January 26, 2019 - On the square in front of St. Tryphon's Basilica in Kotor, with a traditional saying of praise, and by raising the flag in the basilica, the outdoor Festivities of St. Tryphon, held in honour of the saint, patron of Kotor and Kotor’s bishopric, begin. St. Tryphon's Festivities equally belong to the city and the Boka Navy's 1210 old organisation which combines its occurrence with the transfer of St. Tryphon's relics to Kotor.
The beginning of the ceremony will traditionally be marked by the Little Admiral of the Boka Navy Kotor, Martin Jerolim Petrović, who will pronounce Lode, praise the patron saint of the city. After proclaiming Lode, Boka Navy will hold the traditional ceremony of the handover of the duties of the Little Admiral. His predecessor, Luka Kovačević from Herceg Novi, will be given a decision on cessation and Martin at the beginning of the service.
The tradition of transfer of St.Tryphon’s relics to Kotor on 13 January 809, 289 years before the transfer of St. Nicholas’ relics to Bari, is celebrated as “Karike” by electing Officer and Sergeant of the Boka Navy. Its Great Assembly established this day through a decision made on 30 December 1631. The name “Karike” comes from the Italian word "Incaricare", meaning to entrust.
On this day, the Navy elects a Little Admiral, a young boy who accompanies the Admiral during public performances, representing a symbol of generational continuity of the organisation. At the solemn session on 13 January this year, the Admiralty and the Board of Directors of the Boka Navy decided that the Little Admiral for 2019 would be 12-year-old Martin Petrović from Skaljari, Kotor. The Little Admiral has to recite the Lode – words of praise dedicated to town’s patron – on 27 January, eight days before the central St. Tryphon’s Day festivities. The word Lode stems from the Latin “Laudes”, which means “praise” and represents a part of the prayer book practised at dawn. In the medieval towns on the Eastern Adriatic, words of praise towards patron saints were preserved in Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik and Kotor. Presently, they are only recited in Kotor during St.Tryphon’s festivities.
Former Little Admiral, Luka Kovacevic; Copyright: bokanews.com In modern times, the Little Admiral recites Lode according to a text that had been restored in the second half of the 17th century by Bishop Marin II Drago. He wrote them based on a Medieval Latin version not being preserved.
Today’s text dates to 1800. Up until 1871, Lode was recited in Italian, and after that in Montenegrin. They were translated from Italian in 1871 by the Prcanj pastor Don Mihovil Florio.
Little Admiral has been to one to recite the Lode in Kotor since the 16th century when the Boka Navy took over the outdoor ceremony of St. Tryphon. Here is the translation of lode in English:
The annual restoration of a celebration
Which we are bound to observe,
Revives in us precious memories of devotion,
Reminding us of the great work by our forefathers,
Who under the guidance of the Miracle Worker,
Whose holy powers Kotor cherishes,
Became heroes of faith and land,
And to us,
Their merry descendants,
Left a glorious legacy.
Therefore, let us celebrate once again,
With traditional shine and familiar customs,
This celebration we hold so dearly
And may we all
Be inspired by the same saint who we celebrate today.
Let us first praise the Lord,
Then pay respect to the Blessed Virgin Mary
And the foremost martyr of Jesus,
Saint Tryphon.
Praise be, Great Lord,
That for as many centuries
As moments have passed,
We unfurl this glorious banner
Always in
Happiness, harmony and love.
Glory! Glory! Glory!
Boka Navy's Round Dance (Kolo) at the St.Tryphon's Square St. Tryphon’s outdoor celebration begins on 27 January, a date that coincides with St. Sava’s Day, which is observed by Orthodox Christians. On this day, after communion and sermon in front of the Church of St. Nicholas, the Orthodox and Roman Catholic believers move towards the square in front of the Cathedral of St. Tryphon, accompanied by City Music marching band. There, precisely at noon, the Little Admiral of Boka Navy recites lode to St. Tryphon from the Cathedral’s loggia, then St.Tryphon's flag is raised, and the Kolo dance starts.
On 2 February, when the BokaNavy, according to many years old custom, relics will be sent to the altar in the cathedral at 18 o'clock, followed by the evening mass.
The Holy Mass at St. Tryphon’s Day on 3 February will be at 10 am and 6 pm, and on Sunday, February 10th, there will be an outward ceremony - a procession. The ceremonial Pontifical Mass will serve Monsignor Tomislav Rogić, bishop of Sibenik. After the Holy Mass, a solemn procession for the streets of Kotor will start.
Source: www.bokeljskamornarica.com and Kotor's Bishopic
