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1996.

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Sreten PETROVI

THEMAGICALMYTHOLOGICALSENSEOFTHESLAVARITUAL
LOAF"BABA"INEASTERNSERBIA
Two loaves are baked as part of the Slava (celebration of the family patron saint's day) ritual among Serbs
throughouttheregion:a)the"veernica"thatiscutintheeveningpriortotheSlavaandb)the"Slavski kola"thatis
richlydecoratedwithartisticelementsandisritually"cut"onthedayoftheSlava.InalargepartofEasternSerbia,
however,anotherspecialloafisbaked.Thisloaf,smallerinsize,iscalledthe"baba".
Throughout the threeday duration of the Slava, the "baba" loaf is to be found in the table. The "baba" is not
movedduringtheSlavawhenthetableisbeingclearedandlaid,norisitusedorcut.Onthethirdday,whentheSlava
isover,"thebabaiskilled"ritually,virtuallywithinthefamilycircle.Afterthe"baba"hasbeen"killed"partsofthe
loafareeaten.However,therearetaboosattachedtothisloaf.Itisnottobetouchedoreatenbyunmarrieddaughters
orgranddaughtersoftheheadofthefamilycelebratingtheSlava,norbynewlymarriedwomenoryoungwomenin

36

the family in general. In some parts of eastern Serbia, after the "baba" has been "killed", it is given exclusively to
livestock,whileinotherareasitisgiventothevillagerstocelebratethenextSlava intheirhomes.
Inthispaper,Iendeavourtointerpretthemythologicalcharacterofthisloafandthenitsmagicalfunctionandthe
very meaning of the term "baba" (the word "baba" also meaning "grandmother" in Serbian), as well as the social
magical senseofthebanonitsusebyyoungwomen,girlsanddaughters in law.