Slava (tradition)

{{Short description|Traditional celebration found mainly among Serb Orthodox Christians}} {{Infobox holiday |holiday_name = Slava<br />{{small|{{lang|sr-cyrl|Слава}}}} |type = cultural |image = Slava.JPG |imagesize = |caption = |official_name = |nickname = |observedby = Serbian Orthodox Christians |litcolor = |longtype = |significance = Veneration of the family's patron saint |begins = |ends = |date = |scheduling =  |duration =  |frequency =  |celebrations = |observances = Church services, family and other social gatherings |relatedto = }} {{Infobox intangible heritage | ICH = Slava, celebration of family saint patron's day | State Party = Serbia | ID = 01010 | Region = ENA | Year = 2014 | Session = 9th | List = Representative }} {{Serbs}} '''Slava''' ({{langx|sr|Слава|lit=Celebration}}, {{IPA|sr|ˈslâʋa|sr}}) is a family's annual ceremony and veneration of their patron saint, found mainly among ethnic Serbs.

Although its origin is unknown, this old tradition is an important ethnic marker of Serbian identity. It is a tribute to the family's first ancestor, who was baptized into Christianity, with its presiding saint. Slava is passed down exclusively through male lineage and it symbolizes family identity, unity, and faith.

In 2014, Slava was inscribed on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists of Serbia. In general, the observance of Slava remains one of the most enduring and cherished traditions among Serbs worldwide.

== History == Serbian historians consider that records of Slava amongst Serbs can be traced back at least to 1018.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Nikola F.|first=Paković|date=2015|title=Slava ili krsno ime kod Srba|journal=Glasnik Etnografskog instituta SANU|volume=LXIII|pages=128}}</ref> However, the true origin of the Slava is unknown. According to one hypothesis, the Slava has its origins in Greek and Roman hero cult. Proponents of the Greek hypothesis point to etymology in that the Serbian word for wheat, ''koljivo'', an indispensable item of the Slava, is derived from the Greek term for gain of wheat, ''koliva''. Proponents of the Roman hypothesis point to the fact that Slava customs mimic Roman forms of celebration including bread breaking and toasting.<ref name="Montgomery" /> Another hypothesis states that the Slava has its origin in Medieval Serbia, connected to Saint Sava, the first Archbishop of the Serbs. There are indications that the institution of the Slava in the Serbian Orthodox Church dates from Saint Sava, that "in his understanding and tactful approach to Serbian folk religion", he "seems to have found a compromise formula satisfactory to both his people's pagan tradition and the requirements of theology".<ref>{{cite book|title=Serb World|volume=3-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UDZpAAAAMAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Neven Publishing Corporation|page=5}}</ref> The slava is a reinterpretation of a Serbian pagan rite:<ref name="Vlasto1970">{{cite book|author=A. P. Vlasto|title=The Entry of the Slavs Into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fpVOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA223|year=1970|publisher=CUP Archive|isbn=978-0-521-07459-9|pages=223–}}</ref> the ancestor-protector became a Christian saint,<ref name=folkarts>{{cite book|title=The folk arts of Yugoslavia: papers presented at a symposium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 1977|url=https://archive.org/details/folkartsofyugosl0000symp|url-access=registration|year=1976|publisher=Duquesne University Tamburitzans Institute of Folk Arts|page=[https://archive.org/details/folkartsofyugosl0000symp/page/41 41]}}</ref> frequently St. Nicholas,<ref name="Vlasto1970"/> with the pagan rite being reduced of many religious elements and frequent ceremonies and becoming a social event with the annual meeting of the family and friends.<ref name=folkarts/><ref>{{cite book|title=Folk Culture: Folk culture & the great tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LmpDAAAAYAAJ|date=1983|publisher=Institute of Oriental and Orissan Studies|page=113}}</ref> [[File:Србија, опис земле, народа и државе, 190.jpg|thumb|left|220px|"Breaking" of the ''slavski kolač'', illustration by Vladislav Titelbah, 1877]] In the scientific literature exists a discussion about the historical and ethnological origin of the Slava, which has not been completed. According to some Serbian researchers, "the thesis of how Slava is Serbian ethnic identification marker is simply delusion of the romantic and patriotic citizenry".<ref>Petko Hristov, The Use of Holidays for Propaganda Purposes: The “Serbian” Slava and/or the “Bulgarian” Săbor Petko Hristov, Ethnologia Balkanica, LIT Verlag, 2002, Issue No: 06, p 79: ''And here we completely agree to the conclusion of Milenko Filipović that the thesis regarding the slava, služba or the krastno ime were a purely Serbian feature, was “…a delusion of the romantic and patriotic citizenry and those from among those circles that were writers”, a delusion, of which …je samo srpstvo imalo više štete, nego koristi” [“The Serbian people have had more losses than benefits/advantages”]. (Filipović M., 1985; 152). Although here and there in scholarly publications, and particularly in popular books, even in the formal publications of the Serbian Eastern Orthodox Church, some of these romantic delusions about the slava as a Serbian ethnic identification marker are repeated, the serious scholars giving interpretation to the slava M.Filipović, V.Čajkanović, P.Vlahović, N.Pantelić, S.Zečević, D.Bandić, point out mostly the agrarian and integrative functions of the set of rites and rituals, united under the name of slava, and its tie-up with the cult for the forefathers.''</ref>

The increased effective geographic mobility brought about by the post World War II urbanization of a previously highly agrarian society, combined with the suppression of Serbian Orthodox traditions under the Communist rule, has made some aspects of the custom more relaxed. In particular, in the second half of the 20th century it became common to see traditional patriarchal families separated by great distances, so by necessity Slava came to occasionally be celebrated at more than one place by members of the same family.

While the ''Slava'' kept something of a grassroots underground popularity during the Communist period, the post-Communist revival of Serbian Orthodox traditions has brought it a resurgence. It is recognized as a distinctly (if not quite exclusively) Serbian custom, and today it is quite common for nonobservant Christians or even atheists to celebrate it in one form or another, as a hereditary family holiday and a mark of ethnocultural identification.

The custom is also helpful in genealogical studies as an indicator in kinship relations between families, such as tracing one's family to a specific region. It "becomes a simultaneous signifier of national and spiritual kinship and a core expression of the Serbian cosmology, whereby the dialectics of temporal, physical, and spiritual continuity converge into validated perceptions of cultural and social reality—re-enacted on a recurrent (annual) basis.<ref name="Mylonas">{{cite book |last1=Mylonas |first1=Christos |title=Serbian Orthodox Fundamentals: The Quest for an Eternal Identity |date=2003 |publisher=Central European University Press |isbn=978-9-63924-161-9 |pages=56–57 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=06d_CwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56}}</ref>

In November 2014 it was inscribed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists of Serbia.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Permanent Delegation of Serbia to UNESCO - Paris|url=http://www.unesco-paris.mfa.gov.rs/newstext.php?subaction=showfull&id=1549042190&ucat=109&|access-date=2021-06-16|website=www.unesco-paris.mfa.gov.rs}}</ref><ref name=Slava>{{cite web|title=Slava, celebration of family saint patron's day|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/slava-celebration-of-family-saint-patron-s-day-01010|website=UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage}}</ref>

== Practicing groups == [[File:Etnografski muzej - decembar 2024 - Postavka "Slava".jpg|thumb|Thematic exhibition about slava, Ethnographic Museum in Belgrade]] The tradition is an important ethnic marker of Serbian identity and is practiced by ethnic Serbs both in their historic homeland in the Balkans and in Serb diaspora communities worldwide.<ref name=EB70/><ref>{{cite encyclopedia| author = Michael B. Petrovich| author2 = Joel Halpern| editor = Stephan Thernstrom| editor2 = Ann Orlov| editor3 = Oscar Handlin| encyclopedia = Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups| title = Serbs| url = https://archive.org/details/harvardencyclope00ther/page/925| edition = 2nd| year = 1980| publisher = Harvard University Press| isbn = 978-0-674-37512-3| page = [https://archive.org/details/harvardencyclope00ther/page/925 925]| url-access = registration}}</ref> The slogan: {{lang|sr-Cyrl|Где је слава, ту је Србин}} ({{lang|sr-Latn|Gde je slava, tu je Srbin}}, {{lit|Where there is a Slava, there is a Serb}}) was raised as a Serbian national identifier by Miloš Milojević after his travel to Kosovo in 1871–1877.<ref name=EB70>{{cite book|title=Petko Hristov, The Use of Holidays for Propaganda Purposes: The "Serbian" Slava and/or the "Bulgarian" Săbor in Ethnologia Balkanica|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ebpDLhkVWcC&pg=PA70|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster|pages=69–80|id=GGKEY:ES2RY3RRUDS}}</ref> Serbs usually regard the Slava as their most significant and most solemn feast day.<ref>{{cite book | author = Celia Jaes Falicov | title = Family Transitions: Continuity and Change Over the Life Cycle | publisher = Guilford Press | year = 1991 | location = New York City | page = 219 | isbn = 978-0-89862-484-7}}</ref> Despite the tradition being inherently tied to Serbian Orthodox Christianity it is also practiced occasionally among Croats in the Neretva Valley and the Bay of Kotor.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Mišur |first=Ivo |title=Variability of Krsna Slava in Catholic Croats in the Neretva Valley |journal=Ethnologica Dalmatica |volume=25 |date=2018 |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/205224}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=krsna slava |language=hr |encyclopedia=Croatian Encyclopedia |url=https://www.enciklopedija.hr/clanak/krsna-slava |publisher=Leksikografski zavod Miroslav Krleža |year= 2021 |access-date=2022-04-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Mišur |first=Ivo |title=The Bans Of Krsna Slava Among Catholics In Herzegovina (Summary) |journal=Ethnologica Dalmatica |volume=29 |date=2022 |url=https://hrcak.srce.hr/283983}}</ref>

== Customs == The Slava is a family's annual ceremony and veneration of their patron saint.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McDonald |first1=Gordon C. |title=Area Handbook for Yugoslavia |journal=Pamphlet |date=1973 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |issn=0892-8541 |page=208 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2PBBAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA208}}</ref> It is a tribute to the family's first ancestor who was baptized into Christianity, with its presiding saint.<ref name="Montgomery" /> The family's patron saint is passed down from father to son and only men are allowed to carry out the Slava's rituals.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kaser |first1=Karl |title=Household and Family in the Balkans: Two Decades of Historical Family Research at University of Graz |date=2012 |publisher=LIT Verlag Münster |isbn=978-3-64350-406-7 |page=72 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zjmzQnrfFmQC&pg=PA72}}</ref> Upon marriage, women typically adopt the patron saint of their spouse although it is not uncommon for them to continue celebrating their native family's saint as well (in which case the secondary one is known as ''preslava'').<ref name="Montgomery">{{cite book |last1=Montgomery |first1=David W. |title=Everyday Life in the Balkans |date=2018 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=978-0-25303-820-3 |pages=291–292 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qNp5DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA291}}</ref>

A central aspect of Slava is hospitality, which is expressed through an unwritten rule or folk saying „На славу се не зове“ (“One does not get invited to Slava”).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2022-09-20 |title=Serbian Slava: 11 Most Important Things You Should Know |url=https://belgradelanguageschool.com/serbian-slava-11-most-important-things-you-should-know |access-date=2025-05-22 |language=en-US}}</ref> That means that on the day of Slava, the home is open to anyone who knows the family’s celebration date, which often includes relatives, friends, neighbours or acquaintances, even if they weren't formally invited. In that case the host family is obliged to welcome them with generous hospitality for a ritual feast, emphasizing hospitality, faith, and strong community bonds. However, in modern times, there are cases where families may informally notify guests of the celebration date ahead of time to help plan, but that remains atypical.<ref name=":0" />

Although a religious ceremony for the purpose of saint veneration, the family's intent behind the celebration is for "the good health of the living" as well as for a "general remembrance of the souls of the departed family members".<ref name="Montgomery" /> Many Serbian communities (villages, cities, organizations, political parties, institutions, companies, professions) also celebrate their patron saint. For example, the city of Belgrade celebrates the Ascension of Jesus Christ as its patronal feast.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Ascension of Jesus - the Patron Saint-day of the City of Belgrade and Ascension Church |url=http://www.spc.rs/eng/ascension_jesus_patron_saintday_city_belgrade_and_ascension_church |website=spc.rs |publisher=Serbian Orthodox Church |date=14 June 2013}}</ref>

A Slava celebration incorporates aspects of pagan traditions with minimal clerical involvement.<ref name="Mylonas" /> The ritual foods that are prepared for the feast are the ''slavski kolač'' (or simply ''kolač''), a ritual bread, and ''koljivo'' (or ''žito''), a dish of minced boiled wheat, sweetened and sometimes mixed with chopped walnuts.<ref name="Montgomery" /><ref name="BI">{{Cite web|last=Gercevic|first=Srdjan|title=Slava: Hygge, Serbian-Style|url=https://balkaninsight.com/2016/11/28/slava-hygge-serbian-style-11-19-2016/|date=28 November 2016|website=Balkan Insight}}</ref> A beeswax candle stamped with an image of the saint is also a staple at the celebration.<ref name="BI" />

Prior to the slava, a priest surrounded by family members blesses the house. This is done in front of the saint's icon and the lit candle whereby the priest recites a prayer. Every room in the house is then sprinkled with holy water along with the members of the family who are each named and wished good health.<ref name="Montgomery" />

The top of the ''kolač'' is adorned with the Christian cross, the peace dove, and other symbols. The kolač symbolizes the body of Jesus, and the wine with which the kolač is eaten represents his blood.<ref>{{cite web |title=Slavski kolač |url=http://www.stil-magazin.com/clanak/broj-96-27-oktobar-2008/slavski-kolac |website=Stil Magazin |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002181017/http://www.stil-magazin.com/clanak/broj-96-27-oktobar-2008/slavski-kolac |archive-date=2 October 2017}}</ref> The parish priest, either at the home or at the church, consecrates the kolač with wine; afterwards the man of the household cuts it into quarters and turns it cut-side up. It is further cut into pieces by other family members and oldest or most important guests, a total of three times.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |title=La Slava, celebration of the feast of the patron saint of the family |url=https://ich.unesco.org/fr/RL/la-slava-clbration-de-la-fte-du-saint-patron-de-la-famille-01010 |website=ich.unesco.org |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage}}</ref> In other traditions the bread is "broken" together by the guests after being ritually turned.<ref name="Montgomery" /><ref name="BI" /> The ''koljivo'' is a symbol of the Resurrection of Christ (cf. "if the grain does not die..." in the Gospel) and partaken in memory of the dead (deceased family members).<ref name="Montgomery" /> The cutting into the bread three times is a symbolism of the Holy Trinity.<ref name="Mylonas" />

The rest of the feast consists of a meal, the contents of which depend on whether the celebration falls within a fasting period. These periods are determined by the Orthodox religious calendar and the specific dietary rules may vary in strictness depending on the significance of the feast day. The general rule is that the meal does not contain animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs, especially on Wednesdays, Fridays, and during major fasting periods. On stricter days, food is prepared without oil ({{lang|sr-Cyrl|пост на води}}), typically consisting of simply boiled, steamed or baked plant based dishes such as beans, vegetables, and grains. On less strict days, food may be prepared with oil ({{lang|sr-Cyrl|пост на уљу}}), allowing the use of vegetable oil and sometimes wine, resulting in more varied dishes. On certain feast days within a fast, fish and seafood are also permitted, which is why many posna Slavas include fish dishes (pesco-vegan).<ref name="BI" /> In rarer cases, a Slava may fall on a day when the strictest form of fasting is observed, known as xerophagy, during which very simple or minimally prepared food is eaten, sometimes only once a day or after sunset. Outside of fasting periods, these restrictions do not apply and the Slava is considered mrsna. Thus, colloquially, Slavas are often referred to as posna or mrsna.<ref name="Montgomery" /> Appropriately prepared sweets are also served and alcohol is typically offered to adults.<ref name="BI" />

The most common feast days are St. Nicholas (''Nikoljdan'', 19 December), St. George (''Đurđevdan'', 6 May), St. John the Baptist (''Jovanjdan'', 20 January), St. Demetrius (''Mitrovdan'', 8 November), St. Michael (''Aranđelovdan'', 21 November) and St. Sava (''Savindan'', 27 January). Dates given are according to the Gregorian calendar. The Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar.

<gallery class="center"> Sveti Jovan.jpg|Slava prepared for the veneration of John the Baptist Slavski kolac.jpg|''Slavski kolač'', ritual bread Koljivo from wheat.jpg|''Koljivo'', ritual meal Žito, a dish of minced boiled wheat, sweetened and chopped walnuts.jpg|''Žito'' Serbian Slava Candle and Bread.jpg|Slava candle </gallery>

== Annotations == *'''''Krsna slava''''' (Крсна слава, "christened ''Slava''") and '''''Krsno ime''''' (Крсно име, "christened name")

== References == {{reflist}}

== Further reading == *{{cite book|author=Hrizostom Vojinović|title=Srpska slava ili krsno ime|publisher=Fleš|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hJTUAAAACAAJ |isbn=9788684541026|year=2003}} **{{cite web|title=Српска слава или крсно име|url=http://www.rastko.rs/bogoslovlje/hvojinovic-slava_c.html}} *{{cite book|author=Jovan Todorovich|title=Serbian Patron Saint (Krsna Slava)|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Uk5GwAACAAJ|year=1978}} *{{cite book|author=Dimitrije Kiki Popadic|title=Krsna Slava Among the Serbs: A Case for Contextualized Reinterpretation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ea2dNwAACAAJ|year=1999|publisher=Fuller Theological Seminary}} *{{cite book|title=Домаћине, срећна ти крсна слава|editor=Љубисав Милосављевић|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPw4AAAACAAJ|year=2005|publisher=ИТТ Национал|isbn=978-86-85233-37-1}} *{{cite book|author=Milan T. Vuković|title=Narodni običaji, verovanja i poslovice kod Srba|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NcbAAAAMAAJ|year=1972}} *{{cite book|author=Krsto Milovanović|title=Slave|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mhEcAQAAMAAJ|year=1997|publisher=Narodno delo|isbn=9788671191197}} *{{cite book|author=Mile Nedeljković|title=Slava u Srba|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mxnkAAAAMAAJ|year=1991|publisher=Vuk Karadžić|isbn=9788630703256}} *{{cite book|author1=Bratislav Grubačić|author2=Momir Tomić|title=Srpske slave: narodni običaji i verovanja, narodne pesme i zdravice, slavska jela i pića|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=il-BAAAAMAAJ|year=1988|publisher=Litera|isbn=9788674670026}} *{{cite book|author=Dimitrije M. Kalezić|title=Krsne slave u Srba|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mdmfAAAAMAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Narodna knjiga–Alfa}} *Влаховић, П. (1998). Крсна слава и њена улога у породичном и друштвеном животу код Срба. В: Етно-културолошки зборник. Књ. ІV, Сврљиг, 23–32. *Чајкановић, Веселин. "Мит и религија у Срба." Српска књижевна задруга 443 (1973): 128–153. *Vasić, M. (1985). Slava-Krsno ime. u: O krsnom imenu-zbornik. Beograd: Prosveta, 218–219. *Radenković, L. R. (2013). Slava: The Serb family feast. Zbornik Matice srpske za slavistiku, (84), 9-23. *{{cite journal|title=The Slava or Patron Saint's Day among the Serbs|author=Pavković, Nikola F.|journal=Glasnik Etnografskog instituta SANU|year=2015|volume=63|issue=1|pages=123–145|url=http://www.etno-institut.co.rs/files/gei/63_1/Pavkovic_SRB.pdf|doi=10.2298/GEI1501123P|doi-access=free}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} {{Wiktionary|slava}} * {{cite web|last=Ranković|first=Ljubomir|url=http://www.svetosavlje.org/biblioteka/Obicaji/slaveiobicaji/Lat_slave46.htm|title=Krsna Slava|publisher=Svetoslavlje|language=sr|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507191436/http://www.svetosavlje.org/biblioteka/Obicaji/slaveiobicaji/Lat_slave46.htm|archive-date=2015-05-07}} *{{cite news|title=Serb families honour their saints with Slava celebrations|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/magazine-21547754|date=3 March 2013|publisher=BBC}} *{{cite web|author=Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/doc/download.php?versionID=30333|title=Slava|date=November 2014|work=Nomination file no. 01010 for Inscription on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014|publisher=UNESCO|location=Paris, France}}

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