The Holy Transfiguration Orthodox Cathedral at 349 E. 47th Avenue in historic Globeville announces its 107th Annual St. Sava's Day "Balkan Winter Celebration".

The Cathedral Dean, Archpriest Joseph Hirsch says, "On Sunday, 30 January, the Parish Hall at 47th and Logan in North Denver will again be transformed into 'The Old Saw Mill' of yesteryear as we gather to partake of Balkan cabbage rolls and roasted pork with all of the traditional trimmings. During dinner, our guests will be serenaded by a Serbian accordionist. Then, they will be invited to dance to ethnic and old time favorites rendered by the 'Tom Allan Variety Band' ". Father Joseph calls Tom Allan, "The Lawrence Welk of Denver".

He continues, "Once more, we will recall the century old contribution made to our Parish, to Colorado and to Globeville by the hundreds of Yugoslavian and other Balkan miners and laborers who immigrated here at the end of the 19th Century to work in our mines, smelters, brick yards and packing houses."

"These were the strong backs," he continues, "upon which our strong Colorado economy was built."

Hirsch explains that for four decades, through the First World War and the "Colorado Coal Field Wars", miners and their families from Ludlow, Leadville, Trinidad, Lafayette and other mining camps and communities, would break the winter monotony, by laying aside their labors for a few days to stream down the mountain sides and up Colorado's highways in there Model Ts and Model As in order to celebrate the renowned patron of children and of schools and the first Archbishop of Serbia, St. Sava.

Sava, Named Prince Ratsko at his birth, was the son of King Simeon of Serbia. As a teenager, he refused the Serbian throne in order to enter a monastery on the famous Mount Athos. Later, he traveled to the Holy Land and through the Byzantine Empire where he was tapped by the Patriarch of Constantinople to accept the office of Archbishop of his homeland. He, subsequently, journeyed throughout the entire Balkan region where he established schools, Churches and monasteries. He is the Patron Saint of Serbia and is honored by Orthodox and Roman Catholics alike, of many lands.

Fr. Joseph explains that families would gather in Globeville on the last Friday evening in January and Saturday would be dedicated to preparation of food. In good years, pigs would be roasted. Sometimes, during the depression years, all that could be afforded were some homemade sausages. Still, St. Sava had directed, centuries earlier, that a Feast Day should involve the sharing of food with the whole community so no one was turned away hungry at the Sunday celebration. The Feast is always hosted by a "Kum and Kuma" or "Godparents" of the celebration. These people, usually a husband and wife, oversee the preparation of the food and offer a feast day bread and a memorial wheat dish for the occasion. This year, Mr. And Mrs. Dusica Muntean of Denver are the hosts. They are immigrants from an area of Romania where there is a considerable Serbian population and have been members of the Parish for over 20 years. A candle will be lighted at the beginning of the supper and neither host will rest until every guest has been served. The Sarma or Sarmali which are leaves of marinated cabbage stuffed with seasoned pork and rice, are traditionally prepared by the Romanian ladies of the Community. Fr. Joseph explains that, "The Romanian ladies cooked one year and everyone liked their cabbage rolls so well that we've never let them quit".

Over the years, many of the Serbian Miners experienced early mortality through black lung disease or even gunshot wounds during the labor struggles of the early 20th Century. Some moved away and others like the late world famous publisher William Vladimir Jovanovich went on to write there own chapters in American history. At one time King Peter of Yugoslavia and, later, Princess Elizabeth visited the Serb community here. At another time, the famous Physicist, Nikola Tesla was part of the community. Still, St. Sava's Day remained, primarily, a time for hard working and struggling families to give thanks to God and to their Patron Saint for another year of work and of life.

This year, Erin, Milosovich Busken, the Parish Council President, has high hopes for a big crowd to celebrate the kickoff of an Historic Preservation program in cooperation with the State Historical Society. The two pronged plan involves much needed repairs to the Community's Parish Church and the acquisition of land for the construction of a new and larger Temple adjacent to it. Busken, herself the descendent of Serbian immigrants to the U.S., explains that as the parish came out of a long period of decline in the 1980 and began to thrive, the parishioners searched their consciences and resolved to grow in and to support the historic Globeville neighborhood in which its founders had set down its roots in 1898.

The festivities will start with the Divine Liturgy in the Church at 10:00 a.m. and will continue with the traditional service of the Blessing of the "Slava" or Feastday Bread at about Noon. Serving of Dinner will be from 12:00 to 2:00 and Dancing will continue till 4:00 p.m. There is a $12.00 charge for adults at the door, $6.00 for children from 5 to 12 years of age and toddlers are admitted free. The public is invited.