Today is my family’s patron saint day (or “slava” in Serbian), hence the icon of St. Archangel Michael above. The story is that during the period of the Serbs’ conversion to Christianity from about the 900s to 1200 or so, as each tribe or clan was converted they accepted a particular saint to be their clan’s protector, replacing an existing pagan deity who performed a similar role.  Legend has it that one can trace their heritage through their family’s “slava.” (At least I’m inclined to believe this because it would mean that my family could trace its lineage back to the House of Nemanjic that ruled over the medieval Serbian kingdom for more than 200 years!)

In the 21st century, the “slava” celebration usually means a few days of prepping the house, cooking food, taking out the “good” silverware, and having the family over throughout the day for a meal, drinks, conversation, and a few good laughs.

You can read more about the tradition of “slava” here.

In the meantime, I’m off to perform my “slava” duties.