Vigil of St. Vitus Day

A quick post:

On Monday, June 28, 2010, was the commemoration of the Battle of Kosovo, also known as Vidovdan in Serbian (St. Vitus Day) which occurred in 1389, a battle between the advancing Ottoman Empire into the Balkans and the Serbian Orthodox Empire. Although most have said that the Serbian Empire was defeated and the Ottomans took control, academics such as Noel Malcom and Anna Di Lellio have pointed out that the battle was more of a stalemate between the two sides; however Sultan Murad, the Turkish army leader, and Prince Lazar, the leader of the Serbian army were both killed in this battle. It was actually not for another half century that the Ottomans fulled took over the Serbian empire and conquered much of the Balkans.

The Battle took place on St. Vitus day, and in the early morning Prince Lazar and one of his knights, Milos Oblic, took communion s early in the morning and then fought to their deaths. Oblic was the one who killed Sultan Murad. The holiday of St. Vitus Day is a day for remembering the fallen soldiers of the battle, and also is a day that "symbolizes the death and resurrection, the despair and hope, and the end of an epoch and the beginning of a new era."

What is interesting is that citizens of Serbia come to Kosovo to commemorate the day, including the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Irinej. Patriarch Irinej was first in Gracinica, where he gave a small mass and blessing and then went on to Gazimestan, where there is a monument for the Battle of Kosovo (see here). The actual battle is supposed to have taken place near Gazimestan, in Kosovo Polje, which meant 'field of the Blackbirds.' I heard around 3000 Serbs attended the ceremonies today and that Kosovo Border Guards were on high alert for any suspicious activity, but at the same time were more respectful of Serbs crossing the border.

It is actually an interesting story and there are myths that surround the battle. Speaking with one Kosovar Albanian about this day, he did not quite understand why Serbians would want to celebrate this day, considering it was the beginning of the downfall of their Empire and that Serbia has not won any war. But actually the memory of the Battle of Kosovo, which displays the courage of the Serbian people, plays a role in Serbia's history and identity, and is a reason why Serbia does not want to give up Kosovo.