Merry Christmas, Christ is born

Merry Christmas, Christ is born

Christmas, along with Easter, is one of the two greatest Christian holidays. It is the day when the Christian world celebrates the birth of Christ and when, according to the belief, the spirit of Jesus is omnipresent among people, bringing them peace and forgiveness.

In addition to the Serbian Orthodox Church, Christmas is also celebrated on January 7 in Russia, Georgia and Macedonia, as well as by the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and the Copts.

In the presence of a large number of believers, Serbian Patriarch Irinej on Sunday evening lit up the badnjak - an oak log, a part of Serbian Christmas traditions - on the plateau in front of the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade.

The patriarch congratulated the holiday to the Serb people and wished to both those in the homeland, and those in the diaspora that God gives them peace, unity, and love.

"The badnjak will be brought into our homes today, this oak tree is strong by its nature, but also carries a lot of symbolism," Irinej pointed out, adding that it symbolizes life, the birth of Jesus Christ, his entry into this world, into our homes and hearts.

"May God also bless our Kosovo, that holy area of ours, our holy land, our Jerusalem. Where our sacred places are, where our history was created, where our culture was born, where our spirituality emerged, let the Lord preserve that fatherland to us and let it remain for our people, to whom it has always belonged, let that be today and tomorrow," said Irinej.

The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church also wished a happy holiday with the traditional greeting, "Peace from God - Christ is born."