Christmas Bread

The celebration of Christmas in Serbia has elements that have not been found elsewhere. For example, Serbs have a special greeting for the Christmas day. Instead of their usual: “Dobar dan” (Good day), on that day, they greet each other with “Hristos se rodi” (Christ is born). A person greeted in such a way should answer with “Vaistinu se rodi” (He is born indeed). In the old times, there was a belief that the sparks from the oak branch, which is traditionally burned at Christmas, predict the happiness, health, and wealth of the household – more sparks, more happiness. Also, the guest on the Christmas day has to be given some money or served some food.

However, the most interesting Serbian Christmas tradition is probably the one concerned with the “chesnitsa”. It is a round Christmas bread with the cross made of dough placed on the top and a coin baked inside of it. The family gathers at the Christmas dinner and it begins with the “breaking” of chesnitsa. It is never cut with a knife, but hand-broken by all the family members together, above the table. Before they start eating, all the members usually check their pieces of bread – in one of them there is a coin, and it is believed that whoever finds the coin is going to be lucky during the next year.

Christmas Wheat

The Serbs’ neighbors, Croats, have some interesting customs too. They plant wheat seeds in pots for St. Lucy’s day. These should be taken good care of, so that, by Christmas Day, they grow into a rich, little, vibrant green field of young wheat. This is commonly placed under the Christmas tree for Christmas Day. Just like Serbian chesnitsa and budnyak, this wheat is supposed to stand for the plenty of food and happiness to come during the following year. It is also associated with the Eucharist ceremony, as bread used in the ceremony is made of wheat. Some Croats prefer to plant Christmas wheat on St. Barbara’s day (4th December), to give it more time and have a richer, greener pot to place under the Christmas tree.

Find out more about various Christmas traditions here: The Gavle Goat

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