Catholic Christmas in Kosovo
Story and Photos by Ardian Nrecaj, Public Affairs Specialist
When we hear “Christmas,” we think of Santa
Claus, presents under the tree and families
getting together to celebrate.
When the sun goes down, the tree is cut into
smaller pieces where the whole family,
except the head of the house, goes outside.
Although Catholics in Kosovo have their own
customs and traditions, they are slowly
adapting some of these western Christmas
traditions.
Depending on their age, from the oldest to
the youngest member of the family, they
pick up pieces of the tree and start going
inside the house, yelling all at once “here
come noble buzmi, with leaves and grass,
with lamb and calf and after them summer
will come.”
Don Dominik Qerimi, a Catholic priest and
the director of the Don Bosco Educational
Social Centre in Gjilan, says the media is
having a big influence by bringing the
globalized world inside many Kosovo homes.
Don Dominik Qerimi, a Catholic priest
and the director of Educational Social
Centre Don Bosco in Gjilan, explained
how a large number of Albanian
catholic families keep the old tradition
of “Buzmi” on Christmas Eve.
“Christmas reminds us
that everybody that loves
god should love his
human brother and
anybody that loves his
human brother should
love god our creator “–
Don Dominik Qerimi
“In Kosovo it was a tradition that children
would receive gifts and new clothes for
Easter, but it’s becoming more common now
with Christian families to buy gifts for
Christmas,” said Qerimi. “The western world
traditions are becoming part of ours, and this
is an enrichment of our old traditions with
new ones, and I see this as a very positive
thing.”
Though many Kosovo families are adopting
some of these new traditions, Qerimi says a
large number of Albanian Catholic families
keep some of the old traditions, such as the
“Buzmi” ceremony on Christmas Eve.
According to a story in the daily paper Bota
Sot by Frrok Kristaj, a journalist and a
publisher, the ceremony starts early on the
morning of Dec. 24, when one of the men of
the family goes to the woods and cuts an
oak tree [buzmi] and brings it home and has
it laid on the wall of the house.
Finally the family prays together and they
eat dinner. Afterwards the table stays
untouched throughout the night and the
lights stay on, with the tree [buzmi] burning
slowly all night.
Kristaj says on the next morning, Christmas
day, the family starts the fire from the sparks
of the buzmi and uses the ashes to bless the
trees and the fields for them to give more
fruit.
Qerimi says this is an adoption of some
pagan rituals to Christianity; it is a request to
bless the land and the trees by god, so they
will give more goods next year.
“This tradition is kept mostly by older people
that have worked the land,” said Qerimi.
In Kosovo it was a tradition
that children would receive
gifts and new clothes for
Easter.
During Christmas Eve the spiritual
preparation and the gathering of the family
is experienced in two moments, added
Qerimi.
A large number of Albanian
Catholic families keep some
of the old traditions, such as
the “Buzmi” ceremony on
Christmas Eve.
Buzmi is an adoption of
some pagan rituals to
Christianity; it is a request to
bless the land and the trees
by god, so they will give
more goods next year.
The ceremony then continues with the head
of the house calling to come and get the
tree, which he starts a fire and makes the
sign of a cross with other pieces of the tree.
Then they light a candle on top of the cross
and continue by breaking the bread,
putting boiled wheat, red wine and other
foods that have been prepared for dinner
that night on the cross.
“The first moment is the dinner after ‘Buzmi’
ceremony and the second moment is
attending the Christmas mass.”
Soldiers with Multinational Battle Group-East
celebrated Christmas at Camp Bondsteel with
local personnel and their families. Senior
noncommissioned officers and commanding
officers took turns behind the chow line to
serve the soldiers.
Qerimi said on Christmas Day families will get
together again for lunch and afterwards
start visiting to wish each other Merry
Christmas.
“Christmas reminds us that everybody that
loves god should love his human brother
and anybody that loves his human brother
should love god our creator,” added Qerimi.
THE BONDSTEEL BULLET ● Page 3