It is celebrated on the 27th of January to the glory of St. Sava.
The most sacred figure, strongly woven into the consciousness and being of the Serbian people. He is the only saint whose holyday Serbs celebrate as a church, school, guild and family holiday.
Based on what has been written and said about Saint Sava, few people is not familiar with Rasko, the youngest son of Raska County Prefect Nemanja and Ana, born around 1175, as a young man he secretly went to Mount Athos where he became a monk despite wishes of his parents and gained a name Sava. Even though the son of a Serbian ruler, he fully dedicated his life to monastic way of life which is why he enjoyed a great reputation among the monks of Mount Athos. Along with his father he provided shelter to Serbian monks, and on the ruins of an old temple they build monastery Hilandar. In the summer of 1199 he moves to the now completed Hilandar where his father Nemanja, monastery name Simeon, lived his last eight months of his life.
After fourteen yearsthe relics of his father were transferred to Studenica and it stayed there for some time. Continuing his building activity he builds the church of the Holy Apostles in Pec, two confessionals at Studenica, participate in the construction of Mileseva, and his main work is Zica, which later became the seat of the first Serbian archbishop.
He was a spiritual man, educator and teacher of his ignorant nation and a great peacemaker knowing to prevent wars due to his diplomatic skills and ending hostility towards Serbian countries. One of his church reforms is probably the main reason why he is so respected by people. In order to prevent the pagan custom of offering blood sacrifices in church and gathering in front of church to mark the importance of the sacred, Archbishop Sava ordered those activities to be held exclusively in home of the celebrants, only there can priests bless a meal and sanctify blood and non blood sacrifices. That is how celebration is moved within the family and home.
Church is remembering burning of the relics of Saint Sava, and the people call that day Sava’s chains. Day devoted to Saint Sava, January 17 is celebrated as a religious and folk holiday, and it is celebrated within a family, in schools and as a guild artisan’s holiday.
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