Slava
The deep meaning of celebration lies in the most sublime ideal of our people – the ideal of the holy man, which is: a man freed from earthly kingdom, a man pure from injustice and vanity, a man filled with love for God and people, a man fearless before death; in one word: a spiritual man!
When such holy people begin to be considered the ideal throughout the land, then humanity will be happy. Therefore, our people are the bearers of an always progressive and salvific ideal – the Gospel ideal.
Remember your teachers who preached the word of God to you; look at the end of their lives and imitate their faith.
(Epistle to the Hebrews 13:7)
Serbian Slava or Patron Saint’s Day
According to the words of St. Apostle Paul, the Christian family is a small church (Philemon 1:2). And just as every Christian temple is dedicated to one saint, whom it celebrates as its protector, so Serbian families place themselves under the protection of one saint, to whom they turn as their prayer intercessor before the Lord, and whom they honor as the family protector and regularly celebrate, from generation to generation, from father to son, every year.
The patron saint’s day – slava, is a wonderful expression of Orthodox faith, which is so deeply rooted in the Serbian national soul. Slava is also a particular mark of the Serbian people, because it is celebrated only among Serbs (generally speaking). The purpose of these lines is to serve a more correct understanding and more worthy celebration of the patron saint’s day.
What is slava?
Our ancestors received Christianity in the ninth century and, instead of their previous idolatrous faith, they accepted faith in one God. Enlightened by Christian teaching, abandoning idolatrous sacrifice offerings, they directed prayers to the Lord for health, happiness and progress of their home and family. Although they prayed to God every day, our ancestors had one day in the year when they thanked God for all the good things with which He had blessed them. On that day they celebrated the memory of that Christian saint whom they particularly honored as their protector, whose Christian life was an example they strived to follow. To that saint they turned to be their advocate before the Lord and interpreter of their prayers.
For their protectors and prayer intercessors before God, our ancestors took the Most Holy Mother of God, or a Christian saint on whose day they were baptized – that is, received Christianity (and they celebrated their memory on the day of the saint’s birth or bodily death, or on the day of the transfer of the saint’s relics).
Enlightened, therefore, by Christian teaching, man came to the realization that God, who governs the world, should not be feared nor should one pray to Him in fear, if one lives according to His commandments. Not from fear but from love man turns to God and celebrates the memory of saints in the desire that, following their blessed and God-pleasing life, he becomes worthy of all gifts which he receives by God’s mercy.
The custom of offering sacrifices, remaining from antiquity, was not immediately and easily eradicated among all the newly baptized. The missionary activity of the Greek and Latin Church achieved only partial success among the immigrant peoples in the Balkans. They did not succeed in completely Christianizing the polytheistic Slavic masses. The path to true and reasonable adoption of Christianity was slowly being prepared. Although they received Christianity, many continued to offer sacrifices to the protectors of their home and family – Christian saints – as they had previously done in idolatrous times. (Livestock that was intended as a sacrifice to the saint was driven to churches where it was slaughtered, and its meat served for feasting. This custom persisted among many for quite a long time).
Only the Saint Sava movement, deeply Christian and national at the same time, played a decisive role in the final Christianization of the Serbs. St. Sava and his followers and missionaries among the Serbian people energetically approached the Gospel enlightenment of the Serbs. This is precisely the last and decisive stage of Christianization of the Serbian people. The missionary activity of the Saint Sava Church, active in all fields of national life, manifested itself primarily in the fight against the remnants of polytheism among the people.
This included the celebration of the patron saint’s day slava. The previous offering of sacrifices was forbidden, as well as the arrangement of feasts at temples. The purpose of the new regulations was to eliminate all polytheistic elements in customs. It was determined that in churches the memory of saints can be celebrated only as befits Christians, i.e., various earthly fruits can be brought for blessing, not for sacrifice and feasting.
Thus the Saint Sava Church has decisive significance in creating the patron saint’s slava as it is today. The origin and development of today’s Serbian patron saint’s slava must therefore be viewed in the general framework of Saint Sava activity. The Saint Sava Serbian Church succeeded in creating today’s patron saint’s slava as an exclusively Serbian-Orthodox and church-national family celebration.
The creators of slava, as we have it today, are therefore St. Sava and his immediate disciples. Hence the fact that only Serbs, who have been under the decisive spiritual influence of the Saint Sava Church continuously since the 13th century, have the patron saint’s slava today. Slava is, therefore, one form of missionary activity of the Saint Sava Church, one form of its struggle against idolatry, for the complete evangelization of the Serbian people in medieval Serbia.
Instructed by their first archbishop and his followers, and having accepted the way of celebrating the patron saint’s day that he determined, the Serbian people then celebrated for centuries in this way, and should celebrate this way today.
It was mentioned that the celebration of slava in its original form (unlike today’s form among Serbs) was customary not only among the Serbian people, but also among other Orthodox peoples. But among these peoples, over time, the celebration of the patron saint’s day was replaced by celebrating the birthdays of individual family members, or the days of those saints whose names they bear. From slava came the celebration of birthdays and name days (slava is still celebrated by a certain part of Bulgarians, Romanians and Albanians, although not in the way Serbs celebrate slava). Slava was constantly celebrated only by Serbs wherever they were found, and not only Orthodox Serbs. Slava is found among Serbian Roman Catholics (in Boka, Konavle, Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Slovenia) and even among those Roman Catholic families whose ancestors were Serbs. Hence the popular saying arose: “Where there is slava, there is a Serb.”
How our ancestors honored and celebrated slava
The celebration of the patron saint’s day among our ancestors became one of the main expressions of their Orthodox faith. They honored their saints and celebrated their memory no matter what difficult circumstances they found themselves in.
The host took care and prepared throughout the year for how he would celebrate the patron saint’s day. And when the day before the patron saint’s day came, he would invite all friends, except those who also celebrate the same patron saint’s day. (Slava or patron saint’s day is also called: saint, holy day, feast). When guests come to the celebrants’ house, they usually say: “Good day and congratulations on your holy day! May you celebrate it for many years in health and joy!” Or: “God help you, happy slava to you!” Friends from other villages (those who are distant) should come to slava even uninvited.
However, it should be emphasized that on that day the celebrants’ houses were not only hospitable homes ready to host relatives and friends – but they also became homes of prayer, transformed into God’s churches, in which the host with his family offered prayers of gratitude to God and to their holy intercessor for the gifts received so far, for God’s blessing that was poured upon them, also raising a prayer that the blessing of the Most High Lord, health, happiness and every good thing in life and work continue to accompany them all.
Beside the lit candle and the burning oil lamp before the icon of their saint, next to the slava bread and koliva (wheat), incensed with the sweet fragrance of frankincense, our ancestors strengthened themselves in their faith. Following the example of the protector of their home – the saint whose memory they celebrated – our ancestors followed his example, doing good deeds. Their home was open that day to travelers and pilgrims, and the poor and needy were helped according to the host’s means. They celebrated as they could, but there were no such people who, even if they were the poorest, would not celebrate their slava – mentioning their holy protector in prayer on that day.
In times of centuries-long enslavement, days of celebration were moments of revival, instilling new strength and encouragement. In celebrating their patron saint’s name day, the Serbian people drew strength to endure all the suffering they went through and to welcome the day of freedom. Generations died without seeing the dawn of freedom, but on their deathbeds, they left a vow to their younger ones: to love, cherish, and strengthen their Orthodox Serbian faith, to respect its sacred places, to celebrate their patron saint’s name – their Slava – because only faith will be able to strengthen the will to live and preserve the nationality – the Serbian name.
Many today still celebrate the memory of their saint in the same way as their ancestors did. They do not forget the protector of their home today, just as they never have. They celebrate him in the way they are able to celebrate, showing that they are true sons of their faith and the Serbian Church, and worthy descendants of their glorious ancestors.
But there are those who do not want to celebrate Slava and announce it to the whole world through newspapers (often emphasizing non-existent reasons, or those that are not reasons at all). This best shows how quickly a person forgets and easily neglects their most sacred obligations, forgets and does not respect their faith, the same faith for which their ancestors, not so long ago, shed their blood and consciously gave their lives.
Even on the battlefield, on the eve of the battle itself, the honorable Prince of Kosovo did not forget to celebrate his Slava. And many centuries after Kosovo, Serbian soldiers celebrated their festive Slavas in damp trenches, even in the midst of fierce fighting. In the deadly war clamor, under the roar of bombs and behind barbed wire in enemy camps, we remembered our Slava. – We never forgot that day. And when we were not able to celebrate our Slava as we once did – and as we received it from our ancestors – we at least lit a long-carried and cherished wax candle, and sometimes even without it, but never forgetting the most important thing: to offer warm prayers to God and our saint to protect us, that God may deliver us from evil, so that we may return healthy to our homes, into the embrace of our loved ones.
Now that those desires of ours, or the desires of our parents, have been fulfilled, should we not celebrate our Slava now? Is that not the ultimate ingratitude towards God, ingratitude and neglect towards the vow of our ancestors. And it is forgotten:
“Ingratitude – it is like the blade of a sword, sometimes it cuts off the head of its own blacksmith!”
Where do the feasts of Slavas come from?
In our nation, which is by nature hospitable, it has become customary to prepare a festive meal for relatives and friends who came to magnify the celebration of the patron saint’s name. Later, in the time of centuries-long slavery, the only way for the people to meet, talk, comfort each other, and even make decisions, were those gatherings at Slavas, weddings, and memorial services, and especially at church Slavas and assemblies. Because the Turks, no matter how cruel they were in persecuting the Serbian people, still somewhat left the people free to meet at their religious holidays, at those feasts, without their presence. And at those Slava gatherings, people strengthened each other, a way was found to escape the Turkish force, the people strengthened their faith and strengthened hope for liberation. At such a gathering in Orašac in 1804, a decision was made to raise the first uprising for the liberation of the Serbian people. Thus, these feasts, which had their special significance in the past, have been maintained to this day, and it is very difficult to omit them, especially in the villages.
It is often heard that our people from the villages are reproached for celebrating their Slavas for several days, and for spending a lot on that occasion. That is a very appropriate remark. But it must not be forgotten that in the village, family Slavas, weddings, and church or village Slavas are the few days and occasions during the year when one can meet with their relatives, friends, and comrades from distant places, talk, relax, and have fun. This, of course, does not approve of extravagance and excessive spending on these occasions, as in all others. Our people should reduce the celebration of their Slava to one day, to the solemn and prayerful act of cutting the Slava cake. They should always be advised to spend less, because every dinar they earn is hard; they should be constantly advised to take good care that their sacred thing – their patron saint’s name, does not turn into a mockery of drunkenness and intemperance in food! But this does not only apply to the people in the village, but also to those who live in the cities.[3] In this care for the good and worthy celebration of Slava, the vigilance of all who truly believe, who respect their Serbian name, and who care that it is kept unblemished should be reflected.
Slava should always be celebrated, no matter what circumstances a person finds himself in – in happiness and in misfortune, in joy and in sorrow, one only needs to distinguish the essential from the non-essential – to separate the celebration of the saint from the feast, Slava from merriment. And while the Slava table can be prepared by those who have, and those who are not in sorrow can rejoice – until then, for the Slava candle, the Slava cake, a little red wine, koljivo, incense, and a little oil, everyone should take care and prepare during the year, and thus, through prayerful remembrance, repay their saint.
Serbs should never neglect their Slava. The Orthodox faith has sustained and preserved them through the centuries, so they should preserve their faith not as a custom but as a conscious conviction. And they should always confirm the народна истина: “Where there is a Serb, there is also Slava!”
How should we celebrate Slava?
As we have seen, the celebration of Slava is an expression of our gratitude to God for all the good things He has bestowed upon us, and a prayer to Him (and to our saint, to be our intercessor before the Lord with our prayers) that the Lord may protect us from evil and guide us on the right path in life.
Therefore, Slava must be celebrated in that sense, with that sublime goal, and not for the sake of feasting, eating, and drinking! On that day, the celebrant and members of his family must especially remember the life and work of their saint, whom they celebrate, and compare their life and works with his life. Having noticed the differences, they should adjust their life according to the saint’s example, because in that way they will best and most beautifully celebrate him, the protector of their home and their prayerful intercessor before the Lord.
Before the cut – and red wine-covered – Slava cake, the celebrant should remember the great sacrifice that our Lord, Jesus Christ, made for us by His suffering on the cross, and then examine himself whether he is worthy of that great sacrifice with his life and work! Has he acted according to Christ’s teaching? Has he helped the poor and needy neighbors, as he is obliged to do? Has he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, shod the barefoot, given drink to the thirsty; has he remembered those who are in misery and need, has he made their lives easier; has he removed misery and reduced suffering?
If not, let him make a firm decision to do so in the future, since God has given him, because his faith is in vain if he does not do good deeds.
“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father,” says the apostle of Christ, James, “is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” “For as the body without the spirit (without the soul) is dead, so faith without good works is dead” – he tells us (James 1:27, 2:14, 2:26) and thus shows us the path we should take through life.
Therefore, let the flame of the Slava candle – the wax candle – illuminate our minds, let it warm our souls, so that we may know the true goal of our life, and show ourselves in our life as true children of God.
Only such a celebration of Slava will be worthy of us as Christians, so our prayers will be answered.
What needs to be prepared for the celebration of the patron saint’s name – Slava.
Before the Slava, water is consecrated in the celebrant’s home: the priest consecrates the water – blesses the water; and on the day of the Slava in the church, or in the home, he blesses the koljivo[5] (wheat) and the Slava cake, which he cuts crosswise and pours wine over.
Therefore, for Slava it is necessary to consecrate water in one’s home and prepare a Slava cake from wheat flour, a Slava candle, wheat (koljivo), red wine, incense, and oil.
In the services of the Orthodox Church, everything has its sublime meaning and special significance, so it is also with the Slava rite.
The Slava cake represents a sacrifice – but such a sacrifice of gratitude to God, that through Jesus Christ and His suffering we are saved from the destruction that would befall us because of our sins.
The cross-shaped cutting of the slava bread represents Christ’s suffering for us, and the pouring of wine over the cut bread (which symbolically represents blood) means that we are cleansed of our sins by Christ’s blood.
The slava candle, which should be made of pure beeswax, also signifies sacrifice – the purest and most innocent: just as bees make honey by gathering sweet fragrant nectar from various pure and fragrant flowers, so too should the prayer of the celebrant and his family come from his pure heart and fragrant unstained soul.
Furthermore, the slava candle expresses the solemnity of the feast and the joy of the household. It also expresses that the celebrant and members of his family are children of Light, which enlightens every person (John 1:9), and not children of darkness. For just as the light of the candle dispels darkness, so does the light of Christ’s divine teaching dispel the darkness in which unbelievers find themselves.
The slava candle is, therefore, a symbol of the celebrant’s desire and aspiration:
– to know the Light of life – the Lord God and His Son Jesus Christ,
– for God’s light to enlighten their understanding, illuminate and strengthen virtues within them; and guide them to spend their time on earth in an exemplary Christian life
– and for Christian love to flame in their souls, just as the flame of their slava candle burns!
Slava wheat – kolivo. (It is of interest to mention how kolivo was established. Emperor Julian called the Apostate – the renegade – who had received Christianity in his youth, but when he became emperor (361-363 AD) renounced Christ and became again an idolater and great persecutor of Christians, – knowing that Christians fast during Great Lent, and especially the first week of it in order to receive communion, wanted to disrupt the regulations of the Christian Church. Therefore he secretly ordered the governor of Constantinople to sprinkle everything found in the marketplace for food with the blood of sacrifices offered to idols so that Christians would be defiled. But St. Theodore Tyro – through the Patriarch of Constantinople Eudoxius – informed Christians not to buy anything in the marketplace for food, but to cook kolivo – wheat with honey – and eat that. They did so and throughout the entire first week of Great Lent they ate only kolivo. In memory of this, the Orthodox Church introduced the cooking of kolivo, and it is given to the people on Friday and Saturday of the first week of Great Lent after the service. Later it was introduced for use in celebrating the patron saint’s day – slava).[6]
Kolivo is prepared as a sacrifice of gratitude to God for the earthly fruits given, and in memory of the saint we celebrate, as well as in remembrance of our ancestors who lived in faith, and those who gave their lives for the faith.
Slava rituals and customs are performed for the living – for their health, progress and prosperity, but it is quite natural for a Christian to remember his deceased ancestors and relatives, and to pray to God for them during the celebration of the saint – their common protector, whom they too celebrated and to whom they too turned in prayer.
It should be particularly emphasized: that kolivo at slava is not prepared for the repose of the soul of the saint being celebrated, as some mistakenly think! All saints are alive and stand before the Lord as our intercessors and prayer warriors!
Therefore, slava kolivo is prepared for all slava days, including for St. Archangel Michael, St. Elijah, as well as for Theotokos and Christ’s feasts!
The sugar that is mixed with cooked wheat in kolivo signifies the blessed life – the life of heavenly sweetness of righteous Christians after death, which they earned through their life and works on earth.
The oil that is used in the vigil lamp also represents a sacrifice to God.
Incense, or censing with incense, signifies our prayer, which should come from a pure heart, so that it may be pleasing and dear to the Lord, just as the fragrance of incense and myrrh with which we cense is pleasant and agreeable to us (compare Psalm 141:2).
What kinds of slavas there are
Family slava is, as we have seen, the celebration of the memory of that Christian saint on whose day our ancestors received Christianity and whom they chose as their protector and intercessor before God. Slava is passed from father to son and almost never changes. Even if one family dies out, those Christians who inherit their property in most cases consider it their duty to accept their slava in addition to their own. This is also done during adoption, when the adopted child accepts the slava of his adoptive parents. Hence there are families that celebrate multiple slavas. A woman, if she becomes a widow, retains her husband’s slava. Since slava passes from father to son, and further to all descendants, all those who celebrate the same saint are considered relatives.
Church slavas are celebrations of the saint to whom the church is dedicated, and his memory is celebrated just as it is celebrated in families.
Village or city slavas are celebrations of the memory of that saint whom individual villages and cities chose as their protector, or to whom the inhabitants of that place made a vow in times of trouble, and they celebrate him as a sign of gratitude for the successful removal of misery and trouble (such as diseases, enemy invasions, enslavement, fire, plague of people and livestock, great floods, as well as other natural disasters). On that day, a procession goes – through the fields in the village or main streets – with a litany, and prayers are offered to God and the saint for the good and happiness of that place, its inhabitants, and all people.
The protector of Serbian schools is the Serbian enlightener and first archbishop St. Sava. St. Sava has been celebrated in Serbian schools as the school slava since 1827.
Individual Serbian societies and institutions can also have their own slava – their patron saint, whom they celebrate and under whose protection they place themselves.
And not only societies and institutions. It is known that during the time of the Nemanjić dynasty, St. Stephen the First Martyr was the protector of the Serbian state. (On Serbian coins from that time, St. Stephen was depicted offering a cross or flag to the ruler; and all Serbian rulers, starting with Stefan Nemanjić, bear the name Stefan along with their folk name – Stefan Uroš, Stefan Milutin, Stefan Dušan).
The eve of slava
On the eve of slava, let the housewife knead the slava bread with holy water and cook wheat for kolivo; let the head of household obtain a slava candle, incense, red wine and oil.
It is recommended that the housewife herself, or someone from the household, knead the slava bread, rather than buying it ready-made. Let that slava bread, kneaded by the household, be an expression of gratitude to God and the saint for being given life and health to reach the day of their slava that year – let it be a prayer to the Lord for blessing. But if the slava bread is prepared by someone outside the house, then when it is brought home, it should be sprinkled with holy water.
The tasks of preparing for slava should be arranged so as to set aside time for going to church for vespers or vigil (when oil and incense will usually be brought and offered as one’s contribution to the church, and in memory of the saint).
– In church, let the celebrants light a candle for the health of themselves and their family and let them offer warm and sincere prayers to the Most High, asking for the intercession of their saint.
– Let them also remember their dear departed, and let them offer a candle for the repose of their souls.
If for some particular reasons they cannot go to church, let them all – after finishing their work – gather before the icon of their saint, light a vigil lamp for him, and pray to God and the saint for happiness, health and every good thing. Let the head of household cense the icon, all present and all rooms in the house with incense. He, or someone younger, should read the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father…” and “Theotokos Virgin…” If they know how, let them sing the Troparion to the saint and read the prayer dedicated to him.[10] Let their prayers be sincere and from a pure heart, for only then will they be heard.
On the day of slava
Let the head of household dress in clean clothes, light the vigil lamp before the icon of the saint, and with another family member go to church for Matins or Divine Liturgy.
1. If the cutting of the slava bread is performed in church, and not at home, one should inquire beforehand, a day earlier, at what time the cutting of slava breads will be performed in church (usually this is early in the morning). On the day of slava at the designated time, the head of household will bring to church the slava bread and kolivo wrapped in a clean white cloth, then a little red wine in a bottle and a small candle which he will place in the wheat and light to burn while the ritual is performed. If possible, the head of household should bring the bread to church, and if he cannot, then let someone from his family do it and not someone else! Bring along a paper on which the names of all family members are written, so that the priest may mention them in prayer.
Parents bringing the cake to church should also bring their grown children to participate in this prayerful act, so that memories of these beautiful days and our lovely customs are deeply imprinted in their young souls.
Usually, when matins end, the priest will cense the slava wheat, cake, and wine, sing the Troparion to the saint, and then read a prayer over the wheat and bless it. (See: Blessing of the wheat, on p. 46).
In this prayer, the priest prays for God to bless all the gifts prepared in honor of the saint; to multiply them both in the celebrating home and throughout the world; to cleanse from sin and sanctify all those who prepared it and those who will taste it; and for those who prepared the wheat and brought it for consecration and blessing – in honor and memory of their patron saint – to fulfill all requests and desires related to their better life on earth and in heaven.
Then the priest blesses the wine and the slava cake, praying to God to accept the offered sacrifice in memory of the celebrated saint.
Then he takes the cake, cuts it crosswise from the bottom, pours wine over it in a cross shape, and then turns it with the celebrant while singing these three songs:
I
The first song speaks about the martyrs and the saint we celebrate, who are our intercessors before God and teachers of faith and moral purity:
“Holy martyrs, who have suffered well and
been crowned, pray to the Lord to have mercy on our souls.”
II
The second song glorifies Christ, who is the praise of the apostles and the joy of the martyrs:
“Glory to You, Christ God, the boast of the Apostles, the joy of the Martyrs,
whose preaching was the consubstantial Trinity.”
III
The third song expresses the manifestation of the Son of God in human flesh – by birth.
“Rejoice, O Isaiah! A Virgin is with child and shall bear a Son
Emmanuel, both God and man; and Orient is His name, Whom
magnifying, we call the Virgin blessed.”
Then they break the cake in half and, each holding their half, join it together. Kissing the cake, the priest says:
“Christ is among us”
and the celebrant also kisses the slava cake and responds:
“He is and shall be.”
They do this three times. Then the celebrant receives the cake from the priest, takes the wheat, and carries it to his house, where he places it on the table or in front of the icon.
At home, he then lights the slava candle, censes it, then the icon and all family members, and then they all pray together to the Lord and their saint, as they did on the eve of the slava. (See pp. 22-23).
After the prayer, family members congratulate the host on the slava and each other, and they kiss.
2. If the cake is cut at home, the host, along with some family members, after returning from church from Matins or Holy Liturgy, awaits the arrival of the priest, who, if invited to come to the home, will arrive at the appointed time to cut the slava cake.
The table with the slava candle should be set in front of the icon as already mentioned; the slava candle stands a little forward on the table, the slava cake is placed on the left side, the wheat (koljivo) on the right, in the middle a cup or preferably a small jug with red wine, next to the cake a knife, incense, and paper with the names of all family members written for the priest to mention in prayer. Embers should also be prepared to be put in the censer. The oil lamp in front of the icon has been lit since morning.
When the priest comes to the home of his parishioner, entering, he greets him with the evangelical words: “Peace to this house and to those who live in it!”[11] To this greeting, the host responds: “Amen. God grant it!”
After all the family members gather and the host lights the slava candle, the priest is immediately given embers for the censer, he puts incense and first censes the home. The meaning of censing is beautifully expressed in the verse of the church song: “Let my prayer rise like incense before You, O Lord!” (Psalm 141:2).
Then the priest reads a prayer for the consecration of the wheat (koljivo), slava cake, and wine.
Then, in front of the icon, he raises the slava cake as our sacrifice to the glory of God and in honor of the saint we celebrate;
Then he cuts the cake and pours wine over it in a cross shape; he turns the slava cake with the host while singing these three songs:
I “Holy martyrs…”
II “Glory to You, Christ God…”
III “Rejoice, O Isaiah…”
The entire church ritual is much more solemn and closer to the soul when the whole family sings these songs together with the priest, so they should be learned (their full Church Slavonic text is given earlier, on p. 24, and Serbian on p. 48.).
When all three songs are sung, the priest breaks the cake with the host, or the one replacing him, and then all family members approach and kiss the cake. At this point, the priest addresses us with the words:
“Christ is among us”, which means: “Christ is among us!”
and we respond:
“He is and shall be!”, which means: “He is and will be!”
Family members should be taught to respond to the priest in this way. After this, the priest says a prayer in which he mentions the names of all household members that are written on a separate paper prepared on the table.
At the end of the ceremony, all present approach to kiss the cross, as during the blessing of water. Then congratulations begin. (See: The Rite of Cutting the Cake, on p. 47).
Everything needed for the service should be prepared before the holy rite begins, and when the rite starts, the whole family should be gathered, standing quietly and devoutly, and raising prayers to the Lord together with the priest, warmly and sincerely. For the priest does not come as some official who needs to perform a custom for the sake of the rest of the world – he comes for prayer, for the spiritual needs of the family. Therefore, all present at this home service should behave as in the Lord’s temple and attentively follow the rite and participate in it, praying and crossing themselves at the mention of God’s name. On this occasion, we pray to God for the health and progress of ourselves and all our living, and in the prayer for the consecration of the wheat also for the repose of the souls of deceased ancestors, so – both for our own good and out of love and respect for our dear departed – we should pray to God devoutly, sincerely, and with all our heart on this occasion as well.
Serbs everywhere take pride in their slava and strive to celebrate it as worthily as possible, both in freedom and in bondage, in their own country and abroad. These home services of ours and the customs associated with them develop both religious and national feelings in our children. Children rejoice in domestic festivities, and it is our duty as parents to bring as much joy to children as possible, so that they remember both us and their childhood with as much love and as many beautiful memories as possible.
It is unnecessary to emphasize that everything should be clean and in the best order: both the home and the family. The clothes of the host and his family do not have to be new or decorated, they just have to be clean.
But above all, we especially note, let their heart be pure, let their conscience be clean and peaceful, let them help their poor neighbors on that day, even with the smallest gifts or contributions: be it in food, money, clothing, or footwear. If possible, let their children deliver this help, so that they learn their Christian duty from an early age. The joy of those they will help will increase their own joy, and they will spend their slava more cheerfully, joyfully, and contentedly; the gratitude of those helped will find response with the Almighty God, who will bless the home of the celebrants, and multiply many times over everything they have done for the good of their neighbors, to the glory of God and in memory of their saint.
Only such a celebration of the patron saint’s day will be pleasing to both God and the saint, so, brothers and sisters, let us celebrate in this way!
If you can on your slava, and God has given you the means to do so, prepare a lunch if you wish and host your relatives, friends, colleagues, and neighbors. But let this lunch and feast be in harmony with the celebration of that day, and not degenerate into a mockery that serves no one’s honor and desecrates both the slava itself and tarnishes our name!
During lunch, if it is prepared for guests, they usually toast each other, although this is not customary everywhere. But where it is customary, the host should be mindful of moderation, always keeping in mind that this is not an ordinary feast but – a Serbian slava – a day when the memory of a saint is celebrated. The people themselves have already set a limit here by saying:
“If you often drink to others’ health, you will lose your own!”
Know this: Slava is not about food and drink, but about living a good Christian life, thinking of God, remembering and emulating the lives of saints, and doing good deeds. In this regard, we do everything we can!
Therefore, if you don’t have the means to prepare feasts and lunches for Slava, don’t go into debt for it, or deprive yourself of many necessities for the sake of guests’ praise. Instead, celebrate Slava, commemorate your saint, by performing the religious ritual, which is the true celebration of Slava – with prayer and a pure heart:
… The tradition of celebrating saints is deeply rooted in the people of Saint Sava. No other nation celebrates God’s saints as much as the Serbian people. And the profound meaning of this celebration lies in the highest ideal of our people – the ideal of a holy person, which is:
a person detached from earthly kingdom,
a person free from injustice and vanity,
a person filled with love for God and people,
a person fearless in the face of death;
in a word: a person of soul!
When such holy people begin to be considered the ideal throughout the land, then humanity will be happy. Hence, our people are the bearers of an ever-progressive and salvific ideal, the evangelical ideal, which ultimately the entire human race, now torn and divided, will have to accept and adopt if it desires its salvation.
How to make a Slava bread
Kneading the Slava bread at home is a beautiful family act and a very nice memory for children who, watching their mother knead it, will later transfer this to their own homes. Young girls should also assist their mother in this task, to gain early experience in it.
The bread is usually kneaded the day before Slava. After the housewife bathes and dresses in clean clothes, she will cross herself and silently recite the Lord’s Prayer, and only then begin kneading.
In a 1-liter pot, crumble 20 to 30 grams of yeast, pour half a cup of lukewarm milk over it and spread the yeast with your fingers so there are no lumps. Then add a little salt, a tablespoon of sugar, and a little flour to make a thin dough. Place the container near the stove and leave it until the yeast rises and fills the pot.
Meanwhile, sift 1 to 1.5 kilograms of flour, put it in a mixing bowl (if possible, use this bowl only for kneading Slava bread) and heat it well near the stove. When the yeast has risen, begin kneading. Make a well in the center of the flour, add the yeast, 4 egg yolks, 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar, a little grated lemon zest, and a few drops of blessed water (which the priest blessed for Slava), then knead all this while adding a little milk to get a medium-firm dough. While kneading, gradually add melted butter, and also from time to time dip your palms in melted butter and knead with greased hands (use about 100 g of butter).
The dough should be kneaded until it separates from the fingers and bubbles appear on it. When the dough is sufficiently worked, remove it from the bowl, sprinkle the bottom of the bowl with flour, then return the dough to the bowl, cross it, cover it with several clean napkins, and leave it in a warm place to rise.
When the dough has doubled in size, carefully pour it onto a floured board, gently shape it into a round loaf with your hands, and place it in a round mold that has been well greased with butter and dusted with flour. During this re-kneading, the dough should not be pressed too much or kneaded, as this will prevent the bread from rising. Cover the mold with the bread again with napkins and leave it in a warm place to rise again. When the bread has risen sufficiently, brush it with beaten egg and decorate it with ornaments made from the same dough.
First, a cross is placed across the entire bread (made from two cylindrical pieces of dough placed crosswise).
Then the bread is framed with a braid, over which a wreath is made. The wreath is usually made by rolling out a piece of dough and then cutting it into smaller cylindrical pieces. Each such piece is cut twice lengthwise (so that it has three prongs). These pieces are arranged over the braid so that each subsequent one slightly overlaps the previous one; continue this way until the entire bread is framed, thus creating a wreath around the cross. Both the wreath and the cross are further notched with scissors to make the bread look even more ornate.
Now, a prosphora – like a circular small bread – is placed at the center of the cross. It is also placed over the wreath, and at the ends of each of the four arms of the cross (a total of five prosphoras).
Further, the bread is decorated with other ornaments made from lean dough, which is kneaded from flour and a little water. These decorations should not be brushed with egg but left white. These ornaments represent the housewife’s wishes – what she wants to have in her home: birds (doves) represent health and joy. A bunch of grapes signifies a wish for a good harvest; flowers (roses) mean beauty, purity, and the sweet fragrance of the soul, and for children to grow up beautiful and pure like roses; (then, as a wish for the house to have everything, a small barrel is made, then a small glass, then a book, etc.). These decorations are placed in the fields between the arms of the cross, and it is enough, for the bread to be beautiful, to have one decoration in each of the four fields.
But the most important decoration of the Slava bread is a square-shaped sign with a cross in the center and the inscription IS HS NI KA between the arms of the cross – this inscription in Greek means: Jesus Christ Conquers. There is a special wooden stamp for imprinting this sign (which every housewife should have). The lean dough is rolled out and this stamp, previously dipped in flour, is pressed into it. This sign is cut out with a knife along the edge from the rest of the dough piece and placed on each prosphora.
The appearance of the bread itself and the way of making decorations depends on the skill of the housewife, but it should be known that the bread should never be overcrowded with decorations.
Cross the decorated bread and place it in a preheated oven and bake at moderate heat. Do not open the oven for the first ten minutes, and then turn the bread occasionally so that it rises evenly on all sides. Be careful not to overbake the bread. As soon as the surface of the bread turns golden, cover it with a sheet of clean white paper and continue baking. When the bread separates from the mold, it means it’s baked, but still leave it for about ten more minutes to ‘settle’ on low heat. A well-risen and baked bread should not be heavy. As soon as the bread is taken out of the oven, carefully brush the top with lukewarm water in which a little sugar has been dissolved (the outer surface of the bread will then be shiny) and then turn it out onto a clean plate.
The bread can also be made lean when the patron saint’s day falls on fasting days. It is kneaded in the same way as the non-fasting version, just without milk, eggs, and butter.
How to prepare Slava wheat
Although it seems simple to prepare wheat, it’s not such an easy thing. Cook it this way: obtain ‘belija’ wheat which is white and large, clean it, and two days before Slava, in the evening, soak it in a pot with clean water and leave it in that water overnight until the next day. Some housewives prepare wheat by grinding it after cooking, while others ‘pound’ it before cooking. When the housewife doesn’t want to grind the wheat, but to knead it, then the next day, after the wheat has soaked overnight, drain it from the water and pound it little by little in a brass mortar. When the hard shell has been removed from the grains, wash the wheat in several cold waters, put it in a pot, cover with cold water, and cook on low heat for about 2 hours, that is, until the water turns white and the grain is completely soft.
In case the housewife wants to grind the wheat, it’s not necessary to pound it, but in the morning after the wheat has soaked overnight, put it to cook in the same pot and water. Prepared this way, the wheat will take longer to cook. Avoid adding water during cooking, and especially stirring. Wheat easily burns, so keep cooking it on low heat. Put the cooked wheat in a colander and rinse under the tap until the white film disappears and the grains are completely clean and white. Let the wheat drain well. Cover a large table with a clean tablecloth and spread the wheat on it, but in such a way that the grains don’t overlap. Cover this with another clean tablecloth. Leave the wheat overnight, and early the next morning put it in a deeper container and if it’s pounded, knead it, and if not, grind it (sometimes twice) in a well-washed meat grinder. It is mandatory for the housewife to cross herself before starting to knead the wheat.
Measure one kilogram of wheat, one kilogram of vanilla-scented powdered sugar, and one kilogram of ground walnuts, or blanched, peeled, and ground almonds. Evenly add the sugar and walnuts to the wheat, kneading it well with your hands. Take a glass plate, used specifically for this purpose, and place the kneaded wheat on it in the shape of a round loaf. Sprinkle the wheat on top with ground walnuts[12] or blanched, peeled, and ground almonds, then add a layer of powdered sugar, making sure that the ground walnuts and sugar evenly cover the wheat. Finally, take a clean napkin, place it over the sugar, and use your palms to pat the sugar well so that it does not fall off the wheat. Some housewives also decorate the wheat with various decorations (which is neither very nice nor tasty). If desired, the wheat can be decorated with blanched and peeled almonds. Wipe the edges of the plate first with a damp napkin, and then with a dry one. This wiping is recommended more often after serving.
For the Patarice (the second day of Slava), set aside cooked wheat on the eve of the Slava, and prepare it on the day of the Patarice.
The wheat is made by the priest or the host.
The hostess is obliged to prepare everything needed for the priest in the morning on the day of the Slava, which includes: the Slava cake, wheat, candle, knife, a glass of wine, a censer with myrrh, and a list with the names of those who celebrate the Slava. The candle is lit by the host or son. It is customary for the one who lit it to extinguish it in the evening with the rest of the wine that remained in the glass from the pouring. In the event that there is no male head of the house, the candle will be lit by the priest. The Slava is received by the sons. While the father is alive, even if the sons are married, a second candle will not be lit. If the father passes the Slava on to his son during his lifetime, then the son will be able to light the candle in his home.
