Once the "badnjak" has burnt through, the thicker end is often taken out of the fire and used according to the local custom. It may be carried around the beehives, extinguished, and placed between the branches of a young plum or apple tree. The men may make crosses from it and put them under the eaves, on the fields, meadows, vineyards, and apiaries, so that the coming year may be happy and fruitful. It may also be set aside for next Christmas Eve, to be placed on the fire immediately before the new "badnjak", as a symbol of continuity. In Kosovo, a part of the "badnjak" is preserved and burned again on New Years Day and Epiphany.