Facebook ► / bosanskitefericc The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary today, a holiday known among the people as Mala Gospojina. On Mala Gospojina, the memory of the day when the Holy Virgin Mary was born in Nazareth, in the home of Joachim and Anna, is celebrated and is one of the greatest votive holidays. This holiday is celebrated among the people with colorful customs, mainly dedicated to the birth. It is highly regarded by Serbs, and in most places fairs and other festivities, celebrations and prayers are held. Also, on Mala Gospojina, many people plan and arrange weddings and engagements, because, according to tradition, she grants a special blessing to the newlyweds, the engaged, and the married on this day. It is also believed that when it is clear on this holiday, it will be sunny throughout the fall and winter. As on Velika Gospojina, according to belief, women should not do any work in and around the house. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the immovable feasts of the Virgin Mary, which means that it has a fixed place in the church calendar and is marked with a red letter. It is celebrated on September 21. WHAT CHURCH TRADITION SAYS Joachim and Anna were infertile for a long time, childless. Already old, they prayed to God to give them a child, to make them happy as He once made Abraham and Sarah happy by giving them a son, Isaac. One day, while praying to God in an orchard under a laurel tree, an angel appeared to Anna and told her that her voice had reached Heaven and that she would soon be a mother. Anna then vowed to give the child to God, to serve Him for the rest of her life. God gave them a daughter, but also the Mother of God. The old woman Anna gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Mary, which means high or domineering. The Virgin Mary, who was born as a result of prayers, was taken to the temple when she was three years old. At the age of 14, she returned to Nazareth, where, according to tradition, she received the good news from the Archangel Gabriel that she would give birth to the Son of God. The scene of the Nativity of the Mother of God with Saint Anne in bed and the newborn Mary in the cradle is a mandatory motif of Orthodox icons and medieval monastery frescoes. One of the oldest and best-preserved paintings with the motif of the Nativity of the Virgin can be found in the Royal Church in Studenica, an endowment of King Milutin from the end of the 14th century. Other feasts of the Virgin are the Introduction, the Meeting, the Annunciation, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (the Great Lady), as well as those that commemorate the events of her life, such as the Shroud of the Blessed Virgin and the Laying of the Rice of the Blessed Virgin. Teferič is: having fun, spending time, enjoying nature, a trip to nature for the purpose of entertainment and leisure. Teferič also entered our dear sevdalinka - "do you feel sorry for Banja Luka, Banja Luka teferič, near Vrbas akšamluk...". The old great teferič was usually held on August 2nd on Aliđun. Famous teferičs that were held in big cities are known throughout our homeland, but also those in villages and hamlets. At the teferič, people really 'fattened up', ate, drank and had fun. Oxen, sheep, goats were turned on a spit and the most beautiful songs in the world were sung, sevdalinka were sung. There are brothers and teferičs in their own production. Working people who always work take advantage of some national holiday or weekend and settle down by a beautiful river, stream and weave around ćevapi, šežnjići and sokići. Some bring a ball, others chess and still others darts. They have fun, play egleniše and sevdis.