ABC Wednesday "Z" is for "Zen"

The simplest definition for Zen is 'contemplation.' I found this quote while searching more about Zen, in order to tie Zen in with my 'ice' photo. (Addendum after posting: I'm always a bit bothered when I believe to have posted something with no direct relation to Belgrade/Serbia. I ran another search about "Buddhist thought in Serbia" and surprisingly, I found this site for you to check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barlaam_and_Josaphat Looks like this goes waaay back.)

"All beings are from the very beginning Buddhas.

It is like water and ice: Apart from water, no ice,

Outside living beings, no Buddhas.

Not knowing it is near, they seek it afar. What a pity!

It is like one in the water who cries out with thirst;

It is like the child of a rich house who has strayed among the poor.

The cause of our circling through the six worlds

Is that we are on the dark paths of ignorance.

Dark path upon dark path treading,

When shall we escape from birth-and-death? "

- Hakuin, 1689-1769

Song of Meditation

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Anybody home?

A very frosty and misty morning along the Sava river. Some of these houseboats may be inhabited throughout the year on a regular basis, but most are summer weekend homes for Belgraders. Mighty chilly now, I bet.

The phantom chimney

Does a smoking shadow contribute to pollution?

Cold morning on Skadarlija street

Skadarlija (skah-DAR-lee-yah) is an area in the Belgrade municipality of Stari Grad (Old town) and generally considered the main bohemian quarter of Belgrade, styled as the Belgrade Montmartre. The history of Skadarlija began in the 1830s with a settlement of gypsies. in the mid-1800's, the gypsy hovels had been replaced by brick buildings into which artisans, caterers, petty clerks and others moved. The whole locality was referred to as the Gypsy Quarter until 1872, when the street was named after the town of Skadar, which was part of the Serbian medieval state (today Shkodër in Albania). Skadarska ulica, Serbian for "Skadar street", is still the official name. Skadarlija began to acquire its bohemian character in the last few decades of the 19th century, and particularly after 1901,when the well-known Dardaneli inn was demolished and its guests, prominent writers and actors, moved to the Skadarlija inns or kafanas. In this photo, the snow covers the original cobblestone streets.

Serbia calling!

What is it they say about fashion? You want something because everybody has it or nobody has it. This cell phone holder in the form of a Serbian 'opanak,' would definitely fall into the latter category. Make yourself the envy of all your Serbian friends with one of these...and if you don't have any Serbian friends, you're bound to make some when you carry your phone like this! (Maybe Maxwell Smart would like one for his collection.)

Burning the Yule branch

The badnjak (BAHD-nyak) is a central feature in the traditional Serbian Christmas celebration. It is the log that a family solemnly brings into the house in the evening of Serbian Christmas Eve (January 6th), and puts on the fire. The tree for the badnjak, preferably a young and straight oak, is felled and stripped of its branches early in the morning of Christmas Eve. The burning of the badnjak is accompanied by prayers so that the coming year may bring plenty of happiness, love, luck, riches, and food. The ideal environment to fully carry out these customs is the traditional multi-generation country household. Since most Serbs live today in towns and cities, the log is symbolically represented by several leaved oak twigs that can be bought at marketplaces or received in churches.

My son and I burned ours on our terrace on Serbian Christmas morning (January 7th), as you can see in the photo above.

Dogs on Thursday: 250+ and counting...

Meet Katja, who lives on a strip of land about 12 x 80 meters (approx. 39 x 263 feet) outside of Belgrade with over 250 dogs that she cares for by herself and with the help of a few occasional volunteers. Katja has a heart of gold, and cannot refuse a dog. Some are left at her gate, some are thrown over the fence (yes...) and some she finds while walking to buy her bread. Conditions are pretty bad, and worse, it's almost impossible for these dogs to find homes, for few people would want to brave entering to choose one. Katja knows all the dogs by name, and they respond to their names. By law, she has to have them vaccinated and neutered, though accidents happen. She feeds them largely through donations of bread, bones, and fat. Believe it or not, this place was Bibi's first home. She was abandoned here with her two sisters as puppies, and an old female developed milk to nurse them. Then along I came, and the rest is history.

Some say these dogs would be better off fending for themselves on the street. (Belgrade has a stray dog problem, and there are many strays.) What do you say?

ABC Wednesday "Y" is for 'yogurt"

Whether you spell it 'yogurt,' 'yoghurt,' or 'jogurt' as they do here, it's good stuff. High in protein, calcium, riboflavin, and vitamin B, the thick kind is good to eat with a spoon by itself or as an accompaniment to certain foods, like cabbage rolls. Yogurt here is available in liquid form (which I can't drink; just not used to that!) natural flavor or with fruit added, and is packaged as you see it here. I like the cute little clay pots. I ate that yogurt after I took the photo...added some honey and nuts.

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Merry Christmas again. Srećan Božić!

Today is Serbian Orthodox Christmas Eve. Although I am not particularly religious in the traditional sense, I did/do observe December 25th and this holiday in honor of my husband. In the top photo you can see the traditional dried fruit, nuts, garlic, oak branch, and pot of wheat grass, all holding special significance you can read more about here . The bottom photo is of the wheat grass and candle, with "my" Christmas tree behind it. Serbs don't put up trees for Christmas, but do for New Year's, both January 1st and Serbian New Year's (January 13-14th). Never-ending holiday season! Srećan Božić (SREH-chan BO-zheech) to all of you viewers who celebrate Serbian Christmas.

Frozen...?

For the past three days I've been posting photos with little color; yesterday's and today's are black and white. Perhaps it's because the weather outside has been pretty colorless too, albeit beautiful in its own way. Yesterday Belgrade Daily Photo posted a photo of crows in Kalemegdan, and today I found my own crow, perhaps one that fell victim to our recent low temperatures. But did you know that a group of crows is called a "murder," though this term usually appears in poetry rather than scientific contexts? Not sure if this bird fell victim to some sort of avicide, but I took its photo because I have an artist friend who always wants such photos; beauty in death sort of thing....

Hard times ahead?

Everyone's saying that there's a world financial crisis and that the situation is only going to worsen in 2009, but for some people, like the Roma or gypsy in this photo, nothing much is going to change. He and others like him will continue to forage around the city for necessary items to use or resell.