The Meeting of the Lord – Statehood Day of Serbia at Orasac

Church of Serbia – 19/2/17

The feast-day of the Meeting of the Lord and Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia was traditionally celebrated at Orasac, near Arandjelovac.

On this day 213 years ago the First Serbian Uprising began at Maricevica Gully at Orasac. The celebration of the feast-day of the Meeting of the Lord and Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia commenced with the Holy Hierarchal Liturgy officiated by His Grace Bishop Jovan of Sumadija.

He was concelebrated by protopresbyter-staurophors Mica Cirkovic, Miladin Mihailovic and Velibor Randjic, presbyter Zeljko Ivkovic, protodeacon Ivan Gasic and deacon Nemanja Iskic. Liturgical gathering was enhanced with chanting of the choir “Saint Anastasia of Serbia”.

Following the Liturgy the Bishop held a sermon on this great feast-day and after that he blessed and cut the slava cake in the church of the Resurrection of God in Orasac. It was in Maricevic Gully, the place where the First Serbian Uprising began, that the Bishop served the memorial service for the suffered military leaders and insurgents who had laid their lives for the Orthodox faith and the fatherland in the fight against the Turkish invaders.

The celebration on the occasion of the Statehood Day of the Republic of Serbia was attended by the clergy of the Deanery of Orasac, representatives of the Municipality of Arandjelovac and other esteemed guests. On behalf of the Municipality of Arandjelovac, president of the Municipality, Mr. BojanRadovic, laid a wreath; and on behalf of the National Museum in Arandjelovac, Director of the Museum Mr. Darko Pavlovic laid a wreath as well.

A rich cultural program was held afterwards.

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