The Serbian Orthodox Church and the majority of Serbs across the world celebrated what is popularly called the Serbian New Year on the night of Monday-Tuesday.
The Serbian Orthodox Church marks time-based on the Julian calendar.
People in Serbia and other places populated by Serbs celebrated the new year with public gatherings in open areas or in front of churches in a show of support for Serbs in Montenegro who have been gathering for protests following the adopting of a law on freedom of confession which critics claim could lead to the seizure of Serbian Orthodox Church properties in that former Yugoslav republic.
In Belgrade, a large crowd gathered in front of the biggest Orthodox Church in the Balkans, the St Sava Temple for a prayer to start the New Year and to show “support for Serbs in Montenegro, Kosovo and all Serb lands”.
