Today we celebrate Đurđić: be careful not to give anything from home, and women cannot do anything

Đurđić, Photo: Wikipedia

The Serbian Orthodox Church and the believers will mark Djurdjic tomorrow. The festival is dedicated to the transfer of the relics of Saint George from Nicomedia (present-day Izmir) to the Lido, which was the fulfillment of his last wish. It is always celebrated on November 16.

For the rest, Saint George is highly respected in our people and is celebrated twice a year. The believers together with Djurdjic celebrate May 6 and the day of his death (Saint George’s day).

Unlike St. George’s Day, Đurđić is not marked with a red letter on the liturgical calendar. It does not belong to the feasts of the commandments, although it is of great importance to the Orthodox Church. By some estimates, Djurdjic is the eighth most celebrated holiday among Serbs. It is also the glory of the city of Novi Sad and Bor.

Does Djurdjic celebrate?

The Orthodox icons of Saint George are depicted slaying a dragon with a crossed sword, which is a symbol of pagan faith, while the icon depicting Đurđić depicts him with a sword or spear in his hands. In the Orthodox monasteries of St. George, he is the first in the line of holy warriors with a shield and a crossed sword.

The days from Đurđica to Sveti Mrata (November 24) are called Mratinci or Wolf Days because Saint Mrata is the protector of wolves. In the time of the Mratins, wool was not spun and nothing was washed.

Our ancestors believed that nothing was given from the house until Santa Mrata. Women do not do handicrafts and tailors and shoemakers are believed to have a rest.

In the villages of western Serbia in those days, a black chicken or a young black rooster was slaughtered, and the inhabitants of Herzegovina slaughtered a black goat. The wolves were not hunted because that would bring great misfortune to the locals.

There is also a belief that winter will be misty and changeable if the weather in Mratince is misty, and if it is clear, winter will be strong.

According to popular belief, winter comes with Đurđić and leaves with Đurđevdan.

He refused obedience to the pagan king

Saint George was born in Asia Minor to a rich and respectable Christian family, but as a child he lost his father and moved to Palestine with his mother. Emperor Diocletian later appointed him a military commander and later a duke.

During Diocletian, the greatest persecution of Christians was organized. At a council, Georgije spoke out against this attitude towards Christians, and later admitted to the emperor that he himself was a Christian.

Therefore, the emperor ordered that he be subjected to terrible torment. He asked George to bow to the statue of the god Apollo to save his life. Although the emperor expected the world to renounce Christianity, Georgije approached the statue of Apollo, then crossed it and the statue collapsed along with the other statues in the temple.

Diocletian’s wife, Alexandra, then exclaimed: “I also believe in God, who gives Georgia so much strength.”

Diocletian, therefore, ordered that Jorge and Alejandra be beheaded. He was executed on April 23 according to the old calendar or on May 6 according to the new year 303.