Vidovdan is a religious and one of the greatest Serbian festivities, the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates in on 28 June.
RELIGION AND TRADITION
Vidovdan is the day of fasting. Besides the Serbian Church, it is also celebrated by the Bulgarian Church. Although it is often associated with an old Slavic pagan festivity and the relating customs, the name comes from a Christian Martyr and miracle worker, St Vito (Vid) who died in the period of Diocletian’s persecutions. The remains of St Vito, who is also quite popular among the south Slavic Catholics, are kept in Prague, Czech Republic.
HISTORY
Vidovdana is a a significant day for the Serbs as it is associated with historic events that took place on that day. The Battle of Kosovo being the cruicial one when Holy Prince Lazar (1371–1389) was killed and the so-called Serbian Empire fell. So on that day, since the early 20thcentury, besides St Amost, (a legend says that it was the Hrebeljanović family patron saint’s day), St. Tzar Lazarus of Serbia the Great Martyr and All Serbian Martyrs is celebrated. Each year, on that day, in Lazarica, the church built by Prince Lazar, as well as in all other Serbian churches, the memorial service is held for the Kosovo and other Serbian warriors who died in all the liberation wars.