Serbian clothes. Public and family life

Serbian culture is unusually rich. This is clearly seen when getting acquainted with Serbian folk clothes, folklore, cuisine, folk customs and various other traditions of the Serbian people.

Serbian folk clothes

Opanki are Serbian national shoes. Opanki is an integral attribute in the clothes of artists of Serbian folklore ensembles during performances.

Shaikacha is a famous Serbian headdress. Nowadays, it is not so easy to see a Serb in shaikach in broad daylight. However, shaikachs are worn by old people in villages and small towns in Central and Southwestern Serbia. Also, this headdress can be seen during Serbian holidays or at cultural events.

Broyanitsa. Wrist orthodox bracelet. It is usually worn on the left hand.

A distinctive feature of Serbian folk clothing is that it can vary quite a lot depending on a particular Serbian region. Such differences are primarily related to the peculiarities of the history of Serbia.

Traditional Serbian clothing of Pirot, Southeast of Serbia

Traditional Serbian clothes of Šumadija

Traditional Serbian clothes of the Uzhytsky region

Traditional Serbian clothes of the Leskovo region

Traditional Serbian clothes of the Bača region

Serbian literature

Serbian history is very rich in literary talents. This is primarily the Nobel laureate Ivo Andric. The famous writer received an honorary award for the book “The Bridge on the Drina”. Also among the Serbian writers, one can single out Vuk Karadzic, who is also the author of the modern Serbian language, Branislav Nusic, whose works can be seen in performances in our theaters, Mesha Selimovic, Branko Chopic, Radoslav Kochich.

Serbian kolo

Kolo is a Serbian folk dance. This is a very beautiful and incendiary dance, it is a kind of analogue of the Russian round dance.
A little higher, we saw that each Serbian region is distinguished by its folk clothes. It's the same with dancing. Almost every Serbian region has its own kolo.

Serbian kolo from Western Serbia

Culture of Serbs

The culture of the Serbs living in the Bosnian Krajina is very interesting and rich.
First of all, these are the inimitable singing of the male choir and, of course, national costumes. The songs of the Bosnian Krajina are a great cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation. The largest festival of Ukrainian songs is “Kochichev collection”, held every year in the last days of August.

The first cathedral of Krajinsky songs. September 28, 2012. City of Drvar.

Traditional song of the Serbs

Serbian images

Economy and life of houses in Serbian villages

Photos taken at the Belgrade Ethnographic Museum

Serbian house interior, 20th century

Serbian house interior, 20th century

Serbian dance

Folk mass dance of the peoples of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania

Round dance among the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula (ethnographic)

Yugoslav round dance

Serbian dance

Yugoslav dance

Serbian round dance

Serbian round dance

Round dance of Serbian girls

. "circle" in Slavic

Round dance among the southern Slavs

Round dance among the Serbs

Romanian round dance

Serbian round dance

Round dance performed by Serbs

Round dance in the Balkans

Serb round dance

Bulgarian round dance

Round dance of Montenegrins

Round dance among the Poles

Round dance in Serbia

Mass dance among the peoples of Yugoslavia

Wed old and now southern. app. circle, circumference, rim, hoop; wheel. southern app. worldly gathering, croup, clan, Cossack circle, council; at the southern Slavic round dance. Cola pl. cart on wheels, wagon. I went on stakes, in a cart. Kolo adv. southern app. around the fury arch. Kolya, Kolya app. near, near, beside, around, in the outskirts, in the neighborhood, in the neighborhood, near, both fields, in a circle. Kolomen column cf. ryaz. outskirts, neighborhood, neighborhood [Why the name of the city of Kolomna; outskirts of Moscow. Sib. what a crowd of people. Around, crush. Kolomyka vol. sar. vagabond, tramp. Kolobrovy, round-breasted, etc. browed, busty, full-breasted. Kolodey m. tul. cooking, chef's knife (about, to do); southern app. charioteer. Kolozemny, located near, around the earth. Kolozemitsa, krugozomitsa, myrokolitsa, atmosphere. Known. that the moon does not have a pit, it is not inhabited. Kolomaz composition for lubricating wheels; tar with tar, tar with lard, tar with lard and soap; lard with a pencil, etc. Kolomaz, kolomak chickens. colonic, thickened tar on the axes; the colony chickens. pitches. Same; psk. pine tar, liquid resin. Colony m. Smolokur and seller of the colony. Ringing psk. hard. to chat, to chat; grind nonsense. To be afraid, to fight, to beat, to interrupt, toil with someone or something, to manage with difficulty, not to be able to cope; mess around, fool around, fool around. Koloboystvo cf. torment with a stubborn, stubborn person. one nonsense. Koloboynichat, scurry, profit here and there. To roam, to roam, to walk around and around something; wander around, wander around, stagger around idle; wander restlessly from corner to corner, to the hindrance of others; play pranks, play pranks, indulge from idleness; talk stupidly, not be able to explain. To roam, always or to roam a lot. Kolobrodniye, Kolobrodnichanie, Kolobrodstvo cf. action by vb. Kolobrod m. - yes about. who is chirping. Yaroslavl a bench, with a wheel and a drive to an iron spindle, on which a lantern, a bobbin is put on, for winding a duck. Kolobrodka the generic name of moths, from crepusculars, Sphynx, the sphinx, which, rarely sitting down, scurry about, buzzing with wings, through the flowers. Kolobrodnya kolobrodny business; golovodstvo; collected collection of kohlobrods. To turn what, turn around, turn around, turn around. Oh, they're suffering. and return according to the meaning of speech. Rotation cf. action and comp. by vb. on th and on sya. Swirling, whirling, whirling, turning around; * changeable, variable, fickle. Rotation property or condition. rotten. To turn around, to be shaky, indecisive, changeable, fickle. Chattering cf. action This. Rotary tamb. fast, agile, dexterous, agile, brisk; frivolous, inconstant. Kolovert, whirlpool m. whirlpool, abyss, vyr, suvoy. Drill with winch, crank handle with perk, for drilling. Kolovert m. Kolovert about. a person is cunning, cunning, agile, or a fickle person. Kolovorot, Kolovrat m. gate, spire, standing shaft with levers, for lifting cargo, pulling a seine, etc. ram, barrel, navoi. Drill. Bend, meander of the river, tver. psk. The man is a colovert, in the meaning. fickle, changeable, fickle. Rotary, relating to the rotation. Rotifer vodnyakovy animal Vorteh, wheel. Ringing, ringing Novg. hard. psk. to hang out, loitering to make a fool. Kolomed, kolymanivchaty, an animal with a mane around, on both sides of the neck; a horse with a shaggy, sprawling and rich mane. Kazan women reap kohlrivs. Kologrivny (see kolo), located near, near, near the mane; from this: kologriv m. a servant who walked by the mane, with a horse, during royal trips; in Asia, this custom has been preserved: under khans and shahs, there are always two kolorivs. Kolodele cf. leisure work, unimportant, secondary. There are a lot of wells, well work in the house. Kolodey m. who works something, about the case. Chef's, cooking knife

Serbian dance

. "circle" in Slavic

Yugoslav folk dance

Round dance among the Balkan peoples

In the past, clothing, as well as the material for it, was made by women in every family. The underwear and outer dress were sewn by hand, while making a lot of care so that it was practical and beautiful. Sometimes clothes were sewn by hired tailors who went from village to village. In the last decades of the last century, clothes (men's and women's), both in cities and in villages, began to be sewn mainly by professional craftsmen.

Men's clothing

A tunic-shaped shirt (kogiula, ruby) and trousers (ga%e) are the oldest elements of the men's folk costume that has survived to this day. They are sewn from various types of fabric. In addition to linen, they also wear cloth pants with a narrow (chakgiire) or wide (potter) step. Previously, in Bosnia and Stary Vlach, men wore cloth trousers - pelengiri, now very rare, and leggings. Men's outerwear was formerly sewn from rare homespun, and now more often purchased cloth (earlier red, later black). It was a long caftan (dolama), a short jacket with sleeves - gun (gut), sometimes also called krtsalinets, dorots, guuyats. Over the jacket, they usually wear short (shorter gunya) sleeveless jackets - elek (] elek), echerma ( je - Cherma), Joka (Tsoka). By on holidays, they used to wear a short camisole (fermep) without sleeves, made of fine cloth, and instead of a gun, they put on a short jacket with sleeves ( aumepuja ) from the same material as the camisole.

In some areas of Serbia, men's costumes, especially festive ones, are still decorated with silver buttons or cord.

In winter, a boar-long cloth coat was worn over the jacket. Shepherds still wear it today. In Vojvodina and some other regions of Serbia, they wore leather coats (ogrtach), cut in the same way as cloth ones.

An integral part of the men's national costume was the belt. Of the various types of belts, patterned sashes (fabric) are especially known, with which both men and women girdled. Weaved from multi-colored yarn, beautifully ornamented, they differed by region; belts are now being phased out. They also stopped wearing leather belts, the so-called silavi, with special compartments (listovi) for carrying weapons and a purse. They still wear knee-length woolen stockings on their feet, differing in color and embroidery, and over them - woolen socks of beautiful knitting and opanka - a kind of leather shoes such as moccasins, previously made from raw leather (preshuatsi), and later - from tanned. Opanki differ by region in the form of weaving and style. Now many people wear shoes (tsokula) or rubber shoes, and in Vojvodina boots (chizmyo).

The hats of the Serbian peasants in the past were very diverse: they wore straw hats, feses sewn from cloth or knitted, fur and cloth hats. At present, fur hats are usually worn in winter, and in the rest of the year - felt hats, kepis and military-style hats (titovka), which came into use after the Second World War.

Women's clothing

The female Serbian national costume is characterized by a tunic-shaped shirt (koszul>a), richly decorated with embroidery, lace and braid. A short richly decorated sleeveless jacket (/elek) made of cloth, velvet or satin is put on over the shirt. The jacket (zubun) is still preserved in some areas. Usually jackets are sewn from white, less often from blue or red cloth, without fasteners, in front there is a large neckline. Zubuns are richly decorated with embroidery and appliqué. In some areas, they used to wear a long swinging dress.

An obligatory detail of the costume is a richly ornamented homespun apron (pregacha, ketsel>a, etc.). In some areas, married women wore two aprons - front and back, as in northern Bulgaria. The apron exists even now, but it is sewn from purchased matter and decorated less. Skirts (sukta) of Serbian peasant women differ by region in material, cut and name. Skirts are made from woolen and cotton fabrics. Women gird themselves with belts (fabric). They look like men's, only shorter and narrower. They are fastened with various types of metal buckles.

Shoes are similar to men's - these are stockings, socks and opanki, only women's stockings are shorter and more beautifully knitted. More and more urban shoes are included in the life of peasant women. -

The headdresses and hairstyles of married women and girls differed. In general, the headdresses of Serbian peasant women in the past were very diverse: they wore feses (sometimes they were wrapped in scarves); various hats that were sheathed with a cord, coins or wrapped around them * braids; shawls knitted in various ways. During the days of mourning, they usually wore black, and sometimes white shawls. Currently, peasant women most often wear purchased scarves. Girls and young women are now combing their hair in urban fashion.

The folk costume is complemented by various decorations - coins, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, flowers, as well as beautifully ornamented woven or knitted bags (torba). On days of mourning, jewelry is not worn.

The Serbian national costume differed by regions (Boka Kotorska, Bosnian Krajina, Kosovo, etc.), so that one could determine the regional affiliation by the costume. Where the ethnic composition of the population is complex, various influences have affected the national costume. In the era of widespread migrations - from the end of the 14th to the first half of the 19th century - the settlers, mixing with the indigenous local population, often forgot the features of their national clothes and began to wear a local costume or created a new costume through mutual influence. So, for example, in Shumadia, the Shumadi costume arose, which spread far beyond the borders of this region to the east and south.

A complete set of an old national costume is rare these days; it is preserved in ethnographic museums and theater groups. Although urban fashion has a great influence on the costume of rural residents, some elements of the folk costume - shirts, trousers (chakshire), jackets, sleeveless jackets, caftans, opanki, raincoats, hats - in a men's suit; skirts, aprons, scarves, belts, sleeveless jackets, knitted socks and stockings, etc. in a women's costume are still quite common today, especially in Šumadija and Eastern Serbia. Here, the folk costume is distributed mainly among the elderly, and partly among young people as everyday work clothes and as festive clothes. The reverse phenomenon also takes place: the Serbian folk costume still has an impact on urban fashion. So, for example, sometimes townswomen wear belts similar to textiles, bag bags, shoes, the shape and ornament of which are very reminiscent of opanki.

Public and family life

In the social and family life of the Serbs, until recently, such social institutions as the extended family (zadruga) and the rural community (seoska opt, tina) were preserved, the remnants of which partially still exist today.

In the XIX and early XX centuries. rural communities were commonplace in Serbia. They had many similarities with the communities of neighboring peoples, but there were also some differences. In the 19th century, as before, the community acted as the owner of collective lands and lands (pastures, forests, water sources, rural roads, as well as mills, cemeteries and other public buildings). The use of collective property was governed by customary law. In the 19th century, as in earlier times, the arable lands of the community members were not redistributed. In the second half and especially at the end of the XIX century. in Serbia, the process of decomposition of the rural community was rapidly proceeding due to property stratification among the peasantry. As a result of the sale and confiscation of communal lands for communal debts (for example, in the event of non-payment of taxes), unauthorized seizure and division of collective lands among community members, the main funds of collective lands in the communities disappeared, and this led to an increasing loss of the economic significance of the community in life Serbian peasantry. Back in the first half of the 19th century. the community had rather large rights to the private land property of the community members. So, until the 1870s, the community established a forced crop rotation, the timing of sowing and harvesting. The power of the community also limited the right of the owner to dispose of his property. In the case of the sale of real estate, customary law gave priority when buying it to relatives and neighbors.

By the end of the XIX century. Serbian rural communities were in fact more and more transformed into administrative-territorial units, the self-government of which was placed under the control of the state.

Forms of collective labor and mutual assistance are a stable relic of the community organization. Serbs have several such customs: moba - collective voluntary assistance; zaymitsa (pose] "mitsa) - the participation of several people in the performance of work for one of them; the labor of each participant must be compensated; spreg - the association of working cattle and agricultural implements for the alternate performance of work; bachi / atye - the association of small livestock for collective grazing and However, most of the folk customs of collective labor and mutual assistance in the 19th century turned into a tool for the exploitation of the poor by the rural elite.Today, the customs of mutual assistance still exist in some Serbian villages.Communal traditions in the life of the Serbian peasantry were very persistent.

The custom of gatherings is widespread - a village, a prelo, a saddle, etc., similar to the Bulgarian sedyanka, Ukrainian evenings, Belarusian evenings. At gatherings, women and girls knitted, spun, sewed, accompanying the work with stories and songs. Usually several gatherings gather in the village - each region has its own gatherings. When it is warm, gatherings are arranged right in the open air, and in late autumn and winter - in the house. Gatherings can gather on any day, but they are most crowded on long winter evenings. The custom of gatherings continues to this day.

For the Serbian village of the XIX century. was characterized by a combination of large and small families. A large family - a great kula, a zadruzhna ku%a, a skupgitina, a foldable braLa, a plurality of ludi, etc., usually called a friend in the literature, united several generations; the total number of its members reached 50-60 and even 80 people. As a rule, sons with their wives and children lived in a zadrug, and daughters went to their husband's house. Members of the friend ran the household together, ate together. All the property of the zadruga, except for personal items, clothes and dowries of women, was collective property. As a rule, the most experienced and respected man, domachin (domaTyin), was at the head of the friend, although sometimes an elderly, experienced woman could lead the friend in the event of the death of the domachin. The head of the friend enjoyed great power in the family: he determined the order of work and their distribution among the friends, disposed of the money, played a major role in the performance of various rituals. Domachin represented his friend before the outside world - he participated in solving community affairs and was responsible for the actions of his family members. The work of women in the zadrug was led by a domachitsa (domaitsa) - most often it was the wife of a domachin. She distributed duties, monitored the quality of work. Usually, women took turns doing certain jobs, such as baking bread and preparing food.

In the middle and in the 60s of the XIX century. in Serbia, as a result of the development of commodity-money relations, there were massive divisions of zadrug. By the end of the XIX century. there are few friends left. However, in some areas of Serbia, for example in Kosovo and Metohija, zadrugi have survived to this day. Modern zadrugi are not numerous - usually parents and two sons with families live in them; these friendships are fragile: as a rule, after the death of the father, the brothers are divided.

At present, the Serbs are dominated by a small (foreign) family. The dominant position in the Serbian family used to belong, and in many rural families even now belongs to a man, the head of the family. Women were burdened with a variety of domestic labor, and took part in agricultural work. Until recently, women themselves spun, wove and sewed clothes for themselves and their families. From the age of 8-10, girls learned how to make clothes, and from the age of 14-15 they already began to prepare a dowry for themselves.

For the family life of the Serbs, divorces were not typical before, although they did happen. The reasons for the divorce were different (absence of children, infidelity of one of the spouses, disability of the wife, etc.). During the period of Turkish domination, divorces were carried out according to the laws of customary law, which were not particularly strict. After liberation from Turkish domination, this area of ​​marriage law was taken over by the Orthodox Church, which was guided by church canons.

Family rituals and customs

According to popular notions, the main purpose of marriage is the birth of children, especially boys, as the successors of the family. Childlessness has long been considered a valid reason for divorce.

The pregnant woman observed some prohibitions. During childbirth, only women (one of the elderly relatives) were allowed to be present. Men left the house during childbirth. The woman in labor listened to the advice of those present, who taught her various ancient customs that facilitate childbirth. The newborn was received by a woman (midwife), who bathed him and swaddled him. Babitye is still celebrated after childbirth, when relatives and neighbors bring gifts (povo / nitsa) to the newborn - money, cakes, etc .; they believe that these gifts contribute to the rapid growth of the child, and in the future - his successful marriage or marriage.

Various customs and rituals accompany the first bath, swaddling, breastfeeding, weaning. The custom is widespread everywhere, according to which the best man, who crowned the young, baptizes the child in this family. As a rule, the same godfather baptizes all the children of the family; godfather is changed only in cases of emergency, for example, if his godchildren die. Serbs treat the godfather with respect, at baptism they arrange refreshments for the godfather and close relatives, who, in turn, bring gifts to the child.

Previously, names were given by the name of the saint on whose day the child was born. Now this custom, especially in cities, is rarely followed - they give a wide variety of names, and the first-born are often named after the deceased grandparents. The first haircut is performed by the godfather usually in the third year and follows an established ritual, the purpose of which is to make the future life of the child easier.

In Serbia, before the entry into force of the Basic Law on Marriage (1946), church marriage was obligatory. Church marriage was also obligatory for the Serbs of Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Slavonia. In Vojvodina, since 1894, a civil marriage was also valid. After the publication of the Basic Law on Marriage in Yugoslavia, a civil marriage is recognized as mandatory, after registration of which a wedding according to religion is allowed. Today, when entering into marriage, the pre-existing prohibitions imposed by nepotism, religious differences, spiritual and monastic orders are not taken into account.

Popular ideas about marriage differ significantly from the legislation in this area. The custom of giving dowry (money, household items, etc. - everything that a girl brings to her husband's house), known for a long time, exists today, although the institution of dowry has been abolished by the Basic Law on Marriage. Now it is customary to give as dowry a bed, a bed, a sewing machine, money, etc. According to the law of 1946, only persons who have reached the age of eighteen can enter into marriage. However, even now it happens that people who have not reached the age of majority marry. So, for example, in the Leskovac Morava, it is quite common for a sixteen-year-old boy and a twenty-twenty-five-year-old girl to marry.

Previously, the order (by seniority) of marriage or marriage was strictly observed in families. Now, especially in the cities, this custom is almost forgotten.

Previously, when choosing a husband or wife, they were guided primarily by considerations of the economic and social status of their families, health; the feelings, the mutual inclination of the bride and groom were not paid attention. Nowadays, when entering into marriage, not so much material position and physical strength are taken into account as the sympathy of those entering into marriage; this was largely facilitated by the new legislation, according to which a woman is completely equal in rights with a man.

The highlights of the wedding - matchmaking, collusion and the wedding itself. Marriages are most often concluded through matchmakers - relatives or friends of the groom. They negotiate with the bride's parents; after the agreement, the terms and other details of the wedding ritual are set, for example, the size of the dowry and the bride price (in the past, until the middle of the 19th century, it was customary in Serbia to give a bride price), etc. On a certain day, matchmaking is announced, when official consent is given to marriage, accompanied by fun and presenting gifts.

A week or two before the wedding, a wedding feast with songs and dances is arranged in the groom's house. The bride is sent for on Saturday evening (if she is from a remote village), or on Sunday. “Official” persons participate in the wedding procession: godfather (he is also godfather) and his assistant (prikumak), stari matchmaker, dever, voivode and standard-bearer (bar] "aktar), senior friend (chaush, lazhl> a) - usually a witty person and a merry fellow, amusing with jokes and witticisms of matchmakers, girlfriends (en1)e), who Accompany the young and sing, and matchmakers. .

The arrival of matchmakers to the bride's house is accompanied by ancient customs: the gates are closed in front of them; they are opened only when the matchmakers fall from a gun into a hanging vessel or pumpkin, etc. A set table (sofra) awaits them in the house, at which a toast is pronounced and presented with a ritual cake (prschatelska pogacha), after which the bride’s brother takes her out and passes to the brother-in-law, who in the future is always near the bride. When the wedding procession leaves the house and on the way to the church, rituals are performed in order to protect the newlyweds from misfortunes in the future. Sometimes, for this, a kolo (dance) is led at weddings with banners that play a protective and ritual role.

The arrival of the bride in a new home is accompanied by rituals, the purpose of which is to cause love between the newlyweds, happiness in marriage, and children. The wedding feast (gozba, feast) currently lasts two, less often three days, before it lasted for several days. The central place during the feast is occupied by a demonstration of gifts - wine and food brought by the matchmakers; these offerings cause laughter and jokes. After that, the bride presents the matchmakers. The fun continues until dawn. At midnight on the first day of the wedding, the godfather or senior matchmaker takes the newlyweds to the bedroom, which is also accompanied by rituals. A girl's chastity was considered very important, receiving confirmation after the wedding night. The bride was announced about chastity by shots from a gun, fun, treating the matchmakers with wine. Otherwise, symbolic signs made it clear that shame would fall on the young woman and her parents.

At the end of the wedding, the godfather and the elder matchmaker are escorted with honor. On the first day after the end of the wedding, in the evening, the native brides come to visit; ten days later, the bride, with her parents and relatives of her husband, goes on a return visit to her relatives (povratak, read, prvina).

When a loved one dies, women loosen or cut off their braids, lament, show all kinds of signs of sadness. Relatives and neighbors gather in the house that suffered grief. The washed and dressed dead man is laid on the table. Relatives and neighbors are always near the deceased. If the head of the family has died, then rituals are performed in order to preserve the family and home.

Relatives are invited to the funeral, the rest come uninvited. In the past, people were buried without a coffin. The dead man was covered with a cloth (veil), across which boards were laid. Currently they are buried in coffins. The grave is dug by neighbors or relatives. The coffin is carried in the arms or driven on a cart from the house to the cemetery. Previously, the Serbs, like many other nations, carried the coffin to the cemetery on a sleigh (this custom existed in some areas as early as the 1930s). The traditional custom of commemorating the dead is preserved even now - they are usually commemorated on the seventh and fortieth day, as well as six months and a year after death. In Serbia, it is customary to erect a monument within a year from the date of death. After a year, the grave is visited less frequently - only on the days of commemoration of the dead (zadushnitsa). Assholes are also celebrated in the village and in the city.

In Serbia, an interesting custom was widespread - storage-spgvo, similar to Caucasian atalyism. Childless spouses often adopted a small child of their close relatives, usually a boy. Adoption was accompanied by a ritual establishing a symbolic bond between the adopted and his adoptive parents. The adopted child took on the surname and glory of his adoptive parents, and with it all the rights and obligations of the son.

Among the Serbs, the custom was widespread to conclude unions of twinning and sisterhood. Those who entered into such an alliance became, as it were, relatives; they treated each other with great respect, provided various assistance, etc. These unions could be between men or between women, as well as between a man and a woman; in the latter case, they became, as it were, brother and sister, and marriage between them was considered impossible.

Unions of sisterhood and sisterhood were concluded in case of need for assistance or as a sign of deep respect for each other. Especially many such alliances were concluded during the period of Turkish domination, when people constantly needed mutual support. This custom continued during World War II.

The Serbs have a developed terminology for referring to kinship. The most important is consanguinity, by which members of the same clan (now families, surnames) were connected. In consanguinity, relatives are distinguished in descending, ascending and collateral lines. Then property is distinguished (by friendship or through marriage between two families), spiritual kinship (nepotism, twinning, sisterhood) and, finally, kinship through adoption.

Glory (Service, Krsno ime, Sveti, etc.) is the most characteristic Serbian family holiday both in the city and in the countryside, which still exists today among peasants, workers and intellectuals. This holiday, perhaps, is a relic of a family and clan cult, it contains elements of pre-Christian beliefs, but the Christian church recognized this holiday and over time gave it religious features. The attributes of the glory holiday are a candle, kolach, kolivo, wine and incense. The main ceremonies: breaking the kolach, proclaiming toasts in honor of glory (dizak u glory). Glory is also celebrated by Orthodox Vlachs in Serbia (holiday). Until recently, they also celebrated the collective rural glory (seoska glory, zavetina), which was celebrated by the whole village in the spring. Rural glory can also be attributed to pre-Christian holidays associated with the cult of fertility. The church also managed to introduce elements of Christian ritual on this holiday (participation of a priest in a procession that goes around the village, performing a church ceremony near a sacred tree, singing church songs, etc.). The celebration of glory fell into two parts: official (church service, procession through the fields, solemn meal) and entertainment - games, dancing. The purpose of all these rituals is to cause fertility in the coming year.

Religion, beliefs, calendar holidays

Serbs adopted Christianity from Byzantium in the early Middle Ages. At present, the majority of believers are Orthodox (5 million 840 thousand people, according to 1953 data). However, among the believing Serbs there are also Catholics (shocks) - 8,800 people, Protestants - 7,100 people and Muslims - 56,900 people. During the period of Turkish domination, part of the population converted to Islam, retaining, however, the Serbo-Croatian language and adhering to many of the old customs. At present, the Orthodox Church does not enjoy much influence among the population. About 20% of Serbs declared themselves atheists (data from the 1953 census).

Among a part of the population, especially the older generation, there are still religious prejudices, and elements of pre-Christian beliefs (belief in the supernatural properties of certain objects, in the souls of ancestors, witches, vampires, in the evil eye) still persist.

The beliefs associated with the rites of calling rain are varied. In dry times, among the Serbs, like many other peoples, rain was “caused” by pouring water on one of the participants in the ritual procession. Such a girl or boy with a wreath of flowers on his head is called dodola. In the XX century. this rite was still performed, but it had changed somewhat - the role of the dodola and the girls accompanying her was almost universally performed by newcomer gypsies. A similar rite of making rain was also known among other peoples, for example, among the Croats, Macedonians, and Bulgarians. The Serbs had many beliefs associated with the idea of ​​\u200b\u200b"evil spirits", which included a veshtitsa (witch), a vodaritsa (mermaid), a vila (a water, air and forest fairy), a vampire, a vukodlak - a werewolf (often Vukodlaks were understood to mean the same vampires). Serbian peasants were very afraid of the evil force and tried to protect themselves from it. There was even a special ceremony designed to prevent "evil spirits" from entering the village. For this purpose, a furrow was plowed along the borders of the village at night. This custom, also known to the Eastern Slavs, proved to be very stable and was observed in some areas (for example, in the Leskovac Morava) as early as the 1930s. Most of the beliefs that existed in the 19th century changed under the influence of Christianity, the rites were simplified.

Many calendar holidays have their origins in pagan times. The ritual of church holidays also includes ancient folk rites. They often have local differences, while maintaining common basic elements and ritual functions. In festive rituals, protective-magical and symbolic actions were preserved, which were performed to maintain health, achieve prosperity, fertility and happiness.

A special place in the winter rituals is occupied by the Christmas holidays. Christmas Eve is solemnly celebrated - badgyi dan: on this day, a ritual tree - badnyak (badtak) is cut down, cult bread is kneaded, badnyak and straw are brought into the house, an evening meal is made. For Christmas - bozhich (Gods%), a special ritual marks the arrival of the first visitor to the house (polaznik, polazha] "nickname), that is, a person who specially went around the house with good wishes and congratulations, and cutting ritual bread. The final phase of the Christmas holidays coincides Happy New Year (God bless, Vasiliev Dan), when New Year's cult bread is also baked, they guess about the harvest in the coming year.

Until recently, in the period from the day of St. Ignat (December 20) to Christmas and on New Year's Eve, special rites were performed - koledari and sirovari: a group of men went from house to house, glorified household members, wished well-being to the house and "cast out evil power"; all this was accompanied by dancing in masks, shooting, beats with mallets and other symbolic actions. Today, traces of caroling have been preserved only in songs sung on Christmas holidays, and sometimes children go caroling.

Various games and entertainment was arranged for the oil week, called in Serbia “white” or “favorable” week (white week, weekly fee> a).

In the past, Serbs strictly observed Great Lent. On Saturday of the sixth week of Lent - Lazarus Saturday - a group of girls (Lazaritsa) usually went from house to house, glorified the household, and wished them every well-being. Now this custom has almost disappeared; sometimes it is performed by gypsies.

Easter is celebrated according to the church ritual.

Among the Serbian peasantry, the days of saints were quite widely celebrated - George (April 23), Ivan (June 24), Ilya (July 20), Ignat (December 4), etc. These holidays were communal. So, for example, on Ivanov's Day, the girls and women of the whole village gathered herbs together, wove wreaths, and organized collective festivities. On Ignatov's day, fellow villagers always went to visit each other with the wishes of a fruitful year and health.

St. George's Day (j^ypfyee dan) was accompanied by various magical actions aimed at protecting people and livestock (early rising, ritual bathing, gathering herbs, lighting a fire, slaughtering St. George's lamb, feeding livestock, first milking, etc.) * In some areas, before Recently, on this day, a ritual procession of girls (kral>itsa) went around the house with wishes of health and happiness to all household members.

Summer holidays were marked by customs, the purpose of which was to protect crops (crops, etc.) from natural disasters and livestock from diseases. Among the autumn holidays, the so-called interday stood out, when, when harvesting, an insignificant part of it is left in the field or in the garden as a guarantee of a future rich harvest.

Many holidays are now forgotten, the customs that accompany them disappear or lose their magical significance. Thirty years ago, Christmas, Easter, glory and other holidays were accompanied by a much larger number of customs and ritual actions, the meaning of which has long been forgotten.

The old generation, especially women, still adhere to traditions and some old customs, but new living conditions, the growth of the general culture of the broad masses of the people contribute to their death.

After the people's revolution, in addition to the preservation of some old folk holidays, new ones arose, such as: collective meetings of the New Year (this holiday is increasingly celebrated in the villages); Labor Day (May 1), celebrated with demonstrations, trips out of town, etc.; Youth Day (May 25) is celebrated by urban and rural youth; Marshal Tito's birthday is celebrated at the same time; The Day of the Fighter (July 4), the Day of the Uprising of the People of Serbia (July 7), when folk festivals are held in memory of those who died for liberation, in which some elements of the customs that previously accompanied Ivan's Day are preserved; Republic Day (November 29), accompanied by solemn meetings, youth competitions and demonstrations.

Serbia is a country friendly to Russia, whose inhabitants love and respect the Russian people. Russian tourists often travel to Montenegro and Croatia, but they come to Serbia much less often, because this small country has no access to the sea. For this reason, we do not know much about the Serbs, their culture and traditions. The Quelle online store publishes several articles about the national clothes of different countries, Serbia is one of them.

As in other countries of the world, clothes have long been sewn by women by hand. Occasionally, clothes were made by hired tailors, but gradually professional craftsmen began to sew the dress, and over time and the automation of production, their cost decreased significantly.

The oldest elements of the men's national costume are a tunic-shaped shirt and trousers with a narrow or wide top, sewn from various types of linen or cloth. Outerwear for men is a long caftan and a short jacket with sleeves. A short sleeveless jacket was worn over the jacket, and on holidays they wore a short sleeveless camisole made of fine cloth. In modern Serbia, the festive national costume is still decorated with silver buttons or cords and put on it for solemn events.

An integral part of the men's national costume was the belt. The most famous are patterned sashes, which both men and women girded. It was not enough just to buy a beautiful dress or sew it: without a belt, the outfit would be incomplete. Depending on the region, embroidery and ornaments on the belt differed. Belts are now falling into disuse, as are the leather belts with compartments for weapons and purses that were popular among men.

Women's wardrobe, like men's, was characterized by a long tunic-shirt, decorated with lace, beads, braid and embroidery. A short sleeveless jacket was worn on top of the material corresponding to the situation and social status: satin and velvet or linen and cotton.

An obligatory part of the costume is an apron, previously necessarily homespun, but now purchased, but richly decorated. In some areas, married women wore a back and front apron at the same time.

Specialists can determine regional affiliation by the national costume, because clothes differed depending on the region. Some areas succumbed to the influence of settlers, migrations or invaders, so their outfits differed significantly from neighboring ones.

In modern Serbia, the national costume is a festive dress worn for celebrations, weddings, anniversaries. Especially often the features of national outfits in everyday life are found in Šumadija and Eastern Serbia. Many girls want to buy an evening dress for a holiday in accordance with their national identity, paying tribute to traditions. However, as a casual suit, the vast majority chooses clothes from European brands, prefers in an online store or in a shopping center. For example, Quelle has a wide variety of interesting models. Of course, the Serbian folk costume still influences urban fashion, not to mention the clothes of the villagers. So, for example, sometimes townswomen wear belts similar to textiles, bag bags and shoes adapted to the modern style, but retaining the features of centuries-old Serbia.

And the genes found in the blood of some peoples explain everything. The Slavs, like other old peoples, were not murderers, but assimilators. Serbs are dominated by the Illyrian gene (20%), Greek-trucks (18%), Romanesque (15%), Celtic (15%), Slavic (14%), Finno-Ugric (8%), Turkish (3%), Mongolian (2%) and Germanic (2%). The Slavs did not kill the peoples with whom they lived. And the Germans also have a lot of Celtic, Romanesque, Slavic, etc. In Serbia, no one liked the article, but neither the Austrians, nor the Germans, nor the Czechs, etc. Maybe because it's true?

***
Rositsa
What does the prefix "Haji" mean in Serbian surnames? Is she talking about a Muslim background or something else? Such a prefix, in particular, when it came to Dragan Hadzhi-Antich.

Andrey
"Haji" means that that person or his family in the past, VISITED CHRIST'S GRAVE IN PALESTINE. For example, if my grandfather visited the grave of Christ, he would be Hadji-Ivan Milosevic, and his son would be Igor Hadji-Milosevic or Hadzhimilosevic. And the name is not Dragan Hadji-Antic, but Hadji-Dragan Antich, because HE WAS at the grave of Christ, and not his father... His son will be Hadji-Antic.

***
Rositsa
Are there Serbian surnames ending in "-ev", for example, Makaveev? Or does it mean that the surname is Macedonian?

Andrey
Yes, there are many Serbian surnames ending in -ov or -ev, especially in Vojvodina. Macedonians most often have surnames in -ski, but not so often in -ev or -ov.

***
Andrey
In Serbia and Bulgaria, surnames (until 1878.) did not go from father to son, but sin received a surname from the name of his father or grandfather. For example: if my father is Petar Djordjevic, my surname will be Petrovich. Our last name was like your middle name. And "surname" in Serbian now means "semya", but in the 19th century both in Serbian and Bulgarian languages, "prezima" meant "patronymic", and "surname", like the Russian "surname", was constant. But, our last name was lost officially. I just know, for example, that my surname is Kalinin. But, this is what my relatives know.

Andrej, like other Russian names јavlјајutsја in Serbia only after the 1st world. wars, when many whites came, and especially after the 2nd war, when the Serbs identified with the USSR. Then we started naming children often SASHA, IGOR, BORIS, NATASHA, TATIANA, IVANA, etc... (even OLEG, SERGEY, NASTASIAN...) But in general, there are very many ancient names, Slavic, both among us and among the Bulgarians, both Czechs and Slovenes, for example. And the name Vladislav is often with us, it is also (cup) and in the female form of Vladislav (Vanya, a short form for both men and women). Russian names are very popular here.

***
Rositsa
They joked that Labus was a Balt. Is it really a German surname? Slovenian?

Andrey
The joke that Labus is Baltic is interesting and funny, but he is 100% Serb. Many Serbs have surnames like Balts: examples are LABUS, OMCHIKUS, BRAKUS, BELAS, PAVLAS and so on...

***
Rositsa
And in your language, the names of nationalities are also capitalized, like in English, right?

Andrey
Yes. They took it from the German language, in the 19th century, I think ... Often Serbs, when they write in Russian, make mistakes because they write a larger letter there ... but also :)

***
Rositsa
I have a friend who is Russian, married to a Serb and lives in Nis, she said that in general the Serbian language breaks up into many dialects, so much so that it is easier for a Belgrade resident to understand a Zagreb resident than a Nis resident. (Who this friend is - I think it's clear. ;-)

Andrey
Exactly. But it is also easier for the inhabitants of Nis or Pirot, where my family is from, to understand the inhabitants of Sofia, Varna (Bulgaria) or Skopje than the inhabitants of Belgrade. My grandmothers never spoke Serbian, but its Shopska dialect is close to Bulgarian and Macedonian.

***
Rositsa
And which is correct - Sloba or Slobo?

Andrey
Sloba in northern and central Serbia; Slobo in southwestern Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia... In our north we have Russian influence in the language... All male names end in -A.

***
Rositsa
I thought that your most popular saint is Sav(v)a. Don't even know how to write? Everything that we write with 2 consonants, you - with one. So suggested Vuk Karadzic, I'm not confusing anything?

Andrey
Yes, exactly, Savva in Russian. After Karadzic, we have almost a week of double agreement.

***
Andrey
It's quite amazing how Russians use the form YOU when referring to each other when talking to a stranger... In Serbo-Croatian, it is almost never used unless you are AT ALL sure that the person you are talking to is older than you. If someone is in a POSITION, and your "number of years" is the same, then also YOU ​​is not used, but only YOU. Interesting, just wanted to point out.

Ya.A.
And in Russia, "ty" is only addressed to children under 15 and to acquaintances. For example, teachers address schoolchildren in grades 1-9 with "you", and it is recommended to address schoolchildren in grades 10-11, students of technical schools, university students with "you". Previously, in Russia it was customary to address parents to "you", but now it is not.

Andrey
Officially, students of universities and in our country are referred to as YOU, but not assistants, if the assistants are young people themselves. Between young people, YOU in conversion is quickly established, even if they are in some kind of business.

Ulysses
You touched on the topic of differences in speech etiquette between Serbs and Russians, and I want to ask you: what kind of address for men and women in everyday communication is accepted in the Serbian language? Mr and Mrs? In Ukraine, as in Poland, pan and pani, and in Russian since 1917 there has been discord. The master and mistress disappeared (now they are reborn with a creak), and there were no others, and often strangers are addressed simply by "man" or "woman", for example, asking for directions (but on you! :-)).

Ya.A.
Young people here also very quickly switch to "you" :)

Andrey
"Sir and madam" in Serbia and Croatia is used regularly, in the form of "sir and madam". (Serbian letters: l=l+b, n=n+b, ђ=d+b, ћ=t+b, џ=j, d=d. There are no letters e, i, u, u, u... ) During socialism, it was possible to meet both "friend" (comrade) and "friend" (female form). Now this is no more. Unfamiliar older people should you call "YOU", but when they are years old, like you, then they always turn to "YOU".

***
Andrey
John Malkovich now considers himself a Croat. He is from Ravni Kotari (Ravni Kotari), which is close to the city of Zadr in Dalmatia. He is one of the seven Catholic Serbs MAJKOVI - but in America they could not write Љ, but only MALKOVICH. He has been beaten several times in Croatia and wants to buy a villa in Dubrovnik. Unfortunately, almost none of the Catholic Serbs now consider themselves Serbs. 50 years ago it was not like that at all.

Ivo Andric, writer, or Ivo CIPICO; or Aiko BARTULOVICH, Stepan MITROV JUBISHA, all were beaten by Serbian Catholic writers from Dalmatia, Bosnia or Boka Kotorska. Now only the Serbs from Boka, Montenegro, remain Catholic Serbs.

***
Ulysses
I have read that in the 19th century the Serbs had a large family - a zadruga that united all members of the clan. By the beginning of the 20th century, it fell apart, but it seems that the rudiments of it in the form of strong family ties (i.e., when both cousins ​​and second cousins, and family = family are considered close relatives) were preserved by the Serbs in rural areas of Bosnia and Montenegro. Is it so? And which model is closer to the modern Serbian family: to the American (European), when children at the age of 18 leave home forever, or Russian, where often three generations live in the same house or apartment?
I ask also because the general crisis of the traditional family, experienced by European civilization, manifests itself in different ways not only in different countries of the CIS, but also within one country. For example, in the west of Ukraine, where I live, traditional ideals are very strong - religion, the family as the main value, the condemnation of extramarital affairs, partly even the cult of virginity (everything is different in Eastern Ukraine). How relevant is this set of patriarchal values ​​for Serbia?

Andrey
“I happened to read that in the 19th century the Serbs had a large family - a friend that united all members of the clan. By the beginning of the 20th century, it fell apart, but it seems that its rudiments in the form of strong family ties (that is, when cousins ​​are considered close relatives, and second cousins, and family = clan) survived among the Serbs in rural areas of Bosnia and Montenegro. Is this so?
Yes exactly. My second cousin is just "SISTER" to me and I consider her a "normal sister".

"And which model is closer to the modern Serbian family: to the American (European), when children at the age of 18 leave home forever, or Russian, where often three generations live in the same house or apartment?"
Just like the Russian family, but the Spaniards and Italians are like that ... this is a normal family for me, and the Anglo-Saxon is "foreign" ...
As for the family, we somehow BETWEEN Western and Eastern Ukraine, but 13 years ago it was just like in Lvov, let's say. But the disintegration of morality and the war destroyed many "sexual prohibitions", Now more liberally. But marriage or kinship is a constant that has outlived everything. For example, if your girlfriend becomes pregnant, you quickly arrange a wedding and marriage... Loyalty to the family is strong.