Christmas Eve in Belgrade

An important day for Orthodox believers

Wednesday 3rd of January 2018

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Christmas Eve is always celebrated on 6th January, the day before Christmas. At the same time, it is the last day of the great fasting. There are many customs that are respected, but the most important one is that Christmas Eve is reserved exclusively for family and staying at home. Almost all churches and temples in Belgrade organize the afternoon and evening burning of the badnjak (a tree branch or young tree, cut from oak, brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve) with liturgy and fireworks. Every year, most people gather in front of the Temple of St. Sava where together they celebrate the beginning of the biggest holiday - Christmas. The beginning of the magnificent religious manifestation in the imposing building on Vracar is scheduled for 16:00.


Orthodox people are fasting all day, they do not go to their friends' nor invite them to their house. Rich dinner include fish, bean, podvarak (cabbage dish), potato salad and other specialties. The housewife prepares Christmas Eve bread (cake), which is broken with hands. A knitted basket is set on the table in which dry fruit is placed - plums, grapes, apricots and others, then walnuts, almonds and apples. With dinner you should drink a glass of red wine with seeds of cornel for happiness and health throughout the year. The final preparation for Christmas ends. On 7th January, almost every family eats pork bake, Russian salad and famous gastronomic specialties for lunch.


Christmas Eve - Badnji dan in Serbian got its name after the oak tree branch. For Slavs, this is a sacred tree. According to custom, the head of the house goes for the badnjak in the early morning. Sometimes the father and son together (if they exist in the family) used to go out into the woods, and in accordance with the customs, they cut the branch. The ritual of wood cutting relates to the Bethlehem shepherds who, on the sign of the Star to have Jesus Christ, went into the woods and cut oak branches to warm the newly born baby and his mother. Today, the badnjak is most often bought in the market. Earlier even straw was taken into the house. It was everywhere and most of all under the table for dinner. It symbolizes Jesus' birth on the straw. The most important thing is to spend the day in peace and harmony, forgive and show love to family members.


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