Vidovdan (Day of the Holy Great Martyr King Lazarus and All Martyrs of Serbia)

Wherever I go,
I'll come back here.
none of my soul
Cannot take Kosovo out...
From the Serbian song "Vidovdan"

On June 28, Serbs celebrate the national holiday "Vidovdan" (Vidov Day), the day when the famous battle on the Kosovo field took place in 1389.

“Vidovdan” was celebrated in Serbia before: it was a holiday dedicated to the pagan god Vidu, but for more than 600 years the day of June 28 in Serbian memory is associated exclusively with the battle in which the Serbian army faced ten times more powerful enemy.

Then the Serbian militia, led by Prince Lazar, all fell on the Kosovo field - however, the Turkish army suffered heavy losses, which significantly slowed its advance into Europe. After the Battle of Kosovo, Serbia became a vassal of Turkey and was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1459. At the same time, after their “victory”, the Turks turned back, suspending the procession deep into the Balkan Peninsula. In the Christian world, there have been rumors of a Serb victory on the Kosovo field.

The Kosovo battle is memorable and the death of the Turkish Sultan Murad I. Serbian hero Milos Obilic went to certain death: pretending to go over to the side of the enemy, he sneaked into the Turkish camp. After Obilic was brought to the tent of Murad I, a Serbian soldier killed the sultan with a dagger and died himself.

Prince Lazarus (whom many Serbs still call their king) was chopped off by the Turks and then cut off his head. The holy relics of Lazarus are kept in the Ravanica Monastery in Kosovo, the severed head is still in Turkey - for centuries the Turks have stubbornly refused to return it to the Serbs. Many believe that for this reason there was a legend that Serbia will regain its former power only when the head of Prince Lazarus is reunited with his relics.

In addition, there are still many folk legends, beliefs associated with "Vidovdan". In Kosovo, they say that on the eve of Vidovdan, in the dead of night, all the rivers in an instant begin to flow red as blood, because so many soldiers that day left their lives on the Kosovo field.

In "Vidovdan" cuckoos stop cuckoos - in memory of the dead Kosovo heroes. On this day in Serbia do not sing, play or have fun. In the folk song about the Battle of Kosovo, the destruction of the Serbian state is interpreted as follows: on the eve of the battle, Prince Lazar receives a letter from the Angel from heaven, in which he is conveyed: in tomorrow’s battle he will overcome the Turks if he prefers the Earthly kingdom, and will be defeated and perish if he chooses the Kingdom of Heaven. Lazarus chose Heaven and the next day lost the battle and lost his life.