Christmas
On Christmas Day, the celebration is announced at dawn by church bells, and by shooting from guns and prangijas. The head of household and some of the family go to church to attend the Morning Liturgy. No one is to eat anything before tasting the prosphora, which the head of household brings from church for those who stay at home to do domestic tasks for this morning.
The Serbs native to the Slovenian region of White Carniola try to see only healthy and prosperous people on this day. The Serbs of Timiş County in Romania have since the interwar period adopted the custom of erecting in their homes a Christmas tree, which they call krisindla, after the German Christkindl. On Christmas Day children sing little songs, at the beginning of which Christmas is said to knock or tread loudly. This may be understood as a theophany: by the sound, Young God makes his arrival known to people. The following are the lyrics of two of such songs:
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Божић штапом бата, |
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Read more about this topic: Serbian Christmas Traditions
Famous quotes containing the word christmas:
“Monday’s child is fair in face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for its living;
And a child that is born on a Christmas day,
Is fair and wise, good and gay.”
—Anonymous. Quoted in Traditions, Legends, Superstitions, and Sketches of Devonshire, vol. 2, ed. Anna E.K.S. Bray (1838)
“Silver bells, silver bells,
It’s Christmas time in the city.”
—Ray Evans (b. 1915)
“The ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine drummers drumming,”
—Unknown. The Twelve Days of Christmas (l. 53–55)