BOSNIAKS - A PEOPLE WITH THREE CALENDARS

Cultural history of Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina distinctively shows its rich beauty through the living religious tradition of dovištes (Muslim pilgrimage sites), and dates of visiting them are still determined according to the calendar of other religious communities. The paradox that Bosniak Muslims determine some activities permeated with religious rituals according to pre-Islamic calendar testifies of their millennium-long existence in these regions.

Before Ottoman conquests, all inhabitants of Bosnia measured time according to the old Julian calendar, which was established by Gaius Julius Caesar in 45 B.C. This calendar was used in whole Europe until 1582, when first Catholic and then other countries as well switched to the Gregorian calendar. Since they used to belong to one of the three church communities existing at the time: Catholic, Orthodox of Bosnian Church, ancestors of present Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina also used the Julian calendar before converting to Islam. Having adopted Islam, they began to determine the time of Islamic duties and holidays according to the lunar Hijri calendar, while they continued to measure profane time using far more suitable Julian calendar.

Julian calendar year is longer than the natural year by 11 minutes and 14 seconds. This difference accumulates from one year to another, and amounts to one day (24 hours) for approximately 128 years. In the late 16th century, the spring equinox according to the Julian calendar happened ten days after this astronomical event. Aiming to annul the accumulated difference of ten days which appeared due to the use of the Julian calendar, Pope Gregory XIII consulted church hierarchs and scholars and, upon the advice of German astronomer Christopher Clavius, in 1582 made the decision that ten days should be deleted from the existing (Julian) calendar, so that Thursday, 4 October 1582 was followed by Friday, 15 October 1582 (instead by Friday, 5 October). The new calendar was named Gregorian, after Pope Gregory XIII. When the new calendar was introduced, it was immediately adopted by Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain, and soon by other Catholic countries as well, while in Muslim Ottoman State, with Bosnia and Herzegovina as its part, the old Julian calendar remained in force. Since the Gregorian calendar is fairly accurate, as Gregorian year is 26 seconds longer than the natural year, it was eventually adopted by most countries in the world. Today, the Gregorian calendar is in force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and local Muslims, as well as members of other religious communities, determine their business year according to this calendar.

Upon converting to Islam, Bosniaks accepted the lunar Hijri calendar based on which they determine times of religious rituals: Ramadan fast and making hajj (pilgrimage), and annual holidays and festivities: Eid al-Fit, Eid al-Adha and Mubarak Nights. However, since the lunar calendar year is ten or eleven days shorter than the solar year, it was not possible to organize the daily agricultural and farming life according to the lunar Hijri calendar; therefore, Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, over the entire Ottoman period and later, continued to measure the beginning and the end of some agricultural and farming works according to the Julian calendar, since they got used to it in the pre-Islamic age.

In this respect, one can particularly single out two religious holidays from pre-Islamic period which served as distinctive calendar milestones, and traces of which have remained in the culture of local Muslims up to this day. They are Jurjevdan (St. George's Day), which is celebrated on 6 May, and Ilindan or Aliđun (Saint Eliah's Day), celebrated on 2 August. Even today one can hear old Muslims saying that some works should be completed before Jurjevdan, and some after it; also, some activities in the field had to be completed by Ilindan / Aliđun, and some after it.

Respecting customs of the local Muslim and non-Muslim population, Ottomans allowed Jurjevdan and Ilindan/Aliđun to be “free days”, intended for going to fairs or to praying sites. Thus, in Defter (Register) of 1674 one can read that two annual fairs were taking place in Donji Vakuf, one on Jurjevdan and the other on Miholjdan (Michaelmas). Even today, the famous fair in Turbe where inhabitants of Eastern Bosnia, regardless of the religion, gather takes place on Jurjevdan, i.e. on 6 May, while another famous fair in Visoko takes place on Aliđun / Ilindan, i.e. on 2 August.

Besides the practical purpose of measuring the beginning and the end of agricultural works, pre-Islamic population of Bosnia used Jurjevdan and Ilindan / Aliđun to determine the times of prayers for good and fertile year. These prayers, later known as dovas, were performed at dovištes (praying sites), located at or near natural phenomena: springs and caves, on tops of hills or near medieval necropolises of stećaks (medieval tombstones). Bosniaks continued to nourish the tradition of praying at pre-Islamic locations even after adopting Islam, providing this custom with the Islamic attire. Naturally, even after converting to Islam, dates of prayers at dovištes were, as usual, determined according to the Julian calendar based on Jurjevdan or Alidjuna (Ilindan); for example, the date of the most visited dovište Ajvatovica was determined according to Jurjevdan, and dova at Karići according to Aliđun (Ilindan).

Festivities for the fertile year which pre-Islamic population of Bosnia and Herzegovina organized from Jurjevdan to Ilindan (Aliđun) had both the ritual and the socio-economic character, the main features of which were: trade, exchange of goods, competitions in sport disciplines, bravery, making acquaintances and socializing between guys and girls. Upon the spread of Islam, the ritual part of these festivities died out, while the socio-economic part, i.e. organizing fairs, has survived up to this day.

For Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, gathering at praying sites and fairs, the dates of which are determined according to the old Julian calendar, has the cultural rather than the religious character. When, in the second half of the 20th century, Husein Đozo was asked what he thought, why Muslims gather, trade and party on the days of Christian holidays, he replied: “These customs are well-known. I think that there are fewer of them now. I know that where I come from Muslims went to picnics on Petrovdan (Feast of St. Peter), Jurjevdan, Vidovdan (St. Vitus' Day), Spasovdan (Salvation), and so on. These picnics were exclusively Muslim. They are no more practiced. If they somewhere still are, it seems that they have completely lost the religious feature, and assumed the character of public parties and picnics.”

Thus, Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina, determine times of their Islamic duties according to the Hijri calendar, dates of visits to praying sites, which are an important aspect of their tradition, according to the old Julian calendar, and their daily business obligations according to the reformed Gregorian calendar. All these practices together make them a people with three calendars.