Cities And Memory

"Slava is a Serbian family celebration which is unique to Serbian Orthodox Christians. For this project, I read documentation on this cultural practice, and it is a tradition that has very deep roots in the Serbian society, which are said to be pre-Christian. I am accustomed to European family celebrations like Christmas and St. Nicholas' Day (in the Netherlands), but Slava has a very different character, because it celebrates health and well-being of family members and close friend, and remembers the deceased in the family.  "There are many symbolic aspects of Slava that are hard to capture in music, like all ritual foods and the blessing and cutting of the "koljivo". However, the field recording of a Serbian Orthodox Slava service was very inspiring. Although I can't understand the words, the musical interplay between priest and choir is glorious, and from my point of view the melodies are also unique and instantly recognizable. "As Slava is a family celebration, it is unlikely tourists can easily experie