On Tuesday, 23^rd March, we were hosts to ethnologist Ivica Todorovic, PhD. One hour was not enough for him to answer all the questions. We learnt why “badnjak” (oak log) is burned on the evening of Christmas Eve and about its origin. We also talked about Serbian traditional festivity “slava” when a family patron saint is honoured and the role of Sveti Sava and Nemanjic royal dynasty in development and preservation of this tradition. According to some research, around 194 patron saints (“slava”) are celebrated in Serbia today. The main message from our lecturer is that tradition has to be treasured, passed on to next generations as its long-lasting duration confirms its importance and once we know about our tradition we will comprehend our lives and our place in the world more easily.

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