8/9/2019 Slava 02 - How Our Ancestors Celebrated Slava

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How our ancestors celebrated Slava

Sava celebration became one of the main expressions of our ancestors Christian Orthodoxy.They respected their family Saints and celebrated their memory regardless of obstacles thatthey faced.

Throughout the year, the host prepared in order to have all the necessities needed for Slava. Ona day before Slava, a host would call all of his friends who did not celebrate the same Saint.(Slava or baptismal name / family patron Saint day is called again, holy, holy, peaceful day).When guests come to the house, they usually greet in the following way: "Good morning to youand may everything be holy and noble! I wish you to celebrate Slava for many years in healthand happiness!" Or: "God helps, happy Slava!" Friends from other villages (ie those that live faraway) can come to Slava even uninvited.

However, it should be pointed out that during Slava, household members were not onlyhospitable to relatives and friends - but their homes also became homes of prayer, and turnedto the church of God, in which the host and his family offered prayers of thanks to God and Hisholy representative [family patron celebrated at Slava] for the received gifts, for God's blessingwhich is poured on to them, lifting them in a prayer and request that in the future they alsoreceive the blessing of the Lord Almighty, health, happiness and goodness in life and work.

Next to the wax candle and a lit cressetbefore the icon of family patron Saint,and in addition to Slavas cake andwheat (grain), with the presence of theincense, our ancestors confirmed their

faith. Looking upon the protector of theirhome - upon the Saint whose memorythey celebrated - our ancestors followedthe good deeds their Saint.

On that day, their house was open for allthose who were passing by, while for thepoor and the distressed were helpeddepending on the wealth of thehousehold. Slava was celebratedaccording to the financial situation; but

regardless how difficult it might be, Slavawas always celebrated and their familypatron Saint was always mentioned intheir prayer

8/9/2019 Slava 02 - How Our Ancestors Celebrated Slava

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During the centuries of slavery, the days of Slava were the moments of rebirth, which providedpeople with new strength and encouragement. Through celebration of their Slava, the Serbianpeople managed to get the strength in order to endure all the suffering through which theypassed until they were freed. Many generations passed away while in slavery, but would leavethe following Testament to their children:

to love, protect and strengthen their Serbian Orthodox faith, to respect its sanctity, celebrate Slava, because only faith shall strengthen their will to live and preserve our

heritage - our Serbian name.

Many still celebrate the memory of their Saints the same way as their ancestors did. Even today,they do not forget the protector of their home [family patron Saint]. They celebrate Slava thebest they can, by that they shown to be great sons and daughters of their [mother] SerbianChurch, and to be worthy descendants of their glorious ancestors.

However, there are those who do not wish to celebrate Slava, and they advertise their decisionin the newspapers for the world to see (often using non-existent reasons, or those which couldnot qualify as reasons). This illustrates how quickly a person forgets and easily robshimself/herself from the most holy obligation, forgets and does not respect his/her faith, the verysame faith for which his/her ancestors not long ago have shed their blood and willingly gavetheir lives.

Neither did the honorable Prince Lazar, before the battleon Kosovo, forget to celebrate his Slava. And manycenturies after Kosovo battle, the Serbian soldierscelebrated their Slava in wet trenches in the midst of aheavy struggle. During the deadly war time, under thecrash of bombs and behind barbed wire in enemycamps, we remembered our Slava. - That day we havenever forgotten. When we were unable to celebrate ourSlava in a proper manner - the way which we havereceived from our ancestors - at the very least we lit thelong carried and guarded wax candle; and if we wereunable to find a candle, we would never forget the mostimportant thing: the warm prayers lifted up to God andour Saint to save us, so God would save us from evil andwe would return healthy to our homes, into the arms ofour loved ones.

Now, after our wishes or the wishes of our parents have been fulfilled, should we stopcelebrating our Slava? Isnt that the complete ingratitude towards God, ingratitude and neglectof the Testament received from our ancestors? The following saying is forgotten: "Ingratitude - that is like a blade of a sword, sometimes cuts a head and its blacksmith!"