Our Christian eparchy has it's store meant for tourists for years but there are many things each Christian family at Kragujevac can get for their family home too.
After spending few weeks in a monastery two years ago I've learned a lot about myself and had just a glance in Christian Orthodox culture and therefore religion. What it means for each person and families bringing them together.
This is my list I would recommend to anyone visiting Kragujevac to have if they are of Christian religion I am still learning about.
• I plan to buy a painting copy of St Nicholas for our family home with that said it is custom for the frankincense cresset to be hanged in front of the painting on the eastern side of your living room or dinning room. This one on the photo below caught my attention.
• Known as Patron Saint of many families here at Balkans St Paraskeva (Petka) is also on my to buy list of icons but this enoptih (icon with a standing board instead resembling wall photo) as she is firstly known as protector of all females.
• Almost each Christian family at Serbia has their families Patron Saint or more but the main one is the one celebrated with other cousins you invite as for Thanksgiving day at USA.
At my family it's St Nicholas celebrated each December 19th or on May 22nd when his remains were brought to Bari, Italy from Myra, Turkey and it is when we invite family to a lunch.
On the photo below you can see what is mandatory each Christian home to have, this Slava set has:
- candle holder,
- wine cup,
- wheat bowl or bread pieces bowl,
- frankincense cresset.
We have a similar ceramic set so it's a great idea to be bought as a present to some family if you know they have old metal kind prone to rust.
It is custom for the priest to visit each family few days before their Patron Saint Slava to have a prayer and every year before Easter.
Few centuries ago it was a way to check the health of each family member as it was monks coming from monasteries visiting still remained Christian families during Ottoman Era.
• I've written in Family Genealogy that I would love to have a full family tree with at least five generations on it.
As mentioned before computer data is only available until First World war while the rest are stacked piles of information as many families kept changing their last name when a son from a house moved away to start his own family of similar.
Other information is mostly available at churches where people got baptised so this is a layer for christened people to have or to explore their own lineage as many people got baptised through generations despite communism era or during wars as I plan to get my own Christened sertificate.
• It's either St Archangel Michael or Virgin Mary medallion I plan to buy as soon as I buy a beautiful, for me at least, short necklace to go with it daily as I would be terrified of losing it accidentally.
• This is a book I plan to buy as I think each home should have one besides the Holy Letter, collection of prayers as it's book of Psalms used at monasteries daily during their praying hours along with history book about Kragujevac St Trinity church history.
It's name could be translated as 'Holy Cup' intentionally I am not using translation 'Holy Grail' or 'Holy Chalice' and it has prayers meant to put at ease and give calmness to anyone reading this book.
It starts with Psalm 1 among 151 Psalms as why I am choosing few interesting prayers combined in Psalms having history data of the time they've been written.
Psalm 1
1. 'Blessed is one who does not go to blasphemy Council,
And does not stand in the way of a sinner
And does not sit at the place of the death executioner.'
2. 'It's in the God's law his will,
And in his law it's taught through day and night.'
3. 'And he will be as a tree planted by the water source,
That brings it's fruits in it's own time,
And his leaf won't fall down,
And everything he does he will succeed.'
4. 'Non believers are not as that, not as so,
They are as dust wind moving on the face of the Earth.'
5. 'It is why non believers will not stand at Court,
Or sinners at justice Council.'
6. 'As Lord knows the way of the justfull,
And way of the non believers will fail.'
Psalm 2
1. 'Why nations got alerted
And tribe's thought about wasting things?'
2. ' Emperors of Earth came together
And Dukes came together
At Lord and his representative.'
3. 'Let us take down their chains upon us,
Let us take down taxes of theirs.'
4. 'One who lives at Heavens will mock them,
And Lord will mock them.'
5. 'It is when He will talk in his wraith,
And in his fury He will shake them.'
6. 'And I am His assigned Emperor at Sion,
His Holy mountain.'
7. 'Giving Lord's notice,
Lord said to me: You are my son,
I gave birth to you today.'
8. 'Ask of me and I will give you nations as enheritance,
And land as yours.'
9. 'You will lead them with an iron club,
As pottery you will break them.'
10. 'And now Emperors reason yourselves,
Teach yourselves all the judges of Earth.'
11. 'Serve the Lord with fear,
Give joy as of him with fear.'
12. ' Recieve advices for the Lord not to be angry,
For you to die on the justice way,
When His wraith is being burned,
Blessed are all who give Him their trust.'
These are the first two Psalms about the trial Jesus Christ had and I will add couple of others translated in English in the next period from this Psalms book.
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