OEC: Goran Pavlovic – Aries must die (Baran musi umrzeć)

In my post „Two crosses” I talked about the division of the solar year using solar cross (solstices and equinoxes) and earth cross (quarter days). The second solar year devision is at the core of the Celtic and Serbian calendar.


In Serbian calendar the year is divided into two main parts (white and dark part of the year) by St George’s day – the beginning of the summer and St Mitar’s day – the beginning of the winter.

For sheep herders in Serbia these two dates had special meaning.


The end of the white part of the year, St Mitar’s day, was the time when the milking season ended and the sheep were driven back down into the valleys where they would spend the winter and spring.

Some of these wreaths were ceremonially „drowned” (thrown) in the river as an offering. Girls would also spray each other with water.

The other wreaths were brought home.

At home, one of these flower wreaths was hang on the house gate.

Some were hang to dry and were then kept in the house until the next St Georges day and the medicinal herbs were used when needed.

Two were used during „premlaz”, the ritual first milking of the year which is always done the day before St George’s day and which marks the beginning of the milking season.

This milk was used to make the first cheese of the year.

After the milking was done, the egg and the bread were buried inside an ant hill. So the sheep will multiply like ants.

This cheese made from the first milk (only one day old), was used the next day (St George’s day) to make belmuž, a votive meal which is always made by male shepherds.

Here is the belmuž recipe:

While Djurdjevdan lamb sacrifice was in most areas a family sacrifice, in Eastern Serbia, in the Stara Planina (Old Mountain) region, a collective lamb sacrifice was also performed by the whole village together.

Unfortunately today, due to depopulation of the area, the lush mountain pastures are almost empty. Only few small flocks are still left like this one:

The highest peak of the Old Mountain is Midžor. It is situated on the border between Serbia and Bulgaria. At 2,169 metres (7,116 ft), it is the highest peak of the Western Balkan Mountains, as well as the highest of Serbia outside Kosovo.

Under this peak we find the village Vrtovac, where every St George’s day, villagers, as well as performing an individual family lamb sacrifice, perform a collective, village lamb sacrifice in a small chapel dedicated to St George which is located in the place called Kalovat.

The chapel contains several old stone crosses.

The main cross has an engraved and painted picture of St George on a white horse between two winged suns.

The lamb which is slaughtered during the village sacrifice is called „molitva” which actually means „prayer”. This is very interesting as it reminds us that the original meaning of the prayer was either a sacrifice or a promise of a sacrifice in exchange for whatever people prayed for.

It is then laid in front of the St George’s cross where it is slaughtered.

The lamb has to be slaughtered in such a way that the blood sprinkles the St George’s cross and the small red stone cross which stands next to it.

After the sacrifice is made, people circle the chapel three times. Then a mass is said by the priest and the „Slava” feast is held in front of the chapel.

Now here is the question that springs to mind. Why are male lambs sacrificed to Jarilo (sorry Saint George)?


One possible explanation is that shepherds sacrificed a male lamb, as a „firs fruit offering” to Jarilo in return for protecting their flocks and crops. 

Is the ritual sacrifice of lambs to Jarilo a ritual representation of this natural process?

źródło: https://oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com/2018/07/aries-must-die.html

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