15.02.2023 / Happy National Day, Serbia!
Statehood Day or National Day is a national holiday of Serbia, celebrated for 2 days each year on February 15 and 16. The holiday is marked in memory of the First Serbian Uprising of 1804, when the struggle for liberation from Ottoman rule began in the village of Orašac, after which the first Serbian constitution was announced in 1835 at the Grand National Assembly in the town of Kragujevac.
Candlemas (or “Sretenje” in Serbian), also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, is also a church holiday. It is celebrated in connection with the presentation of the baby Jesus Christ by his parents to the Second Temple in Jerusalem 40 days after his birth, which according to the Bible took place in the nearby city of Bethlehem.
Sretenje is equally important for the Serbian folk tradition as it is considered the day when winter meets summer. As the days are becoming longer and nights shorter from this day on, it’s a turning point. That’s why it’s often said “Sretenje obretenje” – from the verb “obrtati”, to turn. It is also believed that the first person a girl meets on this day will look like her “suđenik” – her destined one or her husband-to-be.
On this day, “mečka Božana” exits her cave after the winter sleep. “Mečka Božana” is the mythical sow bear Božana, a pre-Christian goddess. That’s why she has this sacred name, derived from the word “bog” (god). The legend says if the sow bear sees her shadow, she’ll be afraid and hide back in her cave, meaning winter will continue. But if she doesn’t meet her shadow, she’ll move on to search for food, and that means winter will end.
APACCCEEC wishes all citizens and residents of Serbia Happy National Day!
