Dear readers, we hope that you celebrate this holiday with joy, in health and in peace together with your loved ones. May this day mark the beginning of a better and more successful year!
It is a time of year rich with many customs and these few weeks around Christmas make it the most solemn period in the whole calendar year.
During Christmas Day, holy liturgies were held in the morning in the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Mostar, Žitomislić Monastery and the village of Lokve, then evening services with the laying of the Christmas tree in Mostar, Žitomislić and Bijelo Polje, and the Christmas tree will also be laid in the church of St. Vasilij Ostroški in Blagaj in the late evening hours.
The Christmas tree, usually a young oak or cherry tree, has a deep symbolic meaning in the Orthodox tradition. According to tradition, it represents the wood that the shepherds brought to the Holy Family to light the fire and warm the cave where Christ was born. In the homes of believers, the Christmas tree symbolizes well-being, health and spiritual light, while its lighting signifies parting with old beliefs and accepting the light of Christ.
Christmas Eve, as part of a rich tradition, represents a family holiday when household members gather around a fasting table. Christmas Day is also the last day of the forty-day Christmas fast, during which believers prepare spiritually and physically for the celebration of Christ’s birth, Srna writes.
Orthodox believers in Mostar and all over the world will welcome Christmas today with liturgies and family gatherings with the traditional greeting: “Peace of God! Christ is born!”
