The Royal family of Serbia traditionally celebrates the Christmas holidays at the Royal Palace in Belgrade. On the Day Before Christmas morning (Serbian “Badnje jutro”), HRH Crown Prince Alexander together with his son and grandson, TRH Hereditary Prince Filip, and Prince Stefan, cut the Yule log, honouring the centuries-old tradition of the Serbian people, and brought it in front of the Royal Palace, where TRH Princess Danica and Princess Marija welcomed them.
During the time of the Kingdom, the King was always welcoming Yule Log at the Palace, which was brought to him by a regiment of soldiers from all branches of the Army. To bring the oak tree to the Palace was always a special honour for the officers and soldiers.
Christmas Eve (Serbian “Badnje veče“) was marked by another beautiful Serbian tradition, the burning of the Yule log in front of the Royal Palace, which was blessed by priest Mihailo Rapajic. The evening event wаs attended by TRH Crown Prince Alexander, Crown Princess Katherine, Hereditary Prince Philip, Prince Stefan, Princess Danica, Princess Marija, Mrs Betty Roumeliotis, the Crown Princess’s sister, Mrs. Beba and Mr. Milan Cile Marinkovic, Princess Danica’s parents..
Their Royal Highnesses once again expressed their wish that all people worldwide who celebrate Christmas tomorrow have good health, much love, and prosperity, and that each Orthodox and Christian home is a source of peace, warmth, and love.
The Royal family once again wishes Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all citizens of Serbia and the Republic of Srpska with the traditional Christmas greeting “Peace of God, Christ is born!”
CHRISTMAS IN THE TRADITION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF SERBIA
During the time of the Kingdom of Serbia, and later in the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Christmas celebrations were more important, while New Year’s celebrations were less popular. New Year’s Day has been considered a national holiday since 1919, when a new calendar was introduced, but only for members of the Catholic faith, while the Orthodox celebrated Christmas more as a family holiday. Only after the Second World War, since 1955, when it was included in the official holiday calendar, did the New Year gain in importance.
The Karadjordjevic Royal family, as one of the few European ruling houses that came directly from the people, has always had great respect for our folk customs and traditions, and has always been with its people. Thus, the celebration of Christmas has always been of great importance for the members of the Karadjordjevic dynasty. In addition to numerous charities conducted by members of the Royal Family throughout the year, the Christmas holidays were a special opportunity to give special attention to children from socially endangered categories, especially orphans.
The festive atmosphere began about ten days before the feast of the birth of Christ, on the Orthodox holiday “Mother’s Day”, when children from the orphanages came to the Court, tied the Queen Maria, and she “untied” herself by giving them gifts. The great benefactress, whose deeds are still talked about today, is even today remembered by the name given to her by the people – “Queen Mother”.
The practice on Christmas Day was for the army and officers from the Topcider Barracks to bring a Christmas Yule Log to the Palace, and after it was brought in, the officers would go to the Officers’ Home, take other Yule logs for their unit and go to the barracks to celebrate Christmas Eve. However, representatives of various military units often came, so that as many army platoons as possible were represented in the group that brought the Yule Log to the King, who was also the Supreme Commander of the Army.
The King (first Peter I, then Alexander I and after his assassination Peter II), as the Head of the Royal Family and the host not only of the Royal Court, but of the whole country, would welcome the Yule logs in front of the entrance and sprinkle them with wheat. Then he would receive the officers in the Palace, serve them with food and drinks, and afterwards the Royal Family would spend the evening alone in their home, as the Serbian tradition dictates.
On Christmas Day itself, early in the morning, the Joy-Bringer would come to the Royal Palace, and then they would go to church for the liturgy. In the diary of the Marshal of the Court of King Alexander I for 1928, it is noted that the church service was held in the Palace Church, and that it was attended by a Joy-Bringer and members of the King’s Guard. Christmas greetings arrived from all sides, and interesting are those that arrived from the English Court, in which the British King George V and later King George VI addressed our rulers with “dear cousin”. HM King George V was the best man at the wedding of King Alexander and Queen Maria, as well as at the baptism of Crown Prince Peter (represented by his son, HRH Prince Albert, later HM King George VI), and HM King George VI and his daughter, late HM Queen Elizabeth II, are baptized godparents of HRH Crown Prince Alexander.
Then the Royal Family would either go to orphanages or receive orphans at the Palace, where the King and Queen would give them gifts. There are numerous photographs showing the young King Peter II, sharing gifts to children from the orphanage with his mother, Queen Maria, who was still in black clothes due to the death of King Alexander I, and the brothers Princes Tomislav and Andrej. Also, every Christmas, from the King’s treasury, from the personal money of His Majesty the King, Christmas aid was given to high school and college students, as well as charities and poor individuals.
A good representation of how the Royal Family celebrated Christmas in the past is given by the daily newspapers “Politika” in an article from 24 December 1910: “The great Christian holiday of Christ’s birth, which is celebrated by the entire Serbian people with almost the same customs, from the Adriatic coasts and Pest to Iskra and Thessaloniki, will be celebrated in a solemn way in the court of King Peter.
King Peter is preparing to celebrate this holiday in the same way as his people. He fasts like them, performs all Christmas customs like them, and when on the first day of Christmas, early in the morning, the Bringers-of-Joy go to congratulate the holiday, and to wish well to the house they enter, the Bringer-of-Joy will go to the King’s Palace.
Officers of the Belgrade garrison, on Christmas Eve in the afternoon, in a solemn procession and with music on their foreheads, go to Kosutnjak and cut two Christmas trees there. One of these Christmas trees is taken to the Officers’ Home and the other to the Court. Four people bring the Christmas tree to the king: one private, one non-commissioned officer and two officers.
They are greeted in the court porch by King Peter, and then they all bring the Christmas tree into the salon, that big hall that is located on the ground floor of the new court, from the front of King Milan Street. There is already a big fire burning in the fireplace, on which a Christmas tree is laid, and wine is poured. When the flames engulf the tree, the King stabs an apple on one of the Christmas tree twigs and then accepts a specially prepared sieve with walnuts, which he scatters in all four corners of the hall. As the straw is scattered, a service is made.
The king, who usually gets up very early, welcomes Christmas dawn on his feet. Then, as soon as it dawns, a cadet of the Military Academy comes to the King as a Joy-Bringer, and the King keeps him as his guest for lunch. At 8 o’clock in the morning, the King goes to the church, and around 10 o’clock, he is back in the Palace and receives congratulations from the court officers. Before noon he leaves and congratulates the Metropolitan, the Prime Minister and the President of the National Assembly.
Christmas in the Palace, even if solemnly, is still modest. And almost the only splendour of that day is the Christmas pig, which is slaughtered even in the poorest Serbian houses. This year, the Christmas holidays will pass in the court and will be even quieter, but usually because Princess Jelena is in Italy with her aunt Queen Jelena’s, and Crown Prince Alexander is receiving medical treatment in France, so the King will spend Christmas only with Prince George and Prince Paul.
Every year, the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, the Russian Tsar and the Montenegrin King congratulate the King on Christmas. In addition, congratulations are coming from all over Serbia.”
