BIJELJINA TO HOST ITS FIRST “ČESNICA FESTIVAL”

Bijeljina will, for the first time, host the “Česnica Festival” on January 15. The event will take place in the Gallery of the Cultural Center from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.

This showcase festival will bring together numerous exhibitors from Bijeljina, the region, and beyond, with the goal of preserving one of the most beautiful and significant Orthodox Christmas traditions – the preparation of the česnica, the festive Christmas bread.

“Until now we have been guests in other cities, and we are especially pleased that we will finally have such an event in our own city,” said Cvija Krajšnik from the Association for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage and Orthodox Identity “Bogojavljenska noć,” which supported the project of the Office for Cultural Diplomacy from Belgrade.

Česnica is made in many different ways, according to inherited customs, and each region has something characteristic. What they all have in common is that česnica is an essential part of Orthodox tradition, and Christmas is unimaginable without it.

Krajšnik explains that she prepares the česnica the way she learned from her mother and grandmother. Christmas, she says, is a holiday whose anticipation keeps her awake since childhood. The preparation of the česnica begins before dawn, and it should be made with prayer, gratitude to God, and good thoughts. According to tradition, the hostess places a gold coin or small coin inside the bread; it is believed that whoever finds it will have luck, prosperity, and blessings in the coming year.

On Christmas morning, after Holy Communion and prayer during festive liturgies in Orthodox churches, families gather around the table filled with various dishes, and the česnica holds the greatest symbolism among them.

The aim of this festival is to preserve from oblivion one of the most beautiful customs of the Serbian Orthodox tradition.