The laying of a "badnjak" on the fire was considered the least a Serbian family could do to show their devotion to Serbian tradition. In Njegoš's epic poem "The Mountain Wreath", the plot of which takes place in 18th-century Montenegro, Voivode Batrić urges converts to Islam to return to Christianity and Serbdom: "[...] Lay the Serbian Christmas-log ["badnjak"] on the fire, paint the Easter eggs various colours, observe with care the Lent and Christmas fasts. As for the rest, do what your heart desires!" Petrović-Njegoš describes the holiday atmosphere that surrounds the burning "badnjak" on Christmas Eve through the words of Abbot Stefan, one of the mains characters of "The Mountain Wreath":