Slava

Icons with the Slavski kolač, the Slava candle and flowers

Slava ( Cyrillic Слава; from Serbian slaviti "to celebrate") is a Serbian Orthodox family festival that is celebrated in honor of the family patron saint . This custom is mainly celebrated in Serbia and is considered an important part of the culture there. This festival is also celebrated by Serbs in Montenegro , the Republic of Macedonia , parts of Bulgaria and Bosnia and Herzegovina , Croatia , Albania (see also Serbs and Montenegrins in Albania ), Romania , Greece and Russia .

history

The origin of the custom is not exactly clear. According to a theory of national romanticism of the 19th century, the custom of the Slava dates back to the time of Christianization of the Serbs and neighboring Slavic tribes in the 9th century. According to this, the Serbs once owned a number of gods, including family gods or spirits similar to the Roman lares . To make it easier for them to convert to the Christian faith, the Slava was brought into being, in which Christian saints took the place of the former family gods. However, historically speaking, there is no firm evidence for this theory. So-called imendani , name days , feasts for the patron saints, as they are also common to other Christian peoples, are known. It is possible that the imendan developed into the Slava during the Ottoman rule, in which the protective festival of the Christian patron now united entire families and even large regions and at the same time served as a consolidation of identity and a demarcation against the then threatened Islamization. The imendani, on the other hand, have been preserved among the Orthodox Bulgarians, Macedonians and Russians as the main festivals of the patron saints. The difference between the Slava and the imendan is that the Slava should be inherited from one generation to the next, i.e. H. from parents to children, during which the imendan is individual and usually the patron saint is celebrated on which day the respective Christian was baptized and / or was given his or her name. In the Slava, not only families, but also Orthodox churches, monasteries, schools, villages and towns have their own patron saint. This means that a certain church saint protects family or church and the name day of this saint is celebrated every year with a special celebration. Great importance was attached to celebrating the holidays mainly in spring, autumn or winter so that the work of the harvest months was not interrupted. In earlier times these festivals could last up to three days; in some rural areas this has been the case, but in the larger cities nowadays one is content with a day of celebration.

heritage

Contrary to most customs, which are celebrated by a whole people on the same day, the feast of the family patron saint is celebrated on a different day by each family. The family patron saint is inherited from the father (head of the family) to the son. Daughters inherit the family patron saint only if they stay at home. Married women usually celebrate the man's patron saint. Traditionally, the feast of the family patron saint is celebrated at home (ancestral home of the family), in exceptional cases, for example, if a family member lives far away and is unmarried, the head of the family can give the person permission to celebrate the Slava there. As soon as one of the sons has married and has started his own family, he is obliged to celebrate the same Slava as his father (including during his father's lifetime) in his home. Permission from the head of the family is not required.

ceremony

The day before the Slava, the food is blessed in the church.

The day before the Slava, the Slavski Kolač, the Koljivo and the Slava wine are blessed in the church. On the day of Slava, the family goes to church and partakes in communion, after church the priest comes home. The priest holds a small service in memory of the family saint, he consecrates the Slavski Kolač and the Koljivo and lights the Slava candle.

The whole family, friends and good acquaintances meet for a festive meal. The following utensils are important: water, incense, the Slava wine and a bouquet of basil.

In addition, various traditional dishes are served, for example Slavski Kolač (English: festive cake) and Koljivo or Žito (a dish made from wheat, nuts, sugar and nutmeg). After the guests arrive, the head of the family (patron) takes the first spoonful of Žito and crosses himself, followed by the wife, sons, daughters and then everyone else who has come to celebrate (Žito is also served at weddings and funerals and plays an important role Role in mythical belief).

However, such customs differ from region to region and often from village to village. Hence, there is no precise description of a ceremony or precisely conveyed tradition.