It’s Christmas Eve in America, and the most joyous Christian holiday according to the Gregorian calendar is being celebrated. Christmas carols are being sung, gifts for family members are left under the tree, usually in large knitted stockings, and there is a rich feast on the table, albeit a bit different from ours…
And we went to visit a mixed Serbian-Cuban family to see how they celebrate Christmas. Katarina Kata Brašovan is a Serb from Belgrade, a descendant of the famous architect Dragiša Brašovan, and has lived in America for over three and a half decades. She is a professor at a Chicago college. She is happily married to Juan Antonio, a Cuban whose family emigrated in search of the American dream but, first and foremost, fleeing communism. Katarina and Juan have two children, and this year’s Christmas, like previous ones, they are celebrating with Juan’s first wife, also a Serb, and their daughter from his first marriage. They exchange gifts, make toasts, and everything is in the spirit of love and good cheer. As the old saying goes: Where children are not angry, the house is not too small!
Watch an exclusive report that our editor Antonije Kovačević filmed on Christmas Eve in the home of Katarina and Juan, with them and their friends of all faiths and nationalities, who every time from the festive menu first empty their plates with Serbian podvarak (stew) and bottles of Serbian plum brandy!
Author: Antonije Kovačević Video&Edit: Vladimir Talijan