Christmas is a Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. According to the Gregorian calendar, it is celebrated on December 25, while in churches that adhere to the old Julian calendar, Christmas is celebrated on January 7. Christmas is celebrated as a memory of the birth of Jesus Christ. As it is the holiday of the birth of a new life, children, fatherhood and motherhood, Christmas in Montenegro is decorated with the most beautiful religious customs. Christmas Eve, straw, quacking, garlic, poznanik are just some of the customs and rituals whose goal is to ask God to preserve and increase the family and property of the host.
Christmas Day: The day before Christmas, January 6, is called Christmas Day. It got its name because on that day the Christmas tree is cut and brought into the house. With this day, the Christmas celebration already begins. Early in the morning, already at dawn, the departure in the forest for the Christmas tree is announced by firing guns and prangs. As soon as it dawns, the fire is lit and the roast beef is placed next to it. Women in the house prepare Christmas cookies, cakes, prepare the table for Christmas.
What is Christmas Eve? A Christmas tree is usually a young oak or cherry tree, which is cut down early in the morning on Christmas Day and brought in front of the house. In the evening, on the eve of Christmas, the Christmas tree is cut and brought into the house together with straw and roast beef. Before sunrise, on Christmas Day, the householder with his sons or grandchildren goes to the forest to cut Christmas trees. Usually young and real ceric is chosen, if there is no ceric, oak can be used. The cherry tree should be so big that the owner can carry it home on his shoulder. When he has chosen a suitable tree, the host turns to the east, is baptized three times, mentions God, his glory and tomorrow's holiday, takes an ax in his hands and cuts down the Christmas tree. Christmas Eve is cut and cut with an ax diagonally, and from the east side. According to popular belief, the Christmas tree must be cut down with three strong blows. What the ax does not cut three times, it is finished by breaking or twisting. That broken part on Christmas Eve is called a beard and it is desirable to have it on every Christmas Eve. Care is taken to ensure that the tree falls directly on the ground when it falls. Therefore, one must not stop at any tree. A sliver of Christmas tree is taken and placed between the pelvis, so that the cream is as thick as the sliver. When the Christmas tree is brought home, it stands up next to the house, next to the front door, where it stands until evening. Christmas Eve symbolically represents the tree, which the shepherds brought and which the righteous Joseph planted in the cold cave, when Christ was born. Christmas Eve hints at the tree of the Cross of Christ.
Christmas Eve: practically combines Christmas Day and Christmas. That is why in our people it is said about some people who are friendly and close that they are like "Christmas and New Year's Day". In the evening, when it gets dark, the host and his sons bring into the house a roast, Christmas tree and straw. The roast is carried on a spit, usually two people carry it between them, and one of them first steps over the threshold with the right and greets the host and the household with the words: "Good evening! Merry Christmas and Christmas Eve!" The hostess and female children sprinkle the roast and the host with oats and wheat, answering: "Good evening! Congratulations to you and your roast!" The roast is brought into the room where the dinner on Christmas Day and the Christmas lunch takes place, and placed against the east wall, where the icons and the lamp are. Since the Christmas tree is previously cut from the thick end into three parts, large enough to fit in a stove or some kind of oven, it is brought into the house. The same is said and done as when eating a roast beef. The Christmas tree is placed on the hearth, but since there is no more hearth, it is placed next to the stove or stove, and immediately one tree is lit. Where there is no oven or stove, the Christmas tree is placed next to the roast beef.
Straw: After Christmas, straw is brought into the house. When bringing in the straw, the host and the host speak and act as when bringing in the Christmas tree and roast. The straw is sprinkled all over the house. The hostess puts various sweets, small gifts and toys in the straw under the table, where the dinner is served, which the children look for and drink like chickens. The straw symbolizes the straw in the cave where Christ was born. Dinner on the eve of Christmas When the roast beef, Christmas tree and straw are brought in, the household all stand together for prayer, sing the troparion "Your Christmas...", pray to God, read the prayers they know, honor and the second day of the holiday. the table. Dinner is fast, usually prebranac, fresh or dried fish and other fast dishes are prepared.
Christmas: is the most joyous of all holidays. It is celebrated for three days. The first day of Christmas is always January 7. On Christmas morning, before dawn, all the bells on the Orthodox churches ring, guns are fired and the arrival of Christmas and Christmas celebrations are announced. The host and all the household members put on the most festive clothes and go to the church for matins and the Christmas liturgy. After the service in the church, the nafora is received and first it is taken on Christmas. People greet each other with the words: "Christ is born!" and say hello: "He is truly born!" It should be noted that this is how people greet and say everything from Christmas to Epiphany. When the host comes home from church, he greets everyone in the house with this joyful greeting from God and they mutually congratulate each other on the holiday.
Polozajnik: On Christmas, early in the morning, a special guest comes to the house, who is usually arranged with the host, and it can also be a random guest, and he is specially waited for in the house, and is called a polozajnik. The postman greets the home with a Christmas greeting, kisses the housemates and goes to the stove. He opens the door on the stove or oven, previously on the hearth, lights the fire and says a toast: "How many sparks, so much happiness, How many sparks, how many coins (money), How many sparks, how many in the sheep pen, How many sparks, and so much, and most of all, health and joy, Amen, God grant." The position holder symbolically represents those Wise Men who followed the star from the East and came to worship the newborn Christ. After that, the hostess serves the official, and presents him with some suitable gift. He is the man who brings happiness to the house on Christmas and for the whole next year.
Garlic: Early in the morning on Christmas, the housewife kneads the dough from which she bakes a scone, which is called garlic. A gold, silver or ordinary coin is placed in it, it is pierced with a sprig of yuletide, and this garlic plays the role of a celebratory cake on Christmas. When the garlic is roasted, it is brought to the table where the Christmas lunch is already set. For Christmas, the host first cuts the left part of the shoulder, the head and part of the ribs. When everyone sits at the table, the host lights a candle, takes a censer, incenses the icons, the lamp and everyone present, and hands the censer to a younger person who incenses the whole house. If someone knows, they sing the Christmas troparion, and if not, the "Our Father" is read aloud. When the prayer is over, it is time to break the garlic. The garlic is turned like a celebration cake, poured with wine and finally broken. It breaks into as many parts as there are household members. According to popular belief, the one who gets a piece of garlic with a coin in it will be happy that whole year. When the crushing of garlic is finished, the household members congratulate each other on the holiday and sit down to the table.
Christmas roast: According to folk customs, a type of sacrifice that is offered to God and has its roots in the time of belief before Christianity, and is also mentioned in the books of the Old Testament. Its origin is certainly from the time of polytheism, and the Church accepted and blessed this custom, with the explanation that after the Christmas fast, which lasts for six weeks, strong and greasy food comes in handy. Pigs or lambs are usually slaughtered for pork loin, and someone also slaughters and prepares a roasted turkey, goose or chicken. The custom related to the slaughtering of the pork loin probably remained from the old pagan times, related to the sacrificial offering. The Church accepted and blessed him, because after the Christmas fast, which lasts for six weeks, stronger food comes in handy, especially since then there are extremely strong frosts and winters.
Beliefs: "God forbid a clear Christmas, nor a cloudy St. George's Day", is just one of the many folk beliefs related to Christmas. This day has a central place in the winter festivities, and ethnologists associate it with the new beginning of the annual cycle. The holiday of Christ's birth, which is considered to be rooted in the deepest Slavic past, is considered ideal for starting a business. The people believe that on the first day of the holiday, they should, at least symbolically, start some work or venture that is to come during the year. In addition, it is believed that during the holidays a person should do a little of everything he likes, because then he will do it throughout the next year. There is also a custom to visit the fields, pastures and corrals on the second day of Christmas, and wish them every success and good harvest. It is also believed that the student who enters the house on Christmas morning should be young, healthy and cheerful, because he brings success and joy to the home.
Images taken from: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/803822233534050120/
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