Serbian Christmas traditions

Christmas Eve

Badnjak

Christmas straw

Christmas Eve Dinner

Christmas

Strong water

Polaajnik

Peenica

Christmas loaves

Christmas dinner

Koleda

Vertep

Second and third day of Christmas

Twelve Days of Christmas

Detinjci, Materice, and Oci

Christmas for Serbs who are Christian Ortodox, comes two weeks later than that of Roman
Catholics. Serbs do not celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but on January 7th, while they
celebrate New Year on January 13th rather than on December 31st. This is because the Serbs
follow

the

Julian

calendar,

while

Roman

Catholics

follow

the

Gregorian

calendar.

The Gregorian reformation of the calendar came into force on 1582. It made corrections in the Julian
calendar, the ten days from October 5th to 14th were canceled. Of course, not all countries changed
over to the Gregorian calendar at that time. Germany, for instance, didnt accepted the Gregorian
calendar

until

1775,

while

Bulgaria

didnt

do

so

until

1917.

Serbs, like the most other people, accepted officially the Gregorian calendar, but all holidays,
specially of cultural or religious contents, were celebrated according to the Julian calendar.
The Serbian Orthodox Church uses the traditional Julian Calendar. From 1900 until 2100, the Julian
calendar is 13 days behind the Gregorian and therefore Serbian Christmas Day falls on 7 January of
the Gregorian calendar. Note "Christmas Day" is in fact only the first day of Christmas, as the festival
is
The

celebrated

for

three

Serbian

name

for

consecutive
Christmas

days.
is Boi.

There are many, complex traditions associated with the Christmas holidays. They are most likely to
be seen in their purest form in large, extended families in the country. They slightly vary from place
to place.

Christmas Eve
The Serbian name for Christmas Eve during the day is Badnji dan. After sunset it becomes Badnje
vee.

On

this

day

the

family

makes

preparations

for

the

oncoming

celebration.

The dinner on this day is festive, copious and diverse in foods, although it is prepared in accordance
with the rules of fasting. Groups of young people go from house to house, congratulating the holiday,
singing, and making performances; this continues through the next three days.

Since the early 1990s the Serbian Orthodox Church has, together with local communities, organized
public celebrations on Christmas Eve. There are typically three elements to such celebrations: the
preparation, the ritual, and the festivity. The preparation consists of cutting down the tree to be used
as the badnjak, taking it to the church yard, and preparing drink and food for the assembled
parishioners. The ritual includes Vespers, placing the badnjak on the open fire built in the church
yard, blessing or consecrating the badnjak, and an appropriate program with songs and recitals. In
some parishes they build the fire on which to burn the badnjak not in the church yard but at some

other suitable location in their town or village. The festivity consists of gathering around the fire and
socializing. Each particular celebration has its own specific traits however, reflecting the traditions of
the local community.

Christmas straw
Immediately after the badnjak has been brought in, or immediately before in some places, an armful
of straw is spread over the floor. The straw is usually brought in with the same greetings and
throwing

of

grain

as

the

badnjak.

The person spreading it may imitate a hen clucking to call her chicks, "Kvo, kvo, kvo", with the
family's

children

imitating

chicks,

"Piju, piju, piju",

while

they

pick

at

the

straw.

A common custom is to scatter a handful of walnuts over the straw. It will be collected and taken out
of the house on the
morning
second

of

the

day

after

Christmas.