Festive Table

Famous is the Serbian festive table on the family patron saint’s day – a choice of dishes the gusets are served with. The Serbian table can be festive on the family saint’s day (with or without animal products), on other celebrations, on the New Year’s Eve or it can a usual, everyday one – with dishes a family usually has.

LANGUAGE

The Serbian word  trpеzа comes from Greek, trаpеzа, a table for food or business, but also a dish or a meal. Thence the word trpеzаriја in Serbian, a dining room.

RELIGION AND TRADITION

Since it is devoid of any religious meaning, the Serbian word vеčеrа [ve-tʃe-ra], supper, cannot properly denote the character of the Christ’s Last Supper with his disciples. For various reasons, the religious meaning of food intake has been lost.  The Altar Table, the Holy Table, the Holy Throne or the Bishop’s Throne – in the Orthodox Church, they are all a rectangular table on one, four of five posts. The  centre is the most significant spot in the altar space, where Eucharist is performed. It contains a saint’s relics embedded under or inside the Holy Table. According to the Church doctrine it symbolises the table of the Last Supper.