itual past. Christmas was a holiday devoted to our departed ancestors, who were believed to expert continuing power over the fertility of our fields and cattle, and could influence the wellbeing of the living. Therefore, Christmas was the time when the whole family and the spirits of its forebears came together in a single place.Moreover, the Serbian community as a whole considered Chritmas a festival of ascenden- cen of one temporal cycle over another, in the pagan times, this was seen as departure of the old god, and
the birth of the young one - the Little God - which is what the Serbian name for Christmas ( Bozic) actu- ally means. In any case, the holiday took place at the time of winter solistice, marking the beginning of warmer and longer days.
Chistmas and its inseparable part - the Christmas Eve - were celebrated from January 6 to January 9. In the past, however, the period of festivities was much longer, starting with the Christmas Carnival on November 27 - according to the oldstyle Julian calendar still used by the Serbian Orthodox Church - and ending on January 14, the New Year's Day, or St. Basil's Day, popularly called the Little Christmas. On some occasions, the celebrations lasted until January 19. the Epiphany.
Christmas customs, however, were not indetical in all Serbian lands, but neither were the differences all that great. Therefore, to many present-day Serbs, returning to their religion and national customs, the que-
stions about the "proper" way to celebrate Christmascan be answered only by older family menbers, who still remember the times before the revolution, or by relatives who never stopped celebrating, despite the unppolarity of the old ways.
That, however, which makes this holiday special to the Serbs are the ancient rituals such as cutting and bringing the Yule Log into the home, the spresding of plain, clean straw on the floor, upon which to set the food during the festivities, the preparation of the Christmas Bread, the cooking of a Christmas Roast (usally a suckling pig, or a lamb), the extension of sacred hospitality to the Christmas Guest (the first visi- tor on a Christmas Day), the excution of various rites, all aimed at bringing prosperity and happiness to the family, as well as hamming it up with some tongue-in-cheek divination and good-natured fortune telling.
On Christmas Eve, moreover, all sharp and metal objectes used to be taken out of the house: all chai- rs, tables, shovels, brooms, spinning wheels, and silverware.
The Yule Log was cut down by the head of the household on the Christmas Eve, before sunrise. As a rule, it was a true oak tree (a cerris), with finely developed branches, as thick as a human arm. The family head would take the whole tree home without trimming off its branches,and would place it in front of the house entrance . In Western Serb regions (Herzegovina, Western Serbia, Sumadija) they used to cut two or more Yule Logs per household, and in some parts of the country a Yule Log for each member of the family. In the region of Levac in Serbia, the Yule Log was divided into three parts and each given a diffe-
rent name: the first was called the He-Log, the second the She-Log, while the third was named the Baby-
Log. In Estern and Southern Serbia only one Yule Log was cut. In certain regions in Vojvodina a single Yule Log was brought in for the whole village, around which all inhabitants would gather and light it toge-
ther on Christmas Eve. They would cut the tree wearing gloves, and would afterwards leave half of a Christmas Cake on the log itself, while the other half would be eaten by the man who cut the tree. The first chip of the fallen tree would be taken home and placed underneath the vessels used in skimming the cream in the process of making the famous Serbian rich cheese, Kajmak.
The head of the household, wearing gloves, would then take the Yule Log into the house, greeting his family with "Good evening, merry Christmas Eve to you all !", or some other such words, while the rest of the family would honor him by standing up and answering his greetings. The head of the household would then place the Yule Log in the fireplace, to burn.
The straw was also brought in by the head of the household imitating a cackling hen, followed by the children who would mimic picking on the straw, peeping like chicks. Sometimes, the straw wascovered by the spreads used for protecting cattle, or by sacks, over which the food was then placed.
For Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, serveral kind of bread were made, but two were the most important: the Chrismas Cake,and Chrismas Bread. The "Cake" was also a bread loaf,made of sourdough
on Chrismas Day itself. It was round and ornamented on the top with thin wavy ribbons of dough.
The baking of a Cake on whick all the family members,heir cattle,and all of their property were sym-
bolically represented, was widespread as well. Other Cakes, meant to honor the family livestock, the Chri-
stmas Guest, and to fulfil other festive purposes were made to complete the occasion.
The Christmas Bread was made on the first day of Christmas from white wheat flour, without yeast. In the past, it was prepared with pure, so-called "whole" or "virgin" water, that is, with water freshly brought
from the well that very morning, expressly for the purpose, not to be used for any other task. In certain regions, Christmas Bread was kneaded by the head of the household, but was baked by his wife. A coin was placed in the dough, along with three grains of whole wheat and three kernels of corn. The Bread was broken by all the family members together, while the person who found the coin was believed to be in good lick for the rest of the oncoming year.
On Christmas Eve, food cointaining no animal fat, such as bean soups, beans, sour cabbage rolls, dif-
ferent pies, and fish were served, whereas for Christmas Day itself a gourmet feast was thrown, impos-
sible to imagine without a suckling pig or lamb roast. Walnuts in shell were strewn around in the corners of the dining room.
From Christmas Eve until the end of Christmas Holidays there was to be no shouting in the house, all quarrels were forbidden, the children were not spanked, the house was entered without knocking, the fire was never fanned by blowing, while not even candles were extinguished in this way. During the Holidays, the house was neither cleaned nor tidied up,nor were the food leftovers taken out. Instead, they were left
in a place specially set apart for that purpose, in the dining and living room itself.
On the first or the second day of Christmas the Christmas Guest - a neighbor, or a son-in-law, broth-
er-in-law, or another relative - would visit the house,where he would be seated at a place of honor by the
fireplace, and, turning the live coals with a pair of tongs or a piece of wood, would divine the family for-
tune and pronounce blessings upon the house, according to the number of sparks flying about. Doing this,
he would usually be covered with a woollen cover or a fur coat, and would accompany his augury by ask-
ing God for such boons as thick cream all season round, or for a cloudy year ( so there would be no drou-
ght).In some regions the role of the Christmas Guest was preformed by a domestic animal-an ox,a sheep,
or even a dog. Such an animal was brought into the house like an honored visitor and given a special ca-
ke to eat.
On Christmas, important enterprises were begun, in the belief that the season was good omened and that such endeavours would be successful all year round. This conviction originated from the assurance that Christmas is a holy period, with the same sacred force as the Time of The Creation.
The removal, thus, of all sharp and metal objekts from the house, the ban on the cleaning of the house,
the meals spread out upon the floor covered with straw, food prepared without fat, the observance of sile-
nce, all point to the Serbs' conviction that during Christmas Holidays the spirits of their dead were prese-
nt, and joyous, in their homes.