General Characteristics
The Serbians inhabiting the present kingdom of Serbia, having been
mixed with the ancient indigenous population of the Balkan Peninsula,
have not conserved their true national type. They have mostly brown
visages and dark hair; very rarely are blonde or other complexions
to be seen. Boshnyaks (Serbians inhabiting Bosnia) are considered
to be the most typical Serbians, they having most strongly retained
the national characteristics of the pure Southern-Slavonic race. The
average Serbian has a rather lively temperament; he is highly sensitive
and very emotional. His enthusiasm is quickly roused, but most emotions
with him are, as a rule, of short duration. However, he is extremely
active and sometimes persistent. Truly patriotic, he is always ready
to sacrifice his life and property for national interests, which he
understands particularly well, thanks to his intimate knowledge of the
ancient history of his people, transmitted to him from generation to
generation through the pleasing medium of popular epic poetry composed
in very simple decasyllabic blank verse--entirely Serbian in its
origin. He is extremely courageous and always ready for war. Although
patriarchal and conservative in everything national, he is ready
and willing to accept new ideas. But he has remained behind other
countries in agricultural and industrial pursuits. Very submissive in
his Zadrooga [12] and obedient to his superiors, he is often despotic
when elevated to power. The history of all the Southern Slavs pictures
a series of violations, depositions, political upheavals, achieved
sometimes by the most cruel means and acts of treachery; all mainly
due to the innate and hitherto inexpugnable faults characteristic of
the race, such as jealousy and an inordinate desire for power. These
faults, of course, have been most apparent in the nobles, hence the
decay of the ancient aristocracy throughout the Balkans.
Paganism and Religion
There is available but slender material concerning the pre-Christian
history of the Southern-Slavonic races, and their worship of Nature has
not been adequately studied. Immediately after the Slavonic immigration
into the Balkan Peninsula during the seventh and eighth centuries,
Christianity, which was already deeply rooted in the Byzantines, easily
destroyed the ancient faith. The last survivors of paganism lived
in the western part of the peninsula, in the regions round the river
Neretva, and these were converted to Christianity during the reign of
Basil I. A number of Croatians had been converted to Christianity as
early even as the seventh century, and had established an episcopate
at Agram (Zagreb). In the course of some thousand years Graeco-Oriental
myths and legends, ancient Illyrian and Roman propaganda and Christian
legends and apocryphal writings exercised so great an influence upon
the ancient religions of the Southern-Slavonic peoples that it is
impossible to unravel from the tangled skein of such evidence as is
available a purely Southern-Slavonic mythology.
The God Peroon
Of Peroon, the Russian God of Thunder, by whom the Russian pagans
used to swear in their treaties and conventions concluded with the
Byzantines during the tenth century, only a few insignificant traces
remain. There is a village named 'Peroon' near Spalato; a small number
of persons in Montenegro bear the name; [13] and it is preserved
also in the name of a plant, 'Peroonika' (iris), which is dedicated
to the god. There is hardly a cottage-garden in the Serbian villages
where one does not see the iris growing by the side of the house-leek
(Tchuvar-Koutchye). The Serbians say that the god lives still in the
person of St. Elias (Elijah), and Serbian peasants believe that this
saint possesses the power of controlling lightning and thunder. They
also believe that St. Elias has a sister 'Ognyena Maria' (Mary the
Fiery One), who frequently acts as his counsellor.
The God Volos
From the Russian God of Cattle, 'Volos,' the city 'Veless' has obtained
its name; also a village in the western part of Serbia, and there
is a small village on the lower Danube called 'Velessnitza.' But
the closest derivative appears in the Serbian word 'Vo,' or 'Voll'
(in the singular) 'Volovi' (in the plural) which means 'Ox.'
The Sun God
Other phenomena of Nature were also personified and venerated as gods.
The Sun god, 'Daybog' (in Russian 'Daszbog,' meaning literally 'Give,
O God!'), whose idols are found in the group of idols in Kief, and
whose name reappears as a proper name of persons in Russia, Moldavia
and Poland, is to the Serbians the personification of sunshine,
life, prosperity and, indeed, of everything good. But there have
been found no remains of idols representing the god 'Daybog' among
the Southern-Slavonic nations, as with the Russians, who made figures
of him in wood, with head of silver and moustache of gold.
The Veele
The Serbian legends preserve to this day interesting traces of the
worship of those pagan gods and of minor deities--which still occupy
a considerable place in the national superstition. The "nymphai"
and "potami" mentioned by the Greek historian Procope, as inferior
female divinities inhabiting groves, forests, fountains, springs
or lakes, seem to have been retained in the Serbian popular Veela
(or Vila--in the singular; Veele or Vile--in the plural). There
are several fountains called "Vilin Izvor" in Montenegro (e.g. on
Mount Kom), as also in the district of Rudnik in Serbia. During
the Renaissance the Serbian poets of Ragusa and other cities of
Dalmatia made frequent reference to the nymphs, dryads, and oreads
beloved by them as "veele." The Serbian bards or troubadours from
the early fourteenth century to our day have ever glorified and sung
of the veele, describing them as very beautiful and eternally young,
robed in the whitest and finest gauze, with shimmering golden hair
flowing down over snow-white bosoms. Veele were said to have the most
sweet voices and were sometimes armed with bows and arrows. Their
melodious songs were often heard on the borders of the lakes or in
the meadows hidden deep in the forests, or on high mountain-peaks
beyond the clouds. They also loved to dance, and their rings are
called 'Vrzino (or Vilino) Kollo.' In Mount Kom in Montenegro,
there is one of these rings which measures about twenty metres
across and is called 'Vilino Kollo.' The Treaty of Berlin mentions
another situated between Vranya and Kuestandil, through which ran
the Serbo-Bulgarian frontier. When veele were dancing nobody dare
disturb them, for they could be very hostile to men. Like the Greek
nymphs, veele could also be amicably disposed; and on occasions they
assisted the heroes. They could become the sisters of men and of women,
and could even marry and have off-springs. But they were not by any
means invulnerable. Prince Marko, the favourite hero of the Serbians,
was endowed with superhuman strength by a veela who also presented
him with a most wonderful courser, 'Sharatz,' which was, indeed,
almost human. A veela also became his possestrima (Spiritual sister,
or 'sister-in-God') and when Marko was in urgent need of help, she
would descend from the clouds and assist him. But she refused to aid
him if he fought in duels on Sundays. On one occasion [14] Marko all
but slew the Veela Raviyoyla who wounded his pobratim (brother-in-God)
Voivode Milosh. The veele were wise in the use of herbs, and knew
the properties of every flower and berry, therefore Raviyoyla could
heal the wounds of Milosh, and his pierced heart was "sounder than
ever before." They believed in God and St. John, and abhorred the
Turk. The veele also possessed the power of clairvoyance, and Prince
Marko's 'sister-in-God' prophesied his death and that of Sharatz. [15]
Veele had power to control tempests and other phenomena of nature; they
could change themselves into snakes or swans. When they were offended
they could be very cruel; they could kill or take away the senses of
any who threatened them with violence; they would lead men into deep
waters or raze in a night magnificent buildings and fortresses. [16]
To veele was attributed also the power of deciding the destiny of
newly born children. On the seventh night after the birth of a child
the Serbian peasant woman watches carefully for the Oossood, a veela
who will pronounce the destiny of her infant, and it is the mother
only who can hear the voice of the fairy.
Predestination and Immortality
The Serbians believe firmly in predestination, and they say that
"there is no death without the appointed day" (Nema smrti bez soodyena
dana). They believe universally in the immortality of the soul,
of which even otherwise inanimate objects, such as forests, lakes,
mountains, sometimes partake. After the death of a man, the soul delays
its departure to the higher or lower spheres until the expiration of
a certain period (usually forty days), during which time it floats in
the air, and can perhaps enter into the body of some animal or insect.
Good and Evil Spirits
Spirits are usually good; in Montenegro the people believe that each
house has its Guardian-Spirit, whom they call syen or syenovik. Such
syens can enter into the body of a man, a dog, a snake, or even a
hen. In the like manner every forest, lake, and mountain has each
its syen, which is called by a Turkish word djin. So, for example,
the djin of the mountain Riyetchki Kom, near the northern side of
the lake of Scutari, does not allow passers-by to touch a branch or a
leaf in the perpetually green woods on the mountain side, and if any
traveller should gather as much as a flower or a leaf he is instantly
pursued by a dense fog and perceives miraculous and terrifying visions
in the air. The Albanians dread similar spirits of the woods in the
region round Lurya, where they do not dare touch even the dry branches
of fallen firs and larches. This recalls the worship of sacred bushes
common among the ancient Lithuanians.
Besides the good spirits there appear evil spirits (byess), demons,
and devils (dyavo), whom the Christians considered as pagan gods,
and other evil spirits (zli doossi) too, who exist in the bodies of
dead or of living men. These last are called vookodlaks or Vlkodlaks
(i.e. vook, meaning 'wolf,' and dlaka, meaning 'hair'), and, according
to the popular belief, they cause solar and lunar eclipses. This
recalls the old Norse belief that the sun and moon were continually
pursued by hungry wolves, a similar attempt to explain the same natural
phenomena. Even to-day Serbian peasants believe that eclipses of the
sun and moon are caused by their becoming the prey of a hungry dragon,
who tries to swallow them. In other parts of Serbia it is generally
believed that such dragons are female beings. These mischievous
and very powerful creatures are credited with the destruction of
cornfields and vineyards, for they are responsible for the havoc
wrought by the hail-carrying clouds. When the peasants observe a
partial eclipse of the moon or the sun, believing that a hailstorm is
imminent, they gather in the village streets, and all--men, women,
and children--beat pots and pans together, fire pistols, and ring
bells in order to frighten away the threatening monster.
In Montenegro, Herzegovina, and Bocca Cattaro the people believe that
the soul of a sleeping man is wafted by the winds to the summit of a
mountain, and, when a number of such has assembled, they become fierce
giants who uproot trees to use as clubs and hurl rocks and stones at
one another. Their hissing and groans are heard especially during the
nights in spring and autumn. Those struggling crowds are not composed
merely of human souls, but include the spirits of many animals, such as
oxen, dogs, and even cocks, but oxen especially join in the struggles.
Witches
Female evil spirits are generally called veshtitze (singular,
veshtitza, derived obviously from the ancient Bohemian word ved, which
means 'to know'), and are supposed to be old women possessed by an evil
spirit, irreconcilably hostile to men, to other women, and most of all
to children. They correspond more or less to the English conception of
'witches.' When an old woman goes to sleep, her soul leaves her body
and wanders about till it enters the body of a hen or, more frequently,
that of a black moth. Flying about, it enters those houses where there
are a number of children, for its favourite food is the heart of an
infant. From time to time veshtitze meet to take their supper together
in the branches of some tree. An old woman having the attributes of
a witch may join such meetings after having complied with the rules
prescribed by the experienced veshtitze, and this is usually done by
pronouncing certain stereotyped phrases. The peasants endeavour to
discover such creatures, and, if they succeed in finding out a witch,
a jury is hastily formed and is given full power to sentence her to
death. One of the most certain methods used to discover whether the
object of suspicion is really a witch or not, is to throw the victim
into the water, for if she floats she is surely a witch. In this case
she is usually burnt to death. This test was not unknown in England.
Vampires
The belief in the existence of vampires is universal throughout the
Balkans, and indeed it is not uncommon in certain parts of western
Europe. Some assert that this superstition must be connected with
the belief generally held in the Orthodox Church that the bodies of
those who have died while under excommunication by the Church are
incorruptible, and such bodies, being taken possession of by evil
spirits, appear before men in lonely places and murder them. In
Montenegro vampires are called lampirs or tenatz, and it is thought
that they suck the blood of sleeping men, and also of cattle and other
animals, returning to their graves after their nocturnal excursions
changed into mice. In order to discover the grave where the vampire
is, the Montenegrins take out a black horse, without blemish, and
lead it to the cemetery. The suspected corpse is dug up, pierced
with stakes and burnt. The authorities, of course, are opposed to
such superstitious practices, but some communities have threatened
to abandon their dwellings, and thus leave whole villages deserted,
unless allowed to ensure their safety in their own way. The code of
the Emperor Doushan the Powerful provides that a village in which
bodies of dead persons have been exhumed and burnt shall be punished
as severely as if a murder had been committed; and that a resnik, that
is, the priest who officiates at a ceremony of that kind, shall be
anathematized. Militchevitch, a famous Serbian ethnographist, relates
an incident where a resnik, as late as the beginning of the nineteenth
century, read prayers out of the apocrypha of Peroon when an exorcism
was required. The revolting custom has been completely suppressed in
Serbia. In Montenegro the Archbishop Peter II. endeavoured to uproot
it, but without entire success. In Bosnia, Istria and Bulgaria it
is also sometimes heard of. The belief in vampires is a superstition
widely spread throughout Roumania, Albania and Greece. [17]
Nature Worship
Even in our own day there are traces of sun and moon worship, and
many Serbian and Bulgarian poems celebrate the marriage of the sun
and the moon, and sing Danitza (the morning star) and Sedmoro Bratye
('The Seven Brothers'--evidently The Pleiades). [18] Every man has
his own star, which appears in the firmament at the moment of his
birth and is extinguished when he dies. Fire and lightning are also
worshipped. It is common belief that the earth rests on water, that
the water reposes on a fire and that that fire again is upon another
fire, which is called Zmayevska Vatra ('Fire of the Dragons').
Similarly the worship of animals has been preserved to our times. The
Serbians consider the bear to be no less than a man who has been
punished and turned into an animal. This they believe because the
bear can walk upright as a man does. The Montenegrins consider the
jackal (canis aureus) a semi-human being, because its howls at night
sound like the wails of a child. The roedeer (capreolus caprea) is
supposed to be guarded by veele, and therefore she so often escapes
the hunter. In some parts of Serbia and throughout Montenegro it is
a sin to kill a fox, or a bee.
The worship of certain snakes is common throughout the Balkans. In
Montenegro the people believe that a black snake lives in a hole
under every house, and if anybody should kill it, the head of the
house is sure to die. Certain water-snakes with fiery heads were also
considered of the same importance as the evil dragons (or hydra) who,
at one time, threatened ships sailing on the Lake of Scutari. One
of these hydras is still supposed to live in the Lake of Rikavatz,
in the deserted mountains of Eastern Montenegro, from the bottom of
which the hidden monster rises out of the water from time to time, and
returns heralded by great peals of thunder and flashes of lightning.
But the Southern Slavs do not represent the dragon as the Hellenes
did, that is to say as a monster in the form of a huge lizard or
serpent, with crested head, wings and great strong claws, for they
know this outward form is merely used as a misleading mask. In his
true character a dragon is a handsome youth, possessing superhuman
strength and courage, and he is usually represented as in love with
some beautiful princess or empress. [19]
Enchanters
Among celebrants of the various pagan rites, there is mention of
tcharobnitzi (enchanters), who are known to have lived also in
Russia, where, during the eleventh century, they sapped the new
Christianity. The Slavonic translation of the Gospel recognized
by the Church in the ninth century applies the name 'tcharobnitzi'
to the three Holy Kings.
To this same category belong the resnitzi who, as is apparent in
the Emperor Doushan's Code referred to previously, used to burn the
bodies of the dead. Resnik, which appears as a proper name in Serbia,
Bosnia and Croatia, means, according to all evidence, "the one who
is searching for truth."
Sacrificial Rites
From translations of the Greek legends of the saints, the exact
terminology of the sacrificial ceremonies and the places where they
had been made is well known. Procopius mentions oxen as the animals
generally offered for sacrifice, but we find that calves, goats,
and sheep, in addition to oxen, were used by the Polapic Slavs and
Lithuanians, and that, according to Byzantine authorities, the Russians
used even birds as well. In Montenegro, on the occasion of raising a
new building, a ram or a cock is usually slaughtered in order that a
corner-stone may be besprinkled with its blood, and, at the ceremony of
inaugurating a new fountain, a goat is killed. Tradition tells of how
Prince Ivan Tzrnoyevitch once shot in front of a cavern an uncommonly
big wild goat that, being quite wet, shook water from its coat so that
instantly a river began to flow thence. This stream is called even
now the River of Tzrnoyevitch. The story reminds one of the goats'
horns and bodies of goats which are seen on the altar dedicated to
the Illyrian god, Bind, near a fountain in the province of Yapod.
It is a fact that Russians and Polapic Slavs used to offer human
sacrifices. Mention of such sacrifices among the Southern Slavs
is found only in the cycle of myths relating to certain buildings,
which, it was superstitiously believed, could be completed only if a
living human being were buried or immured. Such legends exist among
the Serbians and Montenegrins concerning the building of the fortress
Skadar (Scutari) and the bridge near Vishegrad; with the Bulgarians
in reference to building the fort Lidga-Hyssar, near Plovdiv, and the
Kadi-Koepri (Turkish for 'the bridge of the judge') on the river Struma;
and again among modern Greeks in their history of the bridge on the
river Arta, and the Roumanians of the church 'Curtea de Ardyesh.' It
seems very likely that certain enigmatic bas-reliefs, representing
oval human faces with just the eyes, nose and mouth, which are found
concealed under the cemented surface of the walls of old buildings
have some connexion with the sacrificial practice referred to. There
are three such heads in the fortress of Prince Dyouragy Brankovitch
at Smederevo (Semendria), not far from Belgrade, on the inner side of
the middle donjon fronting the Danube, and two others in the monastery
Rila on the exterior wall close to the Doupitchka Kapiya.
Funeral Customs
During the siege of Constantinople in the year 626, the Southern Slavs
burnt the bodies of their dead. The Russians did the same during the
battles near Silistria, 971, and subsequently commemorative services
were held in all parts of Russia, and the remains of the dead were
buried.
The Slavs of north Russia used to keep the ashes of the dead in a
small vessel, which they would place on a pillar by the side of a
public road; that custom persisted with the Vyatitchs of southern
Russia as late as 1100.
These funeral customs have been retained longest by the Lithuanians;
the last recorded instance of a pagan burial was when Keystut,
brother of the Grand Duke Olgerd, was interred in the year 1382,
that is to say, he was burnt together with his horses and arms,
falcons and hounds.
There are in existence upright stones, mostly heavy slabs of stone,
many of them broken, or square blocks and even columns, which
were called in the Middle Ages kami, or bileg, and now stetyak or
mramor. Such stones are to be found in large numbers close together;
for example, there are over 6000 in the province of Vlassenitza,
and some 22,000 in the whole of Herzegovina; some can be seen also in
Dalmatia, for instance, in Kanovli, and in Montenegro, at Nikshitch;
in Serbia, however, they are found only in Podrigne. These stones
are usually decorated with figures, which appear to be primitive
imitations of the work of Roman sculptors: arcades on columns, plant
designs, trees, swords and shields, figures of warriors carrying
their bows, horsemen, deer, bears, wild-boars, and falcons; there
are also oblong representations of male and female figures dancing
together and playing games.
The symbol of the Cross indicates the presence of
Christianity. Inscriptions appear only after the eleventh century. But
many tombstones plainly had their origin in the Middle Ages. Some
tombs, situated far from villages, are described by man's personal
name in the chronicles relating to the demarcations of territories,
for example, Bolestino Groblye (the cemetery of Bolestino) near Ipek;
Druzetin Grob (the tomb of Druzet). In Konavla, near Ragusa, there
was in the year 1420 a certain point where important cross-roads met,
known as 'Obugonov Grob.' Even in our day there is a tombstone here
without inscription, called 'Obugagn Greb.' It is the grave of the
Governor Obuganitch, a descendant of the family of Lyoubibratitch,
famous in the fourteenth century.
Classic and Mediaeval Influence
When paganism had disappeared, the Southern-Slavonic legends received
many elements from the Greeks and Romans. There are references to the
Emperors Trajan and Diocletian as well as to mythical personages. In
the Balkans, Trajan is often confused with the Greek king Midas. In
the year 1433 Chevalier Bertrandon de la Broquiere heard from the
Greeks at Trajanople that this city had been built by the Emperor
Trajan, who had goat's ears. The historian Tzetzes also mentions
that emperor's goat's ears otia tragou. In Serbian legends the
Emperor Trajan seems also to be confused with Daedalus, for he is
given war-wings in addition to the ears.
To the cycle of mediaeval myths we owe also the djins (giants) who dwelt
in caverns, and who are known by the Turkish name div--originally
Persian. Notable of the divs were those having only one eye--who
may be called a variety of cyclops--mentioned also in Bulgarian,
Croatian and Slovenian mythology. On the shores of the river Moratcha,
in Montenegro, there is a meadow called 'Psoglavlya Livada' with a
cavern in which such creatures are said to have lived at one time.
The Spread of Christianity
When the pagan Slavs occupied the Roman provinces, the Christian
region was limited to parts of the Byzantine provinces. In Dalmatia
after the fall of Salona, the archbishopric of Salona was transferred
to Spalato (Splyet), but in the papal bulls of the ninth century it
continued always to be styled Salonitana ecclesia, and it claimed
jurisdiction over the entire lands as far as the Danube.
According to Constantine Porphyrogenete, the Serbians adopted the
Christian faith at two different periods, first during the reign of
the Emperor Heraclius, who had requested the Pope to send a number of
priests to convert those peoples to the Christian faith. It is well
known, however, that the Slavs in Dalmatia even during the reign of
Pope John IV (640-642) remained pagans. No doubt Christianity spread
gradually from the Roman cities of Dalmatia to the various Slav
provinces. The Croatians already belonged to the Roman Church at the
time when its priests were converting the Serbians to Christianity
between the years 642 and 731, i.e., after the death of Pope John IV
and before Leon of Isauria had broken off his relations with Rome.
The second conversion of those of the Southern Slavs who had remained
pagans was effected, about 879, by the Emperor Basil I.
At first the Christian faith spread amongst the Southern Slavs only
superficially, because the people could not understand Latin prayers
and ecclesiastical books. It took root much more firmly and rapidly
when the ancient Slavonic language was used in the church services.
Owing to the differences arising over icons and the form their worship
should take, enthusiasm for the conversion of the pagans by the Latin
Church considerably lessened. In the Byzantine provinces, however,
there was no need for a special effort to be made to the people,
for the Slavs came in constant contact with the Greek Christians,
whose beliefs they adopted spontaneously.
From the Slavonic appellations of places appearing in certain official
lists, one can see that new episcopates were established exclusively
for the Slavs by the Greek Church. The bishops conducted their
services in Greek, but the priests and monks, who were born Slavs,
preached and instructed the people in their own languages. Thus they
prepared the ground for the great Slav apostles.
The Slav apostles of Salonica, Cyrillos and his elder brother
Methodius, were very learned men and philosophers. The principal of
the two, Cyrillos, was a priest and the librarian of the Patriarchate;
in addition he was a professor of philosophy in the University of
the Imperial Palace at Constantinople, and he was much esteemed on
account of his ecclesiastical erudition. Their great work began in 862
with the mission to the Emperor Michel III., with which the Moravian
Princes Rastislav and Svetopluk entrusted them.
The Moravians were already converted to Christianity, but they wished
to have teachers among them acquainted with the Slav language. Before
the brothers started on their journey, Cyrillos composed the Slav
alphabet and translated the Gospel.
Thus the Serbians obtained these Holy Books written in a language
familiar to them, and the doctrines of the great Master gradually,
but steadily, ousted the old, primitive religion which had taken
the form of pure Naturalism. But the worship of Nature could not
completely disappear, and has not, even to our day, vanished from the
popular creed of the Balkans. The folk-lore of those nations embodies
an abundance of religious and superstitious sentiment and rites handed
down from pre-Christian times, for after many years' struggle paganism
was only partially abolished by the ritual of the Latin and afterwards
of the Greek Christian Church, to which all Serbians, including the
natives of Montenegro, Macedonia and parts of Bosnia, belong.
Superstition
The foundations of the Christian faith were never laid properly in
the Balkans owing to the lack of cultured priests, and this reason,
and the fact that the people love to cling to their old traditions,
probably accounts for religion having never taken a very deep hold on
them. Even to this day superstition is often stronger than religion,
or sometimes replaces it altogether. The whole daily life of the
Southern Slav is interwoven with all kinds of superstition. He is
superstitious about the manner in which he rises in the morning and
as to what he sees first; for instance, if he sees a monk, he is sure
to have an unfortunate day; when he builds a house, a 'lucky spot'
must be found for its foundation. At night he is superstitious about
the way he lies down; he listens to hear if the cocks crow in time,
and if the dogs bark much, and how they are barking. He pays great
attention to the moment when thunder is first heard, what kind of
rain falls, how the stars shine--whether or not they shine at all,
and looks anxiously to see if the moon has a halo, and if the sun
shines through a cloud. All these things are portents and omens to
his superstitious mind, and they play a considerable part in all his
actions. When he intends to join a hunting expedition, for example,
he decides from them whether there will be game or not; he believes
that he is sure to shoot something if his wife, or sister (or any
other good-natured person) jumps over his gun before he calls up his
dogs. Especially there are numberless superstitions connected with
husbandry, for some of which fairly plausible explanations could be
given; for others, however, explanations are hopelessly unavailing,
and the reasons for their origin are totally forgotten. Nevertheless,
all superstitions are zealously observed because, the people say,
"it is well to do so," or "our ancestors always did so and were happy,
why should we not do the same?"
The planting of fruit-trees and the growing of fruit must be aided by
charms, and numerous feasts are organized to secure a fruitful year,
or to prevent floods, hail, drought, frost, and other disasters. But
undoubtedly the greatest number of superstitions exist regarding the
daily customs, most of which refer to birth, marriage and death. Charms
are used to discover a future bridegroom or bride; to make a young man
fall in love with a maid or vice versa; also, if it seems desirable,
to make them hate each other. Sorcery is resorted to to ensure the
fulfilment of the bride's wishes with regard to children; their
number and sex are decided upon, their health is ensured in advance,
favourable conditions are arranged for their appearance. Death can
come, it is believed, only when the Archangel Michael removes a soul
from its body, and that can only happen on the appointed day.
The chief national customs of the Southern Slavs are involved in a
mass of superstition. As the Serbians are the most representative of
the Balkan Slavs, we shall consider a few of their customs in order
to show how little of the true spirit of religion is to be found in
some of their religious observances.
Marriage
When a child is born in a Serbian family, the friends congratulate
the parents and wish for them: "that they may live to see the green
wreaths," which means living to see their child married. Marriages
are most frequent in autumn, especially towards Christmas, and more
rare in summer. When parents intend to find a bridegroom for their
daughter or a bride for their son, they generally consider the question
thoroughly for a whole year beforehand. They take their daughter or
son to various social gatherings, in order that they may meet one
suited to become the husband of their daughter or the wife of their
son. When a daughter is informed of her parents' decision she must
hasten her preparations: she must see that the bochtchaluks [20]
(wedding presents) which she has to distribute among the wedding
guests (svati or svatovi) be finished soon. These presents are
articles mostly made by her own hands, such as socks, stockings,
shirts, towels, and rugs. Usually the house is put into good order and
perhaps enlarged before the marriage, and when all the preparations
are ready the rumour of her approaching marriage is allowed to spread
through the village. As marriages are usually settled by the parents,
love-matches, unfortunately, are rare, and elopements are regarded
as phenomenal. There are, however, cases where young people are not
docile to the will of their parents with regard to marriage. If a
girl has fallen in love with a young man, she may have recourse,
besides usual ways and methods, to professional enchantresses. Among
the devices recommended by these friends of lovers are the following:
The maiden looks through the muzzle of a roast sucking-pig (which has
been killed for the Christmas festivities) at her beloved, whereupon
he is sure to grow madly in love with her; her lover is bound to
die of love for her if she sees him through a hole made in a cherry
or certain other fruit; she is equally sure to gain his affection
if she can succeed in finding the trace of his right foot-print and
turns the earth under it. These and many other kinds of sorcery are
usually practised on or about St. George's Day (23rd of April, O.S.).
Young men, too, have recourse on occasion to witchcraft when they
desire the love of some obdurate maiden. For instance, if at midnight
on a certain Friday the young man goes to the courtyard of the dwelling
of the lady of his heart and there shakes a tree three times, uttering
as many times her Christian name, she is absolutely certain to answer
his call and to reciprocate his love. Another equally infallible
method is for him to catch a certain fish and to let it die near
his heart; then to roast its flesh until it is burnt to a cinder,
then to pound this, and to place the powder secretly in water or some
other beverage. If the girl can be induced to taste of it, she is as
a matter of course constrained to love him. These expedients recall
the famous exploit of the French troubadour Pierre Vidal undertaken
to win the love of his beautiful patroness Donna Azalais de Baux. A
magical recipe for success in love, taken from an Arabic monument,
was given to the poet by Hugues de Baux, a mischievous young knight
and brother-in-law of the fair Donna Azalais; the credulous Vidal
was induced to ride on a pig one moonlight night three times round
the castle of his lady-love, all unconscious that his waggish friend
had brought all the inmates to a terrace to witness his ridiculous
exhibition.
Marriage Negotiations
When parents have chosen their son's bride they send to her parents a
fully qualified delegate (navodagjya) to inquire whether or not they
would consent to give their daughter to the young man. As marriages are
rarely concluded without the aid of these delegates there are numerous
persons who make it their regular profession to negotiate marriages,
and they receive a sum of money when their offices are successful. In
addition to this fee the navodagjya receives from the future bride at
least one pair of socks. If the father of the girl is not agreeable
to the proposal, he generally does not give a decisive reply, but
finds some pretext, stating, for example, that his daughter is still
too young, or that she is not quite ready with her preparations for
marriage; but if the young man appears to be eligible and the father is
willing to give his consent, he generally answers that he would like
to see his daughter married to such an excellent man, provided the
couple be fond of each other. Then a meeting is arranged, although
in fact this is merely a matter of form, since the final decision
must come from the parents themselves, irrespective of the mutual
feelings of the prospective husband and wife. The parents ask the
young people if they like one another; usually an affirmative answer
is given, whereupon all present embrace each other, and presents are
exchanged, both between the parents and between the future husband and
bride. This event is often celebrated by the firing of pistols and
guns, in order to make it known all over the village that marriage
festivities are soon to follow. Soon after the ceremony, which may
be called a preliminary betrothal, the parents of the bridegroom,
together with the young man and a few most intimate friends, pay an
official visit to the house of the bride. The visit usually takes place
in the evening, and, after the bridegroom has given the bride a ring,
festivities begin and last until the next morning. A few days later the
bride and the bridegroom go to church, accompanied by a few friends,
and the priest asks them some stereotyped questions, such as: "Do you
wish to marry of your own free will?" to which they are, so to speak,
compelled to answer "Yes."
The Wedding Procession
A week before the wedding-day both families prepare their houses for
numerous guests, whom they will entertain most hospitably for several
days. Until very recent times, if the bride lived in some distant
village the wedding procession had to travel for several days to fetch
her, and, in the absence of good roads for carriages, the entire party
had to ride on horseback. The wedding party includes the dever [21]
(that is, leader of the bride), who remains in constant attendance
upon the bride throughout the ceremonies, being, in a sense, her
guardian; the koom (principal witness, who in due course becomes a
sort of sponsor or godfather to the children); and the stari-svat,
who is the second witness of the wedding ceremony. Throughout the
wedding ceremonies the koom has to stand behind the bridegroom and
the stari-svat behind the bride. The stari-svat is also a kind of
master of the ceremonies on the wedding-day; he keeps order among
the guests and presides at the nuptial banquets. With the dever come
also his parents, and the koom and stari-svat must bring one servant
each, to attend them during the ceremony. These two witnesses must
provide themselves with two large wax candles, generally adorned
with transparent silk lace and flowers, which they must present to
the bride in addition to many other gifts.
Before the procession sets out, the young people fire pistols, sing,
and dance, whilst the elders sit and take refreshment. The appearance
of the bridegroom in his bridal garments, and wearing flowers in his
hat, is the signal for the traditional nuptial songs from a chorus of
girls. When the carriages are ready to start they sing the following:
"A falcon flew from the castle
Bearing a letter under its wing,
Drops the letter on the father's knee
See! Father! The letter tells you
That thy son will travel far,
Beyond many running rivers,
Through many verdant forests,
Till he brings you a daughter[-in-law]."
The Tzigan (Gipsy) band begins its joyful melodies; the bridegroom,
the standard-bearer, and other young people mount their horses, all
gaily bedecked with flowers, and the procession starts for the bride's
house, the equestrians riding, generally, two and two, firing pistols
and singing. The procession is always led by a frolicsome youth who
carries a tchoutoura (a flat wooden vessel) containing red wine. It is
his duty to offer this to every person the wedding party may meet on
the road, and he is privileged to make, during the wedding festival,
jokes and witticisms at the expense of everybody. He enjoys the licence
of a court jester for that day, and nobody must resent his witticisms,
which are, at times, indelicate and coarse.
A few steps behind the tchoutoura-bearer ride the voivode (general,
or leader), whose office it is to support the former in his sallies,
and the standard-bearer, who carries the national flag; after
them, in one of the carriages profusely decorated with flowers,
ride the bridesmaids, who are selected from among the relatives of
the bridegroom. With other presents the maidens carry the wedding
dress and flowers which the bridegroom's father has bought for his
future daughter-in-law. Immediately following the bridesmaids rides
the bridegroom between the koom and the stari-svat. Then come other
relatives and guests, two and two in procession. At times these
wedding processions offer a very impressive sight.
The Arrival
When the wedding procession approaches the house of the bride, its
arrival is announced by firing off pistols and guns, whereupon a
number of girls appear and sing various songs expressive of sorrow
at the bride's departure from her old home. In some parts of Serbia
there still survives a strange old custom; the bride's father requires
that certain conditions should be fulfilled before the gates of the
courtyard are opened for the procession. For example, he sends a good
wrestler to challenge any or every man of the bridegroom's party,
and one of the wedding guests must overpower the challenger before
the gates are opened. Of course, the wrestling bout is not serious,
as a rule. Another condition, obtaining in ether parts, is that the
newcomers are not be to admitted before one of them, by firing his
pistol, has destroyed a pot or other terra-cotta vessel fastened at
the top of the chimney.
When such, or other, conditions have been successfully negotiated,
the wedding party is admitted to the house and led to tables loaded
with roast lamb or pork, cakes, fruit, wine and brandy. The bride's
father places the father of the bridegroom in the seat of honour,
and immediately next to him the stari-svat, then the koom and then the
bridegroom. When the guests are seated, a large flat cake (pogatcha)
is placed before the bridegroom's father, and he lays upon it some gold
coins; it may be a whole chain made of golden ducats, which the bride
is to wear later round her neck. His example is followed immediately
by the stari-svat, the koom, and all the other guests. Finally the
bride's father brings the dowry which he has determined to give to
his daughter and lays it on the cake. All the money thus collected is
handed over to the stari-svat, who will give it in due course to the
bride. Next the bridesmaids take the wedding dress to the bride's
apartment, where they adorn her with great care and ceremony. Her
toilet finished, one of her brothers, or, in the absence of a brother,
one of her nearest male relatives, takes her by the hand and leads
her to the assembled family and friends. The moment she appears, the
wedding guests greet her with a lively fire from their pistols, and
the bridesmaids conduct her to the bridegroom, to whom she presents
a wreath of flowers. She is then led to the stari-svat and the koom,
whose hands she kisses. That ordeal concluded, she goes into the
house, where, in front of the hearth, sit her parents on low wooden
chairs. There she prostrates herself, kissing the floor in front of
the fire. This is obviously a relic of fire-worship; now, however,
symbolical of the veneration of the centre of family life. When
she rises, the maiden kisses the hands of her father and mother,
who, embracing her, give her their blessing. Now her brother, or
relative--as the case may be--escorts her back to the bridegroom's
party and there delivers her formally to the dever, who from that
moment takes charge of her, in the first place presenting to her the
gifts he has brought.
The Return from Church
After they have feasted the guests mount their horses and, firing
tirelessly their pistols, set out with the bride for the nearest
church. When the religious ceremony is over the wedding party returns
to the bridegroom's home, and the bride has to alight from her horse
(or carriage) upon a sack of oats. While the others enter the courtyard
through the principal gate, the bride usually selects some other
entrance, for she fears lest she may be bewitched. Immediately she
enters, the members of the bridegroom's family bring to her a vessel
filled with various kinds of corn, which she pours out on the ground
"in order that the year may be fruitful." Next they bring her a male
child whom she kisses and raises aloft three times. She then passes
into the house holding under her arms loaves of bread, and in her
hands bottles of red wine--emblems of wealth and prosperity.
Although the wedding guests have been well feasted at the bride's
house, the journey has renewed their appetites, therefore they seat
themselves at tables in the same order as we have already seen, and
are regaled with a grand banquet. Throughout the meal, as at the
previous one, the voivodes and the tchoutoura-bearer poke fun and
satire at the expense of everybody. These mirthful effusions are,
as we have already said, not generally in very good taste, but no one
takes offence, and everybody laughs heartily, provided there be wit
in the jokes. After this feast, during which the young people perform
the national dances (kollo) and sing the traditional wedding songs,
the dever brings the bride to the threshold of her apartment (vayat)
and delivers her to the koom, who, in his turn, leads her in, places
her hand in that of the bridegroom and leaves them alone. The guests,
however, often remain in the house, until dawn, drinking and singing.
Slava (or Krsno Ime)
This custom is considered to be a survival of the times when the
Serbians were first converted to Christianity. Every Serbian family
has one day in the year, known as slava, generally some saint's day,
when there are performed certain ceremonies partly of a religious and
partly of a social character. The saint whom the head of the family
celebrates as his patron, or tutelary saint, is also celebrated by
his children and their descendants.
A few days before the celebration the priest comes to the house of
every svetchar--the man who as the chief of the family celebrates the
saint--in order to bless the water which has been prepared beforehand
for that purpose in a special vessel; after this he besprinkles the
heads of all the members of the family with the holy water, into
which he has dipped a small sprig of basil. Then he proceeds from
room to room performing the same ceremony in each.
In order to please their tutelary saint, all the members of the family
fast for at least a week before the feast. On the eve of the saint's
day a taper is lit before the saint's image, and remains burning for
two days. One or two days before the festival the women prepare a
kolatch (a special cake made of wheat-flour) which measures about
fifteen inches in diameter, and is about three inches thick. Its
surface is divided into quarters by being marked with a cross,
each quarter bearing a shield with the letters I.N.R.I. In the
centre there is a circle in which is a poskurnik (monogram of these
initials). Besides the kolatch, another cake of white wheat well
boiled and mixed with powdered sugar, chopped nuts, and almonds,
is made. This is called kolyivo (literally "something which has
been killed with the knife"). This is obviously a relic of the pagan
times when kolyivo was the name given to animals sacrificed on the
altar. When the Serbians were converted to the Christian faith, they
were told that the Christian God and His saints did not call for
animal, and still less for human sacrifice, and that boiled wheat
might serve as a substitute. And it is interesting to find that
kolyivo is prepared only for those saints whom the people believe
to be dead, and not for those who are believed to be still living,
such as St. Elias (Elijah), the patron Saint of Thunder, or the
"Thunderer," the Archangel Michael and certain others, for it is
emphatically a symbolic offering for the dead.
The Slava Eve Reception
On the eve of the Slava day enough food is prepared to last for the two
following days, and toward sunset, all the tables are well loaded with
refreshments in readiness for the arrival of numerous guests. Friends
and relations are invited to come by a messenger especially sent out
from the house. There are several stereotyped forms of this invitation,
one of which is the following: "My father (or my uncle, as the case may
be) has sent me to bring you his greetings and to invite you to our
house this evening to drink a glass of brandy. We wish to share with
you the blessings bestowed upon us by God, and our patron-saint. We
entreat you to come!" At these words the messenger hands to the invited
guest a tchoutoura filled with red wine and decorated with flowers,
out of which the guest is obliged to take a little. He then makes
the sign of the Cross, and says: "I thank you, and may your Slava be
a happy and prosperous one!" After tasting the wine, he continues:
"We will do our best to come. It is simple to comply with your wish,
since we are invited to share such an honour." He invariably pronounces
these words whether he really intends to accept the invitation or not.
In the meantime, while the messenger was away inviting guests, the
women of the household have been making all the preparations necessary
for their reception. Each guest, as he reaches the threshold exclaims:
"O master of the house, art thou willing to receive guests?" Hearing
this the Svetchar rushes to meet the guest and greets him in these
words: "Certainly I am, and may there be many more good guests such
as thou art!" Then the guest enters, embraces the Svetchar and says:
"I wish thee a most pleasant evening and a happy Slava!" And then as
a matter of course the host answers: "I thank thee, and welcome thee
to my house!" In the same manner the other guests are greeted. When
they have all arrived, the host invites them to wash their hands--for
no Serbian peasant would ever sit down to take food without first
doing so. Then the host shows to each one his place at the table,
always strictly observing precedence due to seniority.
The girls of the house first pass round brandy to the assembled
guests and this, at least in the winter, has generally been warmed,
and honey or sugar has been added. While that is being served all
the guests stand, and in silence wait reverently for the ceremonies
of the Slava to begin.
The host places in the middle of the table a large wax candle,
which he does not light until he has made the sign of the Cross
three times. Next he takes an earthen vessel containing a few embers,
places in it a few small pieces of incense and then lets the fragrance
ascend to the icon, which is, according to custom, occupying the
place of honour in the room, then still holding the censer he stops
for a few moments before each guest. That ceremony being ended, and
if there be no priest present, the host himself invites his guests
to say their prayers to themselves. A great many Serbian peasants
are gifted with the power of offering extempore prayers and they are
always in request at these ceremonies. The host passes the censer
to his wife, whose duty it is to see that the fumes of the incense
reach into every part of the house. Next the host breaks silence with
the following prayer: "Let us pray, O brethren, most reverently to
the Almighty Lord, our God, and to the Holy Trinity! O Lord, Thou
omnipotent and gracious Creator of Heaven and Earth, deliver us,
we pray Thee, from all unforeseen evil! O, St. George! (here he
adds the name of the saint whose festival they are celebrating),
our holy patron-saint, protect us and plead for us with the Lord,
our God, we here gathered together do pray Thee. Ye Holy Apostles,
ye, the four Evangelists and pillars upon whom rest the Heavens and
the Earth, we, being sinners, do conjure ye to intercede for us,"
and so on. When his prayer is finished, the guests make the sign of
the Cross several times and then supper begins.
Slava Toasts
During the first two or three courses, the guests continue to drink
brandy, and wine is not served until they have partaken of meat. At
the drinking of the first glass of wine the oldest guest or whoever
enjoys the highest dignity of position (generally it is the village
priest or the mayor) proposes the first toast, of which--as well
as of all the subsequent ones--it may be said that tradition has
ordered the exact programme to be followed in all these proceedings,
and even prescribed the very words to be used. In some parts of Serbia
the host himself proposes the first toast to the most distinguished
of his guests, addressing him with: "I beg to thank you, as well as
all your brethren, for the honour which you graciously show me in
coming to my Slava! Let us drink the first glass to the glory of
the gracious God! Where wine is drunk in His name, may prosperity
always be!" The principal guest accepts the toast, makes the sign of
the Cross and answers in such words as the following: "I thank you,
most kind and hospitable host! May your Slava bring you prosperity,
let us drink this second glass 'for the better hour.'" The third
toast is generally "To the glory of the Holy Trinity!" (In Serbian:
Tretya-sretya, sve u slavu Svete Troyitze!)
In some parts of Serbia there are commonly seven or even more toasts to
be drunk, but this custom shows, fortunately, a tendency to disappear.
The Ceremony at Church
Next morning all the members of the family rise very early in
order to restore order in the house, and the Svetchar goes to the
nearest church, taking with him the kolyivo, the kolatch, some wine,
incense and a wax candle. All these things he places in front of the
altar where they must remain during the morning service, after which
the officiating priest cuts the Slava cake from underneath so that
his cuts correspond with the lines of the cross shown on the upper
surface. Then he breaks the cake and turns it in a circle with the help
of the Svetchar, while they pronounce certain prayers together. This
ceremony ended, the host takes one half of the cake home and leaves the
other half to the priest. If it happens that the church is far away,
and time does not allow the host to absent himself long from home,
the Slava cake may be cut in halves by him in his own house with
the help of his male guests, chanting all the while certain formal
prayers: and standing in a circle they hold the cake so that a thumb
of each guest should be placed on the top of the cake, whilst they
each support it with four fingers.
The Slava Feast
Toward noon, a few minutes before the sun reaches his zenith, a part
of the Slava cake is placed upon the table together with a lighted
wax candle. To this midday meal many more guests are usually invited
than had attended the supper on the previous evening; furthermore,
on this day even a stranger--whatever his religion may be--has the
right to enter the house and to claim hospitality. For instance,
the Royal Prince Marko had many friends amongst the Turks, and they
would invariably come to him as guests on his Slava day. All the
guests rise together, cross themselves with great reverence, and, in
perfect silence, with glasses filled, they await the address to be made
by the Svetchar. Again three, or perhaps more, toasts are proposed
and accepted, and, of course, as many times are the glasses again
emptied and re-filled before the 'midday' meal is even begun. Eating
and drinking, in all cases, "to the glory of God, the Holy Trinity,
to the Holy Slava" and so forth continue till late at night, when the
guests remember that it is time to go home. Many, however, remain in
the house all night and for the next day. Some devotees of good wine
used actually to remain, on occasions, for three whole consecutive
days and nights. This very extreme devotion to the saints has been
practised more especially at Nish, and in that neighbourhood, and
has furnished the celebrated Serbian novelist Stefan Strematz with
abundant material for one of the finest, as it is undoubtedly one of
the wittiest, novels that have been written in Serbian.
Christmas Eve
Another festival, which the Serbians, like other nations, conduct
with many rites and customs of unmistakably pagan origin and which
fills the hearts of all with joy, is Christmas. It is a saying of
the Serbian people that "there is no day without light--neither is
there any real joy without Christmas."
The Serbian peasant is, as a general rule, an early riser, but on
Christmas Eve (Badgni dan) everybody is up earlier than usual,
for it is a day when each member of the household has his hands
full of work to be done. Two or more of the young men are sent out
from every house to the nearest forest [22] to cut, and bring home,
a young oak tree, which is called Badgnak. (The etymology of this word
is obscure, but it is probably the name, or derived from the name, of
a pagan god.) When the young man who is to cut the tree has selected
it, he kneels down, and murmuring words of greeting and uttering a
special prayer, he throws at it a handful of wheat or corn; then he
makes the sign of the Cross three times and begins carefully to cut
in such a direction that the tree must necessarily fall toward the
East, and at just about the moment when the sun first shows himself
above the horizon. He has also to see that the tree does not touch,
in falling to earth, the branches of any tree near it, otherwise
the prosperity of his house would most surely be disturbed during
the ensuing year. The trunk of the tree is now cut into three logs,
one of which is rather longer than the others.
Toward evening, when everything is ready and all the members of the
family are assembled in the kitchen, the chief room in the dwelling,
a large fire is lit, and the head of the family solemnly carries in
the Badgnak, and, placing it on the fire, so that the thicker end is
left about twelve inches beyond the hearth, he pronounces in a loud
voice his good wishes for the prosperity of the house and all within
it. In the same way he brings in the other parts of the Badgnak,
and, when all are in a blaze, the young shepherds embrace across the
largest log, for they believe that by doing so they will ensure the
attachment of the sheep to their lambs, of the cows to their calves,
and of all other animals to their young.
At this point of the proceedings the oldest member of the family
brings in a bundle of straw and hands it over to the housewife, to
whom he wishes at the same time "a good evening and a happy Badgni
dan." She then throws a handful of corn at him, thanks him for the
straw and starts walking about the kitchen and the adjoining rooms,
scattering straw on the floor and imitating the clucking of hens,
while the children gleefully follow her and imitate the sounds made
by young chicks.
This finished, the mother has next to bring a yellow wax candle and an
earthen vessel filled with burning coal. The father again reverently
makes the sign of the Cross, lights the candle and places some incense
on the embers. Meanwhile the rest of the family have already formed
themselves into a semi-circle, with the men standing on the right and
the women on the left. The father now proceeds to say prayers aloud,
walking from one end of the semi-circle to the other and stopping
in front of each person for a short space of time that the fumes of
smoking incense, in the censer, held in his right hand, should rise
to the face of every one in turn. The prayers which they utter on
these occasions last for about fifteen or twenty minutes, and vary
in nearly every district.
After the prayers they all sit down to supper, which is laid, not
upon a table, but on the floor, for it is considered a good orthodox
custom to lay sacks over the stone or clay of which the floor is
formed, and to use cushions instead of chairs, on Christmas Eve.
During supper, at which no meat is served, the father of the family
enthusiastically toasts the Badgnak, expressing at the same time his
wishes for their common prosperity for the new year, and pours a glass
of wine over the protruding end of the log. In many parts of Serbia
all the peasants--men, women, and even small children--fast for the
forty-five days immediately before Christmas. They abstain from meat,
eggs, and milk-food, and eat simply vegetables and fruit.
When the supper is over the whole family retires to bed, except one
of the young men, who remains near the fire to see that the Badgnak
does not burn off completely, and that the fire is not extinguished.
Christmas Day
It is generally believed that the rites and customs concerning this
Church festival, which we Serbians call in our own language Bojitch,
meaning 'the little God,' is nothing but the modified worship of the
pagan god Dabog (or Daybog), to whom we have already referred, or
perhaps represents several forms of that worship. Our pagan ancestors
used to sacrifice a pig to their Sun-god, and in our day there is
not a single house throughout Serbia in which "roast pork" is not
served on Christmas Day as a matter of course. The men and boys of
each household rise very early in the morning that day to make a big
fire in the courtyard, and to roast a sucking-pig on a spit, for which
all preparations are made on Badgni dan. The moment each little pig
is placed at the fire there is a vigorous firing of pistols or rifles
to greet it, showing by the sound of shot after shot that the whole
village is astir. As nearly all the houses in a village practise the
same custom most zealously, and as naturally every youth considers
it a part of his duty to fire a pistol, the neighbouring hills echo
again and again as if persistent skirmishing were going on.
Still early in the morning one of the maidens goes to the public
well to fetch some drinking water, and when she reaches the well she
greets it, wishing it a happy Christmas, throwing at the same time
into it a handful of corn and a bunch, or perhaps merely a sprig,
of basil. She throws the corn in the hope that the crops may be as
abundant as water, and the basil is to keep the water always limpid
and pure. The first cupful of the water she draws is used to make a
cake (Thesnitza) to be broken at the midday meal into as many pieces
as there are members of the household. A silver coin has been put
into the dough, and the person who finds it in his piece of cake is
considered as the favourite of fortune for the year to come.
During the morning every house expects a visitor (polaznik), who is
usually a young boy from a neighbouring house. When the polaznik
enters the house he breaks off a small branch of the Badgnak's
smouldering end, and while he is greeting the head of the house with
'Christ is born!' and all the others are answering him with a cry
of 'In truth He is born!' the mother throws at him a handful of
wheat. He then approaches the hearth, and strikes the Badgnak with
his own piece of tree repeatedly, so that thousands of sparks fly up
into the chimney, and he pronounces his good wishes: "May the holy
Christmas bring to this house as many sheep, as many horses, as many
cows, as many beehives, [and so forth,] as there are sparks in this
fire!" Then he places on the Badgnak either a silver or a gold coin,
which the head of the family keeps to give to the blacksmith to smelt
in with the steel when making his new plough--for, as he believes,
this cannot fail to make the ground more fertile and all go well. The
polaznik is, of course, made to stay and share the meal with them,
and afterwards he is presented with a special cake also containing
a coin, sometimes a gold one, sometimes silver.
After the repast all the youths go out of doors for sports, especially
for sleighing, while the older people gather together around a gooslar
(a national bard), and take much, even endless, delight in listening
to his recitals of their ancient ballads.
The Dodola Rite
The disasters which Serbian peasants most fear are of two
kinds--drought and very violent storms. In pagan times there was a
goddess who, it is believed, ruled the waters and the rain. When
the Serbians were first converted to Christianity, the power of
controlling the ocean, rivers, and storms, and the sailing of ships
at sea, was attributed to St. Nicholas, and the Dalmatians, sea-going
men, still pray only to him; whereas in the heart of Serbia, where
the peasants have no conception of what large navigable rivers are,
still less of what seas and lakes are like, recourse is taken to the
favourite goddess Doda or Dodola whenever there is an unduly long
spell of dry weather.
The Dodola rite is a peculiar one. A maiden, generally a Gipsy, is
divested of her usual garments and then thickly wrapped round with
grass and flowers so that she is almost concealed beneath them. She
wears a wide wreath of willow branches interwoven with wild flowers
around her waist and hips, and in such fantastic attire she has to
go from house to house in the village dancing, while each housewife
pours over her a pailful of water, and her companions chant a prayer
having the refrain, Oy Dodo, oy Dodole, after every single line:
Fall, O rain! and gentlest dew!
Oy, Dodo! Oy, Dodole!
Refresh our pasture-lands and fields!
Oy, Dodo! Oy, Dodole!
In each verse that follows mention is made of a cereal or other plant,
imploring Doda that rain may soon be shed upon it. Then the cottage
women give them presents, either food or money, and the maidens sing
other songs for them, always in the same rhythm, give their thanks,
offer good wishes, and are gone.
Whitsuntide
During the Whitsuntide festivities, about fifteen young girls, mostly
Christian Gipsies, one of whom personates the Standard-bearer, another
the King, and another the Queen (kralyitza), veiled and attended by a
number of Maids of Honour, pass from door to door through the village,
singing and dancing. Their songs relate to such subjects as marriage,
the choice of a husband or wife, the happiness of wedded life, the
blessing of having children. After each verse of their songs follows
a refrain, Lado, oy, Lado-leh! which is probably the name of the
ancient Slavonic Deity of Love.
Palm Sunday
"In winter, just before Lent, the great festival in honour of the Dead
is celebrated, at which every one solemnizes the memory of departed
relations and friends, and no sooner does Palm Sunday arrive than
the people join in commemorating the renovation of life.
"On the preceding Saturday the maidens assemble on a hill, and recite
poems on the resurrection of Lazarus; and on Sunday, before sunrise,
they meet at the place where they draw water and dance their country
dance (kolllo), chanting a song, which relates how the water becomes
dull by the antlers of a stag, and bright by his eye." [23]
St. George's Day
On St. George's Day, April 23rd (Dyourdyev Dan), long before dawn,
all the members of a Serbian family rise and take a bath in the
water, in which a number of herbs and flowers--each possessing its
own peculiar signification--have been cast before sunset the preceding
day. He who fails to get up in good time, and whom the sun surprises
in bed, is said to have fallen in disgrace with St. George, and he
will consequently have little or no luck in any of his undertakings
for the next twelve months. This rite is taken as a sign that the
Serbian peasants yield to the many influences of newly awakened nature.
It will be seen by anyone who studies the matter that each season
in turn prompts the Serbians, as it must prompt any simple primitive
people, to observe rites pointing to the mysterious relation in which
man finds that he stands to nature.