Posted
May 6, 2015
Đurđevdan
translates to "George's Day"—as in St. George.
As
in the guy on a horse killing a dragon!
St. George is considered the patron saint of England, and that is why his feast day is still celebrated there every April 23. That is the traditionally accepted anniversary of his death in 303 C.E. (or A.D.).
However,
St. George's feast day was April 23 on the Julian
calendar. That translates to May 6 on the Gregorian calendar (which
is the one we use nowadays).
Even
though the people of Southern Slavic nations use the Gregorian
calendar for most purposes, Eastern Orthodox Christianity generally
still uses the Julian calendar for feast days and other religious
holidays. So nations like Serbia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, and Kosovo celebrate the feast day today. (I think.
Honestly, I found all of this stuff about April 23 and May 6 quite
confusing!) |
| A Southern Slavic version of St. George killing a dragon. |
Đurđevdan
marks
the beginning of spring, and some of the spring celebrations enjoyed
in other nations on other days take place today in Southern Slavic
nations. That includes having bonfires and decorating the home with
flowers and blooming twigs, taking baths with flowers and washing
with water from holy wells. Another slavic tradition is choosing
girls to dress in leaves and play the part of Dodola goddesses by
singing all through the village.
Even
though this holiday has its basis in Christian traditions, with a
Catholic saint and feast day, the connection with springtime
celebrations, particularly the Dodola goddesses, comes from pagan
traditions. In some areas, such as Bosnia and Kosovo, many Muslim
people also celebrated Đurđevdan,
at least in the past.
More
about South Slavs...
In
the past, just as in the present, people moved about trying to find
resources and land; as they spread out and moved away from former
neighbors, their languages and customs began to diverge as they
evolved.
There
are many nations that are settled by mostly “Slavic peoples,”
largely defined by their Slavic languages. The South Slavs include
the majority of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia,
Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovenia, and a sizable minority in
the Republic of Kosovo (a disputed nation).
Notice
that the Southern Slavic nations, shown above in green, are cut off from the other Slavic
nations by non-Slavic countries like Austria, Hungary, Romania, and
Moldova.
Check
out these flags and photos for each of the Southern Slavic nation:
Bosnia and Herzegovina:
Bulgaria:
Croatia:
Kosovo:
Macedonia:
Montenegro:
Serbia:
Slovenia:
Also
on this date:
Be
Kind to Animals Week (May
3-9)
Plan
ahead:
Check out my Pinterest boards for:
And
here are my Pinterest boards for:
