Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer's Day - Chicken Christmas in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia

Orthodox Christians living in different countries of the world have common holidays rooted in paganism So, on January 2 (December 20, old style) in Rus', Gostevik has long been celebrated, during which it was customary to visit relatives, friends and acquaintances or receive them at home In Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia, Chicken Christmas is celebrated on this day According to tradition, early in the morning housewives fed the poultry with leftover food from the master's table, and then, together with other household members, waited for guests Compliance with this custom attracted wealth and prosperity into life The first person to come into the house was given the title of anointed chicken He was obliged to spend the entire day as a guest, sitting motionless on a mountain of pillows, setting an example to the laying hens on how to properly hatch eggs For this, the guest was generously fed, given hot brandy and entertained Before leaving, the anointed chicken was given a pumpkin, which he smashed on the floor It was believed that the more seeds scattered around the house, the more chickens would appear on the farm The anointed one, who performed his role well, was invited to the holiday the following year The Serbs living near the Skopska Crna Gora massif welcomed shepherds into the house, who entered it on all fours The man imitating a mother hen imitated clucking, and the children, like chickens, answered him: “Beer, beer, beer” In Gagauz villages they bake ritual bread for Christmas - pita A coin is hidden in the cake It is believed that whoever gets it will be happy in the coming year In some regions of Serbia, unleavened Lepinja flatbread is given to children after pulling their ears to make them grow as tall as possible With the advent of Christianity, January 2 began to celebrate the Day of St Ignatius the God-Bearer - the ancient Roman apostle, disciple of Inna the Theologian His dying messages from prison are full of brotherly love for people and, in their spiritual content, resemble the appeals to believers of the Apostle Paul The Bishop of Antioch suffered martyrdom, being torn to pieces by lions in the circus arena on December 20, 107 Therefore, on January 2, both the pagan Chicken Christmas and the Day of Ignatius the God-Bearer are celebrated To attract good luck, Christian believers traditionally threw a log or tree branch onto the fireplace People walked around the house with icons to drive out evil spirits According to popular beliefs, rain or snow on Ignatius the God-Bearer foreshadowed a rich harvest In churches in honor of the holy martyr, prayer services were held and religious processions were held On January 2, they began to prepare for Christmas, which, unlike the comic chicken, is one of the main Orthodox holidays