DID YOU KNOW….(SLAVA)

 

That the Serbian people are the only Christians who Celebrate the SLAVA? The Slava is the annual celebration of the Saints of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Each Saint has a special day dedicated to him (or her), and every Serbian Orthodox family has taken one of the Church’s Saints to be their family’s Patron Saint.

 

The Patron Saint is passed down patrilineally (from Father to Son), and is kept as the Family’s Patron Saint for Centuries. The Serbs acquired their Family’s Patron Saints in the 9th Century upon their conversion from Paganism to Christianity. In lieu of having pagan gods to worship, The Serbian Clans were given Protector Saints, which were disseminated to individual families from the clans.

 

That means that for over ONE THOUSAND YEARS, each family has been celebrating their Patron Saint Day much as their Ancestors had celebrated it generations before. Kind of makes you proud. Talk about carrying on Traditions!

 

Speaking of traditions, traditionally, the Slava is held at the home of the Family Patriarch, even once all the male children are grown with families of their own. They will come to their Father’s (or Grandfather’s) home with the other children and grandchildren and celebrate their Family’s Slava under the Patriarch’s roof. The notable exception being when a son moves away, and is too far to attend the Patriarch’s Slava, he will hold his own celebration.

 

 Women take on the Slava of the Man they marry. However, if a man has no male heirs, once he passes away, his daughters perform their own duty in memory of their maiden slava and Patron Saint. In addition to their Husband’s Slava (which is now their Slava and their Family Slava), they will prepare food as they would for their married Slava, but in smaller quantities, usually what she herself can carry, and bring it to her Church. There, she gives it to the Parish Priest to do with as he sees fit. Usually this food will go to the poor or anyone in need. In this manner, the woman honors her Maiden Slava by keeping its memory alive, and helping those less forunate.

 

The feast Associated with the Slava is the best part! Each Family and region has various specialties that is always a part of their Slava celebration year after year. There are some things however, that, in addition to being very delicious, have Religious and symbolic meaning.

 

The Slavski Kolac, or Slava Cake is really more like a bread, and depending on whether a family’s Slava lands on a POST (Lenten) day, is made with or without eggs, milk and butter. The top of the Slava Cake is adorned with a Cross, a Dove of Peace, and various other symbols meaningful to the Family.

 

 

The Zito, is made of boiled wheat, and usually includes walnuts, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and honey. Our Family puts in raisins! It is also called Koljivo, which comes from the verb KLATI-To Slaughter. This is generally taken to mean that the wheat, in addition to symbolizing the Resurrection of Christ and deceased Family members, also was the food item that supplanted the pagan tradition of slaughtering an animal for the pagan gods the Serbs formerly worshipped.

 

 

 

Prior to the feast, the family attends Church where they receive Holy Communion. After the service, the Parish Priest will go to the homes of the families whose Slava it is, where he will pay respect to the Patron Saint in a small service, bless the Slava Cake and the Zito (Koljivo), and light the Slava Candle. Often, he will perform additional services such as blessing the house or performing a memorial for dead family members.

 

 

Then, the male members of the household who are celebrating the Slava will hold the Slava Cake, turning it around constantly as the Priest says a blessing. The Slava Cake will then be broken into pieces, and the feasting will begin!

 

 

Slava “season” begins now with most Slavas taking place in the cold winter months. There are exceptions (Saint George, May 6), but the greater preponderance of them are during Fall and Winter. One theory for this is that in the past, when most of the population was working the land and living in more rural areas, during the warm months the people were toiling in the fields and could not devote the time away from the land for these celebrations. In the late Fall and Winter, the harvest has been collected, and households stay indoors without much to do or much socializing, as people lived relatively far from one another. The Slava celebrations allowed relatives, neighbors and fellow villagers to come together, celebrate, and catch up with each other while honoring their Saint.

 

Saint Nicholas (December 19) is by far the Slava most Serbian Orthodox families observe. There is a saying in Serbian, “Half of Serbia celebrates Saint Nicholas Day, the other half attend the celebrations”.

 

Our Slava is Saint Demetrius (November 8), and we are looking forward to it!

 

As the Slavas begin to come around this season, and we remember our past and look forward to our future, consider how for One Thousand Years your family has been doing what you will be doing. How beautiful a thing it is to have such a unique and special tradition that you (and hopefully those who come after you) will be observing to give thanks and commemorate our culture.

 

By: Pavle Gvozdenovic