''Dušni Brav'' ( sr, ; "Soul Ram" (also referred to as ''Dušno'')); refers to a practice of
Christianized animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...
s amongst the
Serbian Orthodox
The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian churches.
The majority of the population in ...
. It involves the ritualistic slaughter of a
lamb for a funeral feast (''Daća'').
It is believed that the sacrifice of the ''Dušni Brav'' is meant to pacify and appease the departed's soul.
Description
The practice involves the blood sacrifice of a sheep (душни брав, ''dušni brav'') to the soul of the deceased. The animal is slaughtered in the deceased's backyard or property, on the day of their
funeral
A funeral is a ceremony connected with the final disposition of a corpse, such as a burial or cremation, with the attendant observances. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember and respect th ...
or on the 40-day and/or year anniversary (годишњица, "godišnjica") of their death. The sheep must be the same gender as the deceased, and about the same age. No other animal but a white sheep may be sacrificed.
Before the sacrifice, a white cloth is put on top of the sacrificial sheep and a candle is lit. After the sacrifice, the sheep is roasted and prepared, and the white cloth is placed upon it again and it is served with
Koliba
Koliba is the name of a locality in Bratislava, Slovakia, which is situated on the foothills of the Little Carpathians. It administratively belongs to the Nové Mesto borough and is part of the Bratislava Forest Park
Bratislava (, also ; ...
at the Daća (funeral feast). Before eating the Dušni Brav it is proper etiquette to cross oneself.
See also
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Animal sacrifice
Animal sacrifice is the ritual killing and offering of one or more animals, usually as part of a religious ritual or to appease or maintain favour with a deity. Animal sacrifices were common throughout Europe and the Ancient Near East until the spr ...
*
Christopaganism
Christianity and neopaganism overlap when the beliefs or practices of one religious path influence, or are adopted by, the other. Historically, Christianity sometimes took advantage of traditional pagan beliefs when it spread to new areas – a ...
*
Crucifixion in the Philippines
Crucifixion in the Philippines is a devotional practice held every Good Friday, and is part of the local observance of Holy Week. Devotees or penitents called ''magdarame'' in Kapampangan are willingly crucified in imitation of Jesus Christ's suf ...
*
Eid al-Adha (
Qurbani)
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Folk Catholicism
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Kourbania
''Kourbania'' ( el, το κουρμπάνι, pl. from tr, kurban, from Arabic قربان ''kurban'' 'sacrificial victim') is a Christianized animal sacrifice in parts of Greece. It usually involves the slaughter of lambs as "kourbania" offering ...
(in Greece)
*
Orthodox memorial service
References
External links
*
Култ мртвих'' Протођакон Љубомир Ранковић, Верски Обичаји. Retrieved: 2 February 2016.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dusni Brav
Animal sacrifice
Serb traditions
History of the Serbian Orthodox Church