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Merry Christmas! In Serbia and in many Eastern European countries, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th, according to the Julian calendar.
On Christmas Eve, the Serbs celebrate Badnje Vece. This Christmas Eve tradition involves a badnjak - an oak tree or branch. One website says, "It is a custom that the father and the oldest son of a household go out on the morning of January 6 in search of the right badnjak. When it is found they return to the house and knock on the door. The mother opens the door. They enter while saying to the mother, "Welcome to you Badnje Vece!" They take the Badnjak to the fireplace and place it on the fire to augure good fortune. Serbs put coins, walnuts, almonds, and dry figs around the fireplace to represent the connection with earth. This also acts as gifts for the children. The traditional January 6th supper for Serbs is religious diatary meals, usually fish. Before going to bed it is very important for the Serbs to cover the badnjak with hot ash so that it will burn slowly to the following morning."
On Christmas morning the first person that enters the home is called polozajnik. This person offers a greeting for good luck during the year. Everybody gathers around the table while the father lights the candle. That moment marks the start of mirbozenje, which is peace and reconciliation. Participents then kiss one another at Christmas time whe saying: "Mir Bozji". All disagreements are forgotten.
The Christmas Day custom is to replace "Hello" with "Hristos se rodi" which means "Christ is born!" The reply to this is "Vaistinu se rodi" which means "Really born!"
Christmas lunch is long, with many wonderful foods. Traditionally the most essential part of the Christmas dinner is a type of flat, round Christmas bread called cesnica. A coin is put in the bread during preparation. The person who gets the piece of bread with the coin inside is assured good fortune for the year.
Pray that Christmas in Serbia would be a time for families to focus on the birth of Jesus, the Savior.
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