Lazardan

Jun 28, one of the most holy and patriotic day in Serbia. To those who don't know how Prince Lazar became a saint, I'll be glad to tell.

Lazar is said to have been visited the night before battle by a grey hawk or falcon from Jerusalem who offered a choice between an earthly kingdom—implying victory at the Battle of Kosovo—or a heavenly kingdom—which would come as the result of a peaceful capitulation or bloody defeat. "...the Prophet Elijah then appeared as a gray falcon to Lazar, bearing a letter from the Mother of God that told him the choice was between holding an earthly kingdom and entering the kingdom of heaven..."

Of course, Prince Lazar opted for the heavenly kingdom, "We die with Christ, to live forever”, he told his soldiers. That Kosovo's declaration and testament is regarded as a covenant which the Serb people made with God and sealed with the blood of martyrs. Since then all Serbs faithful to that Testament regard themselves as the people of God, Christ's New Testament nation, heavenly Serbia, part of God's New Israel. This is why Serbs sometimes refer to themselves as the people of Heaven.

In Kosovo alone, the blood of the Serb soldiers still remains and through the recovered relics of Prince Lazar has miracles, he was canonized by the Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva and his feast day falls on June 28(June 15 on the Old Calendar). His headless incorrupt body are inside Manastir Ravanica.

Ever since my conversion in 2015 and starting to celebrate Lazardan by 2016, I feel God is near me, protecting me from every attacks of the devil and brings me more closer to God and his church. I feel more strong emotionally and it's my strength. God is with us, never forget him and the saints that fought for an heavenly kingdom than an earthly kingdom like Saint Prince Lazar.

Never forget their sacrifices

1389. Battle of Kosovo. Sveti Knez Lazar. Vidovdan. These are just the words people never knew about the heroic martyrdom of Saint Prince Lazar. He gave us what is the true meaning of sacrifice for our God and our homeland. People should never forget what he gave us. The sacrifice of keeping the Turkish Ottoman troops away from the rest of Europe despite losing his life and his soldiers on that fateful day.

Never a man like him shall do these heroic and holy deeds of having a divine liturgy before defending their homeland against the Ottoman menace. He is so unique that he is the well known gatekeeper of the Balkans. Serbia survived for 50 years after his death as an Ottoman vassal until the Turks decided to attack Srbija and it was not until the 19th century that the Serbs finally united to repel the Ottoman invasions after more than 400 years of tyrant Ottoman rule.

Srpski:
Ko je Srbin i srpskoga roda,
i od srpske krvi i kolena,
a ne doš'o na boj na Kosovo,
ne imao od srca poroda,
ni muškoga ni devojačkoga!
Od ruke mu ništa ne rodilo,
rujno vino ni pšenica bela!
Rđom kapo dok mu je kolena!

English:
Whoever is a Serb and of Serb birth,
And of Serb blood and heritage,
And comes not to fight at Kosovo,
May he never have progeny born from love,
Neither son nor daughter!
May nothing grow that his hand sows,
Neither red wine nor white wheat!
And may he be dying in filth as long as his children are alive!

Sad Endings have some positive meaning

What is a sad ending? I known a lot but ever since watching an anime about sacrifice, i knew that, not every sad endings are sad. I mean look at the bright spot. It is just the main character sacrifices one thing for the good of all. Some do it for the main characters or for everyone. How about in real life? A lot.

I can site the Battle of Kosovo or the Masadah or even the Alamo. Not to mention Battle of Tirad Pass. All of them sacrificed everything for their homeland. They lost but it was a Psychological and Emotional Victory, for years to come and historians to write down every piece of history.

In fiction, Lelouch Vi Britannia of Code Geass R2 and Ao Fukai of Eureka Seven Ao with the Quartz Gun. All of them sacrificed one thing for the common good of all. Not to mention Renton Thurston in AO were to save the unborn Ao's existence, he forced Eureka to the past were less Trapar exists since more Trapar will kill a hybrid human and Coralian, the reason their daughter turned to stone after three months due to exposure to Trapar. 

No bad things about a sad ending as long as there is a positive outcome. It is just painful for one person to bear.

I want to feel Vidovdan festivities in the future

I won't keep this a secret. I want to celebrate Vidovdan or St. Vitus's day. But to Serbs, both spiritual and national day of celebration for it symbolizes the martyrdom of Saint Prince Lazar in the battle of Kosovo and thousands of Serbs for protecting Kosovo and Serbia from waves of Turkish invasions. Not to mention some events that occured on the same date.

• on June 28, 1389, according to the Serbian Orthodox religious tradition, and the Serbian romantic (19th century) national identity founding myth, the Ottoman Empire defeats Serbia in the Battle of Kosovo with Prince Lazar slain in battle. Ottoman Sultan Murad I is killed by Serbian knight Miloš Obilić on that day.
• on June 28, 1881, a secret treaty between Austria-Hungary and Serbia is signed with Serbia earning the right to be recognized as a monarchy in exchange of surrendering its independence to the Habsburg Empire.
• on June 28, 1914 the assassination by Gavrilo Princip of the Austro-Hungarian crown prince, Franz Ferdinand, triggers the First World War.
• on June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles is signed ending World War I.
• on June 28, 1921, the Serbian King Alexander I proclaims the new Constitution of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, known thereafter as the Vidovdan Constitution (Vidovdanski ustav).
• on June 28, 1948, the Cominform publishes, on the initiative of its Soviet delegates Zhdanov, Malenkov and Suslov, in a "Resolution on the State of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia" their condemnation of the Yugoslavian communist leaders - this event is seen as the turning point that marks the final split between Stalin's Soviet Union and Tito's Yugoslavia.
• on June 28, 1989, on the 600th anniversary of the battle of Kosovo, Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević delivers the Gazimestan speech on the site of the historic battle.
• on June 28, 1990, an amendment is brought to the Constitution of Croatia changing the status of Serbs from constituent people (konstitutivni narod) of the Croatian nation to national minority.
• on June 28, 2001, Slobodan Milošević is deported to the ICTY to stand trial.
• on June 28, 2006, Montenegro is announced as the 192nd member state of the United Nations.
• on June 28, 2008 takes place the inaugural meeting of the Community Assembly of Kosovo and Metohija

Positives or negatives, it is an important day for Serbs. For me, i think that it represents the sacrifices and the consequences of Serbia as the Gatekeepers of Europe not just against Turkish but American, NATO, Roman Catholic and imperialist waves of invasion. It is important to say that, it represents what the Serbs will make for their future. May the Serbian people be blessed with a much better future than now.