Slavic ortodox holidays

Slavic holidays are full of joy, cooking and feasts, visiting neighbours and relatives, strolling outside in the snow...

Let's start with the new year. New year isn't just a simple night evening, it the craziest night in the year. Eating too much, too much alchohol, presents under the tree, delivered by santa..and the main dish for the new year eve is olivier salad..we also call it "ruska salad". Mix some potatoes, carrot, eggs, pickles, peas, sliced salami, and parsley together in a large bowl; stir in mayonnaise until salad is evenly coated, and it's done.

This is a picture of some appetizer.

Rakija - great traditional alchoholic accompaniment to appetizers.

Traditional food, named "Sarma". Slavs love to eat it during the winter holidays.

Orthodox christmas, 7th of January in the Julian calendar. It's more like religious and private holiday so people mainly celebrate it at home, with their families.

Following the meal, people go to the midnight Church services.

January 14, St. Vasilie. Masked people fill bags with gifts, the children gather wood and place it somewhere to burn it later. They make a big fire and they sing and dance to scare away the bad and evil spirits.

"Bogojavlenie". the Day of St. John the Baptist, who baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. Some slavic countries feast it on January 6. However, since 1970, there are other countries where the celebration is held in on the Sunday after January 1. Eastern Churches following the Julian calendar observe the feast on what for most countries is January 19. This holiday has different names, some of them being "Krstovden", "Vodici", "Vodokrshti". It is believed that if you jump in the waters of some river or lake you'll stay healthy during next year, something like ritual bathing for good health’s sake. On this day, wherever there is a water basin,or a river or a lake, the ritual of throwing the cross in the waters takes place and people are jumping to catch the cross. After someone catches the cross, there is a solemn liturgy called the Great Water.