Serbians in Michigan

Religious Celebrations and Conflicts

47 ReligiousCelebrationsandConflicts W ithin Serbian society, the Orthodox faith has played a central role in ethnic identity for hundreds of years. In the Balkans, Orthodoxy differentiated Serbs from their Bosnian Muslim, Slovenian, and Croatian Catholic neighbors. When Serbian immigrants arrived in Michigan, the tradition continued as they built new churches, which formed the hearts of enclaves across the state. Often, parishioners would buy a large plot of land that also allowed the construction of a school, meeting hall, and home for the priest. With the buildings in place, parishioners could focus on their faith by attending religious services and enjoying the camaraderie of numerous holiday seasons. Chief among these religious celebrations are Christmas, Easter, and St. Sava Day, while Palm Sunday, St. George’s Day, and weddings each have their own significance in the community. Of religious holidays, St. Sava Day remains a uniquely Serbian occasion that commemorates the patron saint of the country. Saint Sava was the youngest son of King Stephan I, who in the twelfth century founded the first Serbian state. Before his death in 1236, Saint Sava built two monasteries, founded the independent Serbian Orthodox Church, and wrote the nation’s first constitution. These achievements propelled Saint Sava to the forefront of Serbian heroes, a position shared by Prince Lazar, who was martyred and beatified after the 1389 Battle of Kosovo. In modern Serbia the 269 foot tall 48 Paul Lubotina Saint Sava Cathedral, completed in 1989, dominates the skyline of Belgrade. After nearly a century of construction it is one of ten largest churches in the world, which seats 10,000 people and contains the remains of both Saint Sava and Prince Lazar, the two greatest heroes of Serbian history.79 This celebration actually emerged from a pre-Christian tradition to venerate family gods. As society transitioned into Christianity, saints replaced the pantheon of gods that people worshipped. The leader of the new Serbian Church, Saint Sava, forbade blood sacrifices and introduced Greek Orthodox religious symbols such as the candle (vostanica), wheat (koljivo), and bread (kolač) to celebrate the life, struggles, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since all life has been born from seed, the wheat grain came to symbolize both the body of Christ and Holy Mother, along with the veneration of the populations’ main food crop. Thus, Saint Sava Day celebrations revolve around the blessing of wheat and breaking bread with family and friends because, “God helps him who celebrates his Slava” (Ko Slavu slavi, njemu i Bog pomaze).80 Serbian’s have a great deal of diversity concerning when they celebrate Saint Sava Day (Krsna Slava), along with several aspects of the actual observance . Traditionally, a family will have their own patron such as St. Nicholas, St. John, St. George, St. Elijah, or Archangel Michael. The choice of saints usually descends through male lines and is usually adopted by women after they marry into the family. On or near the name day of their family’s saint, the head of household will invite family and friends to their homes for the ceremony. In a typical observance, a family will either bring a special Patron Saint’s Cake to church for a public blessing or invite the priest to their home for a private service. In either case, the family will also have a bowl of cooked wheat sweetened with honey (koljivo), a book (citulja) with the names of deceased family members, an icon of their patron saint, lit candles, and wine laid out on a table. During a private ceremony, the priest begins by burning incense and reading the names of both living and dead family members, who are then offered prayers. He first cuts the cake crossways to symbolize the crucifixion, pours a small amount of wine over the cake, then blesses and kisses it three times. The cake is then passed to family members, who also kiss it before handing it back to the priest, who in turns breaks off small pieces for the family to eat. This commemorates both the living and dead family SERBIANS IN MICHIGAN 49 members, along with Saint Sava and all of the other deceased patron saints. The sweetened wheat represents the unity of the Orthodox faithful and their separation from other religious faiths. It is offered as a humble sacrifice to God in gratitude for the many blessings bestowed upon the family.81 Once the ceremony concludes, the feasting begins, with the sweetened wheat being passed in patriarchal order, starting with the eldest...