Vidovdan, the Serbian Myth, and DNA

Today, Serbs commemorate one of their most significant religious and national holidays – Vidovdan (St. Vitus Day). According to historians interviewed by Kosovo Online, this date represents both a “physical and metaphysical” foundation of Serbian national identity and its connection to Kosovo.

Written by: Djordje Barovic

The Serbian Orthodox Church marks Vidovdan in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Prince Lazar and all Serbian martyrs who perished in the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.

In Kosovo, the holiday is traditionally observed with liturgies at the Gracanica Monastery and a memorial service at Gazimestan, the site where Serbian and Ottoman forces clashed 636 years ago.

A large number of believers from the region have gathered today in Gracanica and at Gazimestan.

“Vidovdan is the source of all of us. We have returned to our home, our house, our homeland – to the sacred Serbian land – to pray together, above all to the Lord, and to pray that soon the Serbian flag and many others may wave freely over Kosovo and Metohija,” said Aleksandar Vujicic from Belgrade.
For the first time since 1999, the celebration of Vidovdan has been accompanied by controversy following a court ban on the use of the Serbian flag.

The Basic Court in Pristina did not go far back into the past, certainly not to the 14th century, but responded to a decision made by the Municipality of Gracanica in June of last year to mark Vidovdan with the use of Serbian symbols and flags.

According to the court in Pristina, the use of Serbian flags “seriously undermines the unique and constitutional character of Kosovo,” as well as “public order and interethnic coexistence,” and may provoke ethnic tensions.

Former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Izmi Zeka, who also studies history, claims that the holiday “does not even belong to the Serbs.”

“We need to put an end to this holiday organized around the Battle of Kosovo. It is a holiday that does not, first and foremost, belong to the Serbs. The battle took place on the territory of Kosovo, and it is a historical event that happened here. As a state, we are under no obligation to care about that manifestation or to ensure its unhindered course,” Zeka stated.

Physics and Metaphysics

Petar Ristanovic, a research associate at the Institute for Serbian Culture in Leposavic, argues that Vidovdan has become the cornerstone of Serbian national identity, one that is “physically and metaphysically tied to Kosovo,” and that it will be celebrated “whether Albanians like it or not.”

“Vidovdan is much more than a day of remembrance for the Battle of Kosovo. It is essentially the day that became the foundation of Serbian national identity. The memory of Kosovo brought Serbs together through centuries without a state or any other unifying idea. By singing about Kosovo, the fall of the medieval Serbian state, the battle, the heroes, and the Kosovo vow, Serbs were united by a shared idea, shared beliefs, and moral values. That is what preserved them as a national community. This was the nucleus from which modern Serbian nationhood formed in the 19th century,” said Ristanovic.

He insists that Serbs will “celebrate Vidovdan whether Albanians like it or not.”

“The problem for Albanians is that Vidovdan is physically and metaphysically linked to Kosovo, to the idea of Kosovo, to the Kosovo Vow. Therefore, it symbolizes the Serbian identity of Kosovo. And Albanians have spent decades trying to erase all traces of Serbian identity and insist that Kosovo has always had an exclusively dominant Albanian identity, through which they attempt to justify Kosovo’s statehood and even a potential pan-Albanian unification,” Ristanovic emphasized.

He is convinced that the ban on Serbian flags during Vidovdan is not accidental but a clear form of repression, already visible in northern Kosovo.

“Just a few days ago, I was in northern Kosovo and noticed that Serbian tricolors were virtually nonexistent. This area used to be known for Serbian flags displayed on every lamppost, house, and public institution. Now they’re gone, the national graffiti painted over. It’s a form of repression,” said Ristanovic.

He draws a parallel with Albanian efforts during the 1980s in Yugoslavia to promote the Albanian flag as their national symbol, despite it being illegal at the time.

“Albanians strongly opposed the ban and elevated it to an issue of existential survival. They were prepared to defend their flag, their right to display it, with their lives and mass protests. Now, 40 years later, they prohibit Serbs from displaying their national symbols. This goes far beyond Vidovdan — it’s one more example of an ongoing attempt to deny the factual presence of Serbs in Kosovo and to erase Serbian identity from the province,” Ristanovic argues.

From a series of historical events related to the Serbs that occurred on June 28, he singles out the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo at Gazimestan.

He believes this date became associated with the beginning of the breakup of Yugoslavia, and with the many tragedies that struck the Serbian people at the end of the 20th century.

“Perhaps the strongest association, especially for the older generations, is that Vidovdan when Slobodan Milosevic held a rally in Kosovo, which in the collective memory became symbolic of the beginning of the Yugoslav collapse and the many misfortunes that later befell the Serbs during the 1990s. A day envisioned as a grand celebration of Serbian triumph became a symbol of defeat,” Ristanovic reflects.

The Symbolism of the Battle of Kosovo

Milos Ivanovic, senior research associate at the Institute of History in Belgrade, states that Vidovdan earned its special status among Serbs due to the Battle of Kosovo in 1389, and that over time it gained further significance through legends and myths.

“Vidovdan earned that status primarily because of the battle that took place on June 15, 1389 (June 28 in the new calendar), on the feast day of St. Vitus — hence the name. It was a significant battle as both rulers died, and it had major consequences for Serbian medieval history. Although it did not mark the collapse of the Serbian medieval state as later tradition often claimed, it was the last major open-field battle of that era,” Ivanovic explained.

Over time, he adds, the date gained even more power and symbolism, especially during the 19th and 20th centuries when many key events in modern Serbian history occurred on that day.

“These include King Milan’s secret convention with Austro-Hungary in 1881, the Sarajevo assassination in 1914, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, the adoption of the Vidovdan Constitution, and the Cominform Resolution of 1948,” Ivanovic noted.

He also points to the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo in 1989 at Gazimestan as one of the most significant commemorations of modern times.

The symbolic weight of Vidovdan was particularly felt during the First Balkan War, when Serbia liberated Kosovo and Metohija. Ivanovic describes it as a symbolic return of what was previously lost.

He emphasizes the rich Christian symbolism around the Battle of Kosovo.

“Prince Lazar is portrayed as a Christ figure betrayed by someone akin to Judas — Vuk Brankovic who shares bread with him. Over time, epic poetry elaborated these motifs, creating archetypes: the hero, the commander, the martyr, and the traitor. It was a way to explain defeat despite acknowledged Serbian heroism,” Ivanovic explained.

Historical Revisionism and Undermining of Memory

Luka Jovanovic, assistant professor at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, says Vidovdan became, especially by the late 20th and early 21st centuries, an obstacle to nations that do not recognize Serbs as indigenous to the region.

“This is particularly evident among Albanians who seek not only to suppress the celebration of Vidovdan but also to distort its memory and historical truth surrounding the Battle of Kosovo, Prince Lazar, and Milos Obilic. These are examples of historical revisionism used for political purposes to weaken Serbian national identity in Kosovo and Metohija,” Jovanovic told Kosovo Online.

He believes the ultimate goal is to weaken or discredit Serbian memory of June 28, Gracanica, Gazimestan, and the Patriarchate of Pec.

“We’ve seen Albanian historians claiming that the Battle of Kosovo was a fight of Albanians against Turkish invaders, even portraying Milos Obilic as an ethnic Albanian. These claims have no basis in historical evidence. The truth of the Kosovo myth and Vidovdan is clear and immutable for the Serbian people,” he said.

“Vidovdan represents one of the central holidays of Serbian history. It is the foundation of the Serbian national myth, where religious, historical, and national components converge,” Jovanovic emphasized.
While the 1389 Vidovdan is most famous, he reminds us that the day had significance as a folk and church holiday even before, gaining its national connotation through the Battle of Kosovo.

The multi-layered myth includes the prince as saint and martyr, a symbolic battlefield, and a hero who sacrifices himself for his people — echoing the Christian motif of Christ’s sacrifice.

“This myth shaped Serbian history, especially in the 19th century during national awakening and state-building from 1804 to 1918, driven by the goal of avenging the Kosovo heroes,” Jovanovic explained.

He notes that the myth of the fall of Serbian statehood in 1389 is incorrect, as it survived until the fall of the Despotate in 1459, though the battle profoundly shaped later Serbian history.
Kosovo’s myth became a key artistic motif — evident in the works of Njegos and in sculpture, especially the Kosovo Cycle monuments by Ivan Mestrovic, including those honoring Milos Obilic and other legendary figures.

Vidovdan was marginalized under communist Yugoslavia in favor of new state holidays, but with the national awakening in the late 20th century, it regained its place.

“The state never needed to officially declare June 28 a national or religious holiday — it has always lived in the heart of the people,” Jovanovic concluded.