Missiological Implications of Čajkanović’s Theory of the Origin of Krsna Slava

Abstract

Krsna slava, i.e., the annual feast that a household celebrates in honour of its patron saint, is one of the most important characteristics of Serbian Orthodoxy. It contains various elements of Church worship as well as popular customs, some of which seem to originate in the pre-Christian religion of Serbian people. The great Serbian scholar Veselin Čajkanović suggested that the original form of the modern krsna slava might have been the pagan veneration of ancestors, which was later modified by Church authorities to better fit with Christian customs of venerating saints and praying for the deceased family members. Since this theory has been criticized by both theologians and other scholars who prefer the hypothesis of krsna slava as an original Christian custom, it might seem that Čajkanović’s analysis is theologically invalid and even harmful. However, this is not completely true: one’s attitude towards pre-Christian elements in modern Serbian religiosity depends on one’s perspective of the relationship between the Church and culture, which is not necessarily negative. The present author has attempted to present a new theological reading of Čajkanović’s theory, based on historical inclusivity of the Church. In other words, the author assumes that the Orthodox Church did not annihilate the Serbian non-Christian culture, including the ancestral cult, but accepted and transformed it in the process known as inculturation.