Serbia: Belgrade's Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas Eve with oak log fire

<p id="eow-description" class="">Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas Eve in front of the St. Sava temple in Belgrade on Friday with a traditional oak log fire.

Traditionally, an oak log fire is set alight in front of the church during Christmas Eve celebrations and the head of the church, currently Patriarch Irinej, blesses the oak log called 'badnjak'. Believers normally bring their own oak logs too, which they put on the fire.

In Serbia, Christmas is celebrated on January 7, according to the Julian calendar. In addition to the Serbian church, Orthodox Christmas is celebrated by the Russian, Georgian, Bulgarian and Macedonian churches, as well as the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, among others.

SOT, Patriarch Irinej, Head of Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian): "This day and this custom came from our old ancestors, before they accepted Christianity. In this way, they announced the arrival of the one who was promised, and expected to come in a form of a human being."

SOT, Patriarch Irinej, Head of Serbian Orthodox Church (Serbian): "The tree we set on fire today as 'badnjak' is a strong and firm tree, which generates a lot of heat, and all that is a symbol of the God, a symbol of illumination and warming all of us with the Holy Spirit."

SOT, Snezana Ulemek, resident of Belgrade (Serbian): "This is the greatest holiday and spiritual peace for us, the greatest joy. We don't really celebrate the New Year but we live for this day and tomorrow's Christmas."

SOT, Snezana and Miki Ulemek, residents of Belgrade (Serbian): "God's Peace - Christ is born. Happy greatest orthodox holiday to all believers."

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