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Badnjak - the Slavic Yule Log traditions and customs
“Set the blazing Yule before us…” An ancient English Christmas carol says. Tradition of burning a Yule log is very ancient and is known among Slavs, too. However, they call this holiday log Badnjak or Kraciun. In this post, I want to share the ancient knowledge of how to prepare Badnjak, its symbolism and traditions associated with burning Badnjak at home.
Winter… It’s cold and dark outside. People try to escape the cold inside, but the chilly winds blow in the cracks and howl in the chimney. The only way to survive on these dark cold nights is to build a fire, a very hot blazing fire that would not go out for days. The master of the house places a large oak log or even stump that he ritually cut down for this purpose into the hearth. The log takes a long time to start, but then burns for a long time. Oak wood produces a lot of heat when burning, and therefore is considered the best firewood. Seems simple and even… ordinary. However, to our ancestors, this was magic, the sacred rite of… survival.
Burning of badnjak is known in Serbia, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Herzegovina, Dalmatia, and Istria, some regions in Croatia and Slovenia, and everywhere it is accompanied with a ritual feast. At Winter Solstice, Serbians throw money, sprinkle grains, flour and salt, pour wine and oil in the fire from the burning badnjak as they pray about fertility and abundance of their herds and crops and prosperity of their household. As they strike a poker on the burning log, they say: “May I have as many cows, horses pigs, goats, sheep, beehives, as much good luck and happiness as there are sparks in this fire!”
The etymology of the word “badnjak” is related to the verb “bdet”, i.e. stay awake, stay on watch. First mentions of this tradition are dated by XII century (Dubrovnik).
This is how Russian folklorist A.N Afanasiev described Badnji Eve (Christmas Eve) in Bulgaria: “The head of the family, his wife and children go outside with splinters lit in their hands. From there, they go to the place where the firewood is usually chopped and choose a thick, long, and damp oakwood log. When such a log is found, the master of the house takes of his hat and pronounces with admiration: “Help us, God and you Koleda, may we live to see another year!” Then, he loads the log upon his shoulder and takes it inside, places it in the oven, and starts a fire. As he approaches the hearts he says to his family present around him: “Christ is born!” His family members respond to him: “He truly is born” and kiss each other. This log lit on the Christmas Eve is called “bdnik” (badnik); it must slowly and constantly burn during the whole Svyatki – all the way until Epiphany (The Three Kings). In some regions of Bulgaria, the villagers put out all the fire on December 24 and light a new flame from a dry piece of wood by means of friction – this fire is called the God’s or Holy Flame, and it is used to light all the hearths in the village.
Once badnjak catches fire and starts burning, the head of the household lifts it and strikes it on the oven several times while repeating: “To fruition and good health!” Sparks that spray from the first strike symbolize the new foals born, sparks that fall from the second and third strikes symbolize calves and lambs born, etc.
The fire from burning badnjak is used to bake a bland bread that has a gold or silver coin baked inside – this bread is called bogovitsa (Serbians call it “cesnica”); straw, walnuts, and wheat are scattered on the floor; wine, honey, and fruit: apples, plumes (prunes), dried peaches, raisins, grapes, peas and beans, and nuts are served for dinner. As soon as the table is set, the head of the household takes a censer, recites a prayer and censes the house with frankincense; after this, everyone can eat dinner; however, they don’t eat everything, but set some honey and fruit into a special bowl that they leave under the icons and save for the time of illness as the most reliable medicine. Spiritual people, loyal to the customs of the past, try to stay awake on the night before Christmas; they sit by the fire and watch the holy flame so that it does not go out.
The ashes that remained from badnjak are split into several parts: some of them are used to treat sick animals, some are spread around the fields, pastures, and vineyards with a firm belief that this would benefit the crops; the charcoal of badnjak that didn’t get a chance to turn into ashes by the holiday of Epiphany (The Three Kings) is buried in the ground amidst the vineyard or kept at home until next Christmas Eve – it would be used to start a new fire then.” As we can see, Afanasiev gives a very detailed description of ritual actions with badnjak in XIX-century Bulgaria. Now, let’s find out more about this special log and its ritual cutting from Serbian, Macedonian, Croatian and Montenegro traditions.
Preparation for the holiday began early in the morning, before sunrise. The master of the house and his oldest son shot a rifle in front of the house announcing to everyone that they were about to head into the woods to cut wood for badnjak. Once in the forest, they cut several large branches or even a whole tree. Traditionally it was oak, although in some places it could be a pine or a spruce. Once a fitting oak tree was chosen, the head of the family stood facing east, crossed himself three times, each time remembering “God our Lord” (first cross), the Saint that was the family’s Holy Patron (second cross), and the holiday that the log would be cut for (third cross). Woods chips that flew everywhere when they cut badnjak were called “iver”. On his way back from the woods, the master had to bring one such chip as a gift to the mistress of the house. The cut tree stood by the entrance into the house all day until sunset.
In the evening, before Christmas dinner, the master brought badnjak and straw into the house, and set the log near the hearth. The mistress sprinkled some wheat on badnjak. After this, all family members kissed the log, smothered it in honey and used it to light the fire in the hearth. This log had to burn during the whole holiday. The fire from badnjak is also called badnjak or “badnjedanska vatra” (the Fire of Badnji Day). Oakwood logs and branches are also burned on this evening on the main squares of Serbian towns and villages. This ritual burning symbolizes a transition to another calendar cycle, a new turn in time.
The dinner traditionally starts when the first star appears in the sky – before this, no one is allowed to eat for the whole day. Children look outside eagerly trying to spot the first star and tell their parents, so that everyone could eat. Christmas dinner in Serbia (and other Slavic countries) consists of Christmas pie (bread) and light foods appropriate for fasting period. In Serbia, carp or another freshwater fish is served as the main course. On Christmas Eve, family members pray, sing a psalm “Your Christmas”, and wish each other Merry Christmas before they sit at the table. It is customary for the whole family to gather at the Christmas table.
Once it becomes dark, youth walks from home to home caroling and performing other ritual actions meant to promote prosperity, crops, and good health in the coming year. Caroling is still common in eastern and southern Serbia.
In the morning, as the church bells ring, women bake “cesnica” bread. Cesnica is a round ritual loaf of bread made with white flour and sometimes water taken from three springs. No yeast as used to make this bread. Translated from Srbski, cesnica means “a piece of happiness”. Cesnica is broken into pieces and shared with the guests gathered in the house for the holiday. The second half of the day is spent visiting friends, dancing, singing, and having fun. In the evening, guests gather in the living room or on a covered patio where the mistress serves hot rakia, cheese, and fruit. The main dish served at Christmas-day dinner is rotisserie piglet (pecenica).
Many Slavs envisioned Badnjak as a spirit of the holiday log, stump, or branch that is burned on Kolyada: a bearded man winking at people from the fire. All illness and trouble that came to the household this past year, all ill thoughts and wishes that never came true burn as badnjak burns.
In these last paragraphs, let us summarize all the traditions associated with badnjak.
Concerning woods chosen for badnjak – oak is the most common; however, beech, maple, hazel, juniper, sweet cherry, pear, pine, and spruce were used, too. In some places, the tree log cut for badnjak should be the same height as a man that cut it (about 6 feet tall) or even taller. In Bulgaria, badnjak is typically an oaken stump or a piece of a tree trunk. Large stumps take a long time to burn in the hearth – sometimes, until Epiphany (The Three Kings). In some regions, several badnjaks are cut – one for each male in the household plus one for a ritual guest Polaznik – the first one to visit the household in the morning. Some cut two badnjaks: men’s and women’s badnjak (made with “masculine” and “feminine” types of wood); children’s Badnjaks are also known. People belonging to “Kuca” ethnicity in Montenegro cut the trees in the amount equal to the amount of women in the house for New Year’s Eve (“Women’s Bozic”).
Badnjak is traditionally cut on the day before Christmas (December 24): early before sunrise or right before sunset; however, in some places, they cut it several days in advance. In Gruza (Sumadia), the master of the household dressed up for the holiday goes in the woods carrying with him an axe, a mitten filled with grains and cereal, and a small loaf of bread. As he has chosen the tree for badnjak, he sprinkles grain and cereal on it, break the loaf on the tree trunk and says: “Good morning to you, Badnjak, Merry Christmas!” The master eats one half of this loaf, and leaves another one on the stump from the cut tree. In Leskovacka Morava, some people go to get badnjak riding a cart with steers adorned with flowers for the holiday, while in some villages this ritual is performed in secret – badnjak can be even stolen, i.e. cut on someone else’s land. Badnjak has to be cut in complete silence with one or three (but not two!) strikes of an axe. In Kosovo Field, badnjak that was cut with two strikes of an axe would not be brought into the house (two was considered the number of the demons and the Dead); the same would happen to a badnjak that cracked all the way to the top.
The head of the household traditionally brings the badnjak into the house. In Serbia, badnjak is commonly swaddled in a new men’s or women’s shirt, cloth, or even swaddled like a baby. In eastern Serbia and Aleksinacki Pomoravje, as the master enters the house, he lifts badnjak over his head saying: “May the hemp and grains be just as tall this year!” Then, the mistress scatters grain, nuts, and coins upon badnjak, so that the shed would be full of grain and the house would be full of money. Usually, badnjak is carried inside with its thicker end first and placed upon the hearth with this thicker end pointing east. At this, the master sometimes kisses badnjak and bows to it.
Badnjak is commonly smothered with honey or grease and sprinkled with grain. And opening could be made in the wood, and wine, honey, and oil are poured in the opening. Some mistresses cut holiday bread (kalach) on top of badnjak, place dry fruit, roast meat, and other ritual foods, as well as money, kerchief, handkerchief, or other objects on it.
In Popovo Pole, the whole family would walk under the burning badnjak that the master of the house or Polaznik (the ritual guest) held up high. Polaznik would move the burning badnjak in the hearth to “push the affairs forward” and promote success of the household, stirred the coals with a branch from badnjak, made the badnjak produce sparks and recited over each series of sparks: “May you have as many calves, lambs, piglets, as there are sparks in this hearth…”
The moment when badnjak burned in the middle and fell in two pieces was considered sacral. The master or his children solemnly waited for it by the hearth – the first one to spot the badnjak burn in half would receive a prize.
Ashes and charcoal from badnjak was used for many magical and healing purposes: the charcoal was used to make the stakes that were stuck in the field and a wedge for the plow – this was believed to protect the plants from hail; crosses made with charcoal remaining from badnjak were brought into the barn or at the vineyard; the charcoal could be left at the apiary, orchard, or buried in the grain-shed.
Ashes from badnjak were kept. Peasants sprinkled them on the new plants in spring, roots of the fruits trees, rubbed animals with them, added them to chicken feed, and even drank with water to cure headache.
From all the described above customs, we can see that to our Slavic ancestors, burning of badnjak was both the offering and the representation of the new Sun born on Winter Solstice, burning the old problems and troubles and bringing life and warmth to the world and humankind.
Prepared by Olga Stanton
- Slavic Encyclopedic Dictionary, 2nd edition;
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- Usacheva, V.V. “Of One Speech and Semantic Analogy (based on material of Carpathian and Balkan Ritual “Polaznik”//Slavic and Balkan Linguistics, Moscow, 1977, pp.21-76; Усачева В.В. Об одной лексико-семантической параллели (на материале карпато-балканского обряда «полазник» // Славянское и балканское языкознание. М., 1977. С. 21-76;
- Usacheva, V.V. “Polaznik” Ritual and Its Folkloric Elements in the Areal of Serbo-Croatian Language//Slavic and Balkan Folklore, Moscow, 1978, pp.27-47; Усачева В.В. Обряд «полазник» и его фольклорные элементы в ареале сербскохорватского языка // Славянский и балканский фольклор. М., 1978. С. 27—47.
The etymology of the word “badnjak” is related to the verb “bdet”, i.e. stay awake, stay on watch. First mentions of this tradition are dated by XII century (Dubrovnik).
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