GREAT HOLIDAY AND RED LETTER DAY: Today we celebrate the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist!

Orthodox Christians and the Serbian Orthodox Church celebrate the memory of the death of the prophet, forerunner and baptist Saint John. Saint John is also celebrated on January 20, as a sign of respect for the saint who, according to tradition, baptized Jesus Christ.

The Serbian Orthodox Church ranks this holiday among its patron saints. In the Christian world, it is celebrated as the day when the church built on the grave of Saint John the Baptist by Emperor Constantine and Empress Helena was consecrated.

It then commemorates the suffering of Saint John, whose head, by order of Herod Antipas, was cut off (“beheaded”) and brought on a plate before his stepdaughter, the dancer Salome, which is why in Serbia the holiday is called “Beheading” (Usekovanje).

Saint John is called the Baptist because he baptized Jesus Christ and, according to tradition, recognized the son of God in him. John is considered the last great prophet. He is also called the Forerunner, because he appeared before Christ and began to prepare people for Christianity.

John, according to tradition, is an example of strong and unwavering faith, honesty, courage and truthfulness. This was also the cause of his suffering because he publicly spoke about the immorality of Emperor Herod who “lived in sin” with his daughter-in-law Herodias, the mother of Salome.

During the celebration of Herod’s birthday, Salome performed her famous dance of the “Seven Veils”, after which Herod offered her to ask for whatever she wanted. At her mother’s urging, she asked for the head of Saint John.

Herodias demanded that the saint’s head be cut off and buried separately from his body, for fear that Saint John might resurrect.

Believers spend the day of the Beheading in prayer, abstinence and strict fasting.