which is the [[diminutive|diminutive form]] of the word ''bog'' ("god"), and can be translated as "young god". Christmas is celebrated for three consecutive days, starting with Christmas Day, which the Serbs call the first day of Christmas.<ref group=note>Christmas Day does not fall on the same day for the Serbs as for [[Western Christianity|Western Christians]], although they celebrate it on the same date—25&nbsp;December. This is because the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] uses the [[Julian calendar]] rather than the [[Gregorian calendar|Gregorian]] one used in the West. Since 1900, the Julian calendar is 13&nbsp;days behind the Gregorian calendar, and will remain so until the year 2100. During this period, 25&nbsp;December in the Julian calendar—Christmas Day for the Serbs—corresponds to 7&nbsp;January of the following year in the Gregorian calendar.</ref> On these days, one is to greet another person by saying "Christ is Born," which should be responded to with "Truly He is Born," or in Serbian: "''Hristos se rodi''" (pronounced {{IPA-sh|xrǐstos se rôdi|}}) – "''Vaistinu se rodi''" (pronounced {{IPA-sh|ʋaǐstinu se rôdi|}}).

==Christmas Eve==
The Serbian name for [[Christmas Eve]] during the day is ''Badnji dan''. After sunset it becomes ''Badnje veče''.<ref group=note>For the pronunciation of Serbian terms, see the section "List of terms".</ref> On this day, the family makes preparations for the oncoming celebration. The dinner on this day is festive, copious and diverse in foods, although it is prepared in accordance with the rules of fasting.

===Badnjak===
{{main|Badnjak (Serbian)}}
The badnjak is an oak log or branch brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve, much like a [[yule log]] in [[Christmas worldwide#Europe|other European traditions]]. There are many regional variations surrounding the customs and practices connected with the badnjak.<ref name=cajkanovic2>{{cite book
 | last = Čajkanović
 | first = Veselin
 | author-link = Veselin Čajkanović
 | script-title=sr:Речник српских народних веровања о биљкама
 |trans-title=Dictionary of Serbian folk beliefs about plants
 | publisher = Srpska književna zadruga
 | language = sr
 | place = [[Belgrade]]
 | year = 1994
 | chapter = Бадњак
 | pages = 268–71
 | ref = cajkanovic1994}}</ref>

Early in the morning the head of each family, usually accompanied by several male relatives, selects and fells the tree from which the log will be cut for their household. The group announces its departure by firing guns or small celebratory [[mortar (weapon)|mortars]] called ''prangija''.<ref name=miles>{{cite book
 | last = Miles
 | first = Clement A.
 | title = Christmas in Ritual and Tradition
 | publisher = Forgotten Books
 | year = 2008
 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rsJNIGDbej4C&pg=PT202
 | chapter = The Yule Log
 | isbn = 978-1-60506-814-5
 | pages = 192–99
 | access-date = 2009-09-09}}</ref><ref name=v81>{{Cite book
 | last = Vuković
 | first = Milan T.
 | script-title=sr:Народни обичаји, веровања и пословице код Срба
 |trans-title=Serbian folk customs, beliefs, and sayings
 | chapter = Божићни празници
 | pages = 77, 81–85
 | location = Belgrade
 | publisher = Sazvežđa
 | edition = 12
 | language = sr
 | year = 2004
 | isbn = 86-83699-08-0}}</ref> The [[Quercus cerris|Turkey oak]] is the most popular species of tree selected in most regions, but other oaks, or less frequently other kinds of tree, are also chosen.<ref name=cajkanovic2/> Generally, each household prepares one badnjak, although more are cut in some regions.<ref name=v81/><ref name=djurdjev>{{cite book
 |last = Đurđev
 |first = Aleksandar
 |script-title = sr:Рађевина: обичаји, веровања и народно стваралаштво
 |trans-title = Rađevina: customs, beliefs, and folk creativity
 |publisher = Aleksandar Đurđev
 |year = 1988
 |location = [[Krupanj]]
 |chapter-url = http://www.rastko.rs/rastko-drina/ljudi/adjurdjev-radjevina/index.html
 |language = sr
 |chapter = Годишњи обичаји
 |pages = 79–90
 |access-date = 2009-09-09
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110613042128/http://rastko.rs/rastko-drina/ljudi/adjurdjev-radjevina/index.html
 |archive-date = 2011-06-13
}}</ref>

When the head of the household finds a suitable tree, he stands in front of it facing east. After throwing grain at the tree, he greets it with the words "Good morning and happy Christmas Eve to you", makes the [[Sign of the Cross]], says a prayer, and kisses the tree.<ref name=djurdjev/><ref name=boka>{{cite journal
 | last = Vukmanović
 | first = Jovan
 | title = Božićni običaji u Boki Kotorskoj
 |trans-title=Christmas traditions in the Bay of Kotor
 | journal = Zbornik Za Narodni život I Običaje Južnih Slovena
 | volume = 40
 | pages = 491–503
 | publisher = The Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts
 | language = sr
 | location = [[Zagreb]]
 | year = 1962
 | url = http://www.rastko.rs/rastko-bo/ljudi/jvukmanovic-bozic.html
 | access-date = 2009-09-09}}</ref> He then cuts it slantwise on its eastern side, using an axe. The tree should fall to the east, unhindered by surrounding trees.<ref name=v81/> Its top is removed, leaving the badnjak of such a length that allows it to be carried on a man's shoulder, up to about {{convert|2.5|m|ft|sp=us}} long.<ref name=boka/> Once in the home, each badnjak is leaned vertically against the house beside the entrance door.<ref name=v81/> In some areas, the badnjak is cut into three logs.<ref name=djurdjev/>

In the evening, a man of the family brings their badnjak into the house. If there is more than one badnjak, the thickest of them is regarded as the main one, and is brought in first. Stepping across the threshold, right foot first, the man greets his gathered family with the words "Good evening and happy Christmas Eve to you." The woman of the house greets him back, saying "May God give you well-being, and may you have good luck", or "Good luck to you, and together with you for many years to come [may we be]", or similar, before throwing grain from a sieve at the man and the badnjak he carries.<ref name=v81/>

Upon entering the house the man approaches the fireplace, called ''ognjište'' ({{IPA|[ˈɔɡɲiːʃtɛ]}})—the hearth of an ''ognjište'' is similar to a [[campfire]], in that it has no vertical surround. He lays the badnjak down on the fire and moves it a little forward, to summon prosperity for the household.<ref name=v81/> Any other logs are brought in by other males and laid on the fire parallel or perpendicular to the first.<ref name=boka/> The head of the household takes a jug of wine and pours some on the badnjak; in some regions, he may strew wheat grains over the logs.<ref name=miles/><ref name=boka/> He then proposes a [[toast (honor)|toast]]: "Grant, O God, that there be health and joy in this home, that our grain and grapevines yield well, that children be born healthy to us, that our property increase in the field, pen, and barn!" or similar.<ref name=v81/> The head drinks a draught of wine from the jug, after which it is passed to other members of household.<ref name=k>{{cite book
 | last = Karadžić
 | first = Vuk Stefanović
 | author-link = Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
 | script-title=sr:Живот и обичаји народа српскога
 |trans-title=Life and customs of the Serbian people
 | chapter = Нарави и обичаји у Црној Гори
 | pages = 323–26
 | publisher = Politika: Narodna knjiga
 | language = sr
 | year = 2005
 | location = Belgrade
 | 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/>

Since the early 1990s, the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]] has, together with local communities, organized public celebrations on Christmas Eve. There are typically three elements to such celebrations: the preparation, the ritual, and the festivity. The preparation consists of cutting down the tree to be used as the badnjak, taking it to the churchyard, and preparing drinks and food for the assembled parishioners. The ritual includes [[Vespers]], placing the badnjak on the open fire built in the churchyard, blessing or consecrating the badnjak, and an appropriate program with songs and recitals. In some parishes, the fire on which to burn the badnjak is built not in the churchyard but at some other suitable location in their town or village. The festivity consists of gathering around the fire and socializing. Each particular celebration has its own specific traits reflecting the traditions of the local community.<ref name=vesna>{{cite journal
| last = Vučinić-Nešković
| first = Vesna
|date=January 2009
| script-title=sr:Јавна прослава Божића
|trans-title=Public celebration of Christmas
| language = sr
| journal = New Review
| publisher = [[Jat Airways]]
| location = Belgrade
| issn = 0354-6705
| url = http://www.jat.com/active/sr-cyrillic/home/main_menu/travel_info/jat_review/januar_2009/proslava_bozica.html
| access-date = 2009-09-09}}</ref>

===Christmas straw===
Immediately after the badnjak has been brought in, or immediately before in some places, an armful of straw is spread over the floor. The straw is usually brought in with the same greetings and throwing of grain as the badnjak. The person spreading it may imitate a hen clucking to call her chicks, "''Kvo'', ''kvo'', ''kvo''", with the family's children imitating chicks, "''Piju'', ''piju'', ''piju''", while they pick at the straw.<ref name=v81/> A common custom is to scatter a handful of walnuts over the straw.<ref name=k/>

In [[Petar II Petrović-Njegoš]]'s poem ''[[The Mountain Wreath]]'', the plot of which takes place in 18th-century Montenegro, the holiday atmosphere on Christmas Eve is described through the words of Abbot Stefan, a main character of the poem:

{|
|
Ватра плама боље него игда, 
прострта је слама испод огња, 
прекршћени на огњу бадњаци; 
пушке пучу, врте се пецива, 
гусле гуде, а кола пјевају, 
с унучађу ђедови играју, 
по три паса врте се у кола, 
све би река једногодишници; 
све радошћу дивном направњено, 
а што ми се највише допада, 
што свачему треба наздравити!<ref>[[Petar II Petrović-Njegoš|Petrović-Njegoš, Petar II]] (1990). ''Горски вијенац [The Mountain Wreath]'' (6th ed.) (in Serbian). Belgrade: Srpska književna zadruga. verses 2459–69. {{ISBN|86-379-0134-4}}.</ref>
|
Vatra plama bolje nego igda, 
prostrta je slama ispred ognja, 
prekršćeni na ognju badnjaci; 
puške puču, vrte se peciva, 
gusle gude, a kola pjevaju, 
s unučađu đedovi igraju, 
po tri pasa vrte se u kola, 
sve bi reka jednogodišnici; 
sve radošću divnom naravnjeno. 
A što mi se najviše dopada, 
što svačemu treba nazdraviti!
|
:The fire's burning brighter than ever,
:the straw is spread in front of the fire,
:Christmas logs are laid on the fire crossways;
:the rifles crack, and roasts on spits do turn,
:the [[gusle]] plays, and the dancers sing,
:grandfathers dance with their young grandchildren,
:in the [[kolo (dance)|kolo]] join three generations,
:it seems they're almost of the same age;
:everything is filled with bright mirth and joy.
:But what I like best of all, so help me,
:one has to drink a toast to everything!<ref name=njegos>[[Petar II Petrović-Njegoš|Petrović-Njegoš, Petar II]] (1986). Vasa D. Mihailovich. ed. ''[http://www.rastko.rs/knjizevnost/njegos/njegos-mountain_wreath.html The Mountain Wreath; translated and edited by Vasa D. Mihailovich] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414160929/http://www.rastko.rs/knjizevnost/njegos/njegos-mountain_wreath.html |date=2010-04-14 }}''. [[Irvine, California]]: C.&nbsp;Schlacks,&nbsp;Jr. verses 859–62, 2459–69. {{LCCN|86021998}}. Retrieved 2009-09-05.</ref>
|
|}

===Christmas Eve Dinner===
Once the ''badnjak'' and straw have been taken into the house, the Christmas Eve dinner may begin. The head of household makes the Sign of the Cross, lights a candle, and [[Censer|cense]]s the whole house. In some regions it is a custom that he then goes out into the yard, calls pest animals by name (e.g. wolves, foxes, and hawks) and his personal enemies, inviting them, "Come to dinner now and again in a year, God willing." This is intended to protect the household from them for a year.<ref name=v81/>

Until the beginning of the 20th century in the [[Pirot District]], south-eastern [[Serbia]], the head of household would go out to his woodpile,<ref name=border group=note>The woodpile and the rubbish heap, among others, are the border zones between the human and inhuman worlds in the mytho-magical [[world view]] of [[South Slavs]]. They can be used in the communication with spiritual beings and demons. See {{cite web|last = Trebješanin|first = Žarko|title = Sorcery practise as the key to the understanding of the mytho-magical world image|publisher = [[University of Niš]]|url = http://facta.junis.ni.ac.rs/lal/lal96/lal96-06.pdf|page = 2|access-date = 2008-12-08}}</ref> where he would invite ''[[German (mythology)|German]]'' (pronounced {{IPA-sh|ˈɡerman|}}) – a male [[Legendary creature|mythological being]] associated with bringing rain and [[hail]]. He would take with him a loaf of bread called good luck, prepared particularly for this ritual, [[rakia]], wine, and a [[Wax|wax candle]]. At the woodpile, he would shout three times, "''German'', ''German'', wherever you are, come to dinner right now, and in the summer do not let me see your eyes anywhere!" He would then light the candle, take a sip of rakia, taste some bread, drink wine, and go back into his house. Asked what happened with ''German'', he would answer, "He came, so we dined and drank amply of rakia and wine, and then we parted." This ritual was intended to prevent summer hailstorms.<ref>{{cite book
 |last = Janićijević
 |first = Jovan
 |title = U znaku Moloha: antropološki ogled o žrtvovanju
 |page = 186
 |publisher = Idea
 | language = sr
 |year = 1995
 |location = Belgrade
 |isbn = 86-7547-037-1}}</ref>

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
 | script-title = sr:Божићни празници и обичаји
 | publisher = spcportal.org
 | language = sr
 | url = http://www.spcportal.org/index.php?pg=647&lang=sr
 | access-date = 2008-12-08
 | archive-date = 2011-10-05
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111005104931/http://www.spcportal.org/index.php?pg=647&lang=sr
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

{|
|
[[File:Troparion of the Nativity.png|260px]]
|
:Your birth, O Christ our God,
:dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth.
:For by Your birth [[Biblical Magi|those who adored stars]]
:were taught by [[Star of Bethlehem|a star]]
:to worship You, the Sun of Justice,
:and to know You, Orient from on High.
:O Lord, glory to You.<ref>{{cite web
| title = Hymns of the Feast
| url = http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/nativity
| work = Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
| publisher = [[Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America]]
| year = 2009
| access-date = 2010-01-27}}</ref>
|
|}

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
 | script-title = sr:Трпеза за Бадње вече
 | publisher = [[Krstarica]]
 | language = sr
 | date = January 4, 2008
 | work = Кувар
 | url = http://kuvar.krstarica.com/c/izdvajamo/svecanosti/trpeza-za-badnje-vece
 | access-date = 2008-12-08
 | archive-date = 2007-10-21
 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20071021082118/http://kuvar.krstarica.com/c/izdvajamo/svecanosti/trpeza-za-badnje-vece
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> It used to be served in some villages on a sack filled with straw, with the family seated around it on the floor.<ref name=v81/> In the north [[Dalmatia]]n region of [[Bukovica, Dalmatia|Bukovica]], a part of food that remained after the dinner used to be put on a potsherd, and taken to the rubbish heap.<ref name=border group=note/> Wolf was there invited for dinner, "My dear wolf, do not slaughter my sheep, here you are [[Groat (grain)|groat]]s! Here you are yours, and leave mine alone!"<ref name=ardalic>{{cite web
 | last = Ardalić
 | first = Vladimir
 | script-title=sr:Годишњи обичаји
 | work = Буковица, Народни живот и обичаји
 | publisher = [[Project Rastko]]
 | language = sr
 | date = March 1999
 | url = http://www.rastko.org.rs/antropologija/ardalic_bukovica/ardalic_bukovica_3_c.html
 | access-date = 2008-12-08}}</ref>

Following dinner, young people visit their friends, a group of whom may gather at the house of one of them. The elderly narrate stories from the olden times. Christmas songs are sung, in which Christmas is treated as a male personage. The Serbian name for Christmas is ''Božić'', which is the [[Diminutive|diminutive form]] of the noun ''bog'' "god", and can be translated as "young god". An old Christmas song from the [[Bay of Kotor]] has the following lyrics:<ref name=boka/>

{|
|
Božić zove svrh planine, one visoke: 
„Veselite se, Srbi braćo, vrijeme vi je! 
Nalagajte krupna drva, ne cijepajte! 
Sijecite suvo meso, ne mjerite! 
Prostirite šenič' slamu mjesto trpeze, 
a po slami trpežnjake, svilom kićene! 
A odaje i pendžere lovoričicom! 
A ikone i stolove masliničicom! 
Utočite rujna vina, rujna crvena, 
i rakije lozovače prve bokare! 
Vi, đevojke i nevjeste, kola igrajte, 
a vi, staro i nejako, Boga molite!“
|
:Christmas calls from top of mountain, of that lofty one,
:“Be rejoicing, O Serbs, brothers, it's time for you to!
:Replenish the fire with large logs, do you not chop up!
:Cut off slices of the dried meat, do you not measure!
:Spread bundles of the wheaten straw instead of tables,
:and over the straw – tablecloths, embellished with silk!
:And the chambers and the windows – with the laurel twigs!
:And the icons and the tables – with the olive twigs!
:Fill glasses of the ruby wine, of the ruby red,
:and the first pitchers of ''lozovača'' rakia!
:You, girls and newly-wed women, do the ''[[Kolo (dance)|kolo]]'' dance,
:and you, old and infirm people, make prayers to God!"
|
|}

The following song is sung in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] on the evening before Christmas Day:<ref name=petranovic>{{cite book
 | last = Petranović
 | first = Bogoljub
 | title = Srpske narodne pjesme iz Bosne i Hercegovine
 | script-title=sr:Српске народне пјесме из Босне и Херцеговине
 | volume = 1
 | publisher = Svjetlost
 | year = 1989
 | location = [[Sarajevo]]
 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=nPNKAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA35
 | language = sr
 | chapter = Божићне пјесме
 | pages = 36–37| isbn = 9788601014626
 }}</ref>

{|
|
Božić sjedi u travici, 
u crvenoj kabanici. 
Božić viče iza vode: 
„Prenes'te me preko vode; 
ne šalj'te mi stare babe, 
stare babe temrljave, 
prevaliće me; 
ne šalj'te mi djevojaka, 
djevojke su đavolaste, 
baciće me; 
ne šalj'te mi nevjestice, 
nevjestice veziljice, 
ubošće me; 
već mi šalj'te domaćina 
da me preveze, 
domaćin će slaviti me 
dovijeka svog.“
|
:Christmas is seated in the grass,
:clothèd in a red overcoat.
:He calls from across the water,
:"Carry me over the water;
:do not send me old grandmothers,
:old grandmothers are feeblish,
:they will let me fall;
:do not send me youthful damsels,
:youthful damsels are frolicsome,
:they will throw me;
:do not send little brides to me,
:little brides are [[Embroidery|embroiderer]]s,
:they will prick me;
:but send me a head of household
:to take me across,
:household head will celebrate me
:as long as he lives."
|
|}

It is a custom in the region of [[Banat]] that, after Christmas Eve dinner, groups of children go from house to house of their neighborhood and sing to neighbors. This custom is called ''korinđanje'', and the children who participate in it are called ''korinđaši''. They knock on a neighbor's door or ring the doorbell; when the neighbor comes out they greet him, and ask if they are allowed to sing. If the answer is affirmative, they sing a children's ditty or the Troparion of the Nativity. As a reward, the neighbor gives them candies or even money; more traditional gifts include walnuts, prunes, apples, and cakes. Not only can Serbian children be ''korinđaši'', but also [[Romanians|Romanian]] and [[Hungarian people|Hungarian]] ones.<ref name=mirjana>{{cite journal
 | last = Pavlović
 | first = Mirjana
 | year = 2006
 | script-title = sr:Божићни обичаји Срба у Темишвару
 | journal = Glasnik Etnografskog instituta SANU
 | volume = 54
 | issue = 1
 | pages = 339–340
 | publisher = The Ethnographic Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
 | issn = 0350-0861
 | location = Belgrade
 | language = sr
 | url = http://www.etno-institut.co.rs/GEI/GEI_LIV/mira.pdf
 | access-date = 2009-04-04
 | archive-date = 2012-02-22
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120222153512/http://www.etno-institut.co.rs/GEI/GEI_LIV/mira.pdf
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref>

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/>

==Christmas==
On Christmas Day, the celebration is announced at dawn by church bells, and by shooting from guns and ''prangijas''. The head of household and some of the family go to church to attend the [[Divine Liturgy|Morning Liturgy]]. No one is to eat anything before tasting the [[prosphora]], which the head of household brings from church for those who stay at home to do domestic tasks for this morning.<ref name=k/><ref name=v87>Vuković, pp. 87-93</ref>

The Serbs native to the [[Slovenia]]n region of [[White Carniola]] traditionally try to see only healthy and prosperous people on this day.<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Filipović
 | first = Milenko S.
 | year = 1970
 | title = Srpska naselja u Beloj Krajini
 | journal = Radovi
 | issue= 35
 | page = 224
 | publisher = The Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Department of Social Sciences
 | location = Sarajevo
 | language = sr}}</ref> The Serbs of [[Timiș County]] in [[Romania]] have since the [[interwar period]] adopted the custom of erecting in their homes a [[Christmas tree]], which they call ''krisindla'', after the [[German language|German]] ''[[Christkind]]l''.<ref name=mirjana/> On Christmas Day children sing little songs, at the beginning of which Christmas is said to knock or tread loudly. This may be understood as a [[theophany]]: by the sound, Young God makes his arrival known to people.<ref name=cajkanovic>{{cite book
 | last = Čajkanović
 | first = Veselin
 | author-link = Veselin Čajkanović
 | script-title=sr:Мит и религија у Срба: изабране студије
 | publisher = Srpska književna zadruga
 | language = sr
 | place = Belgrade
 | year = 1973
 | chapter = Божић и Ђурђевдан
 | ref = cajkanovic}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 | last = Dimitrijević
 | first = Vladimir
 | script-title=sr:Црква и време
 | publisher = The [[Hilandar|Holy Monastery of Hilandar]]
 | year = 2006
 | location = Belgrade
 | language = sr
 | chapter = Деда Мраз и Божић Бата
 | edition = 2nd
 | isbn = 86-84747-18-6
 | ref = dimitrijevic}}</ref> The following are the lyrics of two of such songs:

{|
|
Božić štapom bata, 
nosi suva zlata 
od vrata do vrata. 
Na čija će vrata 
dat' blagoslov, zlata? 
Na naša će vrata 
prosut' šaku zlata.<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Karadžić
 | first = Vuk Stefanović
 | author-link = Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
 | script-title=sr:Српске народне пјесме из Херцеговине (женске)
 | publisher = Anna Karadžić
 | year = 1866
 | location = Vienna
 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tW4WAAAAYAAJ&pg=3
 | language = sr
 | chapter = Пјесме божићне
 | page = 340}}</ref>
|
:Christmas knocks with a stick,<ref name=bata group=note>The first verse of both of these songs includes the word бата (''bata''), 3rd person singular present of the verb батати (''batati''), rarely used in modern Serbian. This verb can mean 'to knock', 'to bang' (see [[#cajkanovic|Čajkanović]]), or 'to tread loudly' (see [[#dimitrijevic|Dimitrijević]]). This word is a [[homograph]] with the word бата (''bata''), a [[hypocoristic]] of the word брат (''brat'') which means [[brother]] and so sometimes the two could be mistaken.</ref>
:he carries solid gold
:from a door to a door.
:Upon whose door will he
:give his blessing and gold?
:Upon our door he will
:spill a handful of gold.
|
:Božić, Božić bata,
:nosi kitu zlata
:da pozlati vrata,
:i od boja do boja,
:i svu kuću do krova!<ref name=djurdjev/>
|
:Christmas, Christmas treads loud,<ref name=bata group=note/>
:carries a clump of gold
:to make golden the door,
:and also, from floor to floor,
:all the house to the rooftop!
|
|}

===''Polažajnik''===
{{main|Polaznik{{!}}Polažajnik}}
A ''[[polaznik|polažajnik]]'' (''položajnik''), ''polaženik'' (''položenik''), ''podlaznik'', ''polaznik'', ''pohodnik'', or ''radovan'', is the first person who visits the family on Christmas Day. This visit may be fortuitous or pre-arranged. People expect that it will summon prosperity and well-being for their household in the ensuing year. A family often picks in advance a man or boy, and arranges that he visit them on Christmas morning. If this proves to be lucky for the family, he is invited again next year to be the ''polažajnik''. If not, they send word to him not to come any more in that capacity.<ref name="miles" /><ref name="k" /><ref name="v87" />

A ''polažajnik'' steps into the house with his right foot first, greeting the gathered family, "Christ is Born, Happy Christmas." He carries grain in his glove, which he shakes out before the threshold, or throws at the family members. They respond with "Truly He is Born," and throw grain at the ''polažajnik''.<ref name=miles/> He then approaches the fireplace, takes a poker or a branch, and strikes repeatedly the burning ''badnjak'' to make sparks fly from it. At the same time he utters these words (or similar):<ref name=v87/>

{|
|
:Колико варница, толико среће у овој кући.
:Колико варница, толико у домаћинском џепу новца.
:Колико варница, толико у тору оваца.
:Колико варница, толико прасади и јагањаца.
:Колико варница, толико гусака и пилади,
:а највише здраља и весеља.

|
:How many sparks, that much happiness in this house.
:How many sparks, that much money in the household head's pocket.
:How many sparks, that many sheep in the [[Pen (enclosure)|pen]].
:How many sparks, that many pigs and lambs.
:How many sparks, that many geese and chickens,
:and most of all, health and joy.
|
|}

Having said that, he moves the log a little forward and throws a coin into the fire. The woman of the house puts a woolen blanket on the ''polaznik'''s back, and seats him on a low stool by the fireplace. At the moment when he sits down, they try to pull away the stool beneath him, as if to make him fall on the floor. In rural communities the ''polaznik'' goes out into the yard, and throws grain inside a circle made with the rope with which Christmas straw has been tied, calling chickens. When they gather in the circle he catches a rooster, whose head is then cut off by him or the head of household on the house's threshold. The rooster will be roasted on a wooden spit as part of Christmas dinner. The ''polaznik'' usually stays for dinner with the family. He receives a gift in the form of a round cake with an embedded coin, and a towel, shirt, socks, or some other useful item.<ref name=v87/>

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
 | last = Zirojević
 | first = Olga
 | title = Islamizacija na južnoslovenskom prostoru
 | chapter = Slava i praznici
 | chapter-url = http://etnoloskabiblioteka.co.rs/cir_citaonica.php5?id=5
 | publisher = Srpski genealoški centar
 | language = sr
 | year = 2003
 | place = Belgrade
 | isbn = 86-83679-12-8
 | access-date = 2009-04-04
 | archive-date = 2012-02-22
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120222153503/http://etnoloskabiblioteka.co.rs/cir_citaonica.php5?id=5
 | url-status = dead
 }}</ref> [[Ethnologist]]s consider that the animal ''polažajnik'' is more ancient than the human one.<ref>Janićijević, p. 211</ref>

===Strong water===
A girl or woman goes early in the morning to a resource of water, as a [[Water well|well]], [[Spring (hydrosphere)|spring]], or [[stream]]. After she puts by the water an ear of [[maize]] and a bunch of [[basil]] which she has brought from home, she collects water with a bucket, and takes it home to her family. This water collected on early Christmas morning is called the strong water, and is believed to possess a special beneficial power. Each member of the family washes the face with it, and drinks it before breakfast; infants are bathed in it. On her way back home, the girl who carries the strong water picks several cornel or [[willow]] twigs, with which children are lightly struck that morning. This is intended to strengthen their health.<ref group=note>There is a [[Serbs|Serbian]] saying for a healthy person: ''zdrav kao dren'', "as healthy as [[European Cornel|cornel]]".</ref><ref name=v87/>

===Christmas dinner===
====''Česnica''====
{{main|Česnica}}
An indispensable part of Christmas dinner is the ''česnica'', a round loaf of bread. The preparation of this bread may be accompanied by various rules and rituals. The dough for it is sometimes prepared with the strong water. A widespread custom is to put a coin into the dough; regionally, little objects made of [[European Cornel|cornel wood]] may be inserted, representing chickens, oxen, cows, swine, bees, etc.<ref name=k/><ref name=v87/>

In [[Vojvodina]] a different, sweet [[cake]]/[[pie]] variety of česnica is made, using walnuts, honey and special pie breading.

In addition to the ''česnica'', other kinds of Christmas loaves may be baked, each with its specific name and purpose within the celebration. The ''božićni kolač'' is a round loaf with a [[Christogram]] impressed with a wooden seal on its upper surface. For each male member of the family a round loaf named ''ratarica'' may be prepared – the biggest one for the head, and the smallest one for the youngest boy. For each female member a ''pletenica'' may be baked, a loaf shaped like a [[braid|three-strand braid]]<ref name=v87/>

====''Tucindan''====
{{main|Tucindan}}
On Christmas Eve, the men of the family build a fire in their house yard, and roast a pig, or a sheep in some areas, on a long wooden spit. The whole roasted pig or sheep, called ''pečenica'', is a traditional part of Christmas dinner. People who raise their own swine dedicate one for the ''pečenica'' a month or two before, and feed it with better [[fodder]]. It is traditionally killed on ''Tucindan'', the day before Christmas Eve, by hitting on the head with a lump of salt. Its throat was then cut, the blood being collected and mixed with fodder. Feeding cattle with this mixture was believed to make them thrive. The name ''Tucindan'' is derived from the verb ''tući'' "to beat". The roasted ''pečenica'' may be brought into the house with a ritual similar to that of bringing in the ''badnjak''.<ref name=djurdjev/><ref name=k/><ref name=v78>Vuković, pp. 78-80</ref>

====Meal====
[[File:Cesnica.jpg|thumb|250px|Family members break a ''česnica'' at the beginning of Christmas dinner.]]
[[File:Serbian Christmas meal.jpg|thumb|250px|An example of a Christmas table in [[Serbia]]; grilled pork, [[Olivier salad]] (also called Russian salad), dzadziki salad, red wine and Bajadera sweets]]
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>

{|
|
Sjaj Bože i Božiću, 
kućnjem šljemenu i sjemenu, 
volu i težaku, kozici i ovčici, 
putniku namjerniku, ribici u vodici, ptici u gorici! 
Sjaj Bože i Božiću, 
Meni domaćinu i mome plemenu i šljemenu!
|
:Shine, O God and Christmas,
:on the rooftop and children of the house,
:on the ox and farmer, the goat and sheep,
:on the traveler, the fish in water, the bird in a mountain!
:Shine, O God and Christmas,
:on me, the head of household, and on my family and rooftop!
|
|}

After Christmas dinner, the remaining food should not be removed from the table – only the used tableware is taken away. The food is covered with a white cloth, and eaten in the evening as supper.<ref name=v87/>

===''Koleda''===
{{see also|Koliada}}
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
|first = Špiro
|author2=Petar Ž. Petrović |author3=Nikola Pantelić
 |script-title=sr:Српски митолошки речник
|edition = 2
|year = 1998
|publisher = The Ethnographic Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts: Interprint
|location = Belgrade
|language = sr
|isbn = 86-7587-017-5
|chapter = Коледа}}</ref> The members of the group were called ''koledari''. The ''koleda'' was carried out from the Feast of [[Ignatius of Antioch|Saint Ignatius Theophorus]] (five days before Christmas) up until the [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]].<ref name=v145>Vuković, pp. 145-146</ref> This custom was best preserved in the upper [[Pčinja District]], and in the region around the [[South Morava|River South Morava]] in the [[Jablanica District]], southeastern Serbia. Regarded as pagan and discouraged by the Serbian Orthodox Church, the ''koleda'' ceased to be performed among most of the Serbs during the 19th and 20th centuries.<ref name=nedeljkovic>{{cite book
|last = Nedeljković
|first = Mile
|script-title=sr:Српски обичајни календар за просту 2001. годину
|year = 2000
|publisher = Čin
|location = Belgrade
|language = sr
|isbn = 978-86-7374-010-2
|chapter = Коледа}}</ref>

''[[Koledarenje|Koledari]]'' prepared themselves during several days before the start of the ''koleda'': they practiced the ''koleda'' songs, and made their masks and costumes.<ref name=kulisic/> The masks could be classified into three types according to the characters they represented: the anthropomorphic, the zoomorphic (representing bear, cow, stag, goat, sheep, ox, wolf, stork, etc.), and the anthropo-zoomorphic.<ref>{{cite web
 |last = Marjanović
 |first = Vesna
 |script-title = sr:Маске и ритуали у Србији
 |work = Exhibitions
 |publisher = Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade
 |language = sr
 |date = September 2005
 |url = http://www.etnografskimuzej.rs/s0202034.htm
 |access-date = 2009-03-30
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111007000452/http://www.etnografskimuzej.rs/s0202034.htm
 |archive-date = 2011-10-07
}}</ref> The main material from which they were produced was hide. The face, however, could be made separately out of a dried gourd shell or a piece of wood, and then sewn to hide so that the mask could cover all the head. The moustache, beard, and eyebrows were made with black wool, horsehair, or [[hemp]] fibers, and the teeth with beans. Zoomorphic and anthropo-zoomorphic masks might have white, black, or red painted horns attached to them. The costumes were prepared from ragged clothes, [[sheepskin]]s with the wool turned outside, and calf hides. An ox tail with a bell fixed at its end was sometimes attached at the back of them.<ref name=kulisic/>

The leader of the group was called Grandpa. The other ''koledari'' gathered at his house on the eve of ''koleda'', and at midnight they all went out and started their activities. Walking through the streets of the village they shouted and made noise with their bells and [[Ratchet (instrument)|ratchet]]s. Most were armed with [[saber]]s or [[Club (weapon)|club]]s. One of them, called Bride, was masked and costumed as a pregnant woman. He held a [[distaff]] in his hand and [[Spinning (textiles)|spun]] hemp fibers. The ''koledari'' teased and joked with Bride, which gave a comic note to the ''koleda''. Some of them were called ''alosniks'', the men possessed by the demon [[Ala (demon)|ala]]. There could have been other named characters in the group.<ref name=kulisic/><ref name=nedeljkovic/>

The ''koledari'' sung special songs, in which the word ''koledo'', the [[vocative case]] of ''koleda'', was inserted in the middle and at the end of each verse. [[Vuk Stefanović Karadžić]] recorded in the 19th century the lyrics of a number of the ''koleda'' songs, including the following one, which ''koledari'' sung while entering a house:<ref name=vuk/>

{|
|
Dobar veče, koledo, domaćine, koledo! 
Zatekosmo gde večera, 
na trpezi vino pije, 
tvoj govedar kod goveda. 
Krave ti se istelile, 
sve volove vitoroge; 
kobile se iždrebile, 
sve konjice putonoge; 
ovce ti se izjagnjile, 
sve ovčice svilorune. 
Čobanin se naslonio 
na grančicu oraovu. 
Tud prolazi mlada moma, 
da potkine tu grančicu. 
Progovara čobanine: 
„Devojčice, belo lice, 
ko ti reza bornu suknju, 
u skutovi razboritu, 
u pojasu saboritu?“ 
„Imam brata baš-terziju, 
te mi reza bornu suknju, 
u skutovi razboritu, 
u pojasu saboritu.“
|
:Good evening, ''koledo'', head of household, ''koledo''!
:We've found him eat the evening meal,
:and drink of wine at a table,
:your cow herder, by your cattle.
:May all of your cows be calving
:nothing but the twist-horned oxen;
:may all of your mares be foaling
:nothing but the colts with [[Horse markings#Leg markings|stocking]]s;
:may all of your ewes be lambing
:nothing but the silken-wooled sheep.
:A sheep herder has leaned himself
:on a slender stick of [[walnut]].
:There passes by a young damsel
:to pull away that slender stick.
:The sheep herder begins to speak,
:"Little damsel with the white face,
:who has fashioned your [[pleat]]ed dress,
:along the skirt, with spreading pleats,
:at the [[Waistline (clothing)|waistline]], with gathered pleats?"
:"My brother is tailor-in-chief,
:he has fashioned my pleated dress,
:along the skirt, with spreading pleats,
:at the waistline, with gathered pleats."
|
|}

In the following song, also recorded by Vuk Stefanović Karadžić, the ''badnjak'' and Christmas were referred to as male personages. An opposition was made between the former, described as old, and the latter, described as young. ''Koledari'' sung it to the household head in whose home they came:<ref name=vuk>{{cite book
 | last = Karadžić
 | first = Vuk Stefanović
 | script-title=sr:Српске народне пјесме
 | volume = 1
 | publisher = Vuk Stefanović Karadžić
 | year = 1841
 | location = [[Vienna]]
 | chapter-url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ylI9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA120
 | language = sr
 | chapter = Пјесме од коледе
 | pages = 120–121}}</ref>

{|
|
Domaćine, koledo, gospodine, koledo! 
Zastasmo te za večerom, 
gde večeru ti večeraš, 
belim grlom vino piješ, 
i očima biser brojiš, 
i rukama gajtan pleteš. 
Dodaj nama kraj gajtana, 
na čem ćemo Boga molit 
za staroga - za Badnjaka, 
za mladoga - za Božića.
|
:Head of household, ''koledo'', honored master, ''koledo''!
:We've found you at the evening meal:
:you are eating your evening meal,
:with the white throat drinking of wine,
:and with the eyes counting up pearls,
:and with the hands knitting ribbon.
:Pass the end of ribbon to us,
:on which we will pray to the God
:for the old one - for the Badnjak,
:for the young one - for the Christmas.
|
|}

Besides the singing, the ''koledari'' also chased away demons from the household. First they searched the house to find out where the demons hide. They looked everywhere, at the same time shouting, dancing, jumping, knocking on the floor and walls with sticks, and teasing Bride. When they found the demons, they drove them out of the hiding place, and fought with them swinging their sabers and clubs. After the demons were chased away, the ''koledari'' briefly danced the [[Kolo (dance)|kolo]], and then blessed the household. As a reward, they received a loaf of bread which the family prepared specially for them, and other food gifts.<ref name=kulisic/><ref name=nedeljkovic/>

===''Vertep''===
{{main|Vertep (Serbian)}}
{{see also2|[[Vertep]] in Ukrainian tradition}}
On Christmas Eve and Day, a group of boys dressed in variegated costumes goes from house to house of their village carrying a ''vertep''—a [[litter (vehicle)|litter]] constructed as a wooden model of a house or a church. The name ''vertep'' comes from the [[Church Slavonic language|Church Slavonic]] вєртє́пъ (pronounced {{IPA-sh|ʋerˈtep|}}, "cave"), referring to the [[Church of the Nativity|cave that housed the manger]] in which [[Nativity of Jesus|newborn Jesus Christ]] was laid. There are two dolls inside the litter: one represents the [[Theotokos]], and the other, laid in a model of a manger, represents the Christ Child; the floor is spread with straw.<ref name=mirjana/> This custom is called ''vertep'', and the boys participating in it are the ''vertepaši''. In front of each house they sing Christmas songs, and recite poems that praise the birth of Christ. Similarly to ''koledari'', ''vertepaši'' are armed with wooden swords and fence with each other in front of houses.<ref name=v145/> ''Vertep'' could be regarded as a Christianized form of the ''koleda''. This custom is mainly present among the Serbs of [[Vojvodina]].<ref name=kulisic2>{{cite book
|last = Kulišić
|first = Špiro
|author2=Petar Ž. Petrović |author3=Nikola Pantelić
 |script-title=sr:Српски митолошки речник
|edition = 2
|year = 1998
|publisher = The Ethnographic Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts: Interprint
|location = Belgrade
|language = sr
|isbn = 86-7587-017-5
|chapter = Вертеп}}</ref>

===Second and third day of Christmas===
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/>

The third day of Christmas coincides with [[St. Stephen's Day]], which is the [[slava (tradition)|slava]] of many Serbian families. In this way, many Serbs celebrate two important holidays, Christmas and slava, within three days.<ref name=v87/>

==Twelve Days of Christmas==
During the [[Twelve Days of Christmas]] (7 January – 18 January on the Gregorian calendar), one is to greet another person with "Christ is Born," which should be responded to with "Truly He is Born," or in [[Gaj's Latin alphabet|Serbian Latin]]: "''Hristos se rodi''" (pronounced {{IPA-sh|ˈxristɔs.sɛ ˈrɔdi|}}) – "''Vaistinu se rodi''" (pronounced {{IPA-sh|ˈʋa.istinusɛ ˈrɔdi|}}).

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>

On the day before Little Christmas, especially in south-eastern Serbia, a group of young unmarried men went through the streets of their village and chased away demons by making a deafening noise. ''Sirovari'', as these men were called, shouted as loud as possible two words, "''Sirovo burovo''!" accompanied by the noise made with bells, [[Ratchet (instrument)|ratchet]]s, and horseshoes strung on a rope. The group consisted of seven, nine or eleven members; it was said that if there were an even number of ''sirovari'', one of them would die within a year. Moving through the village, they tried to make it impossible for anyone to count them. They constantly changed positions in the group, hid and suddenly reappeared. Villagers were glad to receive them in their homes, and treated them with food and drink.<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Nedeljković
 | first = Mile
 |date=January 1998
 | title = Srpski običajni kalendar proste 1998. godine
 | journal = Srpsko Nasleđe
 | volume = 1
 | issue = 1
 | publisher = NIP Glas
 | issn = 1450-6130
 | location = Belgrade
 | language = sr
 | url = http://www.srpsko-nasledje.co.rs/sr-l/1998/01/article-16.html}}</ref>

The following custom was recorded at the end of the 19th century in the north [[Dalmatia]]n region of [[Bukovica, Dalmatia|Bukovica]]. Early in the morning of Little Christmas, children of the family spread Christmas straw from their house around the stake in the center of their village's [[threshing floor]]. The use of this stake was to tether a horse to it; the animal was then driven around to [[Threshing|thresh grain]] by treading with its hooves. The woman of the house baked a big round unleavened loaf of bread with a hole in its center, inscribed with circles, crosses, hooks, and other symbols on its surface. The loaf was taken to the threshing floor, and fixed round the stake. The oldest man of the family would take hold of the stake with his right hand above the loaf. With his left hand he held the right hand of the next oldest man, and so on to the youngest boy who could walk steadily. Holding hands in this manner, they would run around the stake three times. During the running they would shout in unison as loud as possible, "''Ajd ajde, koba moja!''" meaning "Giddy-up, my mare!" – except for the man holding the stake, who would shout, "''De! De! De!''" meaning "Go! Go! Go!" They would then take the hollow loaf back home, and put it near the fireplace beside the remnant of ''badnjak''. The woman of the house would "feed them fodder", i.e., prepare a meal for them, consisting of ''đevenica'' (a sort of dried sausage), roast pork, and the hollow loaf, plus [[rakia]] for the adults. Having eaten, they would go back to the threshing floor and repeat the whole ritual, only this time without the loaf. In the end, they would collect Christmas straw from the threshing floor; it was put in hens' nests to prevent them from laying eggs outside the nests. This custom was considered as especially joyful for children.<ref name=ardalic/>

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/>

This twelve-day period used to be called the unbaptized days, during which the demonic forces of all kinds were considered to be more than usually active and dangerous. People were cautious not to attract their attention, and did not go out late at night. The latter precaution was especially because of the demons called ''[[karakondžula]]'', imagined as heavy, squat, and ugly creatures. When a ''karakondžula'' found someone outdoors during the night of an unbaptized day, it would jump on his back, and make him carry it wherever it wanted. This torture would end only when roosters announced the dawn; at that moment the creature would release its victim and run away.<ref name=v94/>

==Gifts==
Gift giving on Christmas is not a Serbian tradition—instead, gifts are given on the three Sundays before Christmas Day. These three holidays are called ''Detinjci'' or ''Djetinjci'', ''Materice'', and ''Oci''. Children give gifts on ''Detinjci'', married women on ''Materice'', and married men on ''Oci''. The best presents are exchanged between parents and their children.<ref name=v78/>

The gifts are given in the form of a [[ransom]]. In the morning of ''Detinjci'', the adults use a belt, rope, or scarf to tie their and neighbors' children, binding their legs. The children have already prepared presents for this event, with which they "pay the ransom" and get untied. In the morning of ''Materice'', the children suddenly tie their mother, who asks, as if surprised, why she has been tied. The children then wish a happy Feast of ''Materice'' to her, and she pays the ransom with the prepared presents. They may do the same with married women from their neighborhood. Mothers prepare a family feast on this day. In the morning of ''Oci'', the Sunday immediately before Christmas Day, the children tie their father. Out of these three holidays, ''Materice'' is the most festive.<ref name=v78/> It's worth noting that majority of Serbian population however does not follow the traditions of "Detinjci, Materice and Oci", and if there's gift giving involved it usually takes place on Christmas Eve. This mostly occurs in [[Vojvodina]], as the province boasts a significant [[Protestant]] and [[Catholic]] populations which has led to some intertwining of customs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rtv.rs/sr_lat/vojvodina/kikinda/bozicni-pokloni-i-deciji-osmeh_555157.html|title = Božićni pokloni i – dečiji osmeh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://rtv.rs/sr_lat/vojvodina/sremska-mitrovica/pokloni-za-bozic_677214.html|title = Pokloni za Božić}}</ref> Churches in small rural villages will usually provide local children with gifts before Christmas.

==List of terms==
The following is a list of Serbian terms related to Christmas, written in the [[Gaj's Latin alphabet|Serbian Latin alphabet]] and the [[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet]], with pronunciations transcribed in the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] (see [[Help:IPA/Serbo-Croatian]]).<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Serbian Vocabulary: "Christmas"
 | publisher = polyglotclub.com
 | url = https://polyglotclub.com/wiki/Language/Serbian/Vocabulary/Christmas
 | access-date = 2019-01-07}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=November 2019}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! [[Serbian Cyrillic alphabet]] !! [[Gaj's Latin alphabet|Serbian Latin alphabet]] !! [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] !! Explanation
|-
| бадњачар || badnjačar || {{IPA|[ˈbadɲat͡ʃaːr]}} || The man who takes the ''badnjak'' into house on Christmas Eve
|-
| бадњачки&nbsp;колач || badnjački&nbsp;kolač || {{IPA|[ˈbadɲaːt͡ʃkiː&nbsp;ˈkolaːt͡ʃ]}} || A loaf necessary for Christmas Eve dinner
|-
| бадњак || [[Badnjak (Serbian)|badnjak]] || {{IPA|[ˈbadɲaːk]}} || The oak log that burns on an fireplace during Christmas Eve and Day, or in church yard on Christmas Eve; leaved oak twigs burnt instead of the whole tree, or used as an ornament in house during Christmas
|-
| Бадње вече || Badnje veče || {{IPA|[ˈbadɲeː ˈʋet͡ʃeː]}} || Christmas Eve after the sunset
|-
| Бадњи дан || Badnji dan || {{IPA|[ˈbadɲiː ˈdaːn]}} || Christmas Eve before the sunset
|-
| Божић || Božić || {{IPA|[ˈboʒit͡ɕ]}} || Christmas
|-
| божићни&nbsp;колач || božićni&nbsp;kolač || {{IPA|[ˈboʒit͡ɕniː&nbsp;ˈkolaːt͡ʃ]}} || A kind of Christmas loaf
|-
| чесница || [[česnica]] || {{IPA|[ˈt͡ʃeːsnit͡sa]}} || A Christmas loaf, necessary for Christmas dinner
|-
| Детињци,&nbsp;Дјетињци || Detinjci,&nbsp;Djetinjci || {{IPA|[ˈdetiːɲt͡si]}},&nbsp;{{IPA|[ˈdjetiːɲt͡si]}} || The third Sunday before Christmas, when children give presents
|-
| Герман || German || {{IPA|[ˈɡerman]}} || A spirit with an influence on rain and hail
|-
| караконџула || [[karakondžula]] || {{IPA|[karaˈkond͡ʒula]}} || A demon
|-
| коледа || [[Koledarenje|koleda]] || {{IPA|[ˈkoleda]}} || A Christmas custom
|-
| коледари || [[Koledarenje|koledari]] || {{IPA|[ˈkoledaːri]}} || Participants in the [[Koledarenje|''koleda'' (''koledarenje'')]]
|-
| коринђање || korinđanje || {{IPA|[koˈrind͡ʑaɲe]}} || A Christmas custom
|-
| коринђаши || korinđaši || {{IPA|[korinˈd͡ʑaːʃi]}} || Participants in the ''korinđanje''
|-
| Крстовдан || Krstovdan || {{IPA|[ˈkrs.toʋ.daːn]}} || The day before the Epiphany
|-
| Мали Божић || Mali Božić || {{IPA|[ˈmaːliː ˈboʒit͡ɕ]}} || A folk name for New Year's Day according to the Julian Calendar, literally Little Christmas; coincides with the Feast of Saint Basil the Great
|-
| Материце || Materice || {{IPA|[ˈmaterit͡se]}} || The second Sunday before Christmas, when married women give presents
|-
| Оци || Oci || {{IPA|[ˈot͡si]}} || The Sunday immediately before Christmas, when married men give presents
|-
| огњиште || ognjište || {{IPA|[ˈoɡɲiːʃte]}} || An indoor fireplace without a vertical surround, so the fire burning on it is similar to a campfire.
|-
| печеница || pečenica || {{IPA|[peˈt͡ʃenit͡sa]}} || A whole pig roasted for Christmas dinner
|-
| плетеница || pletenica || {{IPA|[pleˈtenit͡sa]}} || A kind of Christmas loaf
|-
| полoжајник || položajnik || {{IPA|[ˈpoloʒaːjnik]}} || The first person who visits a family during Christmas
|-
| прангија || prangija || {{IPA|[ˈpraŋɡija]}} || A small celebratory mortar
|-
| ратарица || ratarica || {{IPA|[raˈtarit͡sa]}} || A kind of Christmas loaf
|-
| сировари || sirovari || {{IPA|[ˈsirovaːri]}} || A Christmas custom, and its participants
|-
| Туциндан || [[Tucindan]] || {{IPA|[ˈtuːt͡sindaːn]}} || The day before Christmas Eve, when the pig for a ''pečenica'' is ritualistically slaughtered
|-
| василица || vasilica || {{IPA|[ʋaˈsilit͡sa]}} || A little round loaf made with cornmeal and cream, eaten for dinner on ''Mali Božić''
|-
| вертеп || [[Vertep (Serbian)|vertep]] || {{IPA|[ˈʋertep]}} || A Christmas custom
|-
| вертепаши || vertepaši || {{IPA|[ʋerteˈpaːʃi]}} || Participants in the ''[[Vertep (Serbian)|vertep]]''
|}

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Christianity|Serbia}}
* [[Serbian traditions]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Christmas in Serbia| ]]
[[Category:Culture of Serbia]]
[[Category:Serbian traditions]]
[[Category:Christmas traditions by country|Serbia]]
[[Category:Serb traditions]]
[[Category:Slavic Christmas traditions]]
[[Category:Observances in Serbia]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox Christian culture]]
[[Category:Winter events in Serbia]]

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Greek: Ά ά Έ έ Ή ή Ί ί Ό ό Ύ ύ Ώ ώ Α α Β β Γ γ Δ δ Ε ε Ζ ζ Η η Θ θ Ι ι Κ κ Λ λ Μ μ Ν ν Ξ ξ Ο ο Π π Ρ ρ Σ σ ς Τ τ Υ υ Φ φ Χ χ Ψ ψ Ω ω {{Polytonic|}}
Cyrillic: А а Б б В в Г г Ґ ґ Ѓ ѓ Д д Ђ ђ Е е Ё ё Є є Ж ж З з Ѕ ѕ И и І і Ї ї Й й Ј ј К к Ќ ќ Л л Љ љ М м Н н Њ њ О о П п Р р С с Т т Ћ ћ У у Ў ў Ф ф Х х Ц ц Ч ч Џ џ Ш ш Щ щ Ъ ъ Ы ы Ь ь Э э Ю ю Я я ́
IPA: t̪ d̪ ʈ ɖ ɟ ɡ ɢ ʡ ʔ ɸ β θ ð ʃ ʒ ɕ ʑ ʂ ʐ ç ʝ ɣ χ ʁ ħ ʕ ʜ ʢ ɦ ɱ ɳ ɲ ŋ ɴ ʋ ɹ ɻ ɰ ʙ ⱱ ʀ ɾ ɽ ɫ ɬ ɮ ɺ ɭ ʎ ʟ ɥ ʍ ɧ ʼ ɓ ɗ ʄ ɠ ʛ ʘ ǀ ǃ ǂ ǁ ɨ ʉ ɯ ɪ ʏ ʊ ø ɘ ɵ ɤ ə ɚ ɛ œ ɜ ɝ ɞ ʌ ɔ æ ɐ ɶ ɑ ɒ ʰ ʱ ʷ ʲ ˠ ˤ ⁿ ˡ ˈ ˌ ː ˑ ̪ {{IPA|}}

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