Are we slowly losing our traditions in the Balkans?
Posted by Altruistic-Board5322@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 78 comments
First of all, happy Easter to Orthodox friends and all members of this sub.
As the title says, are we losing our heritage and culture?I'm not a church person, I like the folklore around it and the fact that it has become an element of our identity (plus the koine language of the gospels, i love it) but during this Orthodox Easter, I see that no one pays attention anymore to customs, people do not fast, they do not participate in the Epitaph march, they dont bake cookies, they dont go to church....they dont even watch Jesus of Nazareth by Zeffirelli :P
Every day is the same just like last week, only some old folks really care about orthodox Easter and feel something different.
I'm not saying this from a religious point of view, I m not a believer myself, I just feel that there is disconnection from our culture.
Its like there is a cultural assimilation taking place, no one has a distinct culture, it feels like an average... America holiday like the ones we see on TV.
N0llN0ll@reddit
Get a grip, you sound insecure
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
I think you learned a new word -insecure- and try to use it everywhere, even off-topic.
N0llN0ll@reddit
Why does your identity depend on tradition so much. Traditions changing is not a new phenomenon and it is happening constantly.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Are you over 25? Why are you so obsessed with identity, insecurities etc? Thats the only tool you have to understand the world?
N0llN0ll@reddit
Dude, you sound pathetic. Worrying over traditions like some conservative weirdo. No one is stopping you from practicing any traditions if you feel like it
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
😂
dumpling98@reddit
As a religious romanian person, I think all or most the traditions you mentioned are deeply connected to religion. I do them because they enrich my religious experience, but I imagine atheists wouldn't do them bc they are not religious?
So perhaps it shows that less people are religious or want to incorporate these elements that honestly take a lot of effort, especially when you dont have the support of you being religious for them to make sense.
But that's just my opinion, traditions are dying. In Romania too the traditions are slowly phased out. I try to keep alive the ones that make sense to me and pass em down! Take care!
Content-Type-4295@reddit
I notice this, as well. In Croatia, I see less people colouring the Easter eggs the traditional way (with wax or leaves/pantyhose/red onion shells method) and less people decorating their Christmas trees with licitar, which used to be traditional in my region. Less people also sow wheat on Saint Lucy's day to put under the Christmas tree and they just buy an already grown one instead. I think these traditions are beautiful and I plan to keep them alive with my own family one day, but everything is becoming more and more Americanized. I don't think it's as bad as in Western Europe, but it's definitely getting worse each passing year. Also, this was the first year we had no (zero!) kids ringing our bell for Maškare. Dressing up and going from house to house, singing the little song was such a big deal in my childhood, it makes me so sad to see kids now only do it in school, if even that.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Man thats 100% how i feel.
No kids came to my parents home for our version of Maskare you said. No kids would come to sing Christmas carols if i didnt call my friend to drive his kids there. No one goes to decorate the epitaph etc
And your mention about Christmas tree hit close to home. You know that greeks used to decorate a Christmas ship(!) during Christmas instead of the tree? That's exactly what i m talking about. Around 1900 +/- we changed the decoration of ships to decorating trees just because europe did so.
Content-Type-4295@reddit
The Christmas ships sound so cool and unique! I think it'd be interesting to see even for people outside of Greece. Although unlikely, I hope some of these traditions become revived. We also used to have a lot of pagan traditions, but now only a few are left, in a couple of small places. A few examples being the zvončari procession and various customs during the summer solstice, such as and dressing up in a costume made entirely of leaves and setting a huge bonfire ablaze.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
https://pappaspost.com/decorate-boat-christmas-season/
Ship>tree 😄
BeginningClue10@reddit
I'm a Greek atheist and I don't think what you describe is losing tradition. It's just a changing mindset/belief but without affecting the values or the way of thinking of a nation. And I quite frankly don't even think it's a bad change when it comes to religion. For EONS being Orthodox Christian was heavily intertwined with being Greek and obviously one can recognize why but it's still something so flimsy to base an ethnicity/nationality on. It's 2026, there are Muslim Greeks and there are atheist Greeks, does that make us less Greek or not 'true' Greek because we are not Orthodox Christian? No. So already I don't see why it's bad that people can be allowed to believe what they want to believe in more openly. I mean, when I first casually said to my parents (emphasis on casually, it was NOT some 'coming out/speaking my truth/whatever people say in those cases, it was just in some good ol' regular convo) that I don't believe in God, I swear they would've had a calmer reaction if I had said I had killed someone. They still are salty about it but I honestly don't care. It's what I believe in and it will only change if and when I reflect on it and not someone else. And that brings me to the churches and their attendance that you describe. Why would an atheist go to church if it's just for the sake of 'tradition'? It goes against the 'prayer' and the 'belief' of the reason churches exist. That is no loss of tradition. Again, that is a change in mindset and more critical thinking (given that, let's be real, most people are Christians through family relationships and not of their own - they grew up Orthodox Christian is what I mean). But I don't see how that change of mentality in regards to religion should be a bad thing or that we are an 'Average America holiday', because 'oh god people treat the days in Easter the same because they don't go to church'. I mean, as others said, cultures change.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Naaah
Crafty_Apple9714@reddit
Maybe get some new friends. My experience is oposite to yours, so maybe you are just unlucky?
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Come on man, i ll search for new friends because the ones i have now prefer to go to the beach instead of making easter cookies? 😛
Crafty_Apple9714@reddit
The question is why do you miss traditions. Make new ones. Better
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
The problem is the feeling i have, that the world i loved as a kid exists no more.
Crafty_Apple9714@reddit
You confuse age with missing something.
It is the same effect of old people missing comunism nowadays.
Both of you miss childhood.it's normal. Love the current age also, you will miss it later.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
I wouldn't call it a very good analogy.
First of all, many people who miss communism were adults when they experienced it.
Furthermore, i miss the world i grow up, i doesn't mean that i want to return there. As an adult i have a better quality of life (financially wise at least).
The feeling is more of a broken chain that broke on my generation.
atzitzi@reddit
Χριστός Ανέστη! I think traditions are holding up just fine. Maybe youngsters are bored to follow them or feel rebellious, but when growing older or having their own kids, they want to return to these traditions and experience again childhood memories. So yes, during Epitaphios and Anastasi, all churches are full. People still eat mageiritsa, make koulourakia, lazarakia and tsoureki. People still watch Jesus from Nazareth 😄 That being said, fasting is also a great experience since nistisima are so delicious. People should focus not on the foods they should not eat but to those they should, like sea food.
Galego_2@reddit
You guys also got this type of films during Easter? I thought that was mainly a catholic thing as they were popular mainly in Spain (and Latinamerica) and Italy
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
At least in my village in Peloponnese, the churches were almost empty, a lot of people came from Athens, so did I, but most of them dont go to church.
And as i said in another comment, i m not very religious, i m going to the church yard just to say hello to people i havent seen for years, as i live elsewhere.
Its a pity seeing the epitafios with 60-70 people, when 25 years ago it was 300
atzitzi@reddit
This happened in previous years, too? Or was it just this year? Such pity to travel back to the village and dont go to Epitaphios. At least I hope in Anastasi everyone was there.
Zeonist-@reddit
I hope so, I hate a good part of the Turkish tradition
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Why man? 🙁
Zeonist-@reddit
Why? Cuz its shit what do you mean why?
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Ok :(
bruhmanbruuh@reddit
There was also a Greek custom in older days called "pederasty" but now we don't do it anymore.
What I mean is , not everything that's part of our culture is automatically a good thing.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
You're judging behaviors from 2500 years ago by today's standards. Η ημιμαθεια είναι χειρότερη από την άγνοια.
bruhmanbruuh@reddit
Well , not many people like Christianity by today's standards.
Τον αράπη και αν τον πλένεις , το σαπούνι σου χαλάς ( έτσι να πω και εγώ μια παροιμία).
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
(αν και δεν ήταν παροιμία)
από την πόρτα σου περνώ
και τηγανίζεις ψάρια
μου πετάς έναν κεφτέ
ευχαριστώ δεν καπνίζω
loco_mixer@reddit
Its 2026. Religion is sorta hobby now.
EpicStan123@reddit
Because a lot of those traditions are illogical. Idc about fasting, nobody fasts around here. If you wanna do it, more power to you, but don't expect me to adhere. Same for going to church.
We do the eggs thing but that's about it.
nerdyHyena93@reddit
Fasting very much has a purpose, even if you don’t do it for religious reasons. It gives your body time to rest from processing fats, and prevents overconsumption. As a society, we are eating more meat and dairy than the earth can reasonably provide. There’s nothing illogical about fasting (within reason ofc).
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
My friend i dont go to church. I m not a Christian, other than the name.
But I really like the change of eating only some foods during fasting, making easter cookies etc
Its something different, i don't like it now that's its just a random Saturday
ISV_VentureStar@reddit
Nobody is stopping you from fasting if it brings you fulfilment. You associate it with something positive, maybe some fond memory you have with your family and your community as a child. That's great.
However many people don't associate it with anything positive and it doesn't bring them any fond memories. So why should they be forced to do it? For them a long weekend where you can go on vacation, go hiking in nature or visit relatives is much more important than any religious ritual.
Efficient_Resource15@reddit
Are people in bulgaria not fasting? Not everyone does that in romania ofc but i would say it's still common enoufh
oyMarcel@reddit
I don't know how common you really think it is. From the many many people I've met in my age brackex(17-30) i know only one that fasts. It's mostly older people that do it
Impossible_Fruit4977@reddit
Me and my husband fast. Don’t listen to this person. Sadly most of the Bulgarians are atheists and to them Easter is simply eating a shit load of food and going on a vacation. And then we ask ourselves why this country is going to hell 🤣
EpicStan123@reddit
Uh uh surely that's the issue why Bulgaria is shit. Nobody's stopping you from observing a religious holiday. The difference is that religious people like you are obsessed with conformity and hate it when the rest of us don't play along
Efficient_Resource15@reddit
Romanians often times say they are christian but really do the same thing so idk which is better haha
EpicStan123@reddit
Not really. I haven't met a single person who has fasted for the past 15+ years. The last one was my gran neighbor and this guy died in 2010
Popular_Cap8269@reddit
No one forces you to fast. Like wtf dude?!?
Neat-Attempt7442@reddit
Then please fast.
Pcful_Citizen@reddit
oyMarcel@reddit
Traditions evolve. Many people just don't care about traditions imposed by archaic structures such as the church. When the church will finally die out the traditions will be picked up again
User20242024@reddit
In Serbia, tradition is lost mostly among urban population, but it is still live in rural areas.
Young_Owl99@reddit
In Turkey our relationship with tradition is more complicated. Because our relationship with religion is complicated. The values after the revolution was all about nationalism, westernization and moving away from backward religion. But our history is strongly bonded with religion, we tried to be symbol of Islam for at one point as a fun fact Ottomans are the reason that Islam is symbolized with a crescent.
Anyway back to the topic, because of the reason I mentioned religious traditions are not viewed positively and nostalgically by everyone. I believe that it is part of our history and tradition. So it is fine and good to live with those traditions to a point.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Ok but why being a random westernised country without that amazing dancers that go around and around?
WranglerAlive1170@reddit
One has to imagine Turkey like a post-Mao China rather than a country that was simply Westernized and can go back. Turkey’s bond with the past was entirely broken during the Turkish Revolution.
khrushchevka2310@reddit
Only on paper, this forced change is the reason erdogan is in power.
Young_Owl99@reddit
That’s true. Gradually it caused Erdoğan.
Young_Owl99@reddit
I think its better to think it as a forceful French revolution. One that not made by people but cultural elite. The event really was a big inspiration for Atatürk and that’s the reason we had a strict rules and bans on religion for a while. Atatürk adopted a French style secularism, a really strict and nationalistic one.
Vdd666@reddit
Ofc they are, these things always change. Religion is slowly dying out too, just not fast enough.
BardhyliX@reddit
Idk in Kosovo catholic Albanian still do most of their thing, I assume Orthodox Serbs do them as well, and when your country is officially 90%+ muslim it's very hard to find a lot of people who aren't fasting for Ramadan or participating in Eid.
pinkyelloworange@reddit
Idk I don’t feel that way. Churches are still packed for the services. People still do massive meals with all the relatives and all the associated traditional food and all the egg knocking. People are stil obsessed with the candles, it doesn’t even matter if you are an atheist people still like it. Fewer people fast sure but a small number still do.
Idk maybe it’s your circle/location? I feel like there may be circles where some of that is true but overall I’d still say that we are holding on to those traditions.
Ok-Conversation-7292@reddit
Yup, Friday night and easter service were packed compared to two years ago.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
The location surely is a reason. I m from Peloponnese, almost 80% of my child friends live elsewhere (so do I) due to lack of jobs.
There is a population decline in the Greek countryside and makes such events more obvious
Narcisistagohome@reddit
Mate, everybody is always slowly losing their traditions. And slowly creating new ones. That's just how human cultures work.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
I dont agree. Many things that we do (especially religious stuff) have their roots millennia ago.
For example (dont laugh) a neighbour of mine, when we built our home came and ..killed a rooster -that later accompanied by pasta was amazing :p - so that the foundations are solid 😳
That thing is 3000+ years old.
I m not saying to keep up sacrifices, i just mention that its not normal to lose so many traditions in 20something years.
crazycatlady_66@reddit
We're the adults in the room now and it's up to us to carry on old traditions or create new ones.
We're not particularly religious either, but can't deny the fact that the church has a lot of cultural totems for us and participating in some of the rites does tie us to old traditions. Being parents now, we're finding our way back to things we grew distant from in our youth.
Alternatively, you can make your own with your family or friends. It's up to you.
SituationRoyal6535@reddit
Probably, but I personally don't give a fuck.
0-Satisfaction@reddit
Christ is risen! 🙏🙏
catt-ti@reddit
Those traditions are at their heart religious, even though over time, they have become intertwined with culture, so if you don't feel strongly about religion, you have no motivation to keep up any religious traditions. The same is happening elsewhere in the world, like with Catholics. Younger generations just don't believe the same things their grandparents did, so they have little motivation to carry on some of the religious traditions that don't make any sense anymore. It doesn't make you any less Balkan, it just demonstrates that the world is changing. Maybe one day future people will study us the same way we study the people of ancient history and think, wow they had some crazy traditions! 😂
Hefty_Jaguar4305@reddit
I miss the comments from Balkan countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro...where are you?
dimiteddy@reddit
we still eat lamb after the "resurrection". Is that not enough?
Dafke98@reddit
Yes and no in the same time… on one side, most Easter traditions are still followed, but on the other, times have changed in the past few years and many people today work on Easter, which changes the mood of the holiday by a lot.
Idonnuonamemaaan@reddit
Yes
Suspicious-Meet-3496@reddit
No. It is happening fast.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
☹️
Ujemegaz@reddit
Yes, when i was a kid, all our homes and shops were full of red eggs lying around, and we cracked them to find the tough egg which would stay in cupboard until next year.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
Mate, same here. We even take eggs on the park the compete with our friends. Easter as a kid is amazing, i m really sad for todays kids that don't have the whole atmosphere we used to have
Fatalaros@reddit
Tradition never dies. When it fades out people will feel the need to light it up again, to search for their roots, their roles in society, their identity. Albeit it isn't a bad thing if some hurtful traditions die out.
Christ is risen my friend! don't worry, the balkans will persevere.
Altruistic-Board5322@reddit (OP)
I hope so! 🤞
OkoMushrooom@reddit
There is no assimilation taking place, it’s just the previous generation who don’t have anything else meaningful to do in their life, are taking their last breath. Religion and tradition doesn’t bring me any joy like it does for the others so I go on a vacation to use up free days and feel alive and happy instead of being stuck at home painting boiled eggs.
Legitimate_Kick_5628@reddit
Balkans will never die
Porphyres@reddit
Bad dog never dies as we say in Greece.
StaGofu@reddit
Not only tradition but we are all slowly dying out the balkans and europe in general