Venerable Mother Petka, Pray to God for Us

PRAISE TO MOTHER PETKO PRAISE TO MOTHER PETKO, PRAY GOD FOR US A pure heart the Lord desires (Vladika Nikolaj Velimirović, Song of Svetoj Petki, 20th century) The glory of the Holy Cross is a tradition characteristic of the Serbs. This traditional celebration of the chosen patron saint of the protector of the home and the birthplace has been on UNESCO's Representative List of Non-Material Cultural Heritage since 2014. The fame of the [...]

Petka's Miraculous Water

THE NATURAL MOTHER PETKO PETKINA WONDERFUL WATER Glory and praise be to Belgrade, where your miraculous water attracts multitudes (Prayer to Saint Petka) The Chapel of Saint Petka on the Belgrade Fortress is elevated above the spring. The water that gushes out of the Kalemegdan wall is considered miraculous and unmistakable, and it is the deity of the cult of Saint Petka. For centuries, Belarusians and other [...]

The Great Protectress

FORGIVEN MOTHER PETKA THE GREAT PROTECTOR You are the flaming representative of the world, who approach the life of your people! (Saint Yevtimije, Praise to Saint Petka, 14th century) There is one picture in Belgrade which never changes in the country. This is the picture of the generation of Belgrade women born before the world, and those born and "educated" by circumstances, which certainly [...]

The Chapel of St.Petka

PREPODOBNA MATI PETKO KAPELA SVETE PETKE Ako hoćeš sve što bismo imale da zameniš za žužđene nam mošti, gotove smo ti to ustupiti (Kneginja Milica na pitanje šta će joj "suhe, nepokretne koste" na sultanu Bajazitu na pitanje šta će joj "suhe, nepokretne koste", Word on the Transmission of the St. Petka's Musk, by Grigory Camblak, 15. Age) It is believed that the original Chapel or Church of St. [...]

Belgrade and the Holy Petka

BEOGRAD AND HOLY PETKA By the Passing of the Holy Prayers of Thy Holy Prayers, the land of Serbia will be enriched (Grigorije Camblak, A Sermon on the Passing of the Prayers of the Holy Petka, 15th century) Belgrade and Holy Petka On 27 October, the Belgrade Fortress becomes a church under the open sky. Hiljades of people are silently crowding into Donji grad while the bells of the Church of Ružica are ringing out over the Sava [...]

Impresum

I BELIEVE, SO I AM. THE FAREST DAY, THE FAREST NIGHT The day hangs over the bonfire Project / Project I believe. So I am. / I believe. Therefore I am. Idejna zasnove / Conceptual design Dr. Mirjana Koren, dr. Valentina Bevc Varl, Nives Cvikl Pokrajinski muzej Maribor / Regional museum Maribor Exhibition / Exhibition Najdaljši dan, najkrajša noč / The longest [...]

Magical Midsummer Time

LONGEST DAY, SHORTEST NIGHT. In the first half of the 20th century, groups of girls dressed in white and decorated with flowers, sometimes covering their faces with [...]

Water-throwing

THE LONGEST DAY, THE BEST NIGHT OF A MIVAC FOR A MAN "My boyfriend's a yak, he's a beautiful mivac - mine's a girl's swimsuit." (Styrian song of boys and girls who used to bathe at the St. John's bonfire) Water, the source of life, is an ancient symbol of purification, which, in folk belief, is especially powerful at bonfire time. At that time, all wells, rivers, ponds [...]

Bonfires of Saint John

THE FAREST DAY, THE FAREST NIGHT IVANJSKI KRESOVI Flight, bicycle, flight, flower, fern, flower, sprinkle, girl, sprinkle, walk, walk, hop! (a song of the Slovenes of Styria from the 19th century, sung when the bicycle was being lowered from the banks of the hill) The Sun, the fire of heaven, is at the height of its powers in the bonfire season. At any moment it will slip and start rolling downwards, it has been clear to man for [...]

God Bless, God Bless, Good Evening

LONGEST DAY, SHORTEST NIGHT. GOD GIVE, GOD GIVE GOOD EVENING (the customary carol singers' greeting) O Janez, O Janez, the beloved world of Šentjanž, of the beloved Šentjanž, of God's cross (Metlika bonfire song) Many Slovenian customs and traditions as we know them today have pagan roots and a Christian disguise. Christian saints were often attributed the qualities of mythical creatures and deities, and [...]