Serbian Christmas Traditions - Christmas - Christmas Dinner - Meal

Meal

Christmas dinner is the most celebratory meal a family has during a year. Аbout noon, or even earlier, the family members sit down at the table. When the head of household gives a sign, all rise. He lights a candle, censes his family and house, and prays the Lord's Prayer. After that, the family members kiss each other on the cheek saying, "The peace of God among us, Christ is Born." The head and another man of the family hold the česnica between themselves, rotating it three times counterclockwise. The česnica is then carefully broken among the relatives, so that each of them gets his or her own share of the loaf. The family member whose share contains the coin hidden in the česnica, will supposedly be exceptionally lucky in the coming year. The main course of Christmas dinner is roast pork of the pečenica. During the dinner, the head of household proposes a toast to his family with a glass of wine, several times. A traditional toast from parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina goes like this:

Сјај Боже и Божићу,
кућњем шљемену и сјемену,
волу и тежаку, козици и овчици,
путнику намјернику, рибици у водици, птици у горици!
Сјај Боже и Божићу,
Мени домаћину и моме племену и шљемену!
Shine, O God and Christmas,
on the rooftop and children of the house,
on the ox and farmer, the goat and sheep,
on the traveler, the fish in water, the bird in a mountain!
Shine, O God and Christmas,
on me, the head of household, and on my family and rooftop!

After Christmas dinner, the remaining food should not be removed from the table – only the used tableware is taken away. The food is covered with a white cloth, and eaten in the evening as supper.

Read more about this topic:  Serbian Christmas Traditions, Christmas, Christmas Dinner

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