Jelena Milosevic We hope you found this presentation on the tradition of Slava, the Serbian Family Patron Saint Day, interesting and informative. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you for your time and interest in learning more about Serbian culture and Orthodox traditions.

1. Sveti Sava (Saint Sava) Contents
The Family and the Serbian Slava (Patron Saint)..............1
Schools’ Patron Saint Slava in the family...................2
Preslava (little slava)..............3
St. Sava.................................4
The Loaf of
Slava....................5
Slava and Jewish Passover
Meal............................6
The most celebrated Patron
Saints...........................7
Fasting....................................8
Credits (The end)....................9

2. Slava (Patron Saint) distinguishing marks of the Serbian
Orthodoxy and the Serbian Orthodox
I n all the religions worldwide, there is a Church. The difference lies in the fact that
tradition or a custom of celebrating a day the Patron Saint is not the Protector of an
which is for some reason special for an individual only but of the entire family.
individual or a community. Those reasons, This, specifically, Serbian family custom,
just like the origins of those customs, vary is called Slava (the Celebration, the
from religion to religion and from culture to Glorification). The entire family celebrates
culture. In the Western Christianity, for it each year on the day of the particular
example, there is a tradition of celebrating Patron Saint from the moment a family has
the Patron Saint, a Saint that is believed become Christian,( probably at the moment
to be the protector of a city. Also, there is a of the “family baptism”, i. e. the baptism of
tradition of celebrating a day, or better to the entire family). This implies that the
say, an individual Patron Saint Day, Slava or the Patron Saint day is the day
when a child, for example, got its name after of the family gathering or reunion,
the Saint, ‘the name’s day’ as we call it. accentuating the importance of family in the
However, there is among the Orthodox Serbian Orthodoxy, followed by a
Serbs a variation of the tradition of the particular ritual.
Patron Saint, which is actually one of the

3. Slava in the family Slava. So, if two Serbian families have the
same Slava, even without having the same
The host of Slava is the head of the family surname, this could be an indicator of
(pater familias). The role of a host is possible family ties between them.
inherited from the head of the family to The sons should celebrate the Slava with
sons, just like the way the surname is their father only if they live under the same
inherited from father to sons. Since the roof. If they live separately, they should
surname is not only an individual but a celebrate it separately, each one in his
family mark, the connection between the household. If the head of the family doesn’t
surname and Slava is evident and have a son, daughters can inherit the Slava
comprehensible only in their family only if they stay in the home. As a rule
dimension. This connection establishes married women by the very marriage start to
Slava as the indicator of the genealogical celebrate their husband’s Slava.
relationships between families and branches
of the same family. This is important
especially after the Turkish occupation of
the Serbian countries, since many Serbs
were forced to change their surnames (as it
was ordered by the Turks, escaping
vendettas etc.), but they have never changed
their

4. Preslava (little slava) families, where pagan Protector of a family
was, by mass Christianization of
Serbs usually celebrate one Slava; yet, Serbs(ninth century), replaced by a
some families may celebrate another Saint Christian Saint. Although this
to a lesser extent for various reasons. If explanation seems easy and logical, it
something very important happened to doesn’t explain why only the Serbs have
somebody on a certain day (rescue from developed Slava and why many other
peril, some extraordinary achievement etc.) nations, that have had much more
than he would adopt the Saint that is sophisticated and developed religious
celebrated on that day as his another Patron veneration of household gods (Romans had
Saint. Or if the wife is the only descendant celebrated Lars as household gods, Greeks
of her father so otherwise her father’s Slava had venerated Hestia…), didn’t develop,
would be extinguished. All these cases of during their Christianization, some similar
the Second Slava are named as Preslava or custom, but ended up in celebrating the
Little Slava. ‘name’s day’. In any case, this simple
The historical background of Slava is explanation of the origin of Slava cannot
obscure. It is usually said that Slava, as a elucidate the specific Serbian character of
custom, has roots in pagan worship of Old Slava.
Slavic household gods as protectors of the

5. codification of the Sava Law, that
St. Byzantine is actually reminder for all Teachers and
deserted and ruined monastery on the
implements the rich inheritance of the Pupils that theyAthos-Hilandary. They
northern brink of are one big family with
Although Slava has been present among
Greco-Roman Civil Law, St. Sava St. Sava as their Head. not only as served
built a monumental monastery which a place
the Serbs since beginning of the 13th
already, at thethe ninth century, Saint for spiritual life of monks but also as law
At Hilandary important medieval the
Sava gaveintroduces final Serbian as the
Century, it the the stamp State cultural centre for Serbs. were transcribed
codes and literary works
community mark Orthodox Church to the
and the Serbian of the Serbian Orthodox under the supervision of St. Sava. He was
Church that of the European its
mainstream he established in 1219, beingand also a writer, and we can freely say he
first Archbishop.civilization. Therefore,
Mediterranean But the importance of stands at the beginning of the independent
Saint Sava cannot be limited to of
St. Sava stands at the very beginningthe Serbian medieval literature (D.
establishment of the Serbian Literature,
the Serbian Law, the Serbian Orthodox Bogdanovic). His first literary work, The
Church only. The youngest son of the
the Serbian Culture and the Serbian Karyes Typicon (1199), testifies about the
Serbian Great wonder, (Duke) in the
Education. No Zupan then, thatStefan importance of juridical literature for the
Nemanja, Rastko inthe liberation left the
19th Century, after the age of 17 of for establishment of the Serbian State and
the Mount Athos where he became a monk.
Serbs from Turks, St. Sava was elected as Serbian Church in St. Sava’s worldview.
After Stefan Nemanja Serbianthrone for
the Patron Saint of left the Schools This Typicon, as well as the other two ( The
his middle son, Stefan Prvovencani (the
worldwide and of the Serbian Education Typicon of Hilandary and The Typicon of
Firstcrowned), St. Sava’s day every
generally. At and joined his son at Studenica) which were written by St.
Mount Athos, Saint Sava, with the
Serbian School celebrates its Patron Sava, introduce the main juridical work of
economic support of School Slava, which
Saint, celebrates itshis father, bought a St. Sava, Nomokanon. With this

6. The Loaf of Slava
especially the wine. In the rite of Breaking
next to it Kolyivo is boiled wheat arranged
the Slava Loaf, the wine is poured over the
Loaf so that it makes the sign of the cross with various spices, like sugar, grind nuts
The most remarkable sign the very rite of
over the Loaf, symbolizing in the and cinnemon. In the Gospel Tradition
Slava is The Loaf of Slava (Slavski
Christ. wheat symbolizes
Kolac). There is the Cross on the top of the resurrection (The Gospel according to
the Loaf and the abbreviation for “Jesus John 12, 24-25). It is dedicated to all the
Christ wins”. The loaf symbolizes the deceased members of the family, to all the
Christ, which can be seen in the rite of ancestors who faithfully celebrated Slava
breaking the loaf when the priest says to the before us, enabling us, today, to celebrate
head of the household “Christ between us”. the feast in the same manner, and whose
Partaking of the one loaf, which symbolizes presence is symbolically represented by
the very Christ, stresses the unity between wheat. Therefore, celebrating Slava unites
all members of the family in the Christian family not only by gathering it around the
faith. The Loaf also contains the Dove (of Loaf representing Christ, but also
peace), reminding the members of the family temporarily extends, by means of wheat,
that until the next celebration of Slava this celebration to all Christian generations
peace must rule among them. When the of family. Indispensible elements of Slava
Loaf is placed on the table in front of the are also: a Candle (Slavska Sveca) that is
Saint’s Icon, a bowl of kolyivo is placed lit on in honor of the Patron Saint, and

7. Slava and Jewish Passover Meal
Passover Meal, bread and wine are not
only simple food but their usage in the meal
The usage of bread and wine in a religious bears profound theological connotations.
family feast would point to some important Both Jewish Passover Meal and Serbian
parallels between Serbian Slava and Slava celebrate the day when families,
Jewish Passover Meal (see The Book of Jewish and Serbian, became connected to
Exodus 12). Both feasts are strictly God in a special way as God’s covenant
family celebrations that gather and people- Jews in the moment of their Exile
spiritually unite family around their from Egypt and Serbian family through
central object- Jews are gathered around the their family baptism on the Feast Day of
Paschal Lamb and Serbs around Christ the Family Patron. In any case, the
(symbolized by the Loaf and Wine). If we connection between Serbian Slava and
consider the fact that in the Gospel Jewish Passover Meal shouldn’t be
Tradition Jesus Christ is presented as overlooked.
“our (Christian) Passover Lamb” (The
Gospel of John 1,29.36; Paul’s First
Epistle to Corinthians 5,7), then the
resemblance between the two is even
stronger. In both Slava and Jewish

8. The most celebrated Patron
Saints
The most celebrated Patron Saints among
the Serbs are: Saint Nicholas (19/12
according to the Gregorian Calendar),
Saint Michael (21/11), Saint John the
Baptist (20/1), Saint George the Great St. Nicholas St. Michael
Martyr (6/5), Saint Demetrius (8/11),
Saint Stephen (9/1- the Slava of the
Nemanjic Dynasty).
St. John St. George

9. Fasting
If Slava falls in a period of fasting (4
Great Fasts and the most of Wednesdays
and Fridays) the Feast consists of fasting
meals, based only on vegetables and fish,
fat-fee food. Otherwise, it is an ordinary
meal with plenty of meat on the table. Still,
the most important thing during the
celebration is the joyous atmosphere and
feeling of unity and love of God, family,
relatives and friends visiting, wishing to
share the moments of love, peace and love
with their loved ones.

10. Credits
Ivana Tonsa
Presentation was made by: Darko Kostic
Milan Stojanovic
High school “Bora Stankovic” Nis.