In reflecting upon Family Ministry, I am especially inspired by this year’s Clergy-Laity Congress Theme: "The Orthodox Christian Family: a Dwelling of Christ and a Witness of His Gospel."
I am inspired by this one statement because it so aptly describes a Tradition of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in which I was born and raised, called “Krsna Slava” or your Family Feast Day Celebration. The Krsna Slava was an innovation created as a result of the work of two great Missionaries of our Church: Sts. Cyril and Methodios. These two young men from Thessaloniki were sent out by Patriarch Photios of Constantinople to bring Christianity to the Slavs which included many tribes: The Rus, Poles, Croats, Bulgars, and Serbs just to name a few.
The clans of that entire region were extremely tribal and everything was focused on the strength of the local clan chief and his family. Being polytheistic, they believed in a God of every element of the Earth, the sky, the stars, the moon, etc. yet none of those Gods were as important as the God (or Goddess) who protected your house, your family, and your clan. Every family would have an enormous feast in celebration of the day that this particular God was celebrated, and the entire family and clan would gather around the person’s home in thanksgiving. All family members, living and dead, would be involved in the celebration.
When the disciples of Sts. Cyril and Methodios made it to these regions they had at that point baptized hundreds if not thousands of people. They were going from village to village baptizing the entire population in a river or lake. It was because of this necessity for practicality, and the very astute knowledge of the local culture that they had, that Sts. Clement and Naum took the lessons of their predecessors and Incarnated the Gospel in a way that the local tribes (the Serbs) would understand.
Instead of having a God or Goddess who protected their home, they told the Serbs that they should have Saints who protect their home! Saints are so much more powerful than Gods or Goddesses! They have the power of Jesus Christ Himself! Lord God Incarnate! That where two or three are gathered, Christ is in the midst of them!
It was from this beginning that Krsna Slava was born. Every year Serbs from across the Globe celebrate their Krsna Slava based on a hereditary system (through the father of the household) that dates back to the 10th and 11th centuries which means that the family gathers around the Feast Day of the saint that has been their family’s protector for close to a millennium. The service that is held at the person’s home (or now also traditionally held in church) is one of blessing the Slavski Kolach (a Blessed Feast-Day Bread), which is turned in a counter-clockwise fashion by the priest and the hands of every member of the family. Sometimes family members will even hold each other’s shoulders, much like the priests do during the service of Artoklasia. The Bread is broken, mimicking at the Mystical Supper, and wine is poured over it in a crosswise shape. The bread is then kissed by each member of the family, exchanging the greeting “Christ is in our Midst! He is and ever shall be!” with the priest and each other. There is also Koliva (boiled wheat) made to remember all of those who have passed away, which is also poured over with the blessed wine in the shape of a cross. This liturgical celebration is done with the participation of the entire family.
It is incredible to think that my father’s Slava was his father's Slava was his father’s Slava all the way to the time of Sts. Cyril and Methodios. Every year for the feast of St. Luke the Evangelist (Julian Calendar) we gather together at the oldest living relative’s house, to gather as a family to thank God for preserving us as a united Christian Home, through the intercessions and prayers of our Patron Saint: St. Luke.
Moreover, uniquely in Serbia, we are not baptized with the names of saints, because the saints are more than a personal moniker to our life. They are the ones who gather our entire family together, so that as one unit, we can pray to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through their intercessions. Our names nevertheless, serve as a reminder that we are all called to be Holy, to become saints, so that one day there can be a St. Slobodan or St. Branislav, or even, a St. Nebojsa. In the meantime, I pray that this beautiful and unique tradition is but one example of how Family Ministry is perceived by our Holy Orthodox Church, and how we can be a witness to Christ’s Gospel, as a Family.