George's Day in Spring, or Saint George's Day, is a Slavic
religious holiday, the
feast of Saint George celebrated on 23 April by the
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...
(6 May by the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
). In
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
and
Slovenia
Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...
, the
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
version of Saint George's Day, ''Jurjevo'' is celebrated on 23 April by the Gregorian calendar.
Saint George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
is one of the most important
saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...
s in the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...
tradition. He is the patron
military saint
The military saints, warrior saints and soldier saints are patron saints, martyrs and other saints associated with the military. They were originally composed of the early Christians who were soldiers in the Roman army during the persecution of ...
in
Slavic,
Georgian,
Circassian,
Cossack
The Cossacks are a predominantly East Slavic Eastern Christian people originating in the Pontic–Caspian steppe of eastern Ukraine and southern Russia. Cossacks played an important role in defending the southern borders of Ukraine and Rus ...
and
Chetnik
The Chetniks,, ; formally the Chetnik Detachments of the Yugoslav Army, and also the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland; and informally colloquially the Ravna Gora Movement, was a Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav royalist and Serbian nationalist m ...
military tradition.
Christian
synaxaria hold that Saint George was a martyr who died for his faith. On
icon
An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholic Church, Catholic, and Lutheranism, Lutheran churches. The most common subjects include Jesus, Mary, mother of ...
s, he is usually depicted as a man riding a horse and
killing a dragon.
Beyond Orthodox Christian tradition proper, is also more generically a spring festival in the
Balkans
The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with 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 throug ...
.
Balkan tradition
Saint George's Day, known as () in
Serbian, is a feast day celebrated on 6 May (O.S. 23 April) in the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
. As such, it is celebrated on that date by the
Serb
The Serbs ( sr-Cyr, Срби, Srbi, ) are a South Slavic ethnic group native to Southeastern Europe who share a common Serbian ancestry, culture, history, and language. They primarily live in Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia ...
community in former
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
and in the
Serb diaspora. It is also one of the many family ''
slavas''. The day is celebrated and known as in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
and in
Macedonia
Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to:
* North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia
* Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity
* Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...
. Đurđevdan is also a major holiday for the
Romani communities in
former Yugoslavia
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (commonly abbreviated as SFRY or SFR Yugoslavia), known from 1945 to 1963 as the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as Socialist Yugoslavia or simply Yugoslavia, was a country ...
, whether Orthodox or Muslim.
The various spellings used by the Romani (Ederlezi, Herdeljez, Erdelezi) for it are variants of the Turkish ''
Hıdırellez
Hıdırellez or Hıdrellez ( or ''Hıdrellez''; or ''Xıdır Nəbi''; ; Romani language: ''Ederlezi'') is a folk holiday celebrated as the day on which the prophets Al-Khidr (''Hızır'') and Elijah#Islamic tradition, Elijah (''İlyas'') met o ...
''. It is also celebrated by the Slavic Muslim community of
Gorani in
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
, and by members of the uncanonical
Montenegrin Orthodox Church
The Montenegrin Orthodox Church (, Црногорска православна црква; abbr. MOC, CPC or ЦПЦ) is a canonically unrecognized Eastern Orthodox Church. It was formed in 1993 and registered as a non-governmental organization. ...
.
The holiday's rituals and festivities are related to the legend of
St. George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
who is pictured as a brave young knight on a white horse slaying a dragon and saving a young maiden. The holiday celebrates the return of springtime and is considered an important one. Celebrations are closely associated with pagan rituals and festivities associated with the awakening of nature and arrival of spring, dominant in the Balkans but also present in Europe. These rituals primarily consisted of sheep grazing, ritual slaughtering of a lamb, preparation of various dishes, ritual bath in the river or springs, setting of live fires, decorating with greenery and flowers and conducting of love spells.
About a third of the population in Serbia have St. George as a patron saint, meaning that St. George's Day or Đurđevdan is celebrated as a , through a family feast with ritual glorification. A popular tradition on St. George's eve is decorating home gates and houses with greens and flowers, this is particularly done by families whose patron saint is St. George. A common way Đurđevdan is celebrated by Serbs is by
In
Serbia
, image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg
, national_motto =
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg
, national_anthem = ()
, image_map =
, map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...
, the celebration is linked to the end of Turkish rule, recollecting the days when
fighters made plots and plans in woodland hideouts. In the past, the date was used by the fighters for gathering and organizing their units for campaigns, leading to battles up until the end of November when they disbanded and returned to their villages to await the arrival of spring again, when trees turned new leaves. Thus another custom is spending the day in nature. Other traditions in some parts of Serbia include the ritual sacrifice of lamb, bathing children in spring flowers and blossoms or nettles and herbs. The ''Prayer under Midžor Mt. Peak'' is a festival which has been organized since 2000 in the village of
Vrtovac and includes prayer, national dances, local cuisine contests and other cultural events. Serbs around the world also celebrate with singing, music, dancing and sporting events.
The traditions of the Roma Durđevdan are based on decorating the home with
flowers
Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
and blooming
twigs as a welcoming to spring. It also includes taking
baths added with flowers, washing hands with water from church wells and cracking painted eggs.
Also the walls of the home could be washed with the water. On the day of the feast it is most common to grill a
lamb for the feast dinner. The inclusion of
music
Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...
is also important during the holiday; dancing and singing is common as are performances from traditional
brass bands.
In Bulgaria, 6 May is celebrated as St. George's Day as well as the Day of the Bulgarian Army with a military parade. St. George is considered the patron of spring verdure and fertility, and of shepherds and farmers. Cattle rituals are performed, including the sacrificing of a lamb, offered to the saint. Villagers perform the traditional Bulgarian chain dance ''Horo'', bathe in morning dew and while a ritual meal is placed on a large table for the whole village.
In Macedonia, the harvesting of herbs is an important symbolic act, done in St. George's day eve or early morning on the day. It is through this that various customs and songs are performed. At its core, the Macedonian tradition is in Some of the herbs which are picked are believed to be magical. Similar to Bulgarian and Serbian customs, they are . Pilgrimages to holy sites devoted to St. George are also done in some villages.
In
Croatia
Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...
, the feast day of ''Jurjevo'' is celebrated on 23 April by the Roman Catholic Croats mainly in the rural areas of
Turopolje and
Gornja Stubica
Gornja Stubica () is a village and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County, Croatia.
Climate
From 1981 to 1996, the highest temperature recorded at the Stubička gora weather station was , on 28 July 1987. The coldest temperature was , on 12 Februa ...
. In Croatian George is called while in
Serbian he's called (); in
Bulgarian () and in
Macedonian (). The use of bonfires is similar to
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night (), an abbreviation of Saint Walpurgis Night (from the German language, German ), also known as Saint Walpurga's Eve (alternatively spelled Saint Walburga's Eve) and Walpurgisnacht, is the Vigil#Eves of religious celebrations ...
. In Turopolje, ''Jurjevo'' involves a
Slavic tradition where five most beautiful girls are picked to play as
Dodola goddesses dressed in leaves and sing for the village every day till the end of the holiday.
In
Bosnia
Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...
, the major holidays of all religious groups were celebrated by all other religious groups as well, at least until religion-specific holidays became a marker of ethnic or nationalist self-assertion after the breakup of
Yugoslavia
, common_name = Yugoslavia
, life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation
, p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia
, flag_p ...
. Roman Catholic Christmas, Orthodox Christmas, and the two Muslim
Bajrams were widely recognized by people of all ethnic groups, as was Ðurđevdan even though it was properly an Orthodox holiday and therefore associated with Serbs. Muslims in Bosnia referred to the holiday as ''Jurjev'' and many celebrated it, while those who lived primarily in mixed Muslim and Orthodox villages did not.
The holiday's widespread appeal, beyond the Orthodox Christian groups, in the Balkans, is evidenced in
Meša Selimović's novel ''
Death and the Dervish'', where the pious Muslim protagonist views it as a dangerous pagan throwback, but where it is clearly celebrated by all ethnic groups in the unnamed city of its setting (widely considered to be
Sarajevo
Sarajevo ( ), ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'' is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 2 ...
).
"Ðurđevdan" is also the name of a popular song by band
Bijelo dugme
() is a Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Yugoslav Rock music, rock band, formed in Sarajevo, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1974. is widely considered to have been the most popular and the best-selling band ever to exist in the former S ...
. The song is originally found on their studio album ''
Ćiribiribela'' from 1988. It is a cover song (with different lyrics) for a popular traditional folk song of the
Romani, "
Ederlezi".
Which was largely made famous by
Goran Bregović
Goran Bregović ( sr-Cyrl, Горан Бреговић; born 22 March 1950) is a recording artist born in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is one of the most internationally known modern musicians and composers of the Slavic speaking countries in the ...
.
Eastern Slavic tradition
Yuri's Day of Spring ( or , ) is the Russian name for either of the two
feasts of Saint George celebrated by the
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...
.
Along with various other Christian churches, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of
Saint George
Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
on 23 April (
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar is a solar calendar of 365 days in every year with an additional leap day every fourth year (without exception). The Julian calendar is still used as a religious calendar in parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church and in parts ...
), which falls on 6 May of the Western
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...
. In addition to this, the Russian Church also celebrates the anniversary of the
consecration
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
of the Church of St George in
Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
by
Yaroslav the Wise
Yaroslav I Vladimirovich ( 978 – 20 February 1054), better known as Yaroslav the Wise, was Grand Prince of Kiev from 1019 until his death in 1054. He was also earlier Prince of Novgorod from 1010 to 1034 and Prince of Rostov from 987 to 1010, ...
(1051) on 26 November (Julian calendar), which currently falls on 9 December. One of the Russian forms of the name George being , the two feasts are popularly known as () and ().
See also
*
George's Day in Autumn
*
Hıdırellez
Hıdırellez or Hıdrellez ( or ''Hıdrellez''; or ''Xıdır Nəbi''; ; Romani language: ''Ederlezi'') is a folk holiday celebrated as the day on which the prophets Al-Khidr (''Hızır'') and Elijah#Islamic tradition, Elijah (''İlyas'') met o ...
*
Kakava
Kakava is a celebration event of Romani people in Turkey. Its place of origin is East Thrace in Turkey.
Events
The belief that a Savior ''Baba Fingo'' would come and rescue them is immortal in the Romani folklore of the Romanlar in Turkey. It is ...
*
Saint George's Day
Saint George's Day is the feast day of Saint George, celebrated by Christian churches, countries, regions, and cities of which he is the patron saint, including Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, England, Ethiopia, Greece, Georgia, Port ...
*
Spring rite of Juraŭski Karahod
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
*
External links
Info about Ðurđevdan (only in Serbian)
{{Slavic holidays, state=collapsed
Saint George's Day
Serbian folklore
May observances
Slavic holidays
Folk calendar of the East Slavs
*
Eastern Orthodox liturgical days
Romani folklore
hr:Jurjevo
sr:Ђурђевдан