Behind the blinding stage lights, expensive dresses and glamorous makeup of one of the most famous Serbian pop-folk singers, there is just an ordinary woman who values her family, Serbian tradition, spirituality, charity work and preservation of authentic Serbian customs, above all.
Dreams of fame and hard work led this ambitious woman, who was born in a small village near Drina river, to the top of Serbian folk scene. Attractive look, booming songs and thousands of newspaper articles, have been the trademark of this famous singer for the past several years. However, the less know fact about Svetlana Seka Aleksic is that she dedicates all of her free time to visiting Serbian monasteries, spiritual elevation, Serbian tradition and authentic customs.
“We celebrate every holiday in a traditional way. Veljko and I really love celebrating Serbian holidays and we look forward to every single one of them. Each year I practice a forty day fast which ends on Christmas. The beauty of celebrating Christmas is reflected in the fact that each country has introduced a tradition of their own.”
The famous artist pays great attention to each detail related to celebrating holidays. That is why she takes great joy in making česnica (the ceremonial round loaf of bread that is an indispensable part of Christmas dinner in Serbian tradition).
“On Christmas day, even though I am an early bird, I wake up earlier than usual and make česnica. I hide a coin in it and I wonder which member of my family is going to find it, because it symbolizes happiness and prosperity during the next year. While česnica is being baked, I set the table with great joy, happy, just as this holiday is – full of joy and love. There is nothing more beautiful than such a feeling.”
Svetlana Aleksic was born on April 23 1981 in Zvornik. She started showing affinity to music in her childhood, she was a solo singer in the choir of her primary school “Mitar Trifunovic Uco“, during her time there they won numerous awards. She published eight music albums and several singles. She is one of the most famous and sought after pop-folk singers in Serbia.
With great dedication and love, Seka Aleksic continues the tradition of celebrating her patron saint. The singer started celebrating her krsna slava three years ago in family atmosphere, with her loved ones.
“St. John the Baptist was celebrated by Veljko’s parents and according to tradition Veljko’s father handed over their slava to Veljko so that he could celebrate it in his own home with his own family! I was overjoyed, because I love preparing everything that is needed for slava, I cook everything myself… I generally love celebrations and I love having guests in our house. We celebrate according to the advice of our priest and in the spirit of tradition and religious belief. I always have many ideas for the cake I am baking and I am very excited while making all of the figurines, which will adorn it. Each year, my guests are fascinated by the look of the cake I baked!”
“I was raised and thought to respect what is not mine and to love what is, that our wishes can only be achieved through hard work and persistence, that material things can easily be lost, destroyed and that having a pure soul is the most important thing in life.”
During the past six years, the famous Serbian singer has been regularly visiting monasteries in Serbia, Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo. She has learned a lot in these holy places and she has found her inner peace.
“All of the monasteries are equally beautiful, regardless of their size and the condition they are in. My personal favourite is Đipša monastery on Fruška gora, where I was baptised may years ago. Later on, I found my priest in Kuveždin monastery and that is where I go most frequently. Unfortunately, I did not get the honour of meeting our great priest Father Tadeja, but I had the opportunity to go to his grave in Vitovnica monastery, where it is peaceful! That is the place where I truly feel special. If people have an opportunity, they should go there and pray…”
The famous artist also enjoys visiting Serbian ethno villages, restaurants and natural attractions.
“I love going to salas 137 (farmstead) which is near my house, the service is phenomenal and I really feel like I am in my backyard. My favourite restaurant in Belgrade is Franš, that is the place where my husband and I got married, the first lunch we had together was also in that restaurant… Fruška Gora is also impressive, especially during summer.”
Seka and her husband respect and strive to maintain numerous Serbian customs, which are transferred from one generation to another, in their family. However, the famous singer emphasizes that people in Serbia are not familiar with the intangible cultural heritage of our country.
“It saddens me that we, as a nation, do not respect our tradition as much as we should. That is why I was so delighted when I saw your Twitter account and how much you are involved in the matter. You helped me learn something new about my country and for that I thank you!”
Featured image: www.hellomagazin.rs
Image 1: www.srbijadanas.com