Badnjak sales at Kalenić marketplace, Belgrade

Badnjak is oak log which is cut and burned in the hearth as a part of Serbian Christmas customs (as the Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar, the Christmas currently falls on January 7 of the Gregorian calendar). Belgrade (Serbian: Београд or Beograd  ) is the capital and largest city of Serbia. ... Species See List of Quercus species The term oak can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Quercus, and some related genera, notably Cyclobalanopsis and Lithocarpus. ... In common historic and modern usage, a hearth is a brick- or stone-lined fireplace or oven used for cooking and/or heating. ... Serbs (in the Serbian language Срби, Srbi) are a south Slavic people living chiefly in Serbia and Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina. ... Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday that marks the traditional birthdate of Jesus of Nazareth. ... Flag of the Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church (SOC) (Serbian: Српска Православна Црква / Srpska Pravoslavna Crkva; СПЦ / SPC) or the Church of Serbia is one of the autocephalous Orthodox Christian churches, ranking sixth after Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Russia. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ... January 7 is the seventh day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. ...

Early in the morning of Christmas Eve, the head of the family would go to a forest in order to cut badnjak, which would then be brought into the church to be blessed by the priest. Then the oaktree would be stripped of its branches which combined with wheat and other grain products would be burned in the fireplace. The burning of the badnjak is a ritual which is most certainly of pagan origin and it is considered a sacrifice to God so that the coming year may bring plenty of food, happiness, love, luck and riches. Pagan may refer to: A believer in Paganism or Neopaganism Bagan, a city in Myanmar also known as Pagan Pagan (album), the 6th album by Celtic metal band Cruachan Pagan Island, of the Northern Mariana Islands Pagan Lorn, a metal band from Luxembourg, Europe (1994-1998) Pagans Mind, is...

Today, as most Serbs live in cities, badnjak could be bought at a marketplace like christmas tree, or is sometimes received in church after church service. Oftenly just a little oak branch, badnjak is lit at home symbolically. For other uses, see Christmas tree (disambiguation). ...

See also

• Yule log