Badnjak (Serbian) facts for kids
The badnjak (pronounced bahd-nyak) is a special tree branch or even a whole tree that is super important in Serbian Christmas celebrations. It's also sometimes called veseljak (veh-seh-lyak), which means "the one who brings joy" in Serbian. On Christmas Eve, the badnjak is placed on a fire. Later, people take its branches home to decorate their houses.
The tree chosen for the badnjak is usually a young, straight oak tree that looks healthy. It's cut down very early on Christmas Eve morning. There are many special traditions and rituals around cutting, preparing, bringing in, and burning the badnjak. As the log burns, people pray for good things in the new year, like plenty of food, happiness, love, luck, and wealth.
The badnjak keeps burning through Christmas Day. The first visitor to the house on Christmas Day will poke the burning log to make sparks fly. As the sparks fly, they wish for the family's happiness and good fortune to be as many as the sparks. Today, many Serbs live in cities. So, the badnjak is often a small bunch of oak twigs with brown leaves. People use these twigs to decorate their homes on Christmas Eve.
Since the early 1900s, the Serbian badnjak tradition has also been celebrated in public. Before World War I, soldiers in the Kingdom of Serbia started burning a badnjak in their barracks. This helped them feel the Christmas spirit. After World War II, the Serbian Orthodox Church began organizing public badnjak celebrations on Christmas Eve. People cut down the sapling, take it to their church, and a priest blesses it. Then, it's ceremonially placed on a large fire in the churchyard.
The festive burning of the badnjak reminds people of the fire that shepherds built in the cave where Jesus was born. This fire kept Baby Jesus and his mother warm all night. Some people also see the badnjak as a symbol of the cross where Christ was crucified. The fire's warmth then represents the salvation that Christians believe came from the crucifixion. Experts think this tradition comes from the old Slavic religion. They believe the badnjak was a symbol of nature's spirit. It was seen as a god that died by burning to be reborn. People offered sacrifices and prayers to it for good harvests, health, and happiness. The burning fire also symbolized sunshine, bringing the sun's power for the year ahead. Other South Slavic peoples have similar traditions. The custom of burning a log on Christmas Eve is also found in other parts of Europe.
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Family Christmas Fun
Getting Ready: Cutting the Badnjak
The badnjak ceremony usually starts early on Christmas Eve. The head of the family, often with other male relatives, goes to choose and cut down a tree. They might even fire guns or small mortars called prangija to announce they are leaving. The Turkey oak is the most common tree used. But other oak types, Beech, pear, quince, hornbeam, and plum trees are also chosen in some areas. In places where oaks don't grow, people use olives, bay laurels, elms, or strawberry trees. People look for young, straight, and healthy trees.
Usually, each family prepares one badnjak. But in some regions, they might cut more. For example, in parts of Montenegro, families might cut two, three, or even more logs. Sometimes, the number of logs matches the number of male family members plus one. This means each male has a log, with the thickest one for the head of the family.
When the family head finds a good tree, he stands facing east. He throws grain at the tree and says, "Good morning and happy Christmas Eve to you." He makes the Sign of the Cross, says a prayer, and kisses the tree. He might also tell the tree why it's being cut. For example, "I have come to take you home to be my helper for all good things." Then, he cuts it with an axe on its eastern side. Some men wear gloves and never touch the badnjak with their bare hands. The tree should fall towards the east without hitting other trees. It must not be left half-cut, or it might bring bad luck.
The first small piece of wood that splinters off the tree is taken home. People place it where they want good luck, like near beehives or in the hen house. This is to hope for good things in the coming year. A piece might also be put under baker's yeast so the family's good fortune grows like yeast.
The top of the felled tree is removed. The badnjak is then cut to a length that a man can carry on his shoulder, usually up to about 2.5 meters (8 feet) long. Its branches might be removed or left on, depending on local custom. Once at home, each badnjak is leaned against the house near the entrance. In some areas, the badnjak is decorated with bay laurel, olive, juniper, and rosemary twigs. These are tied with ivy or red threads.
Bringing it Home and Lighting the Fire
In the evening, a man from the family brings the badnjak into the house. If there's more than one, the thickest one is brought in first. He steps over the doorstep with his right foot first. He greets his family with "Good evening and happy Christmas Eve to you." The woman of the house greets him back, saying things like, "May God give you well-being and good luck." She then throws grain from a sieve at the man and the badnjak.
Inside the house, the man goes to the fireplace, called ognjište (og-nyish-teh). This fireplace is like a campfire and doesn't have a tall chimney structure. He lays the badnjak on the fire. He moves it a little forward to bring good fortune to the family. Other logs are brought in by other male family members and placed on the fire.
Right after the badnjak is brought in, or sometimes just before, a pile of straw is spread over the floor. The straw is usually brought in with the same greetings and grain throwing as the badnjak. The person spreading it might make clucking sounds like a hen, "Kvo, kvo, kvo." The children might imitate chicks, "Piju, piju, piju", as they pick at the straw. In some places, children lie on the straw, close their eyes, and pick a stalk with their lips. The child who picks the longest stalk is thought to be the luckiest next year. People often scatter a handful of walnuts over the straw.
The thicker end of the log, which was closest to the tree's roots, is important. In Montenegro, it's called the head of the badnjak. The main log is placed on the fire with its head pointing east. In central Serbia, the badnjak is placed with its thicker end sticking out from the ognjište. Shepherds in the family would kiss over it to ensure many lambs in the coming year. In some areas, the thicker end is coated with honey for children to lick.
The head of the household pours wine on the badnjak. In some regions, he might also sprinkle wheat grains over the logs. Then he makes a toast, saying something like, "Grant, O God, that there be health and joy in this home, that our grain and grapevines yield well, that children be born healthy to us, that our property increase!" He drinks some wine, and then others in the family do too. Christmas Eve dinner follows, which usually includes a round loaf of unleavened bread, beans, fish, walnuts, honey, and red wine. The bread is broken by hand, not cut with a knife.
People avoid jumping over or stepping on the badnjak. They also try not to blow on its fire. The log should not be moved when it's about to burn through. It should break apart only from the fire itself. No one in the family should fall asleep before the log splits. If they do, it's believed someone might die in the coming year.
When the badnjak burns through, it's a special moment. The head of the family might kiss the log, and more wine is poured with toasts. A reward might be given to the first person who notices the log has burned through. In the past, men would go outside and fire their guns to celebrate. After the log burns through, some families let the fire go out. Others take turns watching it to keep the badnjak burning all night.
Once the badnjak has burned through, the thicker end is often taken out of the fire. It might be carried around beehives, put out, and placed in a young plum or apple tree. Men might make crosses from it and place them on fields, meadows, and vineyards for a good and fruitful year. It might also be saved for next Christmas Eve. Then, it's placed on the fire just before the new badnjak, as a symbol of things continuing.
Christmas Day and Good Wishes
The badnjak continues to burn through Christmas Day. The first visitor the family receives that day is very important. This person is called a polaznik. Before the polaznik arrives, no other outsider is allowed in the house. Early on Christmas morning, the polaznik steps into the house, right foot first. He greets the family with "Christ is Born," and they reply, "Truly He is Born."
The polaznik then goes to the ognjište and repeatedly hits the burning log with a poker or a branch. This makes sparks fly. As he does this, he wishes for the family's happiness and good fortune to be as many as the sparks. He might say:
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Koliko varnica, toliko sreće u ovoj kući. |
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The exact words might change, but the wish is always the same: to bring happiness and good luck. The polaznik then throws a coin into the fire. He receives a round loaf of bread, which is the traditional gift for the polaznik, along with other presents.
The cooled ashes of the badnjak might be placed in fruit trees. Young trees might also get twigs from the badnjak. Its ash can be spread over fields or mixed with animal food. Some ash might be saved to be mixed with water as a remedy for headaches. There are many other local traditions connected to the badnjak.
Today, many houses don't have an ognjište to burn a large badnjak. So, the tradition has changed a bit. The badnjak might be a small bunch of oak twigs. Some twigs might be burned in a wood-burning stove, and others placed next to it. Some people chop the badnjak into shorter logs to fit in their fireplace. The most common custom is to place a cluster of oak twigs with brown leaves in a special spot in the home. This cluster is also called the badnjak. It's usually kept in the home until next Christmas Eve. For people living in towns and cities, these small badnjaks can be bought at markets or given out in churches. Often, the oak twigs are tied together with European Cornel twigs and straw stalks.
Burning a badnjak was seen as the least a Serbian family could do to show their dedication to Serbian tradition. In a famous poem called The Mountain Wreath, a character named Abbot Stefan describes the joyful Christmas Eve atmosphere around the burning badnjak:
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Vatra plama bolje nego igda, |
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Public Celebrations Today
The badnjak ceremony used to be only for families. But it has grown into a public celebration. Before World War I, soldiers in the Kingdom of Serbia started burning the badnjak in their barracks. This helped soldiers feel the holiday spirit. In the Kingdom of Yugoslavia that followed, this military badnjak ceremony became a standard army tradition. On Christmas Eve, soldiers and citizens would go to the nearest woods to collect the badnjak. They would bring the trees back to the barracks, where a large fire was built. The commander would then place the trees on the fire and give a speech.
More and more groups, like state institutions and private companies, joined these public events. By the 1930s, burning the badnjak became a royal tradition, performed in the Royal Palace. This tradition, which showed the unity of the state, church, and people, ended when World War II began.
After the 1990s, the Serbian Orthodox Church started organizing public Christmas Eve celebrations again. These celebrations usually have three parts: preparing, performing the ritual, and celebrating. The preparation involves cutting down the oak sapling for the badnjak and bringing it to the churchyard. Food and drinks are also prepared for everyone. The ritual includes a church service called Vespers. Then, the badnjak is placed on a large open fire in the churchyard. A priest blesses or consecrates the badnjak, and there's a program with songs and readings. Sometimes, the fire is built in another suitable place in the town or village. The celebration part is when people gather around the fire and socialize. Each celebration has its own special touches, based on local traditions.
The trip to cut down the badnjak is a main part of the preparation. It can be done by one person, but it's often a group activity with a festive procession. After the tree is cut, it's decorated with straw, ribbons, oranges, apples, and sometimes the Serbian flag. In some churches, more than one badnjak is used. Often, bunches of oak twigs are prepared to give to the people gathered at the church. Each badnjak is festively brought to the church gate, often on carriages.
The ritual is the most important part of the celebration. The church service varies in length and time. The badnjak is usually placed on the fire after the service by a priest or a respected church member. Before burning, the tree might be carried around the church in a procession. If there's more than one badnjak, they are placed on the fire in the shape of a cross. People then throw their twig bunches, which are like small badnjaks, into the fire. A priest blesses the badnjak by sprinkling wheat grains over it. He also uses incense while singing a special Christmas song and saying prayers. He pours wine and spreads honey on it. Instead of wine and honey, holy water might be sprinkled on the tree using a bunch of basil. This blessing usually happens after the badnjak is on the fire, but sometimes it's done before.
After the ritual, the priest gives a short talk. The church choir sings Christmas songs, and poems about the Nativity of Jesus might be recited. In Montenegro, long Serbian epic poems are sung with a gusle, a traditional Serbian string instrument. The celebration ends with people gathering around the fire, enjoying warm drinks like rakia, wine, or tea, and food allowed during the Nativity Fast. People might take a twig from the badnjak home to place in front of their icon or another special spot.
Even though public religious celebrations were discouraged in Yugoslavia until the 1990s, they continued among Serbian Americans. Public badnjak ceremonies were held in Serbian Orthodox churches in the United States during that time, and they still are today.
Similar Traditions Around Europe
The custom of a family bringing a log into the house and burning it on the fireplace on Christmas Eve has been recorded in many parts of Europe. In England, a Yule log was traditionally lit on the home hearth. People believed it would bring good luck. In France, the log had different names depending on the region. In Provence, it had to be cut from a fruit tree. The whole family would bring it in while singing a carol, praying for blessings on the house, healthy children, and plenty of food and wine. Before the log was placed on the fire, the youngest child would pour wine on it.
Logs were also burned on Christmas Eve in various parts of Italy. In Tuscany, Christmas is called Festa di Ceppo, which means "feast of log." In the Val di Chiana, children were blindfolded and told to hit the burning log with tongs. Traces of Christmas-log customs can also be found in Germany and Scandinavia. In Thuringia, families placed a Christklotz (Christ log) on the fire before bed, so it would burn all night.
In Croatian tradition, two types of objects are called badnjak. One type is leafy branches from oak or hazel trees, up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) long. These were placed above the house door or on the roof on Christmas Eve morning for decoration. The other type is logs cut from oak trunks. In the evening, families would ritually bring three such logs into the house and burn them on the hearth. These practices are not common anymore. But in some places, people carve a cross into firewood pieces and burn them in kitchen stoves on Christmas Eve. In Bulgaria, the youngest man in the family goes into a forest on Christmas Eve to cut down an oak, elm, or pear tree for the badnik (buhd-nik). After he brings it home, a hole is drilled in one end of the badnik and filled with wine, cooking oil, and incense. The hole is plugged, and that end is wrapped in a white cloth before the badnik is festively burned on the hearth.
In Greece, a large log was lit on the hearth on Christmas Eve. It was kept burning or smoldering through the Twelve Days of Christmas. This was done to protect against demons called Kallikantzaroi. These demons were believed to come out at night during that period to attack people and damage their property. The fire and smoke from the log were thought to stop the Kallikantzaroi from entering the house through the chimney. The ritual burning of logs on Christmas Eve was also done in Albania. When the buzm, as the log was called there, was about to be brought into the house, someone would shout the name of the family's head and announce that the buzm was coming with good things. The head of the family would reply, "You are welcome!" The buzm would then be ceremonially brought in, greeted by the family, and treated with great respect. The log would be placed on the hearth, and often a lot of the food and drink in the house would be put on the log and burned with it.
Images for kids
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A Serbian Orthodox priest places the badnjak on a fire during a Christmas Eve celebration at the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade
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Receiving a badnjak in church
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Badnjaks on sale at Kalenić Market, Belgrade
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An illustration of people collecting a Yule log from the Chambers Book of Days
