George's Day in Spring
George's Day in Spring, or Saint George's Day (
Saint George is one of the most important saints in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. He is the patron military saint in Slavic, Georgian, Circassian, Cossack and Chetnik military tradition. Christian
Beyond Orthodox Christian tradition proper, Đurđevdan is also more generically a spring festival in the Balkans.
Balkan tradition
Saint George's Day, known as Đurđevdan (Ђурђевдан) in
The holiday's rituals and festivities are related to the legend of
About a third of the population in Serbia have St. George as a patron saint, meaning that St. George's Day or Đurđevdan is celebrated as a
In Serbia, the celebration is linked to the end of Turkish rule, recollecting the days when fighters made plots and plans in woodland hideouts.[9] In the past, the date was used by the fighters for gathering and organizing their units for campaigns, leading to battles up until the end of November when they disbanded and returned to their villages to await the arrival of spring again, when trees turned new leaves.[10] Thus another custom is spending the day in nature. Other traditions in some parts of Serbia include the ritual sacrifice of lamb, bathing children in spring flowers and blossoms or nettles and herbs. The Prayer under Midžor Mt. Peak is a festival which has been organized since 2000 in the village of Vrtovac and includes prayer, national dances, local cuisine contests and other cultural events.[11] Serbs around the world also celebrate with singing, music, dancing and sporting events.[10]
The traditions of the Roma Durđevdan are based on decorating the home with
In Bulgaria, May 6 is celebrated as St. George's Day as well as the Day of the Bulgarian Army with a military parade. St. George is considered the patron of spring verdure and fertility, and of shepherds and farmers.[13] Cattle rituals are performed, including the sacrificing of a lamb, offered to the saint. Villagers perform the traditional Bulgarian chain dance Horo, bathe in morning dew and "drink three sips of silent water from local springs as a cure" while a ritual meal is placed on a large table for the whole village.[14]
In Macedonia, the harvesting of herbs is an important symbolic act, done in St. George's day eve or early morning on the day. It is through this that various customs and songs are performed. At its core, the Macedonian tradition is in "the celebration of nature, the awakening of vegetation and life in general." Some of the herbs which are picked are believed to be magical. Similar to Bulgarian and Serbian customs, they are "aimed at ensuring progress and fertility of goods and fields, health, happiness and progress of people". Pilgrimages to holy sites devoted to St. George are also done in some villages.[15]
In
In
The holiday's widespread appeal, beyond the Orthodox Christian groups, in the Balkans, is evidenced in Meša Selimović's novel Death and the Dervish, where the pious Muslim protagonist views it as a dangerous pagan throwback, but where it is clearly celebrated by all ethnic groups in the unnamed city of its setting (widely considered to be Sarajevo).[citation needed]
"Ðurđevdan" is also the name of a popular song by band
Eastern Slavic tradition
Yuri's Day of Spring (
Along with various other Christian churches, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of
See also
References
- ^ Riches 2015, p. 51.
- ^ a b Terzić & Bjeljac 2018, p. 8.
- ^ Terzić & Bjeljac 2018, p. 7, 9.
- ^ a b Ghirda, Vadim (10 May 2018). "Bosnian Roma celebrate St. George's Day". Fox News. Associated Press.
- ISBN 978-1-85242-877-8.
- ^ Riches 2015, p. 76.
- ^ Georgevich, Maric & Moravcevich 1977, p. 174.
- ^ Terzić & Bjeljac 2018, pp. 5–6.
- ^ a b Riches 2015, p. 79.
- ^ a b Georgevich, Maric & Moravcevich 1977, p. 66.
- ^ Terzić & Bjeljac 2018, p. 9.
- ^ "Romani all over the World celebrate Durdevdan Today". Sarajevo Times. 6 May 2019.
- ^ "Bulgaria Celebrates St. George's Day, Army Day". novinite.com. 6 May 2014.
- ^ Terzić & Bjeljac 2018, pp. 7–8.
- ^ Terzić & Bjeljac 2018, p. 10.
- ISBN 978-1-84353-084-8.
- ISBN 978-0-69100-175-3.
Sources
- Riches, Samantha (2015). St George: A Saint for All. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-78023-477-9.
- Georgevich, Dragoslav; Maric, Nikolaj; Moravcevich, Nicholas (1977). Serbian Americans and Their Communities of Cleveland: Volume 1 (PDF). Cleveland State University.
- Terzić, Aleksandra; Bjeljac, Zelijko (2018). "Saint George's day in the Balkans - customs and rituals in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia". Journal of the Geographical Institute Jovan Cvijic SASA. 68 (3): 383–397. .
External links
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