Members of the Serbian-Montenegrin community celebrate Christmas Eve at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Vraka.

Today, on January 6, 2021, members of the Serbian and Montenegrin minorities in Shkodra celebrated Christmas Eve in the church of the “Holy Trinity” in Vraka gathered around the sacred fire, which symbolizes the ember that warmed the Virgin Mary during the birth of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
It should be noted that this Christmas was celebrated in unusual conditions, applying the anti-covid safety protocol approved by the Albanian authorities and maintaining physical distance. In the churchyard, the ceremony was held by the parish priest of this church Ivan Popovic accompanied by the sound of the church bell. In his speech he emphasized the symbol represented by the lighting of Christmas trees on bringing the son of God to this world, as a source of warmth for all mankind.
He said that God chose to bring our savior into a simple home and an ordinary family, and not as a king, because the best values and virtues are characteristics of ordinary people away from all the temptations of worldly possessions. He wished the faithful that this day bring them good health and God’s blessing in their homes, the hope of victory over the pandemic that has paralyzed the whole world and he also thanked for the blessing the Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Archbishop of the Albanian Orthodox Church, Anastas.
At the end of the ceremony, the parish priest of “Holy Trinity” Church told the believers that the Christmas Liturgy would be held on the next day, on January 7, at 10 am.