Celebrating Saint Sava: Why many will look to the sky today?

Of all saints and Christian martyrs, our people respect and love Saint Sava the most. Experts believe this is largely due to the Serbian Orthodox Church, as well as numerous folk traditions and customs associated with this saint, many of which have been preserved and are still practiced today.It is believed that even during his lifetime, Saint Sava held a special place for the Serbian people&mdash;not just as a prince or a church leader, but as a man ready to help, listen, and teach. Experts still emphasize that when writing about the life of Saint Sava, one is essentially describing the beginnings of Serbian education in the Middle Ages. This explains the large number of folk customs and beliefs associated with the day of this saint.The celebration of Saint Sava began already in the first decades after his death in the 13th century. The Church managed to carry this tradition to all the lands where Serbs lived, and it persisted even during Ottoman rule, surviving intact to the present day.WikipediaFolk beliefs and customs for Saint Sava&rsquo;s Day (Savindan)There are many folk beliefs associated with Savindan. Many people today will look to the sky and listen carefully, as it is believed that if it thunders on Saint Sava, significant and fateful events will follow on earth.Many households celebrate Savindan as their patron saint day (krsna slava), so today, all across Serbia, there will be cheerful gatherings both in the homes of the hosts and among those visiting friends. In addition, Saint Sava is the protector of all schools, where performances and celebrations are organized in honor of this great educator.If you have a school-aged child at home, it is traditional to prepare wheat (žito) today, even if Savindan is not your household&rsquo;s slava. Elders say that this is a way to honor Saint Sava and to bring happiness and success to the child in their studies.Similarly, in Vojvodina, pretzels (perece) are always made for Savindan&mdash;lean (posne) if the holiday falls on a Wednesday or Friday, and with lard or eggs (mrsne) on other days. This custom is not linked to church rules but is rooted in folk tradition, which holds that Saint Sava taught the Serbs how to grind wheat at the mill. The pretzels made today in his honor symbolize the bread that the saint provided to his people.In some regions of Serbia, herders celebrate Saint Sava particularly carefully. Out of fear of wolves, they do not drive their livestock into the forests before the holiday. Moreover, it is forbidden to work with blades today, and even razors should remain closed, so that wolves&rsquo; jaws will stay shut as well.On this holiday, the tradition says that no heavy work should be done at home, and people should especially avoid using red fabrics or dyeing anything. Folk belief warns that otherwise, wolves may slaughter all the livestock.Andrej Privizer/ShutterstockWho was Sava Nemanjić?Saint Sava was the first Archbishop of the autocephalous Serbian Orthodox Church. He was born as Rastko Nemanjić, the youngest son of Grand Župan Stefan Nemanja, and the brother of kings Vukan and Stefan the First-Crowned.Together with his father, who later became a monk and took the name Simeon, he founded Hilandar Monastery, the first and only Serbian monastery on Mount Athos. At the same time, he devoted himself to educational work, aiming to bring both religious and secular knowledge closer to his people. He also organized the Zakonopravilo (Krmčija Svetog Save), a collection of civil and church laws.In 1219, Sava secured the autocephaly of the Serbian Church from the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Nicaea, establishing it as an independent archbishopric. He traveled to Palestine several times. On his return from one pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1236, he passed away in the Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo. His relics were later transferred to Mile&scaron;eva Monastery by his nephew, King Vladislav.After a Serbian uprising against the Ottoman Empire, Turkish commander Sinan Pasha ordered in 1594 that Saint Sava&rsquo;s relics be burned on Vračar, an event that became a symbol of Serbian suffering and resistance.

Celebrating Saint Sava: Why many will look to the sky today?

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