Today is Christmas Eve: This is the most important custom you must observe — and that's not all…

Christmas Eve and Christmas are inseparable, not only because they follow one another, but also because they complement each other through the beliefs and customs that people associate with them.

Christmas Eve is rich in rituals and symbolism, filled with vivid practices, all of which are connected to the family cult and the cult of the hearth.

Folk customs surrounding Christmas Eve are ancient, and many of them have been lost or forgotten over time, while in different regions the customs vary in certain elements. For example, if you place a certain item under the tablecloth on Christmas Eve, it is believed that wealth will follow you throughout the entire year.

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The combination of these factors contributes to significant differences in customs from region to region and from village to village. Nevertheless, despite such diversity and variation, there are also many common customs that are very similar.

The lighting of the Badnjak (Yule log) is connected to fire and the hearth. It is the central element symbolizing the birth of the new sun, as Christmas Eve comes right after the winter solstice. The young oak was offered to the fire for a good new year, and handfuls of sparks cast into the sky were believed to herald abundant crops and harvests.

The day begins with the preparation of the Lenten table for Christmas Eve

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The festive Lenten table should include: beans, fish, baklava, bread, and pie, and if you’re unsure how to prepare a Lenten table, we provide recipes for Lenten dishes.

The table should radiate abundance, but in a simple way. The goal of the dinner is to gather the family together at home.

The most important custom for Christmas Eve is not to visit others’ homes.

The streets are empty because everyone has gathered at home to celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, with their families.

At dawn, under the blows of the axe, a young oak bids farewell to the sun. It is cut with three strikes so that it falls toward the east.

The Badnjak symbolizes the tree that, according to tradition, the shepherds brought to Joseph and Mary to light a fire and warm the cave where Jesus was born.

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Lighting the Badnjak (Yule log) is the central part of this holiday, but the log remains leaning against the house from dawn until dusk and is only brought inside afterward, sprinkled with grain.

The Badnjak is lit with special reverence, accompanied by prayers for health, happiness, and peace.

The Badnjak burns until Christmas, heralding the new light brought by faith in the newborn Christ.

Christmas is at the doorstep — miracles are possible!