From First Christmas to Last Christmas in Konavle

The winter period in Konavle is full of celebrations and joy, and among them Christmas is the crown of all events. In autumn, as the agricultural activities end, days dedicated to different saints are more and more frequent. Most of those days are celebrated as Krsno ime of Konavle families. Most weddings and engagements take place around Christmas. No wonder, because pre-industrial agriculture engaged the family members in the fields every day, so there was no time for celebrations during the agricultural season. All holidays that happened outside the agricultural season were celebrated separately and solemnly. That is precisely why there are more of them in that period than in the rest of the year.

The entire festive season until the beginning of Lent was understood by Konavle people as “until Christmas” and “after Christmas”. Christmas was the turning point of the year in every way. In times before today’s calendar, Christmas was a precious landmark. It occurs approximately at the winter solstice, when nights are longest, and after Christmas every following day is longer. This is why people have the idea that Christmas actually brings light in every aspect.

Each year, Christmas was anticipated in Konavle since the summer time. The days were counted in trica (threes). Trica is a period of approximately three weeks and starts counting down from August 15, the feast of the Assumption. Three weeks after the Great Assumption comes the Little Lady (September 8th), then St. Mihovil (September 29th), then St. Luke Day (October 18th), then St. Martin (October 11th ), then St. Nicholas Day (December 6th) and three weeks after that is Christmas (December 25th). The people of Konavle also organized their agricultural calendar in this way, so it was known what was planted in which trica, what was harvested, and what was left from each period for Christmas.

Saints were most often commemorated in Konavle villages as Krsno ime, so there were frequent celebrations in the villages during this period. Since All Saints Day (November 1st), the number of celebrations increases, and All Saints Day is called the First Christmas. From All Saints Day to Christmas, on the evening before the day of each holiday, it is mandatory to bake prikle. (In the evening, because in the old days the days started at night, not with the morning as it is today.) So prikle are baked at least 9 times before Christmas — All Saints, St. Martin, St. Kate (November 25), St. Nicholas, St. Lucia (December 13), Children’s day, Mother’s day, Father’s day, and Christmas Day (December 24). This custom is accompanied by the saying: “devet baba po ledu se valja” (“nine grandmothers are rolling on the ice”).

The day before Christmas is a day of fasting, finishing works, cleaning and decorating the house. The men leave the house to pick the Badnjak, while the women clean the house and prepare it for Christmas. After cleaning, the house is crowned with green laurel branches that are brought in and placed behind the images of saints, around the doors and on the table. Fresh greenery in the house is another defiance of winter and darkness. The present-day custom of decorating the Christmas tree, known throughout the Western world, arose from the same need. For the old people of Konavle, Christmas decoration was a coronation. It is recorded that in the 1920s, a whole laurel tree in the house was decorated with strips of crepe paper. Since the Second World War, all houses have been decorated with pine Christmas trees.

Christmas spirit enters the house with the Badnjak which is a piece of oak wood from half a meter to a meter and a half long, depending on how big it can fit in the house. It stays in the house for the next fifteen days in the fire place, that is, in the place where cooking is done and where the fire is constantly burning. It is an old custom to place small pieces of wood called veselice next to the Christmas tree, and put as many as there are male children in the house.

When it gets dark on Dec. 24, the Badnjak enters every house with an appropriate speech. It is brought in by the owner of the house accompanied by one of the male children. He greets the house and invokes a blessing. The rite of bringing in the Badnjak includes sprinkling the Badnjak with wheat, wine and baptismal water, in order to call into the home the blessing of “food and peace” for all the household members. When the Badnjak is placed in its position and blessed, the men go out of the house and shoot rifles or suitable firecrackers, so by the noise in the neighborhood it is known that the Christmas tree has arrived.

After bringing in the Badnjak, it is time to go to the midnight mass, where Christmas is celebrated. On the way to the church, people enter the houses singing carols, special songs typical for this time of year. After midnight, people disperse around the neighborhood, visit their neighbors and friends again and congratulate them. After midnight, everything is allowed to be eaten, so at that time, glava (head) is served — a boiled pig's head, which was cooked the day before Christmas for the Christmas menestra meal. Celebrating, toasting and rejoicing, everyone is together in celebration, both those who were at odds and those who were at peace.

In Konavle, it was important to reconcile all quarrels, smooth out all misunderstandings, and repay all debts by Christmas. The Christmas season was thought to bestow a special blessing on the intentions of peace and justice. So after midnight, everyone celebrated together. If someone was not forgiven, he had to behave as if he had been.

At Christmas, clean and festive clothes were worn, and everybody always tried to wear something new and never worn before. Since St. Martin Day, the girls have been busily finishing their embroidery, shirts, and jackets in order to have at least one new item of clothing for Christmas.

Pandišpanj

On Christmas morning people gather again for mass in the church, cheerfully singing and congratulating each other. After the mass, there is a Christmas lunch, at which the zelena menestra is a mandatory dish. For sweets there are padišpanj, mantala, contonjata, strudel and there is plenty of everything. In the afternoon, young people leave the house to congratulate the elderly in the neighborhood, and the older members of the family wait for the congratulators by their fireplaces. There is so much food that nobody cooks for the next two days.

The people of Konavle say: O Božiću, lijepo li je na te, tri dana po te, al najljepše na te! Which means: It is so wonderful on Christmas day, three days after also, but the most wonderful is Christmas day!

The holy days after Christmas last until Epiphany, that is, the day of the Three Holy Kings (January 6), which is also called the Last Christmas. During that period, St. Stephen's day (December 26) and St. John's day (December 27) are celebrated, so whoever celebrates Krsno ime on those days will still prepare meals and celebrate. After that, is the Day of the Innocent Children (December 28) or better known in Konavle tradition as Mladjenci. That day was a favorite day for engagements and marriages. Old Year Day follows New Years Day, and all the holy days end on Epiphany.

From Epiphany to Lent is the coldest time of the year. The holy festivals are over, and the time of carnival, public rejoicing and extravagance begins before Lent renunciation, a new agricultural season and a new life cycle begins.

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The paintings above: Konavle Christmas series by Slavko Tomerling (1892 - 1981).

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Glossary

First Christmas to Last Christmas — The Christmas season in Konavle is long, starting on All Saints Day (First Christmas; Nov. 1) and ends on Epiphany (Last Christmas; Jan. 6).

Prikle — A sweet, similar to a doughnut hole, made only from flour and water and fried in olive oil. Also called priganice.

Krsno ime — is a day for celebrating a saint. Every family and village has its patron saint who provides protection and intercession. That particular saint’s day is observed with a big celebration. Most saints days for Konavle families are in the autumn or winter.

Children’s day, Mother’s day, and Father’s day — Three consecutive Sundays before Christmas in which gifts are given and children, mothers and fathers are celebrated. Children’s day is 3 Sundays before Christmas, Mother’s day is 2 Sunday’s before Christmas, Father’s day is the Sunday before Christmas.

Nine grandmothers are rolling on the ice — A Konavle saying that is hard to explain. The last scoop of batter is larger than the others and makes a larger prikle. This piece is called the “baba”. “Baba” means “grandmother” but in this case it just means the last piece of prikle. Prikle is made 9 times during the holiday season, and so a “baba” is made 9 times. Prikle rolls in the oil as it is being deep fried. “Ice” refers to the cold weather at this time of year.

Badnjak — A piece of oak tree trunk or large branch that can be from one half meter to one and a half meters long, depending on how big it can fit in the house. It is decorated with laurel and olive leaves and blessed with sacred water, wine and wheat in the ceremony of entering the house. It stays 15 days on the fire place.

Zelena menestra — A typical dish for Konavle. Three types of cabbages are boiled with different types of smoked meat and potatoes.

Pandišpanj — Sponge cake served In Konavle at any type of celebration. It is made from eggs, wheat flour and sugar only.

Mantala — A sweet made from reduced grape juice and wheat flour, without sugar. It is made from the dregs left over after the grape juice is drained in winemaking. Mantala is the oldest known Konavle sweet. It is strongly spiced with cloves and cinnamon.

Kontonjata (spelled kotonjata in other parts of Croatia) — A sweet made from quince. It is prepared by boiling quince in the same way that apples are boiled for applesauce. Sugar is added and it is stirred until it becomes thick. It is poured out into slabs around one inch thick and stiffens as it cools.