Slava (Patron Saint day) is an Orthodox Christian tradition typical for Serbia, when the patron saint of the family is celebrated. The patron saint is the saint who is believed to watch over the family, and slava is transferred from one generation onto the next.
This day is typically celebrated with close family and friends, and it is perceived as the opportunity for the people to get together. Even though it is customary to invite the guests, it is also considered that everyone who comes by on that day is welcome to stay and have a drink and food with the family.
Slava usually involves plenty of food, which in Serbia includes a lot of meat, alongside with soup, side dishes, bread, salads and desserts. However, if the day of the slava is during the days of the Lent (40 days before Christmas or Easter), then the food is prepared according to the rules of the Lent. This means that only food without dairy, eggs and meat can be consumed, and fish is also allowed.
No matter the type of food served at slava, there are four main elements which are always present: the slava cake, the candle, red wine and cooked wheat. Slava cake is similar to bread, but decorated with various religious elements. The man of the house either takes the cake to church in the morning, where it is cut by a priest, or he cuts it with the first guest who visits him on that day. Some red wine is poured over the cake, and it represents the blood of Christ, while the bread represents His body. The candle is lit on the table and it is supposed to burn throughout the whole day, representing the Christ as the light of the world. Cooked wheat is served to the guests as they enter the house, and it is the symbol of Christ’s resurrection.
If you get invited to slava, be sure that it is quite an honor. Do your best not to miss it, because you will do the honor to the host and also have the opportunity to see plenty of interesting and unique Serbian customs.
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