Pork Roast Day | Funny Holidays

Svinjokolj - Celebration and Folklore

With the arrival of the first frost in late November, Serbia traditionally opens the season of svinjokolj, the pig slaughter festivity.

Certainly, this custom is not exclusive to Serbia but is prevalent in a large part of Europe and the region. It is associated with the completion of field work in villages and the optimal climate for meat processing and preservation.

However, since Serbia is the unofficial champion of pork consumption on the Old Continent, svinjokolj is considered a significant event in most parts of the country, especially in Vojvodina. It gathers family members and neighbors together, resembling a true family holiday. It becomes a part of the national folklore, fostering communal work and socializing.

It is understood that the focus of this event is not animosity towards pigs and piglets but rather the love for indulging in delicious meals and preparing tasty cuts such as steaks, schnitzels, pork chops, cracklings, and the "majestic" roasted piglet.

Roasted Pork Day?!

In connection with this tradition, there is another one of the invented and unofficial holidays – pork Roast Day, symbolically celebrated worldwide on December 18th. It is unknown who and when established this holiday, but it is believed to be related to the festive culmination of the svinjokolj season. In the end, perhaps it doesn't matter because there is no doubt that this type of dish deserves "its" day.

Roasted pig, especially when prepared on a spit, is often much more than just a dish for special occasions. It has a strong social component - it is a reason for gathering and socializing, where almost every participant has some, even symbolic, role in the hours-long process of preparation. While one person tends to the pig, another prepares the spit, a third tends to the fire, and then everyone takes turns rotating the pig. Even those who do nothing or just complain (and there's always someone like that) are an essential part of this gastronomic cult.

How to celebrate Pork Roast Day?

Unlike most holidays in the "invented" category, celebrating Pork Roast Day doesn't leave much room for creativity. Simply treat yourself to a roasted piglet for lunch:

• Buy and "rotate" a piglet with friends in a beautiful natural setting.
• Visit the nearest roastery, but make sure to check when they serve it.
• If you don't have a roast house nearby, almost all national restaurants offer roasted piglet.
• If you can't get a spit-roasted piglet, one roasted in the oven will be just fine.
• If you observe the Christmas fasting period, postpone the celebration, and the great opportunity to pay homage to the piglet can be during the most significant Christian holiday.