Bibijako Dive (Auntie Day) is a

religious holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or tra ...

celebrated by the majority of

Orthodox Christian Orthodoxy (from Greek: ) is adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in religion. Orthodoxy within Christianity refers to acceptance of the doctrines defined by various creeds and ecumenical councils in Antiquity, but different Churche ...

Romani people The Romani (also spelled Romany or Rromani , ), colloquially known as the Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally nomadic itinerants. They live in Europe and Anatolia, and have diaspora populations located worldwide, with sig ...

and in lesser case Muslim Roma, from the Balkan who live around the world. This celebration is known as ''Bibijako Djive''. The Roma of Muslim creed also celebrate it in the

Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...

. Bibi is celebrated as a healer and protector of the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

, and above all as a protector of children's health, it is the Roma version of the Hindu Goddess

Shashthi Shashthi or Shashti ( sa, षष्ठी, bn, ষষ্ঠী, , literally "sixth") is a Hindu goddess, venerated in Nepal and India as the benefactor and protector of children. She is also the deity of vegetation and reproduction and is beli ...

. Each place or city has its own special date for celebration, which is explained by the legend of Auntie Bibi, who came to different places and performed healing at different dates. The dates of this Roma religious holiday are mostly related to the days of

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

fasting and are therefore mobile. The presence of a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

is obligatory, although Auntie Bibi is a non-canonized

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

. In different surroundings Bibi (Auntie) is also called ''Healer Bibi'' or ''Bibiyaku''. In Romani, ''"bibi"'' means aunt, and the diminutive of that word is ''"bibiori"''. Aunt Bibi's holiday is listed in the National Register of ''Intangible cultural heritage of Serbia'' in 2019. Bibi is one of the few true Roma

Slava Slava may refer to: Ships * ''Slava'' class cruiser, a modern Russian warship ** Soviet cruiser Slava (1979), now Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', a ''Slava'' class guided missile cruiser sunk during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine * Russian ba ...

, Household deity. In addition to Bibi, every Roma family celebrates its Slava (such as Babo Fingo at Kakava), as well as other religious holidays, such as

and

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

and Bayram (Turkey).

Customs during the celebration in Serbia

Bibi is celebrated collectively, with all Romani people in Serbia gathering at a holy place - usually a tree or cross, bringing a celebratory cake and food, and in some places, gifts for a Bibia (comb, mirror and children's clothes) hang on to a holy tree. On the Day of celebration, after the service in the Orthodox Church, the Roma go on a procession, carrying the cake and candles and shouting: "To the health of Bibi (Auntie)!" (

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnicities * Romani people, an ethnic group of Northern Indian origin, living dispersed in Europe, the Americas and Asia ** Romani genocide, under Nazi rule * Romani language, any of several Indo-Aryan languages of the Roma ...

: ''Bibijako sostipe!''). Everyone who celebrates brings cake and fast dishes to serve guests under their native tree, usually pear or walnut tree. Under the tree, the host of the next glory is determined and the slava cake is handed over. It is celebrated with songs and dance, and children receive packets full of sweets.

Celebration of Bibi in Muslim communities

Bibi is well known among Muslim Roma communities in the Balkan, as well as in the wider region. Muslim Roma celebrate it for their holiday ''Djisatedimi''. Ethnographic literature does not provide reliable information on whether Muslim Roma celebrate Bibijako Djive. According to ethnographer Aleksandar Petrović, Muslim Roma in

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

(Serbia) had adopted the ''Bibijako Djive'' feast from Christian Roma, and they celebrate it on the same day, but at night. Leading up the holy day, they fast for several days and the celebration starts at sundown. Dragoljub Acković, the author of two monographs on Bibi (2004; 2010), also reports that ethnographic literature does not contain information on the celebration of ''Bibijako Djive'' by Muslim Roma. However, in the 2010 monograph Acković references information gathered among Muslim Roma from

Prizren ) , settlement_type = Municipality and city , image_skyline = Prizren Collage.jpg , imagesize = 290px , image_caption = View of Prizren , image_alt = View of Prizren , image_flag ...

, Uroševac or Ferizaj (Kosovo) and

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

(the capital of Serbia) which indicates that these Muslim Roman communities celebrated ''Bibijako Djive'' for the sake of protecting their children from disease, but that the celebration of the Bibi cult lasts an entire month, from 31 January to 1 March.

Customs during the celebration in Serbia

Celebration of Bibi in Muslim communities

See also

References

Further reading