“May the old customs be observed” : canons on custom and their significance for the contemporary life of the Serbian Orthodox Church
»Naj se spoštujejo stare navade« : kanoni o navadah in njihov pomen za sodobno življenje Srbske pravo-slavne Cerkve

english

2025

volume 85, issue 2

John Zonaras   koljivo   saint archangel Michael   saint Basil the Great   Slava   Theodore Balsamon

Univerza v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

This paper represents an analysis of a custom from the life of the Serbian Orthodox Church, connected to the celebration of the feast of Saint Archangel Michael as a family patron saint day (Slava), commonly known as “Aranđelovdan” (Archangel’s Day). In some Serbian regions, hosts refuse to prepare boiled wheat or koljivo for the feast of Saint Archangel Michael, claiming that koljivo is prepared exclusively for saints who have died. At the same time, maintenance of this custom is often justified by the argument that it is inherited from ancestors and, in that sense, represents part of family heritage or a certain kind of pledge. After an analysis of the Holy Canons, it is concluded that the criterion by which the canons accept a custom as legitimate is compatibility of that custom with apostolic tradi-tion. From that perspective, we will seek to show why that is not the case with the aforementioned custom observed on Saint Archangel Michael’s day.

17.02.2026