Badnjak

A badnjak is a kind of yule log that is burned on the bonfire on Stary Nova.

Components and tools

The badnjak is taken from the Oak Tree, due to the Old Belief that the wood from the Oak can be used to amplify or alter a person's emotions.

Observance

Most villages and towns have bonfires all year round, and on Stary Nova, the bonfire is filled with Badjnik logs, where they are toasted until they get blackened on the outside, and then retrieved before they can be burnt away to ash. The badnjak logs are then taken home and the charcoal of the branch is used to draw a star above the doorway, which symbolises the household's contribution to and dependence on the village or town community. The Badnjak is then burnt in the stove as an offering to the Domovoi.