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.

Celebrating Lazardan

This was my first time celebrating Vidovdan or specifically, Lazardan or the Feast day of Sveti Knez Lazar/Saint Prince Lazar, the Great martyr of Serbia that protected Kosovo till the very end against the Ottoman empire. It wasn't an earthly defeat but it was God's victory.

It wasn't easy though because of time constraints and it fell on a Tuesday but to commemorate his martyrdom and holiness, I bought a bread and a candle, have it blessed to the priest the night before. I have to wake up very early to say the prayers for Lazardan/Vidovdan and the desk. I placed the bread, wine, candle, Sv. Knez Lazar's ikone in the desk and start immediately.

The prayers I mentioned were:

"In the name of the Father and of the son and of the holy spirit. AMIN".

"Oče Naš"

"Christ among us! He is and he shall be."

"I raise this glass and drink the Holy Slava!"

"To Saint Prince Lazar"

"Let Slava save us all, and let us celebrate it as we have done it so far!"

"Whoever drinks wine on this Slava-day, may God help him!"

"O Lord and the Holy Slava, my patron saint Sveti Knez Lazar, you can help me, so help me!"

I was filming myself but forgot to cross the ikone with the incense, even if it was running. But the important thing is that I commemorated how my patron saint sacrificed his life for God's heavenly kingdom than an earthly one. May the next celebration of Krsna Slava, I will have friend here or my own family.

Srećan Slava!

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!

Danas Vidovdan

I will always remember this date. Vidovdan. It is not just the political celebration of the but also the Slava of St. Vitus as well and the memorial day of Saint Prince Lazar and his soldiers during their sacrificial battle at Kosovo.

Many events that occured coincidentally from the sacrifice at Kosovo to the Montenegrin independence happend all throughout history. If I would be asked why in the future, i would celebrate Vidovdan, one thing is what i would amswer. The feast day of Saint Prince Lazar according to the Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva, marked this day if the Julian Calendar would be used but if i prefer June 15, i may as well.

I may ask my Srpski prijatelji more when i get there to properly celebrate Vidovdan in honor of my future patron saint. Despite my turbulent week and emotional distress, i pray continually to God for Saint prince Lazar's intercession and to give me strength throught the many challenges that will unfold in my life. If there would be a one time i may visit Srbija, i hoped it will be Vidovdan week and go on a pilgrimage that will make me a strong person by heart. By all means, Vidovdan is not just a political but more on religious celebration as well. We have options but i will prefer the religious one.

May this day as a whole be a source of strength to the Serbian people and to those who looked upon their medieval heroics and spiritual strength all through out the years.

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.