Visiting Serbian Sanctuaries in Kosovo for the Holidays: The right time to pray and feel the spirit of tradition

For believers and those who respect Serbian tradition, faith, and culture, the Christmas holidays are the perfect time to visit Orthodox sanctuaries in Kosovo and "nourish the soul," say representatives of the tourism sector. Holy liturgies, burning of Christmas Eve logs, breaking of Christmas bread, tasting homemade mulled wine and brandy, as well as the hospitality of Serbian hosts, attract more and more visitors each year from central Serbia and the entire region.

Security risks and ongoing political tensions do not deter tourists from visiting Serbian monasteries and feeling the spirit of the sanctuaries that have withstood challenges for centuries.

Those in the tourism industry say that people are aware of the situation in Kosovo, but focus on prayer and spiritual satisfaction during their visits.

Gracanica, Visoki Decani, Banjska Monastery, St. Demetrius Monastery in Susica, and the Church of Holy Prince Lazar in Gornja Gusterica are just part of the rich Serbian cultural heritage that believers eagerly visit during the holidays.

Tour guide from Novi Sad, Vesna Raonic, who recently took a group of pilgrims on a trip, stated in an interview for Kosovo online that the fasting period before Christmas is the right moment for believers to pray in Serbian sanctuaries in Kosovo.

During 2024, Raonic organized 11 trips to Kosovo. Thanks to her dedication, about 500 people from the entire region visited Serbian sanctuaries last year, including parents with children. She expects to lead even more tours to Kosovo in 2025.

"Last year in 2023, I went seven times to Kosovo and Metohija, and this year I went 11 times. A few days ago, I returned from my 11th bus trip with passengers from Kosovo and Metohija, among them I had a four-year-old boy, and a 78-year-old grandmother. I had the widest range of passengers from Zrenjanin, Pozarevac, Velika Plana, people from Belgrade, Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Valjevo. There were also some from Montenegro and I had passengers from the Republic of Srpska," said Raonic. Holidays, she emphasizes, are the ideal time for believers from the region to visit Kosovo.

Last year she organized a pilgrimage trip on Easter and, to her great surprise, given that it is a family holiday, parents with children set out on the journey.

"Of course, people want to spend the holidays in Kosovo, entire families sign up and go together. Now is the fasting period as we approach one of the major Christian holidays, the Birth of Christ. We are fasting and it is the right opportunity to pray at our greatest sanctuaries," Raonic assessed. She says that for the year 2025, departures are already scheduled for January and February.

Raonic emphasizes that tourists are aware of the security situation in Kosovo, but their priority is to "nourish the soul" and experience the greatest Serbian monuments of culture and faith.

The offer also includes Banjska Monastery, despite an incident there in September 2023.

"We just visited Banjska Monastery, they received us well, actually we go despite everything. We see everything happening around us, but we are simply focused on what interests us. We haven't had any concrete problems, so we know what our priority is, to pray to God, to nourish our souls," she pointed out.

However, she notes that many things have changed when it comes to visiting Banjska - the monastic lodgings are no longer available for tourists, nor is the nearby complex Paradise Bath.

"We come to Banjska with sorrow, however, some things have changed. We used to use accommodation in the beautiful lodgings of Banjska Monastery, we had dinners, went to the liturgy then continued our journey. Now we pass through, stay about an hour and continue on. It's a bit sad. Below there was also the Paradise Bath complex, with pools and a hotel. We used to stop there to have lunch, now that is not possible, because the complex has been taken over. But, passengers still go to Banjska Monastery," Raonic explains.

Raonic began her career as a humanitarian, then started leading tours to Kosovo independently.

As tourist interest grew, she decided to obtain a license as a tourist guide.

"I believe that what I do, I do well because it is my mission and I have found myself in it. Indeed, I take fifty passengers to Kosovo and Metohija per tour and return with fifty happy, utterly joyous passengers. There is a lot of interest from all sides, as there are few of us who lead tours to Kosovo and Metohija, maybe no more than five if we exclude priests and heads of organizations. It's a big responsibility, but also a great pleasure; it's a different world there, everything must be viewed differently. On a scale of one to ten in terms of difficulty, it’s a 30, but the level of satisfaction is at least a hundred," concluded Raonic.

Sandra Djokic, the Director of the Gracanica Tourist Organization, pointed out to Kosovo online that the number of tourists during major Christian holidays increases year by year.

Mulled wine and brandy, the burning of Christmas Eve logs, breaking of Christmas bread, as well as the hospitality and rich table of Serbian hosts, are just some of the "trump cards" that Gracanica can offer during the holiday season.

Djokic indicates that the Gracanica Monastery sees the highest number of tourists during the major holidays—Vidovdan, the Lesser and the Greater Virgin Mary feast days.

"Indeed, the number of tourists visiting the Gracanica Monastery has increased year by year. This year, according to unofficial information we received from the monastery, 200,000 believers visited the monastery. The largest number of tourists come during the Vidovdan celebrations, when the Greater Virgin Mary is commemorated and on September 21st, when the Lesser Virgin Mary is commemorated," Djokic noted. She adds that many of those who visit the Gracanica Monastery also tour other monasteries in Kosovo, but still, the largest number of overnight stays are organized in the municipality of Gracanica itself.

"Gracanica is most recognized for religious tourism since we have a monastery that is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. We are very recognizable and rank high on the tourist map. Besides, we have numerous religious sites that are very interesting. What has particularly stood out in the past year is the visit to the Monastery of St. Demetrius in Susica, but we cannot overlook the very significant cultural and religious offerings, which include the church in Dobrotin, the Church of Holy Prince Lazar in Gornja Gusterica, which in previous years for the Vidovdan celebrations was the most visited," Djokic emphasized.

The Gracanica Tourist Organization, in collaboration with the Municipality, has organized the breaking of the Christmas bread for the past three years.

As Djokic notes, this year, tastings of mulled wine and brandy will also be organized on Christmas Eve morning and Christmas Eve.

The traditional burning of the Christmas Eve logs in front of the Gracanica Monastery is assumed.

"The Gracanica Monastery also has a traditional burning of the Christmas Eve logs in front of the monastery. A large number of believers gather here, so tourists really have something to see and learn about how we traditionally celebrate Christmas. It's important that our tables, in our homes, have remained at that traditional level. We nurture tradition and celebrate holidays as our ancestors did, and we teach our generations to celebrate in the same way," Djokic highlighted.

She invited everyone to come and experience the traditional spirit that Serbs in Gracanica still cherish.

"And, which actually preserves and sustains us all these years," Djokic messaged.