Slavski kolač () is a traditional Serbian cake (a type of yeast bread). It is made for the Orthodox Christian celebration of Slava, a UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The parish priest visits the family to consecrate the kolač and red wine, and to light a beeswax candle stamped with an image of the saint. Often extended family and friends are invited to the celebration. Wine is poured over the cake, and it is cut or broken by members of the family before lunch.

Significance

The custom of Slava and the importance of the celebration cake are found only among

Serbs The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are the most numerous South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans in Southeastern Europe, who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history and language. The majority of Serbs live in their na ...

. It celebrates home liturgy, domesticity, family gatherings, and family tradition. Slavski kolač, along with the candle and a wheat dish such as žito (koljivo), are present at all Slava celebrations and are considered the crucial elements. The cake symbolizes of the body of

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

, and the wine with which the cake is eaten represents his blood. Traditionally a woman made the bread the day before the celebration, after bathing, dressing in clean clothing, saying the Lord's Prayer, and crossing herself. Tradition calls for the dough to be made with consecrated water. During the

coronavirus pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identifie ...

, health and religious authorities advised that it was not necessary to take the cake to church, that singing was not necessary for the celebration, and that the gatherings should be limited to household members.

Description

The kolač is a round yeast breadlike cake approximately high. Traditionally, braided dough is wrapped around the rim and a dough cross is pressed into the center of the dough, dividing the loaf into quarters. Each quarter gets further decoration, such a Cyrillic "C", which stands for ''samo,'' ''sloga'', ''Srbina'', ''spasava,'' meaning "Only unity will save the Serbs". Around the rim the letters "ИС ХС НИ КА" ( Cyrillic), an abbreviation for "Jesus Christ Conquers". Every baker has her own style of decoration.

Consecration

The parish priest visits the family to consecrate the kolač and red wine, and to light a beeswax candle stamped with an image of the saint. Some families instead take the cake to church to be consecrated. After the cake is consecrated, wine is poured over the cake. The woman of the household cuts it into quarters and turns it cut-side up. It is further cut into pieces by other family members and oldest or most important guests.

Gallery

File:Crkva na Ceru 039.jpg File:Ivanjdan, Sv. Jovan Krstitelj, Nakučani 060.jpg, Celebration cake in the church of Sv. John the Baptist in Nakučani File:Slavski kolac na tanjiru.jpg File:Slavski kolac.jpg File:Slavski kolač - Laslovarga.jpg File:Pečat – šaralica za kultni hleb, XIX vek.jpg, 19th century seal used for celebration cakes

References

{{Reflist * Baked foods Serbian cuisine Serbian culture

Significance

Description

Consecration

Gallery

See also

References