Children's Day before Christmas (Detinjci)
20 December 2026 · movable holiday — I am tied up! But I will ransom myself with a promise to behave… almost.
Detinjci is a Serbian folk custom held on the third Sunday before Orthodox Christmas. It is the first of three family Sundays in a row, followed by Materice (a day for mothers) and Oci (a day for fathers). On Detinjci, parents playfully tie their children by the feet or hands with a rope, scarf or ribbon. The children are untied once they promise to be obedient and good; in some families they also receive sweets. It is a gentle custom that shows love and care within the family just before the biggest winter holiday. The date is movable because it depends on Christmas in the Orthodox calendar, which falls on 7 January in the Gregorian calendar (25 December in the Julian one). The custom therefore arrives in the dark weeks around the winter solstice, when nights are longest and families gather at home. Details vary between regions and families.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver child figure made of bright dots and fine lines, like a constellation, drifting across the sky
Sources
Positions in Astronativa are astronomically exact. The interpretation is for inspiration. · Glossary · Terms · Privacy · Thank you