Markovdan: Guide to the Feast of Saint Mark the Apostle and Evangelist

Introduction

Markovdan — the feast of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark — belongs among those celebrations that carry a special mark of spring joy and ecclesiastical solemnity. On May 8 by the New (Gregorian) Calendar, Serbian Orthodox families who venerate this great apostle gather around a feast table rich with seasonal ingredients, while the church bells announce the commemoration of the man who faithfully recorded the words and deeds of Jesus Christ in the Second Gospel. Markovdan falls in the Paschal period — those fifty joyful days between Pascha and Pentecost — which means the feast is completely non-fasting and solemn, with no fasting or abstinence whatsoever. The spring sunshine, the awakening of nature, and the ecclesiastical joy of the Resurrection make Markovdan one of the most beautiful spring feasts.

When It Is Celebrated

Markovdan is celebrated on May 8 by the Gregorian (New) Calendar. By the Julian (Old) Calendar used by the Serbian Orthodox Church, this corresponds to April 25. This feast always falls in the Paschal period — between Pascha and Pentecost (Holy Trinity Sunday) — which is by the church calendar always a joyful, non-fasting time. Regardless of which day of the week Markovdan falls on, no fast is observed — even if it falls on a Wednesday or Friday, the feast is celebrated without fasting, for the Paschal joy overrides all fasts of that period.

Families who celebrate Mark by the New Style observe the feast on May 8, and those who keep the Old Style observe it on May 21 by the Gregorian Calendar, since the Julian April 25 corresponds to the Gregorian May 8, plus the 13-day difference gives May 21.

History and Tradition

Saint Mark the Evangelist was one of the Seventy Apostles whom the Lord Jesus Christ sent to preach the Gospel. He was not among the Twelve, but as a companion and disciple of Peter he was in close contact with the apostolic generation that had personally known Christ.

Mark is mentioned in the New Testament by his full name, John, also called Mark (Acts 12:12). His mother Mary had a house in Jerusalem that served as a gathering place for early Christians. The young Mark accompanied the Apostles Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey, but left the mission in Pamphylia and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13). Because of this departure the Apostle Paul refused to take him on the next journey, which led to a parting between Paul and Barnabas.

Nevertheless, Mark proved himself over time as a faithful co-worker, and the Apostle Paul mentions him with commendation in his later epistles (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11). He was especially close to the Apostle Peter, who calls him “my son” (1 Peter 5:13) — which in the speech of that time signified not a blood relationship but spiritual closeness and a teacher-disciple bond.

The Second Gospel, which bears Mark’s name, was composed in Rome, according to tradition on the basis of Peter’s preaching and testimony. Mark recorded Peter’s accounts of Christ’s life, miracles, and Passion, giving us the shortest and most vivid of the four Gospels. It is characterized by speed and immediacy — Mark does not philosophize but presents Christ in action, in miracles, in encounters with people.

After Rome, Mark went to Alexandria in Egypt, where he founded the Christian community and became its first bishop. The Alexandrian Church is one of the oldest in the world, and it honors Mark as its founder and “the Evangelist.” Mark preached and lived in Alexandria until his martyrdom. Around 68 AD, during a festival of the god Serapis, the pagan inhabitants of Alexandria attacked Mark, bound him with ropes, and dragged him through the city streets until he died. The next day they dragged him again, until the body was still.

The relics of Saint Mark were brought to Venice in 828, where they remain to this day in the famous Cathedral of Saint Mark (Basilica di San Marco). Venice took Mark as its patron, and the winged lion — the symbol of the Evangelist Mark — is one of the most recognizable symbols of that city and of Christian iconography as a whole.

The Feast Table — What to Prepare

Since Markovdan is a spring, non-fasting feast, the table can be exceptionally rich and varied. Spring May offers an abundance of fresh ingredients unavailable at winter feasts.

The essential elements of every feast table are the slavski kolač and the žito (koliva). The slavski kolač is kneaded from wheat flour, decorated with the icon or initials of the saint, and at the feast it is cut with prayer and the singing of “Vječnaja pamjat” (Eternal Memory). The žito is boiled, mixed with sugar and walnuts, and decorated. These two elements are the unchanging part of every slava.

For warm dishes, Markovdan traditionally calls for:

• Lamb or pork soup — spring soup with fresh vegetables
• Roasted lamb or suckling pig — a spring roast is the true feast treat
• Green soup (from nettles, spinach, or young greens) — a typical spring dish
• Stuffed peppers or sarma cabbage rolls — if the family tradition calls for it

For cold starters and salads:

• Fresh cheese and kajmak — spring dairy products are at their peak
• Young onions, radishes, green salad — everything fresh from the garden or market
• Eggs — in the Paschal period, decorated eggs are still present at the table
• Homemade sausage or cured ham

For sweets: homemade pies (with cherries, apples, or cheese), cookies, walnut biscuits.

The Feast Liturgy and Rites

On the day of the feast, the host or hostess should attend the morning Holy Liturgy in church. At the Liturgy the saint’s name is commemorated, the troparion and kontakion of Saint Mark are sung, and the faithful receive Holy Communion. It is ideal to bring the slavski kolač to the church for blessing before the feast.

When the priest comes to the home (or when the host brings the bread from the church), the rite of the “cutting of the slava” is performed:

1. The priest reads a prayer over the slavski kolač
2. He censes the home with incense (the liturgical censer)
3. The host and the priest hold the bread together and turn it three times (clockwise), saying: “Hristos se rodi” — “Vaistinu se rodi” (or in the Paschal period: “Hristos voskrese” — “Vaistinu voskrese” / “Christ is risen” — “Truly He is risen”)
4. The bread is broken — not cut with a knife — into four pieces
5. It is anointed with wine

If the priest cannot come, the host may break the slava bread himself with prayer, and bring the bread to the church for blessing.

Preparing the Feast — Step by Step

One week ahead:

• Arrange the priest’s visit or plan to go to the church
• Draw up a guest list and estimate quantities of food
• Purchase provisions that keep longer

Two days ahead:

• Bake the slavski kolač (can also be done the day before)
• Cook the žito and leave to cool

The day before:

• Prepare cold dishes — cheese, kajmak, salads that can stand overnight
• Marinate the meat for roasting
• Set the table and the room

Morning of the feast:

• Attend the morning Liturgy in church
• Bring the slavski kolač for blessing
• The hostess prepares the warm dishes

Before guests arrive:

• Traditionally, a heavy meal is not eaten before the feast — guests come for lunch

Receiving guests:

• Guests arrive, offer their congratulations, and bring gifts (flowers, wine, sweets)
• The priest performs the rite or the host breaks the slava bread himself
• Lunch follows

Greeting and Visiting

When going to Markovdan, bring:

• Flowers (spring — tulips, daffodils, lilac)
• A bottle of wine or rakija
• A box of chocolates or homemade pastry
• An icon of Saint Mark (as a lasting gift)

The greeting is: “Srećna vam slava Svetog Marka!” or “Srećan vam Markovdan!” The host responds: “I tebi hvala, bog da te poživi!” or “Bog da nas posluša!”

In the Paschal period, which lasts until Pentecost, the greeting may also be: “Hristos voskrese!” — to which the response is: “Vaistinu voskrese!” (“Christ is risen!” — “Truly He is risen!”)

The Markovdan litanies are a special tradition connected to this feast. These are processions held in and around churches on the day of Markovdan, with prayers for the blessing of the fields, a good harvest, and protection from bad weather. This agrarian tradition was particularly alive in the villages of central and southern Serbia, where the inhabitants would walk around the fields and meadows with singing and prayer, the priest’s censing, and the sprinkling of holy water. Today the Markovdan litanies are preserved in certain parish communities as a living expression of the bond between the Orthodox people and the land, and of God’s blessing that brings the fields to harvest.