Roma people are celebrating Djurdjevdan on Monday, one of the most significant holidays which, for the traditionally nomadic ethnic group, marks the beginning of the summer.

One of the activists from the ‘Euro Rom’ NGO, Nedzad Jusic from Tuzla, explained the tradition.

The ritual begins a day before when the Roma pick leaves from the ground and use them to colour eggs as red as possible.

On the morning of Djurdjevdan, Roma families go to a spring in the morning and wash their faces and pick green branches.

They later put those branches, together with coloured eggs, into the spring water and bathe in it, especially the children.

It is believed that the more reddish the eggs are, the more the children bathing with them will become strong and healthy.

“The Roma are generally (traditionally) nomadic people, and that has an effect on the Roma way of life,” he said.

He explained that the Roma saw that, until May 6, it was difficult for them to sleep out in the open or bathe with running water. After that date passes it is much easier, “and that is why May 6 it marked as the day when the summer begins for the Roma,” he said.

It marks the day when travelling becomes much easier, he said. But times have changed, and most Roma are not nomadic anymore but live in their homes in cities.

“Usually the leaves from nearby rivers are brought to the home a day before and then in the morning the families bathe in that water. After that, they have a family lunch, and that marks the beginning of summer,” Jusic said.

He explained that in Roma culture, there are only two seasons – winter and summer.

“Today the summer is beginning, and it ends on August 2,” he said.