Vucic extends holiday greetings to citizens, reveals he is to spend Orthodox Christmas in Hilandar monastery

Photo: Tanjug/Sava Radovanovic

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic extended his well wishes to the citizens for (Orthodox) Christmas (Jan. 7) and revealed that he will spend the holiday on Mt. Athos, in the Hilandar monastery.

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Vucic told RTS that the state of Serbia is helping Hilandar as much as it can and pointed out that this monastery is a special place, a sanctuary with a special energy.

"This is not the first time I will go to Hilandar. I have been there several times. I also went with my older son, now I wanted to take the younger one with me, but it's not a football game so he will go in a few years," said Vucic, adding that he will be traveling to Hilandar with Government Minister Nenad Popovic and another friend.

Vucic also said that there are people there from all Serb areas.

"There are many of our people there, wonderful Krajina people, those monks are gathered from all Serb areas, and the Krajina ones are the strongest and bravest part of our people. There are people from Okucani to Lika and Dalmatia and all other regions, from Loznica to Pirot, with them I socialize, I learn something new and of course I attend the vigil for as long as I can. It starts at two in the morning, and then the liturgy begins," he said.

Regarding his impressions from previous vistits to Hilandar, he said that everything is different there.

"The experience itself is different, and when the candles are lit and when you already think that you are being overcome by fatigue, and only then you come to bow to the icon of the Three-handed Theotokos, the greatest of Hilandar, then you no longer feel tired or anything, regardless of the fact you didn't even get any sleep. That's a special strength, a special energy. Some people would say, 'I'm not particularly religious' - but there you are the closest to God, everything is different there," said Vucic.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)