2022Slava - Celebration of Family Saint Patron’s Day - Sheetlets

Patron saint’s day (slava, baptismal name) is a holiday dedicated to a Christian saint when the family takes him/her as their patron and protector. The veneration of the holy protector among Serbs dates back to the time of Saint Sava. Today, the majority of the Orthodox in the territory of Serbia celebrate slava as an important holiday in which individual families and their guests – members of the extended family, spiritual relatives, neighbours and friends participate. As bearers of a unique Orthodox tradition, Serbs perceive slava as a way of expressing Christian and national identity.