Andrijana's Slava
On friday was Andrijana's slava. Ofcourse you are wondering what is Slava?
Slava is a tradition connected to orthodox christian religion, and typical only for Serbian nation. It is a day when Serbian family selebrates it's saint. But when is this day? How does it work?
It is not one day in a year, because every family chooses a saint to selebrate. For example St. Nicola's day is 19.12, St. George's day is 6.5... All the families that selebrates St. Nicolas make a selebration on 19.12. Usually, this tradition is carried from genration to generation on the fathers' side, so my father selebrates St. John, his father selebrated St. John before him and so on.
On this day, we invite our cousins, neighbours and friends and make a fiesta. We welcome them with sweet grain when they arrive. After all the guest arrive we start with the ceremony. It can vary, depending on how much a family follows church rules. Somethimes a priest comes to the house to do the whole ceremony, with church singing and everything. In my house, my father gives a short speach wellcoming all the guests. Then the godfather has the word, giving a small toast. My brother recites očenaš (google translated it to Paternoster), which is like a short prayer. We cut pogača, the ceremonial bread in cross like shape, and poure some red wine on it also in the way of crossing it. Then every guest takes a peace of the pogača, and the dinner can start. We spend the rest of the night just having a good time.
Andrijana's slava is Đurđica, which marks the transmission of the relics of St. George. Andrijana was a great host. She made a solty cake, russian salad, meat, and also we had desert. Everything was so tasty, I will have so much trouble compiting with that when the day of my own slava comes. As usual and typical for Serbian slava, the night passed in fun and having a good time.
Slava is a tradition connected to orthodox christian religion, and typical only for Serbian nation. It is a day when Serbian family selebrates it's saint. But when is this day? How does it work?It is not one day in a year, because every family chooses a saint to selebrate. For example St. Nicola's day is 19.12, St. George's day is 6.5... All the families that selebrates St. Nicolas make a selebration on 19.12. Usually, this tradition is carried from genration to generation on the fathers' side, so my father selebrates St. John, his father selebrated St. John before him and so on.
On this day, we invite our cousins, neighbours and friends and make a fiesta. We welcome them with sweet grain when they arrive. After all the guest arrive we start with the ceremony. It can vary, depending on how much a family follows church rules. Somethimes a priest comes to the house to do the whole ceremony, with church singing and everything. In my house, my father gives a short speach wellcoming all the guests. Then the godfather has the word, giving a small toast. My brother recites očenaš (google translated it to Paternoster), which is like a short prayer. We cut pogača, the ceremonial bread in cross like shape, and poure some red wine on it also in the way of crossing it. Then every guest takes a peace of the pogača, and the dinner can start. We spend the rest of the night just having a good time.
Andrijana's slava is Đurđica, which marks the transmission of the relics of St. George. Andrijana was a great host. She made a solty cake, russian salad, meat, and also we had desert. Everything was so tasty, I will have so much trouble compiting with that when the day of my own slava comes. As usual and typical for Serbian slava, the night passed in fun and having a good time.
Rade Radović
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