Bibijako Dive (Auntie Day) is a

religious holiday A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...

celebrated by the majority of Orthodox Christian

Romani people {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

and, to a lesser degree,

Muslim Roma Muslim Romani people or Muslim Roma are people who are ethnically Romani and profess Islam. They may also be known as Muslim Gypsies, with some Roma preferring to use the term, not perceiving it as derogatory. They primarily live in the Balkan ...

from the

Balkans The Balkans ( , ), corresponding partially with the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throug ...

and in the

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

. Bibi is celebrated as a healer and protector of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

and

children's A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''child ...

health, and is the Roma version of the

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

goddess

Shashthi Shashthi, Shashti, Soshthi or Chhathi (, , , , , literally "sixth") is a Hindu goddess, venerated in Nepal and India as the benefactor and protector of children. She is also the deity of vegetation and reproduction and is believed to bestow ch ...

. Each region has its own date for the holiday; as is explained by legend, Bibi traveled to different places on different dates and performed healing. The dates of the holiday are associated with Easter fasting and are therefore mobile. Among Eastern Orthodox celebrants, the presence of a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

is obligatory (even though Auntie Bibi is a non-canonized

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

). In different cultural milieus, Bibi is also called ''Healer Bibi'' or ''Bibiyaku''. In

Romani Romani may refer to: Ethnic groups * Romani people, or Roma, an ethnic group of Indo-Aryan origin ** Romani language, an Indo-Aryan macrolanguage of the Romani communities ** Romanichal, Romani subgroup in the United Kingdom * Romanians (Romanian ...

, ''"bibi"'' means "aunt"; the diminutive of which is ''"bibiori"''. Auntie Bibi's holiday was listed in the National Register of ''Intangible cultural heritage of Serbia'' in 2019. Bibi is one of the few Roma Slava

household deities A household deity is a deity or spirit that protects the home, looking after the entire household or certain key members. It has been a common belief in paganism as well as in folklore across many parts of the world. Household deities fit int ...

. In addition to Bibi, many Roma families celebrate its own Slava (such as ''Babo Fingo'' at

Kakava Kakava is a celebration event of Romani people in Turkey. Its place of origin is East Thrace in Turkey. Events The belief that a Savior ''Baba Fingo'' would come and rescue them is immortal in the Romani folklore of the Romanlar in Turkey. It is ...

), as well as other religious holidays, such as

Easter Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

, and

Bayram (Turkey) Bayram is the Turkic word for a nationally-celebrated festival or holiday, applicable to both national (i.e. secular) and religious celebrations. Likely owing to the enduring Ottoman Turkish influence in the Balkans and parts of South-Eastern ...

Customs during the celebration in Serbia

Bibi is celebrated collectively, with all

Romani people in Serbia Romani people, or Roma (), are the fourth largest ethnic group in Serbia, numbering 131,936 (1.98%) according to the 2022 census. However, due to a legacy of poor birth registration and some other factors, this official number is likely undere ...

gathering at a holy place - usually a tree or cross, bringing a celebratory cake and food, and in some places, gifts for a Bibia (comb, mirror and children's clothes) hang on to a holy tree. On the Day of celebration, after the service in the Orthodox Church, the Roma go on a procession, carrying the cake and candles and shouting: "To the health of Bibi (Auntie)!" (

: ''Bibijako sostipe!''). Everyone who celebrates brings cake and fast dishes to serve guests under their native tree, usually pear or walnut tree. Under the tree, the host of the next glory is determined and the slava cake is handed over. It is celebrated with songs and dance, and children receive packets full of sweets.

Celebration of Bibi in Muslim communities

Bibi is well known among Muslim Roma communities in the Balkan, as well as in the wider region.

celebrate it for their holiday ''Djisatedimi''. Ethnographic literature does not provide reliable information on whether Muslim Roma celebrate Bibijako Djive. According to ethnographer Aleksandar Petrović, Muslim Roma in

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-Cyrl, Крушевац, ) is a list of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina (river), Rasina river. According to the 202 ...

(Serbia) had adopted the ''Bibijako Djive'' feast from Christian Roma, and they celebrate it on the same day, but at night. Leading up the holy day, they fast for several days and the celebration starts at sundown. Dragoljub Acković, the author of two monographs on Bibi (2004; 2010), also reports that ethnographic literature does not contain information on the celebration of ''Bibijako Djive'' by Muslim Roma. However, in the 2010 monograph Acković references information gathered among Muslim Roma from

Prizren Prizren ( sq-definite, Prizreni, ; sr-cyr, Призрен) is the second List of cities and towns in Kosovo, most populous city and Municipalities of Kosovo, municipality of Kosovo and seat of the eponymous municipality and District of Prizren, ...

, Uroševac or Ferizaj (Kosovo) and

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

(the capital of Serbia) which indicates that these Muslim Roman communities celebrated ''Bibijako Djive'' for the sake of protecting their children from disease, but that the celebration of the Bibi cult lasts an entire month, from 31 January to 1 March.

Customs during the celebration in Serbia

Celebration of Bibi in Muslim communities

See also

References

Further reading