Ancient Slavic holidays and rituals. Pagan holidays of the ancient Slavs in Russia preserved to this day
T traditional Slavic pagan holidays are associated with nature and the events taking place in it, they contain and conceal a deep sacred essence and meaning. The rites that our great ancestors-ancestors once performed in the old days are designed to ensure peaceful coexistence and harmony with Mother Pri GENUS oh, connection with our GENUS nye Slavic Gods. Kolo year among the Slavs it is divided by four seasons (winter, spring, summer, autumn), in each of which great holidays are specially celebrated: 2 solstices (solstice) in winter and summer - the time when the Sun is reborn: the old Sun fades away, but a new one takes its place - emerging, young and 2 equinoxes (spring and autumn). The sun has long been especially revered by the Slavs as a symbol and source of life on earth, giving warmth and light to everything. alive ohm. And this happens every year, all the time, no matter what. h discontinuous cola(circle), in the form of which the ancient Slavs represented our Universe.
To Each Slavic holiday is a special ritual action dedicated to the veneration of a particular Deity of the Slavic pantheon or events occurring in nature at different times. As a rule, Slavic holidays are accompanied by cheerful and wide folk festivals, songs, round dances and various fortune-telling, youth gatherings and brides' bridesmaids. But there are also such days in the Slavic kologod where there is no place for fun - these are the days of honoring the deceased relatives and close people, as well as holidays where evil spirits and deities were revered. At some festivities, masks and masks(skins of wild animals), in which people dressed up so that evil spirits would not recognize.
FROM Lavyansky New Year is more correct to call new year, which falls on Kolyada - December 25 (cold). For Orthodox Christians, this date falls Nativity(according to the old true style). Few people know now that in the old days our ancestors celebrated the New Year on March 1, and then on September 1, and only from 1700, by decree of Emperor Peter I, was ordered celebrate the New Year on January 1st. But is it much more logical for Orthodox Christians to celebrate the New Year on the birthday of their Lord Jesus Christ, and not on the day of his circumcision? But, turning to the ancient Jewish Old Testament tradition, it becomes clear to us why Peter I (according to some sources, being a Freemason) chose this day as the date of the New Year's celebration. It turns out that, according to ancient Jewish law and customs, an "uncircumcised" baby is none other than pagan the circumcised is revered by God.
AT In this section of the site, we tried to create a reconstruction of the Slavic pagan calendar, but without going too far from modern times into deep antiquity, therefore we got something "middle" between the ancient Slavic calendar and the neo-pagan one. In no case do we pretend to be absolute truth, and we have no doubt that over time the Slavic calendar will be improved.
January (Sechen, Stuzhen)
January 1 (section, cold) is celebrated Day of Frost (Frost). Once upon a time, god of bitter cold Morok walked through the villages, sending hard frosts. The villagers, wanting to protect themselves from the cold, put gifts on the window: pancakes, jelly, cookies, kutya. Now Morok has turned into a kind old man - Santa Claus, who distributes gifts to children. It became so quite recently, in the middle of the 19th century. By the way, there is a deep ritual meaning in decorating the Christmas tree: according to legend, the spirits of ancestors live in evergreens. Therefore, decorating the fir tree with sweets, we bring gifts to our ancestors. Such is the ancient custom. This day, like the one before it Schedrets, family holiday.
From January 1 to January 6 (cold) are celebrated Veles Days or Terrible, Conjuring Evenings - The second part Big Veles Christmas holidays, which start with Frost Day (Frost) and end Turks. Among the people, these six days are marked by rampant evil spirits. The first half of Christmas time was devoted to the future harvest and fortune-telling about marriage, and the second was associated with cattle and beasts. Veles could act both in the form of a bear - the "forest king", and in the form of a bull-tour - a representative of horned wealth. At Veles Christmas time they baked ceremonial cookies in the form of domestic animals ("cows", "goats", "donuts", "horns"), dressed up in animal skins and masks, danced in sheepskin coats turned inside out (so that evil spirits would not recognize).
January 6 (section) Slavs celebrate Tourists Winter. This family holiday is dedicated to one of the totem and most revered animals among the Slavs - Tur, the embodiment of the union of Veles and Perun. Tour is the son Veles and Makoshi and patronizes shepherds, guslars and buffoons, valiant prowess, dancing and fun, as well as groves and forest animals. Another name for this day Vodokres. This day completes the Christmas atrocities. It's time when the Gates of Navi are closed, and the world of Yavi acquires its usual orderliness. About this time, the Spark of Heavenly Fire (Kres) from the Svarozh Forge falls into the waters of the Earth, endowing them with miraculous properties. They also believe that at this time Veles - the Giver of Health - blesses all earthly waters, so that everyone who bathes in them on this day will be healed of all kinds of ailments. Orthodox Christians celebrated on this day Epiphany(otherwise known as Epiphany).
January 8 (section) are celebrated Babi Kashi. On this day, it is customary to honor midwives (now midwives) and women in labor. They brought gifts and treats, kvass, pancakes, pies and fruits. They came with children so that the grandmothers would bless them. It was especially recommended that expectant mothers and young girls go to grandmothers on this day.
January 13 (cold, cut) celebrated Mara Winter - a holy day when the great dark mistress, the mistress of the winter cold, enters her full strength. This day is considered by the people "terrible", dangerous for all living things. His do not celebrate as a holiday itself, so ethnographic information about it is extremely scarce. So, it is known that this day is one of the most "unlucky" days of the year. This is due to the fact that, according to popular beliefs, the Fever, or the Shaking Sisters, the daughters of Mara, who live in the gloomy dungeons of the world of Navi, are now "released" into the wild. On the night of this day, porridge, milk and bread are left on the table for brownie, asking for welfare. If Likho "settled" in the house, they turn to Domovoy for help.
January 21 (cold), according to folklore Prosinets - the holiday of the revival of the Sun, which is celebrated with water blessing. On this day, the Slavs bathed in cold river water and made grandiose feasts, in which milk and dairy products must have been present. Praise Heavenly Svarga- the world of all gods.
January 28 (cold, cut)- the day of honoring the House Master, who is also called by the people "Kudesami". If, on this day, Domovoy is not honored, he may be "offended" and stop helping the household, the grandfather-neighbor from a kind keeper of the hearth can turn into a rather dashing spirit. Then everything in the house can go to waste: the owners will lose their desire to work, illnesses will appear, troubles and misfortunes will pile up, the economy will fall into decay. After all, Brownie is a family guardian spirit, the spirit of the Ancestors, insulting which, a person cuts the roots of his Family Tree. To honor Domovoy, after dinner, a pot of porridge is left for him on the table, which is covered with hot coals so that the porridge does not cool down until midnight, when he comes from under the stove to have dinner. Since then, he has been quiet throughout the year.
February (Lute, Snezhen)
February 1 (2) (lute, snowfall) Slavic holiday is celebrated "Gromnitsa" - the meeting of Winter with Spring on the World of Yavi, when the forces of the Young Spring give the first battle to the forces Moraine-Winter, and the only time in winter when Perunov Thunder thunders and you can see lightning. Therefore, the Serbs call him "Svjetlo". Dedicated to Perun's wife Dodole-Malanjice(Lightning) - the goddess of lightning and feeding children. Gromnitsa - one of the titles of the Mother of God (Mother of the Gods of Light) goddess Dawn, on this day, also called Queen Molonya or Melania. On this day, they pay her the following requirements: salt, garlic, chicken, porridge, bread, poppy flowers. Gromnitsa is also revered by the first invocations of Spring.
February 3 (lute) celebrated Small Velesov Day or Veles-Wolf Matchmaker - a holy day dedicated to Veles the Wolf Matchmaker, anticipating the Small Veles (Wolf) Christmas time and the Great Veles Day. At the time of dual faith in Russia, this date was the day of Simeon and Anna, which was also called Little Vlasiy. The people said: "Semyon and Anna are fixing the harness, and Vlasy is saddling the horses." According to popular beliefs, horses "ride" Vlasiy Domovoy ("Dashing Brownie, horses drive in at night"), and in order to prevent this, a whip, mittens and onuchi were tied to the horse at night. The brownie then does not dare to touch the horse, imagining that the owner himself is sitting on it. This day is called "Repairs", because right now they are inspecting and repairing the summer harness. It is often said: "Prepare the cart in winter, and the sleigh in summer." On this day, straw is boiled: "A strawman has arrived in the yard, start repairs."
FROM4 to 10 February (lute) are celebrated Small Velesovs or Wolf, Christmas time - a series of holy days between Veles the Small (February 3) and Veles the Great (February 11): 4 lutes - Veles Studeny, 5 lutes - Veles Korovich (or Veles Korovyatnik), 6 lutes - Veles Telyatnik, 7 lutes - Veles the Crafty, 8 lutes - Veles Serpovidets, 9 lute - Veles Zhitny Grandfather and, finally, 10 lute - Veles Zimobor. "Wolf" Small Veles Christmas time is called because these days the fate of the wolves is decided, who and with whom will lead the cubs - the so-called "wolf weddings" are played.
11 February (lute, snowfall)(the following options are also possible: 10 or 12th of February) is noted AT forest day - Veles "knocks down the horn of Winter", the Cow Festival is celebrated in the villages (for Veles is not only the God of Wisdom, but also the "Cattle God"), they create amulets for cattle and the yard, they ask Veles for protection and protection, and for cattle and good to everyone - offspring. Prophetic sorcerers, inspired storytellers, violent buffoons honor Veles - the Wise God especially: magic and chanting, zeal and praise ...
From 12 to 18 February (lute) pass "Veles Days" - six days, during which amazing things happen to those who honored Veles.
February 16 (lute) are celebrated Name day Kikimora - the day when people create amulets at home. For Orthodox Christians, this date was the day of Maremyana the Righteous, popularly nicknamed Meremyana-Kikimora. Sometimes she helps the owners, warns them of trouble, but sometimes she harms them in small ways. On this day, with special offerings, they tried to appease Kikimora (the supporter of Morena and Makoshi, the wife of the Brownie), so that she would not confuse yarn and misbehave at night. That's what the people said: "To Maremyana Yarilo - with a pitchfork." For, according to popular belief, about this time, Yarilo Velesich "lifts the winter on the pitchfork."
February 21 (lute) celebrated Spring (Stribog Winter) - the day when the winter winds, Stribog's grandchildren, bring the first news of the coming spring warmth. At the time of dual faith, this date was the day of Timothy Vesnovey. The people said: "Spring warmly welcomes", "Timofey Vesnovey - it's already warm at the door", "February Timothy - Vesnovey, no matter how angry the blizzard, everything blows in the spring", "Live to Spring, and there the winter is not terrible", "Spring brings spring yar ", "Timofey Vesnovey - the messenger of warm days", "Warmly welcomes - it blows warmly, warms the old people", "Spring warmth blows - warms the old", "The spring wind of change blows from the south" and urged: "Spring, spring, bring warmth to the village", "March bought a fur coat from winter, but sold it three days later."
February 29 (lute)- once every four years (leap year) Koshcheev Day. On this day, the Koshny God "returns" to people in the form of all kinds of disasters the untruth they have created. But the Wise teach not to be afraid of this, but to turn in the Heart to the NATIVE Gods for admonition and strength in order to be able to reject Falsehood and live by the Truth ...
March (Berezol, Dry)
March 1 (birch, dry) is celebrated Madder Day or Navi Day - the holiday of the resurrection of the dead and the last day of the strength and power of the evil Navi Gods before the arrival of Spring. Orthodox Christians have a day on this date Saint Evdokia, who led the coming of Spring. With the onset of March, the Slavs begin ritual visits to graves with the offering of trebs. On this day, long-dead people are brought into the water, saying: "Shine, shine, Sunshine! I'll give you an egg, Like a chicken lays in an oak forest, Take it to paradise, May all souls be happy."
March 9 (birch) conduct the second Calls of Spring (Goddesses alive) created from the tops of the hills, from which the snow has already begun to melt, popularly called "Yarylin bald patches". According to Slavic beliefs, on this day forty birds fly from Bright Iriy (from that this holiday is called Magpies), signifying the approach of the Virgin of Spring. On whose field the birds land first, the Gods will send special luck and a good harvest this year.
From March 18 to March 24 (birch) on the Slavic land passes Maslenitsa week (week), which separates the two main seasons in the Slavic folk calendar - winter and spring. These are cheerful farewells, illuminated by the joyful expectation of close warmth, the spring renewal of nature. In the old days, street festivities began these days, ice slides were built. At the farewell to Maslenitsa, fisticuffs were arranged, and an effigy of Maslenitsa was burned. In ancient times, Maslenitsa festivities lasted not one, but two weeks.
March 23 (24)(birch, birch) - on the day of the vernal equinox, the Slavs celebrate a great holiday "Shrovetide". The second name of this holiday is "Komoeditsa" (bel.), which celebrate when the day becomes longer than the night, when nature awakens and the Sun-child Horse becomes a young man Yarila. (20th of March). There are also options for the date of the celebration: 21st and 22nd and 25th March. Being a purely pagan holiday, Maslenitsa was also adopted by Christianity, but not according to the solar (pagan), but according to the lunar calendar, therefore, in Orthodox Christianity, Maslenitsa has a floating date.
March 25 (birch) Svarga opens, and finally descends to Earth Spring - Goddess Zhiva. In her honor, not only people celebrate, but all living things. On this day, you can’t work, but only glorify Spring, the triumph of life over death. Spring is called for the third time. With the onset of the morning, they treat themselves to cookies in the form of larks, release live birds from their cages into the wild, calling for spring.
March 30 (birch) are celebrated Brownie's name day - honoring the house owner and bringing him special requests. Orthodox Christians have a day on this date John of the Ladder. In Russia, it was customary to bake on this day "ladders (ladders) for the future ascent to heaven" from lean rye dough. The sizes, shapes and number of steps were very diverse, but usually there were 12 of them - "according to the number of months in a year." Also on this day, they tried in every possible way to appease the "furious" until midnight (or until the first roosters) Brownie.
April (Tsveten, Kveten)
3 April (bloom) a holiday is celebrated Waterpol(Vodyanoy's name day)- the awakening of the Watermen and mermaids after a winter sleep, the beginning of the ice drift and the flood of the rivers. At the time of dual faith in Russia, this day was celebrated Nikita Vodopol. On this day, the fishermen brought the demand to the Waterman, noted: "If the ice doesn't break that day, the fish catch will be poor." At midnight, they came to the water and treated the Waterman, drowning someone else's horse: "Here's a housewarming present for you, grandfather: love, favor our family." For this occasion, the most worthless horse was bought. When the fishermen appease him with a good present, he lures large fish from other rivers to him, saves the fishermen from storms and drowning, and does not tear the nets and nonsense. If a suitable horse is not found, the fishermen endow Vodyany with a different gift - they pour oil into the river.
April 5(bloom)- warm winds, Stribog's grandchildren, bring spring warmth, interspersed with bad weather ... Spring warmth comes, crickets wake up. Slavs celebrate Stribog Veshny. Orthodox Christians celebrated on this day Fedula Vetrenika and Fyodor Vetrenitsa. The people said: “Fedul came - he blew with warmth”, “Fedul blew with a teplyak”, “Northern blows to Fedul, and it pulls warm from Fedul”, “Fedul came, a warm wind blew, opened the windows, heated the hut without yards”. If there was bad weather on Fedul, they said: "Now our Fedul blew his lips from the wind."
April 14 (bloom, bloom) celebrated Voronets (Raven Feast) - a holy day dedicated to the Prophetic Raven. Croaking over the house where they do not live according to the Law, Raven, as the messenger of the Kochny God, calls on the wicked Navia punishment. To the wise, Raven, as a supporter of Veles, brings Living and Dead Water in his beak and reveals the secrets of Life and Death ...
FROMApril 16 to 22 (bloom) are celebrated First Rusalia - a series of holy days preceding Yarila Veshny, magical week (week) dedicated to honoring the Virgin Leli- the young Goddess of Spring and virgin Nature, seething waters and awakened female water spirits - shoreline mermaids. About this time, maidens in long-sleeved shirts without amulets, like mermaids, perform a "twisted dance" in the fields, not allowing guys into their circle.
April 22 (sour, flowering)- celebration of the Slavic Women's Day - Lelnik. This holiday is not only the Russian folk analogue of the "generally accepted" March 8, but also a kind of continuation of Maslenitsa, since this is the time of a new appeal to the goddess Lele. Having fulfilled Maslenitsa, up to Lelnik, the Holiday - the name of the Goddess herself, Lelya stays in the Kingdom of her eldest (out of three) Mother - the goddess Frets. Calling Lelya on their own name day, the people meet Lelya, who is transformed in all her glory - thanks to her Mother - the Goddess of Love.
From April 22 (bloom) on May 10 (grass) a holiday is celebrated "Red hill", which starts with Lelnik and end with Mother Earth Day. This is a holiday of red spring, fun, round dances, symbolizing the meeting of boys and girls, the holiday of kisses and the beginning of sexual activity, akin to the fact that Spring is the beginning of a new life for all nature, it is also the first spring festivity of young girls. Krasnaya Gorka was not a fixed holiday of one day. The holiday lasted for several days or even weeks and therefore was a real event in the life of young people.
April 23(bloom) was considered the Day of Yarila ("Yarilo Veshny"). On this day, an important ceremony is held - "Unlocking the Earth", or in another way - ZaROD (birth). On this day, Yarila "unlocks" (fertilizes) Mother Cheese-Earth and releases dew, from which the rapid growth of herbs begins.
">">">">">">">April 30(sour, flowering) the last spring colds are ending and the "Rodonitsa". With the sunset, the beginnings are opened. On this day, they commemorate their ancestors, urge them to visit the earth: "Fly, dear grandfathers..." They go to the graves, bringing funeral gifts: pancakes, oatmeal jelly, millet porridge, painted Easter eggs. After the beginning, the feast begins: the warriors on the mountain "fight for the dead", showing their martial art. Colored eggs are rolled from a high mountain, competing. The winner is the one whose egg rolls the farthest without breaking. By midnight, on the same mountain, firewood is laid out for a large fire.
May (Traven)
May 1 (grass), midnight the holiday begins - Living Day. Alive (abbreviated form of the name Givena, or Ziewonia, which means "giving life") - the goddess of life, spring, fertility, birth, zhita-grain. Daughter frets, spouses Dazhbog. Goddess of Spring and Life in all its manifestations; the giver of the Life Force of the KIND, making all living things actually alive. She is the Goddess of the life-giving forces of nature, spring bubbling waters, the first green shoots; patroness of young girls and young wives. With the advent of Christianity, her cult replaced Paraskeva Friday.
From 1 to 7 May (grass) pass Spring Grandfathers(Navia Week)- a series of holy days preceding Earth Day, the week of commemoration of the Ancestors, when navia (souls of the dead) visit the living on Earth.
May 2 (grass) celebrate Sunrise Day. The celebration of the Day of Shoots begins on the tops of mountains or hills. On this day, they thanked Mother-Cheese-Earth and Yarila Svarozhich for the first sprouts in the fields. A few days ago, the earth was empty - and now everything comes to life right before our eyes, and from the top of the hill it is especially clearly visible. Everything begins to grow, bloom, smell with a very special spring smell, the nightingales sing. Spring has come to the Russian Land!
May 4 (grass) celebrated Mermaid day(Rusalkin Velikden), or Zelnik, which is usually moved to Thursday. On this day, mermaids are revered, special dew forms on the herbs, which is why they are considered healing. In the Kiev region on Rusalkin Thursday, at sunrise, the girls went to the field, having previously taken rye bread and sacred water with them. In the field, the girls shared the bread equally. Then each went to her father's harvest. There, on the edge of the field, she left that bread for the mawks - "to give birth to rye" ...
May 6 (grass) celebrated Day of Dazhbog or Dazhbog Veshny. Dazhbog- God of fertility and sunlight, life-giving force. The ancestor of the Slavs (according to the text of "The Tale of Igor's Campaign" the Slavs are Dazhbozh's grandchildren). According to Slavic legends, Dazhbog and Zhiva together revived the world after the Flood. Lada, Zhiva's mother, married Dazhbog and Zhiva. Then the betrothed gods gave birth to Arius, who, according to legend, became the progenitor of many Slavic peoples and tribes - Czechs, Croats, Kyiv glades.
May 7 (grass) celebrated span - Old Slavic holiday of the meeting of summer. On this day, protective rites of awakening the earth (in particular, the rite of ploughing) are performed, bringing strength, health and good luck. This is the holy day on which the goddess is resurrected Alive- and honored as a birthday girl. On this day, a sacred fire is lit, marking the beginning of summer. There are wide folk festivals, buffoons, games, round dances, songs and dances to traditional Slavic instruments: drum, kugikly, pipes, pipes.
May 9 (grass) celebrated Earth Day (Veshnee Makoshye) - a holy day when Mother Earth Cheese, awakened after a winter sleep, is honored as a birthday girl. It is believed that on this day the Earth "rests", so you can not plow, dig, harrow it, you can not stick stakes into it and throw knives. Especially revered on this day Veles and Makosh- earthly patrons. The Magi go out into the field, lie down on the grass and listen to the Earth.
From May 20 to May 30 (travnya) is celebrated "Breast Rosnoe" (Roda week). These days, the Magi made sacrifices and prayed to Rod for rain and a good harvest.
May 21 (grass) perform a special ceremony "Reindeer-Lennichi", which is designed to ensure the growth of flax so that it becomes taller.
From May 26 (grass) on June 2 (Sunday) are celebrated Green Christmas time(Second Rusalia)- a series of holy days preceding Yarila Wet, magical week , dedicated to seeing off spring and accompanying women's spirits - mermaids-bereginy. The time when to replace the young Virgo Lele mature woman comes - Wife Lada. About this time they see off Kostroma- Yarilin's sister, dipping her scarecrow (which is usually woven from grass and decorated with flowers) into the water, and then tearing it and scattering the remains across the field. This sacred action is performed by prophetic virgins, dressed in the guise of mermaids and long-sleeved shirts without amulets.
May 30 (grass) celebrated Spring snake - snake festival, which is celebrated during Green Christmas time; one of the Kologod Holy Days dedicated to Veles. Wedding of Veles and Alive. according to legend, about this time, the snakes, the panders of Velesov, come out into the world, bringing fertility to the Earth.
June (Kresen, Cherven)
June 4 (Chernya, Sunday) pan-Slavonic Yarilin Day or, in other words, Yarilo Wet. In early June, nature pleases the eye with a riot of colors. Yarilo opens the sky, and green herbs are filled with magical power. Spring is leaving, summer is coming. Before sunrise, they wash themselves with healing dew, go around the fields with bread, illuminate houses and gates. On this day, the Yarilo-Sun shows its strength. At the beginning, the Fire burns unusually hot. Semargl the Fire God helps his heavenly brother. After the day of Yarila, hot weather usually sets for seven days. That is why this holiday is also called Semik.
June 15 (black, Sunday) celebrated Stribog Day. On this day, they bring the demand to the wind - they scatter pieces of bread on all four sides around the house. Then flour or ashes from the bones of the sacrificial rooster are poured into the wind from a high place. On this day, it is especially forbidden to "throw words to the wind", although this is not welcome on other days.
From 19to June 24 (Sunday) pass Mermaid Days, in which an important cycle of rituals takes place, associated with the "seeing off the mermaids", the "egg charm", the "mermaid charm". Mermaid days pass after "Semik" (Yarilin Day). The clay calendar of the 4th century defines a special series of days immediately before Kupala, including the great holiday itself.
From 23 to 24 June(flint, worm) a great feast is celebrated "Kupala" timed to coincide with the day of the summer solstice (solstice). The start date of the festival can also be June 21 and 22. The holiday of the Sun and Water, which give rise to all living things, is the time of the flowering of the forces of Mother Nature. Orthodox Christians celebrated on June 24 the day of John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala). In the evening, when the setting sun does not yet touch the edge of the forest, the holiday begins. All the action takes place in a clearing near the river bank. A bonfire with a long pole in the middle is prepared in advance, on which a Kupala wheel with six spokes is mounted. Separately, they build a funeral steal (for a doll) and a small bather, through which the betrothed will jump. It should burn not far from the big bather, but in such a way that it would be possible to dance.
June 29 (Sunday, worm) celebrated Summer Svarozhye(Svarogov Day). On this day, the celebration of the Heavenly (Svarog) Fire and the Sun is performed, usually occurring at the very height of the summer heat ... This is one of those rituals and festivities that often passes us by in the bustle and fleetingness of everyday life. On the same date, Orthodox Christians had Peter's Day (Peter and Paul's Day).
July (Lipen)
July 5 (linden) are celebrated Name Day of the Month - a holiday dedicated to honoring the clear Moon and its highest patrons - Veles the Horned and Mary the Moon-faced. At the time of dual faith in Russia, this date was the day Athanasius of Athos. The people said: "Afanasiev Day - Months holiday". About this time they go out to look at the "playing" of the Moon. If the Moon is visible at sunrise, it seems to be running from place to place, or changing its color, or sometimes hiding behind the clouds, sometimes coming out from behind them. All this happens because the Moon celebrates its Name Day on this day. "Playing" of the Month is a happy omen: "On Athanasius, the Moon plays at sunrise - to the harvest."
July 12 (linden) celebrated Veles sheaf day. The days are killing and the heat is coming. From this day on, they begin to mow and make hay. "Mow the scythe while the dew is down with the dew, and we are home!" On this day, the first tied sheaf was revered, into which, as the mowers believed, the spirit of the field, and hence the spirit of Veles, passed during mowing. These days they stopped plowing and began to prepare for winter sowing. There was this proverb: "To plow until Veles' day, to harrow it until Perun's day, to sow until the Savior." On this date, it is the same Election of victims of Perun. Prepare for the Day of Perun (20 lipen) 8 days. Eight days before that day, lots are thrown (features, to determine the victim, and cuts, to determine its quantity).
July 19 (black, lime) celebrated Summer Makosh(Summer Mokrids)- Holy Mokosh-Mokrina. At the time of dual faith in Russia, Makrinin (Mokrinin) day was celebrated on this day. The people noted: “If Mokrida is wet, then autumn is also, Mokrida is dry - and autumn is dry”, “If it’s wet on Mokrida, then it’s a rainy season”, “A bucket on Mokrida is dry autumn”, “If it’s raining on Mokrida - all autumn it will be rainy, and there will be no nuts - everything will get wet. Summer Mokrid Day is also considered important for the next year: "If it rains on Mokrid, rye will be born next year."
July 20 (linden, chervnia) the great military holiday is celebrated - Perunov Day; the great Holy Day of all the warriors-defenders of the NATIVE Earth, as well as all honest radar-plowmen. According to popular beliefs, evil spells are washed away by rain on this day - "dashing ghosts" (evil eye and damage) and many diseases.
July 27 (black, lime) a holiday is celebrated Chura (Palikopa, Polykopne) - God of protection, protection of property, watchman of clan customs, patron of borders, hearth. The Slavs remember their foolish ancestors to take care of our bread, to keep not only our sheaves, but also our Russia and centuries-old great culture. On this day Churu is brought with milk. A hole is dug at the boundary stone and milk is poured into it. On the Chura holiday, you cannot work away from home. The owner must be in his yard, thereby honoring Chur.
August (Serpen, Zhniven)
1 august (sickle) the First Savior is celebrated, which is popularly called honey or wet. The name "honey" is explained by the fact that it was at this time that the bees stop collecting nectar from flowers, the honeycombs in the hives are filled to capacity and the beekeepers begin to collect honey, while the first honeycombs donated to departed spirits, in remembrance of deceased parents. On this day, according to folk tradition, the holy e honey of the new collection, its use in food is blessed - they bake honey gingerbread, pancakes with poppy seeds and honey, pies, buns, buns with poppy seeds.
August 6 (sickle) called Apple Savior, since at the beginning of August the picking of apples and vegetables begins, while until that day it was forbidden to eat garden apples. "The second Savior has come - it's an hour for everything: the fruits are ripening", "The Savior is not without supplies." Orthodox Christians celebrated the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord on this day. There was a belief among the people that the one who eats an apple before the Savior, the dead children will not receive an apple in Iria (Paradise).
August 8 (serpenya) celebrated windmill(Stribog Summer)- violent winds, Stribog's grandchildren, bring the first news of the coming autumn ... At the time of dual faith in Russia, this date was the day Myron Vetrogon. According to signs, strong winds blow on this day. The people were talking about it: "The wind-running myrons drive dust along the road, they moan along the red flying hole", "The wind-running winds drove the dust around the wide world, wept in the red summer", "What is Myron the Windrunner, such is January."
August 15 (serpenya, stubble) the feast of the end of the harvest is celebrated, which is popularly called Backs. On this day, they thank Dazhbog Trisvetly and Mother Cheese-Earth for the harvest, bring the requirements of Makosh (Mother of the Harvest) and braid Veles's "beard" on the field from the last ears. Orthodox Christians celebrated the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos on this day. By August 9, the harvest ends on most of the Slavic Land, hence the name of the holiday - Spozhinki(dozhinki, crimps).
FROMAugust 15 to 28 (serpenya) celebrated Ladino Poletier - "young Indian summer", a series of holy days dedicated to the Goddess Lada, one of the last warm days of summer.
August 16 (sickle) the Third Savior is celebrated, which was popularly called bread, because on this day for the first time they baked pies from the bread of the new crop. The people also called this holiday "Savior on the canvas" or "Savior on Canvas" ("Canvas Savior"), because in the places of large fairs from the day of the third Savior, a linen auction began, the sale of linen and canvases. They called the Third Spas and walnut, for by this day the hazelnuts were ripe and their collection began with subsequent harvesting.
August 18 (sickle) a holiday is celebrated "Khoroyar" - the day of honoring two solar brothers, Khors and Yarila - the patrons of horses. In the era of dual faith in Russia, the day of Flora (Frol) and Lavra, the patrons of horses, was celebrated to this day: "On Frol and Lavr - a horse holiday", "I begged Frol and Lavr - wait for the horses to be good."
August 22 (serpenya, stubble) are celebrated Leshy's name day - honoring the Forest Master and bringing him special requests. At the time of dual faith in Russia, this date was the day Agathon Ogumennik. According to popular beliefs, on the night of Agathon, Leshy (if he is not appeased first) scatters sheaves on the threshing floor and generally does all sorts of atrocities, celebrating his Name Day. The people said: "On Agathon Leshy comes out of the forest into the field." In some provinces, to prevent the fun of Leshy, the peasants guarded the threshing floor all night long with a poker in their hands and in sheepskin coats turned inside out in order to protect themselves from mischief being committed by Leshy.
September (Veresen, Ryuen)
From 1 to 7 September (spring) celebrated Makoshino Poletye - "old Indian summer", a series of holy days dedicated to the Goddess Mokosh the Ancestor, the last warm days of the outgoing summer. Orthodox Christians celebrated September 1 Simeon Pilot. People talked about it like this: "Semyon sees off summer, Indian summer begins."
September 8 and 9 (Ryuenya, Veresenya) a holiday is celebrated ROD and Rozhanits (Osenins, Ospozhinki) dedicated to the harvest and related family well-being. Summing up time. Autumn meeting - honoring Makoshi like Mother Osenina. On this day, they bring the requirements of the Family of the All-Keeper (All-God) and the Family of Heaven (our Ancestors-Ancestors), and also glorify the KIND of the Earth (all relatives in govern living): "Glory to God (ROD) forever, praise to us for deeds" ... Orthodox Christians celebrated the Nativity of the Virgin on this day. Autumn holidays were celebrated, as a rule, by the water and without fail with oatmeal bread. The people said: "If the weather on the Malaya Immaculate (Mother of God) is good, the autumn will be good."
September 14 (Veresen, Ryuen) celebrated Autumn Serpentine - autumn snake festival; one of the holy days of Kologod, dedicated to Veles. Wedding of Veles and Mary. Orthodox Christians celebrated on this day Exaltation of the Cross (Simeon the Stylite). In the folk calendar, this day was associated with the beginning of autumn work and the end of the harvest. It is believed that from this day the departure of birds begins, the bear goes to the den, and the snakes celebrate the wedding of their king, after which they begin to hibernate.
September 20 (spring) celebrated leaf breaker, or Stribog Autumn. On this day, cold winds, Stribog's grandchildren, bring autumn cold, interspersed with the last warm days. At the time of dual faith in Russia, this date was the day of Eustace (Astafia) the leaf slayer.
21 September (ryuenya, springtime) celebrated Svarog Day - holiday of the Heavenly Smith, God Svarog. The rites of closing Svarga (interruption of the living connection between Heaven and Earth) have already passed. Frost fetters the earth from the abyss, the influence of the bright Gods decreases. The land remains in the care of Veles. So that people could survive the difficult (winter) time, Svarog gave them the art of iron forging, from which they can make all kinds of hunting and labor tools. Therefore, blacksmiths, carpenters and all craftsmen are especially honored on this day. From that day on, chickens are slaughtered, and the first ones are sacrificed to Svarog.
September 24 (Vesenya, Ryuenya) Slavs celebrate a great holiday - Radogoshch (Tausen), timed to coincide with the autumn equinox. The harvest is harvested, the autumn sun is Svetovit no longer hot, the trees are preparing for winter sleep, throwing off their beautiful outfits.
October (Leaf fall, Yellow)
October 1 (leaf fall) the holiday of the meeting of Autumn with Winter is celebrated, popularly called Cover. The roots of this festival goes very deep into the original pagan Russia, and, perhaps, was called earlier First or Small Autumn Svarog. On this day, Svarog covers the Earth with a fallen leaf and calls the Light Gods to Heaven (to Svarga). On the ground - the end of autumn round dances and games, the beginning of winter maiden gatherings and weddings.
October 4 (leaf fall) are celebrated Seeing Leshy - farewell to the Forest Master until next spring and thanksgiving for all his gifts collected in the forest over the summer. Leshy is the personified soul of the forest. When winter comes, Leshy and the forest subject to him fall asleep. However, the belief that Leshy sleep all winter until spring was not widespread in Russia everywhere.
From October 21 to October 27 (leaf fall, yellow) are celebrated Autumn grandfathers (Navya Week) - a series of holy days preceding the Autumn Makosh, a week (week) of commemoration of the Ancestors, feasts and other funeral rites. Seeing the souls of the Ancestors to Iriy (until next spring), which, strengthening the Heavenly Clan, become Spirits - Guardians of the Earth Clan.
28 of October (leaf fall, yellow)[on the Friday closest to November 1] is celebrated Autumn Makosh (Autumn Mokrids) - a holy day when Mother Earth Cheese and Empress Water "fall asleep" until next spring. About this time, they bring trebes and ask them for forgiveness for "everything that they have annoyed" them in the year that is ending. This holy day is also dedicated to the Mother Makoshi- The Heavenly spinner, the Lady of Fates, the Holder of the Coil Threads (Threads of Fates) of all things.
From October 31 (leaf fall) to November 1 (breast)- enchanting Velesova (Marina) Night, when Belobog finally gives the Kolo Goda to Chernobog, and the Gates of Navi until the first roosters (or until dawn) are wide open in Yav. The next day (November 1) is sometimes called Marina Day.
November (Breast)
November 1 (breast) celebrated Svarogov Day, the day of God Svarog, who is the Forefather of the whole kind of Gods. It was he who forged the first plow and a golden wedding ring for the Russians, therefore he is a heavenly blacksmith (Creator of the World and people), the patron of agriculture and marriage, and also the God of the Heavenly Zodiac - Circles of Svarogy.
From 1 to 7 November (breast) celebrated Second, or Great Autumn Svarozhye, also called Svarozhkami - a series of holy days dedicated to Svarog, Forge Heavenly and the Father of the Light Gods - Svarozhich. Svarog week (week). It's time for the final "closing" of Svarga, as well as the time when the Earth begins to be shackled by ice for the winter. A rooster is sacrificed at the temple.
November 21 (breast)- the arrival of Morena-Zima, the day of the Slavic goddess of death Madder . The vile weather sets in: it is drizzling, sleet is falling, a cold wind is blowing, slush underfoot. At the beginning, no praises are pronounced. Obavnitsa proclaims: "And neither Mara nor the trouble can be glorified."
November 24 (breast) the feast of the Goddess of Fate is celebrated (maiden initiation) - Holy Doli . Girls tell fortunes about their spouses. It was on the day of Fate that the girls arranged the main fortune-telling. It was believed that it was on the night before this holiday that, by completely simple signs, one could recognize the betrothed, as well as how life would develop in the next few years and how to get around the evil fate (share). Evening parties. Pregnant women pray to the Goddess for a good and easy birth.
November 30 (breast) celebrated Kalita - bachelor dedication. Holiday of bachelor fate - guys choose a couple. On this day, young guys are initiated into adult guys and accepted into a bachelor society. Young guys jump to Kalita, joining the feminine principle of nature. Evening parties (musical evenings and concerts) are held.
December (Stuzhen)
December 4 (cold) a holiday is celebrated "Vesta". The dawn (dawn) is revered, which symbolizes the struggle between light and dark forces.
December 6 (cold) celebrated Veles-Moroz meeting (Winter Veles) - a holy day when they meet Veles in his winter guise - in the form of Santa Claus. Holiday of Frost, Winter, snow and cold. Frost is also the patron of all winter activities that take place outside the home. Since he is the Son of Veles and Madder, then this day is often marked by thaws. In the evening of this day, feasts are held, at which quarrels are reconciled. Festive Strava (food): Braga, kvass, pies.
December 9 (breast) celebrated day of Dazhbog and Marena. Orthodox Christians celebrated on this day Yuri Kholodny, or Winter Egor. On Yuri, according to folk legend, real winter frosts begin: "Winter eyes with snow amuses, and ears with cold tears." It can be seen that, unable to endure the cold, the bears bury themselves in Yuri's dens, and the wolves will visit the village backyards. Yuri was considered among the people the patron saint of wolves, therefore not one wolf will slaughter (bite) cattle without Yuri's command.
December 24 (breast) celebrated Korochun is the shortest day and longest night of the year. The triumph of Chernobog and Marena. The Koshny God "shorts" the outgoing year. Celebrated the day before carols(Winter Solstice). The beginning is carried out by the priests Chernobog.
December 25 (cold) celebrated Kolyada - one of the most important holy days of Kologod, timed to coincide with the Winter Solstice (Solstice). On this day, a new sun-baby Khors (God of the Solar Face and the Winter Sun) is born and therefore the Khorsov Holiday is celebrated. About this time, they perform a rite of renewal - the revival of Fire, and burn sacred bonfires on the tops of the hills all night, "helping" the newborn Sun. They also feed kutya (funeral grass) Frost, carol and sing carol songs.
From December 25 (cold) to January 6 (cold) are celebrated Big Veles Christmas time - twelve holy days, symbolizing the twelve months of the year (six light ones - a light half-year, and the other six dark ones - a dark half-year), starting from the eve carols(Kolyada itself is not included in the number of holy days) and until Turits (Vodokres). An enchanting time, when the light of the new Sun is still too weak to disperse the darkness (as it was at the time when Svarog was still forging the Earth's Firmament), and the Gates connecting Yav and Nav are wide open. This is the time to commemorate the ancestors-ancestors - Navi grandfathers, caroling, ritual excesses, various fortune-telling, wide folk festivals and youth gatherings.
December 31 (breast) celebrated Schedrets (Generous Evening) - the last day of Christmas time, which is famous for its lavenders and festive feast. At the time of dual faith in Russia, Christmas time was divided into two parts: lasting from carols to Shchedrets, and Terrible (Vorozhnye) evenings that lasted until Turits. Yuletide evenings (especially Terrible) were considered by the people as a time when devilry walks.
R section development: Yarisvet (structure, texts) and Lynx (postcards, buttons, logos).
AT We express our sincere gratitude for the help: Magus Veleslav and Vadim Kazakov (for the provided texts), Ragnar (for photos of holidays), Bratimilu (for the video of the festivities) and to all other honest people who helped us in our work for the benefit of the common cause - the revival of the native Slavic culture and the faith of our ancestors.
Traditional Slavic pagan holidays are associated with nature and the events taking place in it, they contain and conceal a deep sacred essence and meaning.
January (prosinets).
1-6 - Hair days. Otherwise they are called wolf days. These days you need to pray to the patron saint of cattle - the God of Hair and cattle. Protect the herd these days from the excesses of wolves, bring gratitude to your animals for feeding us from time immemorial.
3 - Memorial Day of the legendary Princess Olga. Today is a toast in honor of the great pagan Olga. She glorified her name through the ages with her deeds worthy of memory and glory - she avenged the Drevlyans for her murdered husband, gave birth to the Great Prince Svyatoslav and united Russia.
6- Turists. Feast of Yar-Tur, a bull symbolizing fertility and vitality. On this day, people put on bull masks and dance. Young people play Turkish - fun games. This day is the end of the New Year holidays.
8 - Babi Kashi. Day of midwives - midwives. In Russia, it was customary to go to midwives on this holiday, treat them to vodka, pancakes, and give gifts. It was believed that if a young woman makes a gift to a midwife, then she (the girl) will have a healthy and strong child.
18 - Day of Intra (lord of snakes). Intra, according to Slavic mythology, is the god of clouds, snakes, wells, and springs. Identified with Naviu (spirit of the dead). At night, the sorcerers were supposed to speak chimneys - pipes through which Nav could enter the house. Intra is a dungeon dweller, so it was necessary to say: “If the Sun is in the sky, then Intra is in Navi.” Intra patronizes warriors, personifying courage, strength and valor.
21 - Prosinets. The middle of winter, the return of the sun's warmth to the earth. Prosinets was celebrated with water blessing. The Slavs bathed in cold reservoirs, laid rich tables. Among other foods, dairy products - milk, cottage cheese, curdled milk, cheeses and others - must have been on the table.
30 - Day of Santa Claus and the Snow Maiden's fun. Symbolic end of winter. On this day, it is customary to tell stories about Santa Claus and his daughter, the Snow Maiden.
February (section)
10 - Kudesy, Velesichi. Brownie Day. On the most important holidays of the Slavs, this day you need to make offerings to the brownie to appease him. A pot of porridge was left behind the stove, after wrapping it up and overlaying it with hot coals so that the food would not cool down by the time the brownie arrived. “Grandfather neighbor! Help yourself, eat porridge, and save our hut from evil! Eat pies, but take care of the master's house! The brownie helps the family, where he is valued. This is a good spirit, sometimes a little harmful. On the contrary, if you do not feed your "master", he begins to run amok and causes a lot of trouble to the residents.
15 - Candlemas. Border between winter and spring. If it gets warmer at the Meeting, wait for early spring. On the contrary, a cold day - to a cold spring. At the Candlemas, commoners set fire to each other's hair on their heads, believing that this was a good remedy for headaches. Hair should be set on fire crosswise, using Sretensky candles. On this day, they bake round golden pancakes, symbolizing the sun, make fires, dance and have fun.
18 - Winter Troyan. Day of Military Glory. On this day, something heroic is done, fraught with danger, but for the benefit of the Motherland or for the family. They remember the fallen soldiers at the table.
29 - Day of Kashchei Chernobog. Kashchei is the lord of Navi (the dead), Hell and Darkness. God of death, destruction, hatred and cold. The embodiment of everything black, crazy and evil. The world of the Slavs is divided into two halves, good and bad.
March (dry). Popular spring pagan holidays of the Slavs
1-Navi day (weed). Day of the Dead among the ancient Slavs. Today, the people invite their ancestors to the festive table, making sacrifices. Vyunitsy - one of the four prayers to the ancestors.
3 - Memorial Day of Prince Igor. The pagan prince kept Byzantium - the center of Christianity - in fear, went to Constantinople. The Varangians helped him fight enemies and manage the principality. Their cruel and greedy actions killed Igor - he was killed by the Drevlyans during the polyud.
21 - Maslenitsa. Today people celebrate the Spring Equinox, the end of winter, the ancient Maslenitsa. On this day, you should have fun, feast, dress up. Pancakes, fritters and pryazets are baked on Maslenitsa, symbolizing the Sun.
24 - Komeditsy. One of the oldest pagan holidays. Today they pray to the Bear God and make sacrifices to the Big Honey Beast - the bear. It is believed that this day was a continuation of the Olive Week.
April (berezozol)
7th Day of Goddess Karna. The second day of prayer to the dead ancestors, the day of the goddess of lamentations and lamentation. At the gates of houses on this day it was customary to burn bonfires and burn rags, old things and so on on them. “... by that fire, the souls passing by are warmed ...”. There should be kutya and water for the dead on the table.
22 - Leli's holiday. Lelya was one of the main ancient Slavic goddesses. On this day, toasts are made in her honor.
May (grass)
1 - Rodonitsa. This day is named after the god Rod, the patron of the family and the universe. Day of remembrance and the third prayer to the ancestors. Today they give vodka, beer and food to the dead. The commemorators call their dead to the table - to drink, eat at the funeral feast.
20-30 - Dewy breast. These days they made sacrifices to the Family, praying for a good harvest.
June (Sunday) - summer pagan holidays of the Slavs
4 - Yarilin Day. Fertility Day, Yarila - the god of the Sun. On this day, the Slavs organized mass games and dances, which were accompanied by voluptuous body movements and a loud cry.
19-24 - Mermaid week. The deities of reservoirs and rivers are glorified - Mermaids. A lot of divination, legends and legends are associated with this week. It is customary to tell scary stories and fairy tales. It is believed that the spirits of drowned people can fly freely over lakes and fields at this time.
24 - Kupala. This day is marked as a holiday of the Summer Solstice and human sacrifice to the Lizard (Yashche) - the owner of the underwater world. It is customary to gather in a crowd at night, have fun, sing songs, guess, dance. Bonfires are kindled near the reservoirs, rituals are performed and Kupala is drowned in the river. The victim was later replaced with a doll made from straw.
July (worm)
3 - Day of the pagan prince - Great Svyatoslav
Prince Svyatoslav waged war with Byzantium. He was contemptuous of Christianity. Having seized the lands from the Volga to the Danube (from the Khazar Belaya Vezha to the Balkan lands), he threw back the Pechenegs and stopped the penetration of Christianity. However, during the siege of Constantinople, due to the presence of Christians in the army, he fails.
20 - Perunov Day
Warriors consecrate weapons, sing songs, glorifying Perun, the patron saint of knights. On this day, a sacrificial bull or a rooster is slaughtered (the plumage of the bird should be uniform, red). They commemorate the Slavic soldiers who fell in battle. They drink kvass, beer, red wine, eat beef, chicken, cereals.
August (serpen)
7 - Grain Harvest Festival
Backs. The harvesting and processing of grain crops is coming to an end. People feast, consecrate apples, honey, grain. There should be no beef dishes on the table.
21 - Day of Stribog - Lord of the Winds
According to legend, Stribog lives in the Okiyane Sea, on the island of Buyan. Every day he creates seventy-seven winds, which he blows in different directions. The Slavs were very wary of various manifestations of the air elements. For example, in order to prevent the formation of tornadoes, they called Perun for help, beat the wind with sticks, threw knives and stones at it. For the winds - the children of Stribog, names were invented that reflect their essence: Midnighter, Midday, Siverko, Posvist, Podaga. To appease Stribog, people scattered rags and bright ribbons, grain, cereals, flour in the wind, hoping for a rich harvest.
September (spring)
2-Day of memory of Prophetic Oleg
The history of Rus, a Viking, is mysterious and instructive. The Chud Magi predicted his death from their horse - which happened after Oleg's horse fell. Prophetic Oleg became famous for taking a large ransom from Byzantium, which he defeated, after which he hung his shield on the gates of Constantinople.
8 - Rod and Woman in Childbirth
On the eighth of September falls a holiday honoring family well-being. It begins with the glorification of Lada, Rod and Lelya, proceeds to the rite of the “funeral of flies”. A fly is placed in a domina from carrots, in its absence a mosquito, wasp or cockroach, and in a solemn atmosphere it is carried away to a wasteland, where it burrows into a grave in order to numb the insect until the warm season.
After the funeral, it is time for the next ceremony - the hunt for the so-called "moose". Two young girls dressed as moose cows run away into the forest. Guys - hunters should catch them. One “moose cow” is left, the second one is brought to the temple, where they are scolded for running away, and released.
The holiday is completed by a birthday cake (food during the ceremony: beef, oatmeal, berry wine, cheese, cottage cheese, eggs) and games.
A round dance around the oldest woman begins the game. In the hands of a woman is oatmeal bread, which is then distributed for the healing of pets and people. After the end of the Slavic holiday, Indian summer comes.
8 - Holiday Lada
Lada and Lelya (her daughters) were asked for permission to invite holidays honored by the Slavs in spring.
The next time the goddess was disturbed about the beginning of summer work in the field.
The rest of the rituals were devoted to prayers for rain, the feast of young greenery, the first shoots and the first ripened ears. On the red hill, the girls played the game "And we sowed millet, sowed."
The game was played on a hill called the red hill. Divided into two groups, the players sang songs.
One group sang songs about sowing millet, the other performed works about trampling it. Trampling meant threshing bread.
Often in the middle of summer and closer to the beginning of autumn, young people agreed to marry, but the wedding was played after the completion of field work.
The last Slavic holiday associated with Lada was the solstice. It fell on September 8-9 according to the old style (the 22nd in a new way).
9 - Autumn
These are Slavic harvest festivals dedicated to the completion of the harvest, which was supposed to provide for the family for the coming year. Autumn was met with a renewal of fire. The old fire was extinguished and a new one was mined with blows of flint.
During the "autumn" all activities were transferred from the fields to the garden or to the house, vegetables were harvested. On the day of the Nativity of the mother of the Blessed Virgin, a treat was arranged for all family members. The flour of the new crop was used to make a pie, beer was brewed, to which a sheep or ram was slaughtered. During the holiday, Mother-Cheese-Earth was glorified for the birth of bread and other gifts.
14 - Day of the Fiery Magus
Holidays of the SlavsIn the ancient Slavs, the Fiery Volkh is the courageous god of war, the husband of Lelya, born from the connection of the Mother-Damp-Earth and Indrik the beast.
Having matured, Volkh killed his father and gained his power over the dark forces. His plans included the conquest of the kingdom of heaven and the entire universe. He possessed not only incredible strength, but also cunning.
Volkh turned into a falcon, entered the heavenly garden in order to peck golden apples and thereby gain immortality and power over the world. But in the garden he listened to Lely's singing and, having forgotten about everything, became her secret lover.
Volkh belonged to the underworld and could not become Lely's husband. Lely's sisters, not wanting the Volkh-falcon to fly to her at night, pierced the window with needles. Volkh injured his wings and was forced to return to his kingdom.
Soon Lelya went in search of him. After trampling three pairs of iron shoes, breaking three cast-iron staffs, and chewing three loaves of granite stone, Lelya found Volkh. She delivered him from the power of the underworld, and the formidable power-hungry god became her husband and protector of the heavenly world.
14 - Closing of Svarga
The closure of Svarga falls on the period when the goddess Zhiva leaves the earth, and Winter and Frost gain their strength. At this time, the harvest season is coming to an end, people are turning to Zhiva with gratitude. It was she who sent fertility to the earth and did not let her die of hunger. From that day on, the spirits of the ancestors cease to descend to earth.
Birds fly south. The Slavs firmly believed that birds made their way to the upper world, where they met with the souls of the dead. Most people turn to the birds and ask them to send a message to the dead.
21 - Svarog Day
Upon completion of the closing rites of Svarga (the termination of communication between the Earth and Heaven), the Day of Svarog comes - the Great Feast of the Heavenly Forge. The bright gods are weakening, the earth is fettered by frost. Now Veles takes care of the Earth. Svarog gives people an ax and crafts so that they can survive a difficult time. All craftsmen are especially honored, chickens are slaughtered and the first of them are presented to Svarog as a sacrifice.
In a rented hut, the girls arrange a brotherhood. They invite guys to a party, where the bride is considered the mistress of the house. Kissing games, magical and scary tales reign at the evenings.
27 – Rodogoshch
When the whole crop is harvested, it shines, but not the holidays that are significant for the Slavs, the sun bakes, sheds leaves and trees prepare for winter sleep, the Slavs celebrate Rodogoshch. For the holiday, a huge cake is baked. In the old days, it was equal to human height, a priest hid behind it with the question: “Do you see me?”
In response to a positive answer, the priest wished that next year a more plentiful harvest would be harvested and that it would be possible to bake an even larger cake.
After the conception and fortune-telling for the next year, the feast began with a mountain. The dishes on the table were set in a slide, which gradually decreased.
On this day, one could hear a fairy tale about a miracle hero and the underworld. The meaning of the tale was reduced to a reminder of the approaching winter and the fading sun.
To conduct the rite of purification with the onset of darkness, a fire was lit, through which it was necessary to jump. With the song "Yazhe, even trampling!" - the priests walked on hot coals with bare feet.
Merry games served as the ending of the holiday.
October (leaf fall)
14 - Cover
With the introduction of Christianity, this holiday was celebrated in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the people it is customary to consider the Pokrov as the day of the meeting of Autumn with Winter. The holiday owes its name to the first frost, which by this time had already completely covered the entire earth. The end of the field work and the Pokrov coincided. From that time on, they began to heat in the huts and weavers with spinners began their work.
The brownie went to bed that day, and the inhabitants of the hut performed the ritual "Baking Corners". To keep the spirit of the house full and warm, pancakes were baked. The first pancake was torn into four parts and carried as an offering to all corners of the hut. At this time, the girls turned to Lada with a request for marriage. And so the bachelorette party began.
28 - Mokosh-Friday Day
Makosh (Makosha) - the protector of girls and women, the goddess of marriages and childbirth, in her subordination is a craft - yarn. For a long time, she has been approached with a request for easy childbirth and healthy children.
The metal of the goddess is silver, the stone is pure rock crystal, and the animal is a cat. A ball of wool, yarn and spindle is a symbol of the goddess. Her servants are spiders, so a web that has flown in is a good omen. Amulet - a rope on the right wrist, also has a connection with Makosha.
On Mokosh Day, women were forbidden to do housework, bathe children and bathe themselves. For disobedience, the goddess could punish - tear the canvas, tangle the threads on the spindle and even send diseases.
November (chest)
25 – Madder
On the day of November 25, the weather is disgusting: slush, piercing wind, cold rain with snow. On this day, health resorts are not pronounced, sacrifices are not made, fire is not kindled. People show Marena that they are not afraid of her. They come to the swamp and extinguish burning smuts in the water.
In food on this day are used: turnips, carrots, pancakes and jelly.
December (student)
3 - Memorial Day of the Russian knight Svyatogor
In the boyar burial mound Gulbishche, the Slavic holidays - the day of the Holy Mountain, the great Russian hero Svyatogor, found his last refuge. His exploits date back to the time of the first military clashes with the Pechenegs. His armor and weapons reached truly enormous sizes. They are almost twice as large as usual.
In the epic about Ilya Muromets, the hero Svyatogor is described colorfully and vividly. Of course, his size in this work was exaggerated, but the indisputable fact is that this giant really walked on our Earth and fought for it.
22 – Karachun
Karachun (Chernobog) is celebrated on December 22. It is believed that this is the shortest day in the whole year and one of the worst days of winter. Karachun - the deity of death, commanding frost.
Bears-rods are servants of Karachun, snowstorms turn into them, and according to legend, blizzards turn into wolves. It was believed that the cold winter lasts as long as the bear sleeping in the den wishes. When the bear turned over on the other side, exactly half of the winter passed.
The concept of "karachun" in the sense of death among the people is alive today. The word "carat" means to move backwards. Apparently, the "karachun" was nicknamed so because it seemed to make the daytime move back, give way to the night. In the end, in the minds of the people, Karachun approached frost and became the usual lord of the winter cold.
25 – Kolyada
In the winter Christmas time, on December 25, Kolyada was celebrated. holidays of the ancient SlavsOnce Kolyada was an influential deity. Kolyada was dedicated to the days before the New Year. Games were arranged in her honor, which later turned into Christmas time. The ban on the worship of Kolyada came out on December 24, 1684.
On the eve of the New Year, children went out caroling under the windows of wealthy peasants. In the songs, the name of Kolyada was repeated, the owner of the house was magnified, at the end of the singing the children asked for money.
The remnants of the ancient holiday are manifested in holy games and fortune-telling. Some rituals have been preserved among the people, and are gaining popularity today.
31 - Shchedrets
On the last day of New Year's Eve, according to the old style, a holiday is celebrated - "Schedrets". It is famous for its birthday cake and bounty. On the table there are dishes of pork, which means fertility.
Before proceeding to the pie, the people amuse themselves with lavish treats. The mummers are present in the same composition as in Kolyada. Carolers go to houses or gatherings of people who sing: “Generous evening! Good evening!"
The carolers beg for gifts from the owners of the house, complaining that, they say, they came from afar and now the goat's legs hurt. The hosts laugh it off, and then the mummers perform generosity with comic threats. It is considered a great shame not to give gifts to carolers; a “curse” is sent to the greedy owners.
With a full bag of gifts, carolers rush home and prepare for the meeting of everyone's favorite holiday - the New Year.
When people depend on weather changes for almost everything, it is not surprising that most of their beliefs are also related to nature. The main reference points in the calendar of Slavic holidays were the astronomical onset of winter, summer and autumn with spring. The solstice and equinox were the most important events for the farmer. The arrival of Christianity in Russia led to strong changes in customs, much has disappeared forever from the memory of the people, but some traces can still be found. Interest in the ancient Slavic holidays is growing again, and young people are again interested in the history of their ancestors. Those who understand that the complete loss of ancient knowledge is a disaster for the nation are right.
Main Slavic holidays
This holiday is also known as Kolyada and was always celebrated on the winter solstice, when the shortest day of the year came. The God of the newborn Sun had to be worshiped and performed rituals with songs. People were already sure that even if terrible frosty days come further, then all one luminary will shine stronger every day and summer will gradually come.
The period when these winter Slavic pagan holidays took place was the most optimal for mystical rituals. Therefore, it was on this that a huge number of various divinations were made. There were special conspiracies for beauty, for money, helping the beauties to recognize the long-awaited betrothed.
Maslenitsa (week before Lent)
Seeing off winter among the people was arranged for, the time of which is now strictly dependent on Easter. This is another evidence of how Slavic rituals smoothly transformed into Christian holidays. In the astronomical concept, Maslenitsa falls on the last week of winter, and its date is completely connected with the movement of the star. Usually people made a large scarecrow dressed up in women's clothing, symbolizing this funny character. The week was spent in games, sledding, theatrical performances, fist fights, visits. The main attribute of the holiday are delicious pancakes, reminiscent of the shape of the sun. A sad fate awaited the effigy of Maslenitsa, it was solemnly burned, calling for the arrival of spring with songs.
The next Slavic holidays in Russia came on the spring equinox and symbolized the meeting of a warm spring. As the Red Hill in each village, a convenient hill was chosen, where, according to the beliefs of the ancestors, the souls of the dead should flock. The Slavs believed that they appeared in the form of birds and therefore scattered food for birds here. Tables with dishes were set up on the mountain and feasts were arranged so that the ancestors could feast with them on this holiday.
This period is also great for divination, like winter Christmas time. It was believed that the sky is open on this day, which means that you can get all the answers from the Forces of Nature to burning questions. Swimming on magical days dedicated to the goddesses of the reservoirs was not recommended. Green Christmas time lasts a week and ends on the summer solstice.
It was on this Slavic holiday that the famous Kupala divination and bathing in the river were held. Young people jumped over large fires and had fun in round dances, and girls of marriageable age traditionally launched wreaths into the water, trying to find out their fate. Astronomical summer has arrived.
In some villages, during the Indian summer, comic funerals of flies in gourd coffins or the expulsion of cockroaches from the hut were arranged. At the end of the harvest, women were free to do lighter agricultural work in the form of urinating, smashing hemp, drying flax, and weaving linen. 
Young guys came to help rural beauties in this work. Women who thought about their future daughter-in-law arranged home feasts for young people, where the guy could look after his betrothed.
On the Harvest Festival, pies were to be baked so that the next year would also be successful. In the hut, the fire was necessarily renewed, first extinguishing the hearth, and then solemnly kindling a new flame. In the astronomical concept, autumn was coming, and people said goodbye to the warm summer with this Slavic holiday. Traditionally, huge bonfires were lit in nature and large round dances were held around them.
1.01 - 1 Cold - Slavic New Year. New Year - The only Slavic holiday that is celebrated at the state level in the Slavic states is the New Year. Once upon a time, the god of severe cold Morok walked through the villages, sending hard frosts. The villagers, wanting to protect themselves from the cold, put gifts on the window: pancakes, jelly, cookies, kutya. Now Morok has turned into a sort of kind old man Santa Claus, who distributes gifts himself. It became so quite recently, in the middle of the 19th century. By the way, there is a deep ritual meaning in decorating the Christmas tree: according to legend, the spirits of ancestors live in evergreens. Therefore, decorating the fir tree with sweets, we bring gifts to our ancestors.
Such is the ancient custom. New Year, like Shchedrets, is a family holiday. On this day, it is better to visit your relatives. During the celebration of the New Year, spells were cast for the whole next year and at the same time fortune-telling about the future was made. The number 12 is most often found precisely in New Year's rituals: 12 "elders" leading the ritual, 12 sheaves, according to which they guess about the future harvest in the beginning year, water from 12 wells for fortune-telling; the sacred fire "badnyak" burns for 12 days (six days at the end of the old year and six at the beginning of the new).
The solemn cycle of New Year's rituals began with memories of the past (singing of ancient epics), and ended with fortune-telling about the future. It was the end of Christmas time, the famous "Epiphany evening", that was considered the most convenient time for questioning fate. For January spells and fortune-telling associated with sing-along songs, special vessels were required for sacred water, into which a golden ring was dipped. The idea of water is emphasized by a massive relief zigzag line that runs around the entire vessel just below the rim. The agrarian-magical nature of these divinations has been sufficiently elucidated by the works of V. I. Chicherov; one of the main observant songs was “glory to bread”. Water and gold are obligatory attributes of New Year's agrarian-magical divination, just like water and the sun, provided the ancient Slav with a harvest.
1.01 - 6.01 - 1-6 Cold - Veles Days.
Veles days - Volosov days (coincides with Christian Christmas time). It is quite possible that the prayers to Veles were not limited only to the final day of the winter Christmas time, but began with the new year and continued all those six days of January, which are marked by "rampant evil spirits." This is supported by the Bulgarian New Year's rites, in which 12 "elders" took part, dressed in animal and cattle masks and hung around their belts with cow bells-botals. These elders - survakars (sometimes they were called "bears") - converged on the night under New Year from different villages to the village and began their long and varied action, consisting of incantation rites and the battle of two parties of mummers. Among the masks there are masks of a bear and a bull.
On the second of January, the Bulgarians held a special “oxen festival”, when the former survakars and carolers cleared the stalls and stables. The last day of the Christmas time among the Bulgarians was January 7, when the leader of the carolers treated his squad, who appeared in masks; a bear mask was mandatory. In all likelihood, Christmas time was divided into two halves: the first (including New Year's Eve) was dedicated to the future harvest and fortune-telling about marriage, and the second (starting from New Year's Eve) was associated with cattle and animals and represented "Veles days." Velee could act both in the form of a bear, the "forest king", and in the form of a bull-round, a representative of horned wealth.
Bulgarian survakars in skins, picturesque animal masks, with cattle bells at their belts and with bright red wands in their hands quite noticeably resurrect the appearance of the ancient priests of Veles. In the Christmas Slavic rituals, the name of Veles is no longer mentioned, but Tur was mentioned in the songs on New Year's Eve and on Shrovetide; a bull was driven through the villages, horned masks, called "tour", took part in masquerades. It is not without probability that ancient Veles could have two animal incarnations: a more archaic, hunting one - a bear (preserved in the North) and a somewhat later one, associated with cattle breeding - a tour found in the southern Slavic regions from Ukraine to Dalmatia. The introduction of Christianity was supposed to impose a strict ban on the name of the popular Slavic god and could contribute to the appearance in the Christmas songs of such a neoplasm as a tour, turitsy. The Russians and the Balts (Latvians) know Ovsen as a New Year's character. Latvians celebrate Usin mainly on St. George's Day, in the spring.
The origin of the term is disputed; maybe oh-spring (like oh-leshye, oh-cannon) - the threshold of spring. Despite the calendar closeness of “Veles days” and autumn, it is hardly necessary to bring them together. The connection of Veles with the winter holidays explains not only ritual cookies in the form of domestic animals, but also dressing up, dressing animal masks on Christmas days, dancing in turned-out sheepskin coats. The old authors left colorful descriptions of the Christmas masquerades, when people “at their same lawful cathedrals and a certain Tura-Satan ... remember other faces of their own and all human beauty (created in the image and likeness of God) by some mugs or scarecrows, na diya -Volsky image attached, close ... ". In another teaching, in a more general form, it says: "... we ourselves are changing from man into beasts." The head of the family in a fur coat turned upside down, treating the cattle and conjuring their safety with the help of an ax, looks like the ancient sorcerer, the priest of the hairy god Volos, obviously should have looked like.
It was on these winter holidays that ceremonial cookies depicting cattle were baked everywhere: “cows”, “goats”, “bagels”, “horns”; names associated with cows predominate. The ancient "cattle god" occupied a prominent place in folk calendar rituals. Dressing up in animal masks and turned-out sheepskin coats was carried out twice a year - at winter Christmas time and at Shrovetide; both terms are associated with the solar phases - the winter solstice and the spring equinox (Shrovetide is annually shifted from its original place by the church calendar). The pre-Christian Shrovetide coincided in time with the archaic komoeditsy - the holiday of the awakening of the bear, when, as already mentioned, the Belarusians danced a ritual dance in fur coats with the fur outside. The undoubted association of Veles with a bear, established by a number of researchers, makes it possible to associate with this "cattle god" and Maslenitsa disguise in various animals. It turns out that the very custom of ritual dressing up both at Christmas time and at Shrovetide turns out to be firmly associated with Veles in his primary incarnation of the animal god, complicated by later elements of the “cattle god”.
06.01 - 6 Cold - Winter Turits
Dedicated to Tur, the son of Veles and Mokosh, the patron of games, fun, divination, dance, violence and passion. On this day, they tell fortunes for the whole next year, as the holiday closes winter Christmas time. The 12th day of Christmas time corresponds to the 12th month of the year. Fortune-telling takes place in the evening, with the onset of darkness. In general, the numbers 6 and 12 are dedicated to Veles, Mokoshi - the number 5. Therefore, they also guess 5 frosts (5.01). Snow is collected to bleach canvas (Mokosh is the patroness of weaving and needlework). The snow collected that evening, thrown into the well (Mokosh is the patroness of holy wells and springs), can save water for the whole year.
18.01 - 18 Cold - Intra
Intra (Zmiulan, Indrik-beast), brother-opponent of the Serpent Lizard, god of springs, wells, father of animals, snakes, god-cloudmaker. At night, sorcerers spoke pipes from him (the same was then done from evil witches), through which Zmiulan penetrated the house. In “Kolo Svarozh” (annual cycle), the night of Intra-Zmiulan falls opposite the Day of Perun. The remains of mammoths and other extinct animals were taken as evidence of the existence of underground herds of Intra. It is possible that the very image of Intra-Unicorn was formed back in those days when our ancestors personally observed living monsters: mammoths and woolly rhinos. These times are no more than 500 generations away from us. Moreover, a person lived in their environment for tens of millennia, and this could not but be deposited in the ancestral memory.
28.01 - 28 Cold - Kudesy
"Kudesami" was the day on which it was necessary to put gifts for the brownie. If this is not done (that is, if the ancestors are not honored), the brownie turns from good into dashing. And from that day on, everything goes upside down in the yard, troubles overcome the family. For the humility of the brownie, after dinner, they leave a pot of porridge, overlaying it with hot coals. As if exactly at midnight, the brownie comes out from under the stove and has dinner. Since then, he has been quiet throughout the year.
1.02 - 2 lutes - Gromnitsa
2 lutes (1.02). “Gromnitsa” is the only day in winter when you can hear thunder and see lightning. Therefore, the Serbs call him “Svjetlo”. Dedicated to Perun's wife Dodola (Malanitsa). For Lithuanians, this day is dedicated to Perkunas.
11.02 - 12 lute - Veles Day
12 lute (11.02). Midwinter. All nature is in an icy dream. And only the lonely Veles Korovich, playing his magic pipe, walks around the cities and towns, not letting people feel sad. Marena-winter is angry with Veles, letting a severe frost on him, and “cow death” on the cattle, but he cannot overcome. On this day, the villagers sprinkle the cattle with water, saying:
Veles, the cattle god!
Give happiness to smooth heifers,
For fat bulls:
To come and play from the yard,
And from the field they walked and jumped.
Young women on this day drink strong honey so that “the cows are affectionate”, and then beat their husbands with the bottom (a board for spinning flax) so that “the oxen are obedient”. The beginning ends with a prayer to Veles:
Molich Veles, our father, let the komonoshch surazhev pull into the sky, and let the suri come to us and tell the gold to the stake. That is our sun, even our holy brownie, and before the pale face, the face of the fires of the house.
On this day cow butter was brought in trebu. After conception, women perform the rite of plowing to drive away the “cow death”. For this, a hanger is chosen, which announces to all houses: “It's time to calm the cow's dashing”. Women wash their hands with water and wipe them with a towel worn by a hanger. Then the hanger orders the male sex "not to leave the hut for the sake of a great misfortune." Hanger with a cry: “Ai! Ai!” hits the frying pan and leaves the village. Behind her are women with tongs, broomsticks, sickles and clubs. The hangman, throwing off his shirt, utters with fury an oath on “cow death”:
From the deep ocean-sea, from the green sea
Twelve maidens went out, walked a long way
On the steep high mountains, to the three old men.
They prayed, they mourned, they asked the twelve virgins in persuasion:
“Oh, you old men!
Set white-oak tables, lay tablecloths,
Sharpen damask knives, light boiling cauldrons,
Stab, cut tightly every belly under heaven.
And the twelve virgins made a great vow:
About the stomach, about death, about the whole human race.
At that time, the old elders set white-oak tables,
Spoiled tablecloths are laid, pricked, cut tightly
Every life under heaven.
Ebullient cauldrons are boiling on a steep high mountain,
In those seething cauldrons it burns with unquenchable fire
Every life under heaven.
Around the seething cauldrons are old elders,
The old elders sing about the stomach, about death, about the whole human race.
Old elders put a great vow on their stomach,
The old men promise the whole world long bellies,
How old men put on that evil death
Great curse, the old elders promise
Eternal life for the whole human race.
The hanger is put on a collar, a plow is brought up and harnessed. Then, with lit torches, the village (temple) is plowed three times with a “inter-water” furrow. The women follow the hanger on broomsticks wearing nothing but shirts with loose hair. During the procession they sing a song:
Death, you are Cow Death!
Get out of our village, out of the corner, out of the yard.
Saint Veles walks in our village
With a spear, with a candle, with hot ash.
We will burn you with fire, we will rake you with a poker,
Let's sweep it with a broom and beat it with a pope!
Do not go to our village: mind our cows!
Chur, our cows, red, bald, white-haired,
White, crooked-horned, one-horned.
Woe to the one who, during the procession, comes across, whether it be an animal or a person: they beat him with sticks without mercy, assuming that “cow death” is hidden in his image. Once upon a time, those who came across were killed to death. Other women, suspected of malicious intent, were tied in a bag with a cat and a rooster, and then buried in the ground or drowned.
At the end of the procession - the ritual battle of Veles and Marena. To the encouraging cry of the audience: “Veles, knock off the horn from the winter!”, Mummers, dressed by Veles (Turya mask, skin, spear) knocks the “horn off Marena”. Then the feast begins (it is forbidden to eat beef) and games.
After the holiday, Veles Christmas time begins; six days during which amazing things happen to those who honored Veles.
29.02 - Luten 29 - Kashchei Day
Celebrated once every four years.
2.03 - 1 birch - Calls
1 birch (2.03) they perform the ceremony of invocations of Spring (the goddess Alive). Girls, standing on high places, hillocks or roofs, looking to the east, sing:
Spring, red spring!
Come, Spring, with joy,
With great mercy:
With tall flax,
With a deep root
With abundant bread.
Spring is red!
What did you come on
What did you come for?
On a bipod, on a harrow?
They spread a new canvas on the field, put a round cake on it and, again turning to the east, say: “Here you are, Mother Spring!”. From this day, they begin to sing spring ritual spring songs dedicated to the goddess of girlish love Lele, the patroness of lovers.
March 10 - March 9 - Magpies
9 birch (10.03) for the second time they begin to call Spring-I live, referring to the Great Goddess:
Bless, mother
Oh, Lada mother,
Call spring!
See off the winter!
It is believed that larks and sandpipers arrive on this day. On this day, images of larks are baked from dough, smeared with honey, their heads and wings gilded, and then presented to their relatives and children.
19.03 - 18 March - Navi Day
The Feast of the Resurrection of the Dead (in general, with the onset of birch, the Slavs begin ritual visits to graves with the offering of trebs). On this day, long-dead people are brought into the water, saying:
Shine, shine, sunshine!
I'll give you an egg
How a chicken will blow in an oak forest,
Take him to heaven
May all souls rejoice.
The shell of an illuminated red egg is thrown into the water. It is believed that the shell will float to the forgotten souls of the dead (those who have not been remembered for a long time) by the Mermaid Day. On the night before Navi's Day, the Navi (strangers, abandoned, buried without a rite and not at all buried dead) rise from their graves, which is why people dress up in disguise again for spring Christmas time.
March 24 - March 23 - Komoyeditsy (Shrovetide)
On March 23 (March 24), when the day becomes longer than the night, when nature awakens and the sun-child Khors becomes the young man Yarila (Birch 20), the Slavs celebrate Komoyeditsy. In the morning, people rush to the temple, to a high place where the earth has dried up. Near the temple and at the crossroads they scatter grain. This is done so that the Navi, who have taken the form of forty, eat grain and do not interfere with the holiday.
Cookies, hot pancakes and pies, oatmeal jelly, honey, kvass and snacks are placed on tables covered with a tablecloth. The treat is divided into five parts, and the fifth part is placed in an open place near the consecrated Fire, saying:
Our honest parents! Here's a pancake for your soul.
Marena's doll is solemnly carried to the temple on a straw "mare" (the doll is knitted from straw and dressed only by women). Everyone is standing along the road, bowing at the waist and calling Marena Svarogovna:
You come to our wide yard, to ride in the mountains,
Roll in pancakes, amuse your heart.
Maslenitsa - red beauty, blond braid,
Thirty brothers sister, forty grandmothers granddaughter,
Three mothers a daughter, a flower, a berry, a quail.
Maslenitsa leaves on “seventy-seven sledges” to visit “honest Semik” (the god of Fire Semargl, his sacred number is 7), who “bows on a sleigh, in only footcloths, without bast shoes” (the god of Fire is not at all cold on a sleigh, then there is firewood). “Honest Semik” calls her “to the square tower” (house or funeral steal), where she, after lying in “pancakes” (pancake is a funeral rite), burns on the seventh day of Christmas. The still preserved rite of burning a Shrovetide effigy (and where the rivers have opened, its remains are thrown into the water) is nothing more than a solemn funeral of the goddess of Death with all honors. It is impossible not to honor the goddess, with whom each of the participants someday, at least once in their lives, will have to meet. A meticulous reader can also count the number of “relatives” of Maslenitsa along with her and the “flowers”, and then compare with the number of sleighs to find out how many Slavs still revered ... but, however, it’s better not to do this, since “there are also misguided who count the gods, thereby dividing Svarga. They will be rejected by the Family…” VKIII 30/8.
They begin to treat each other with pancakes. The first pancake is taken to the comam1, it is taken to the thicket, donated to the clubfoot owner of the forest. After the beginning is carried out.
Kindle the Fire. Glorifying the gods and ancestors, the entire Slavic race. Salting2 spin a round dance, putting on masks and hari, so that evil spirits do not recognize. Buffoons show a performance, they are helped by kolobrods.
How pancakes flew out of the chimney during Shrove Week!
You are pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, you are my pancakes ...
And cheese, and cottage cheese, everything flew under the threshold!
You are pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, you are my pancakes ...
They call young people who got married during the past year. Unmarried and unmarried people are tied with a bandage or rope. To remove it, you need to pay off, bringing a treat with you to the common table. Everyone is poured with surya.
The priestess of Marena carries the first cup of Surya to the altar. The Priestess of Zhiva knocks out this cup, making sure that not a single drop falls on the altar, for then it will get cold again, Marena will return.
Go away, winter is cold! Come, Summer is hot! With a suffering time, with flowers, with grass!
Already the first snowball flies into the scarecrow, causing a whole volley behind it. "Marena" falls, which should mean her "death". The “deceased” with all honors is placed on the funeral steal, reading the funeral prayers.
Then they solemnly burn the effigy of Marena, throwing garbage, straw and old things into the fire:
Marena got tanned, the whole world is tired!
They start a round dance of antisalting and see off the burning Winter with a song:
Farewell, farewell, our Maslenitsa!
Farewell, farewell, but Kurguza!
You did not leave on Wednesday and not on Friday,
And she left in a week, the fun ended,
With pancakes, pies, and fritters,
With drunk beer and chicken pie
They jump over a small fire built with a “hut”, turning to Semargl to light the snow, and then they always wash themselves with snow or melt water. It is believed that melt water gives beauty to the face. Then they glorify Yarila, roll burning wheels from the mountain in honor of the flaring sun.
They rolled down the mountain, returned with spring!
From that day on, the sun-young Yarilo begins to rage, fry. The sun's rays are getting hotter and brighter. Streams flow with might and main. The arrival of Spring is inexorable. However, the owner of the forest, by whose ancient name the holiday is named, is still sleeping in the lair.
Komoyeditsy can be translated as “holiday of eating lumps” (or “eating lumps”), special pancakes dedicated to this beast. A similar holiday in Ancient Hellas was called “comedia” (bear holiday), from where the ancient comedy came from. It should be clarified that the modern name of the beast is allegorical (“the real” name cannot be pronounced aloud, so as not to call by chance): “bear” is the one who knows honey. In addition, it is quite ancient: not a bear, but a bear. But this name also stuck, becoming “real”. After that, the beginning was already supplanted by new allegories: a bear, toptygin, clubfoot, etc. “Kom” is also perhaps allegorical: the bear looks like a large woolen ball due to its apparent clumsiness. Perhaps the primordial name is contained in the name of the bear's house: lair - "beer's lair".
The rite of "Awake" begins. People, armed with burning firebrands, go to “wake up the bear”. In the pit, covered with deadwood, lies a mummer, depicting a sleeping bear. The participants of the holiday lead a round dance around the lair, shouting with all their might, trying to wake the clubfoot, then they begin to throw branches, snowballs, twigs at him (a method of primitive hunting that has survived to this day in the form of a rite). "Bear" does not wake up until one of the girls sits on his back and jumps on him. That's when the "bear" starts to wake up. The girl runs away, tearing off a piece of a bear's skin or a bear's "leg". The mummer gets up and starts dancing, imitating the awakening of a bear, then goes to look for his loss, leaning on a crutch, singing a “bear” song:
Squeak, leg, creak, fake!
And the water sleeps, and the earth sleeps,
And they sleep in the villages, they sleep in the villages.
One woman does not sleep, but sits on the skin,
Spins my fur, cooks my meat,
My skin is dry.
Having caught his offender, the "bear" tries to strangle her in his arms with a bear's grip.
After awakening, the games begin. The first game is a town. The girls stand on a high fenced place (town), armed with long sticks, and beat off the attack of the guys, beating them mercilessly. Guys "on horses" are trying to break into the town, take it by storm. The one who first breaks into the town gets the right to kiss all the defending girls.
After the capture of the town, a feast begins with a mountain, and then other carnival fun: fists, horses, swings, climbing a pole for a gift, a stream ...
“Fists”, like the “town”, personify the victory of spring over winter, the Maslenitsa pillar is the earthly embodiment of the pillar of heaven, the “world tree”, on which Iriy is located, it is not easy to get there. “Brook” is an echo of those ancient times, when, according to pundits, in a primitive tribe every man was the husband of every woman, and every woman was the wife of every man. As you can see, it was a tough time. The monk-chronicler, who did not understand such subtleties, wrote about him: “like cattle to a whore.” (Although it seems to me that this has never happened, because even the great apes in the flock have individual families). After millennia, order triumphed, the custom was reborn into a ritual game, with which the first spring attempts to find the betrothed began. In addition, the “streamlet” served another purpose - the selection of young people with, to put it mildly, unusual sexual behavior, with subsequent culling. In general, all games that look like ordinary fun were important means of racial selection, training of warriors and hunters. It is now that we do not see the point in swinging on a swing, but 352 years ago there was some sense if Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich banned such swinging.
The spirits of the Great Ancestors, invisibly present at the festival, rejoice with us. The Slavic race has not died out yet, just like thousands of years ago, the Slavs come to the holiday to observe the custom. What is a holiday? The memory of a person about himself through the gods and about the gods through himself, the purification of the soul from vain worries and empty memory. Under the gaze of Heaven, the holiday ends, the songs subside, the Fire goes out. The words of the Book of Veles sound, awakening the memory of ancestors in the souls.
“And the Heavenly Svarog will say:
“Go, my son, to that eternal beauty!
There you will see grandfather and grandmother.
O! How happy they will be to see you suddenly!
To this day they shed tears,
And now they can rejoice
About your eternal life until the end of time!”
At parting, they give each other gingerbread, saying: “Forgive me, perhaps you will be guilty of something before you.” The farewell ended with a kiss and a deep bow.
25.03 - 24 birch - Spell of Spring (Opening of Svarga)
On March 25 (the exact date has not been established. It is about 3-4 weeks before Christian Easter) the rite of invocations of Spring (the goddess Alive) is performed.
People rejoiced that Easter was approaching every day, marking the onset of spring. On this day, women baked figurines of birds with open wings from dough. Cookies were called "rooks", "larks" or simply "birds". Each member of the family took a cookie in his hand, went outside and tossed it into the air. At the same time, calls were made:
Larks, larks!
Come join us
Bring us summer warm!
We are tired of winter
We ate all the bread
All the cattle were killed.
Some invocations contained appeals to the life-giving forces of nature:
Spring, spring red
Come, spring, with joy,
With joy, with great mercy:
With big flax
With a deep root
With great bread.
In many places, cookies were baked in the shape of small crosses. It was believed that cruciform cookies have miraculous powers. Therefore, the crumbs remaining on the table were not thrown away, but collected and stored. In the spring, during sevau, they were thrown into a net - a special sieve from which grain was sown. Ritual baking of bread was supposed to promote a new harvest, give strength to the land and the plowman who worked on it. The cruciform form of baking was formed under the influence of Christianity, and the rite itself has been preserved since ancient times.
A special method of divination was also associated with cross-shaped cookies. Seeds, hop scales or a coin were placed in individual cookies. However, sometimes they could bake a cockroach. Having gathered at the table, all family members took one cookie at a time and broke them at the same time. The discovered grain meant wealth, the cockroach meant future gossip, the scale of hops meant fun. Often crosses were given to the guys who ran with them from house to house and shouted out special songs - calls:
Crosses, crosses, larks,
The cross is served and water is poured over,
Half - then the shit will roll over,
A tub of milk will roll over * (* Govin was fasting, fasting time, food restrictions.)
In ancient times, the rite of incantation was performed by adults, but over time, children became its main participants, and incantations entered children's folklore as an independent genre. The girls also made their calls, standing on high places, hillocks or roofs, looking to the east, they sing:
Spring, red spring!
Come, Spring, with joy,
With great mercy:
With tall flax,
With a deep root
With abundant bread.
Spring is red!
What did you come on
What did you come for?
On a bipod, on a harrow?
They spread a new canvas on the field, put a round cake on it and, again turning to the east, say: “Here you are, Mother Spring!”. From this day, they begin to sing spring ritual spring songs dedicated to the goddess of girlish love Lele, the patroness of lovers. When the games were over, the cookies were attached to the branches of trees or hidden under the fences in sheds or houses. Leftover biscuits were eaten or fed to livestock. If, after the call of spring, frosts continued, then a special ceremony was performed, addressed to the frost. Small balls were baked for him - koloboks. They were thrown out into the street, saying:
Jack Frost,
Here is bread and oats for you,
Now get out of the way - hello.
Sometimes, instead of koloboks, they boiled oatmeal jelly and put it in a bowl on the edge of the field or just on the porch. Then Frost was invited to taste the food:
Frost - Frost, don't touch my oats,
Come eat kissel.
Usually, after the calling of spring, active preparations for spring field work began.
24 birch (25.03) Svarga opens and Spring descends to the Earth - the goddess Alive. In her honor, not only people celebrate, but all living things. On this day, you can’t work, but only glorify Spring, the triumph of life over death. Spring is called for the third time. With the onset of morning, they treat themselves to cookies in the form of larks, release living birds from their cages to freedom, calling for spring:
Larks, fly!
We are tired of winter
I ate a lot of bread!
you fly and carry
Red spring, hot summer!
Spring is red, what did you come on?
You are on a bipod, on a harrow ...
Spring is red, what have you brought us?
I brought you three lands:
The first place is a little animal in a field;
Another land - with a bipod in a field;
The third place is the bees on the raid;
Yes, even a favor - to the world in good health!
On this day, women “call out millet”, sing the famous song “And we sowed millet, sowed it”.
And we sowed millet, sowed. Oh, did-lado, sowed, sowed.
And we trample millet, trample, Oh, did-lado, trample, trample.
And what do you trample, trample? Oh, did-lado, trample, trample.
And we will let her horses out, we will let her out, Oh, did-lado, we will let her out, we will let her out.
And we will take over the horses, we will take over, Oh, did-lado, we will take over, we will take over.
And what do you adopt, adopt? Oh, did-lado, adopt, adopt.
And with a silk occasion, occasion, Oh, did-lado, occasion, occasion.
And we will redeem the horses, we will redeem, Oh, did-lado, we will redeem, we will redeem.
And what do you redeem, redeem? Oh, did-lado, redeem, redeem.
And we will give a hundred rubles, a hundred rubles. Oh, did-lado, one hundred rubles, one hundred rubles.
We don't need a hundred rubles, a hundred rubles, Oh, did-lado a hundred rubles, a hundred rubles.
What do you need, what do you need? Oh, did-lado, it is necessary, it is necessary.
And we need a girl, girl, Oh, did-lado, girl, girl.
In our regiment, it's gone, gone, Oh, did-lado, gone, gone.
In our regiment arrived, arrived, Oh, did-lado, arrived, arrived.
1.04 - 1 kvetnya - Domovoy Awakening Day
Day of awakening of the brownie "Maria-light-the-snow, play the ravines."
3.04 - 3 kvetnya - Pereblut
Day of Interruption - the owner of the mermen. At night they bring trebes and sacrifices to the water ones. After that, the water one into the river where the treba was brought, drives bigger and fatter fish, in addition, he is merciful to the fishermen, does not tear the net. The same demands are brought to the Interloper in the seas and lakes.
04/06 - 6 o'clock - Leshy's Awakening Day
04/07 - 7 kvetnya - Day of the Goddess Karna - the Weeper ("Annunciation").
April 7-14 - April 7-14 - Perunov Week * (the exact date is variable)
Perunov week. The celebration of this week is rooted in pagan, ancient times, when after the spring equinox (March 22) the rites dedicated to the arrival of spring began. The week immediately adjacent to these celebrations was called Perun and was dedicated to this god. Throughout the week, sacrifices were dedicated to Perun, which were supposed to help the deity defeat the dark forces of winter. For this, bonfires (Perunov bonfires) were lit on elevated places. After the adoption of Christianity by Perunov, the week organically entered the annual cycle of holidays, and all rituals became timed to coincide with Easter week (which, in principle, is the same). From Monday, they began to clean, clean and wash houses and other premises, preparing them for the meeting of spring (Easter in Orthodoxy). On Tuesday they made "cask milk": they took tender hemp or flaxseed, crushed it in a mortar and diluted it with water. A suspension of small droplets of oil acquired a whitish hue. It was believed that juiced milk protects from evil spirits, protects against diseases. Cattle were also fed with this solution, providing it with a full life and a plentiful offspring. On Wednesday, they performed the ritual of dousing cattle with "living water". To get such water, snow was collected along the ravines. When he melted in the hut, a few grains of last year's "Thursday salt" were added to the bucket. Water was poured over all the cattle, having previously driven it into the yard, and then sprinkled on the corners of the barn and chicken coop. Then they tried to propitiate the evil spirits, especially the brownie. Under the corner of the house or in the attic they put food and invited the brownie to taste it, pronouncing the sentence: "Someone else's brownie, go home, and your own brownie go after the cattle, feed the cattle." In a similar way, they tried to propitiate the goblin (already in later times, Christians previously removed the pectoral cross), they went into the forest in the dark. There, sitting on a fallen birch or aspen, they put the brought treat and invited the goblin: "King of the forest, queen of the forest, take it for good health, give me for fruit, for people." Then they collected ants on the ground and brought them to the barn. If Thursday fell on a frosty day, then they performed the ritual of “feeding frost”: they boiled oatmeal jelly, poured it into a bowl and put it on the window or took it out into the yard, inviting Frost to taste the food: “Frost, frost, don’t freeze our oats, eat jelly and entertain us." Sometimes animals were invited along with the frost: "Wolves, honey-eaters, foxes, kunns, hares, ermines, come to us to eat jelly." To protect the cattle, they performed the ritual of "calling out the cattle." For this, they shouted into the open chimney, sequentially listing all the livestock. Instead of a pipe, they could use a window at home. In this case, a neighbor or one of the family members knocked on the window and asked: "Are the cows (sheep) at home?" The hostess immediately answered: "Houses, houses." In the dialogue, all garden and grain crops and household utensils were also named. Over time, the rite lost its original meaning and turned into a children's game called "Who's home?" On Thursday, the bath was heated, and the inhabitants of the house washed. In addition, on this day they paid tribute to the cult of ancestors: they prepared a bath for the dead and left a memorial meal for them. Therefore, Thursday was called "clean". At the same time, when the furnace was burning, salt was burned in it: a pinch of salt was wrapped in a bundle and placed inside the furnace. When they finished heating, the salt was taken out. "Thursday salt" was used in healing crevices: a bundle with Thursday salt was kept in amulets, later in shrines or behind icons.
14.04 - 21.04 - 14-21 o'clock - Fomina Nedelya
Week of Remembrance of the Dead. (Tuesday this week - Radunitsa - remembrance of relatives and friends); (Thursday - (dangerous) - "Naviy day").
22.04 - 22nd spring - Lelnik
Lelnik is a holiday dedicated to the Goddess of girlish love - Lele. Our, Slavic, "Women's Day". Girls on this day choose the most beautiful of them, decorate her head with a wreath of the first flowers and put her on a turf bench. Then they dance around her and sing laudatory songs.
23.04 - 23rd spring - Yarilo Veshny
On this day, an important ceremony is held - the Unlocking of the Earth. In addition, for the first time after winter, cattle are driven out on the grass before dawn. Yarilo (like Khors) is also the patron saint of horses. Early in the morning, young people went around all the yards with a sentence:
You save the cattle
Our orphan
the whole animal,
In the field, but beyond the field,
In the forest, behind the forest
In the forest beyond the mountains
Behind wide valleys
Give the cattle grass and water,
And for the evil bear, a stump and a deck!
Before pasturing the cattle, the owners stroked the animals along the ridge with a red or yellow-green egg, which they then presented to the shepherd. After that, the cattle was driven out with a willow branch into the yard and fed with "byashki" - special bread. Before being driven out of the yard, a belt was laid out under the feet of the cattle so that she stepped over it. This was done so that the cattle knew the way home. They graze cattle until the dew subsides. The shepherd buzzes the horn, notifying the people about the beginning of the “bypass” rite, after which, taking a sieve in his hands, he goes around the herd three times salting (for life) and three times anti-salting (for death). After a correctly performed ceremony, an invisible magic fence was built around the herd, which protected “from a creeping snake, from a mighty bear, from a running wolf.” After that, the magic circle was closed with an iron lock. From this day spring weddings begin. Men and women ride through the fields, hoping to become strong and healthy with the help of miraculous dew. From that day on, they began to roll eggs from the red (beautiful, covered with first flowers) mountains. They made a special gutter from a tree trunk, with round “gates” at the end. A painted painted egg was rolled along this chute. Whose rolls further, he is the winner. The evening ended with a general festivity.
30.04 - 30 Kvetnya - RODONITSA
On April 30 (April 30) the last spring colds end. At sunset, the opening opens. On this day, ancestors are commemorated, calling them to visit the earth: "Fly, dear grandfathers ...". They go to the graves, bringing funeral gifts: pancakes, oatmeal jelly, millet porridge, painted Easter eggs. After the beginning, the feast begins: the warriors on the mountain “fight for the dead”, showing their martial art.
Colored eggs are rolled from a high mountain, competing. The winner is the one whose egg rolls the farthest without breaking. By midnight, on the same mountain, firewood is laid out for a large fire.
01.05 - May 1 - Zhivin Day
On the night of April 30 (April 30) to May 1 (01.05), a holiday begins - Zhivin's Day. Women, taking brooms, perform a ritual dance around the fire, clearing the place of evil spirits. They glorify Zhiva, the goddess of life, who revives nature, sending spring to Earth. Everyone jumps over the Fire, clearing themselves of obsessions (Navi forces) after a long winter. On the same high mountain, merry games and round dances around the fire are started. They play a fairy tale telling about a journey to the world of Navi and a return to Yav. The whole coming day, 1 May, is devoted to rest. On this day, ritual bonfires are made along the banks of the rivers in the evening, they bathe, cleansing themselves with cold spring water.
02.05 - May 2 - Rusal Day
On this day in Navi, forgotten souls will learn about the beginning of spring in the world of the living. The rifts on the forest rivers are seething, streams are bubbling. The rivers are alive. These are no longer muddy melt waters carrying rubbish accumulated over the winter on the shores. Clear cold water rushes past the shores turning green with fresh foliage. With the onset of heat, mermaids begin their games in high water. Mermaid Day falls on Thursday of the first week of Mayday.
06.05 - May 6 - Day of Dazhbog - meeting of spring.
May 10 - May 10 - Earth Day
On this day, the Slavs celebrate the name day of the Earth. It is impossible to carry out any excavation work, it is impossible to plow, harrow and stick stakes into the ground, for the Earth is resting. At the beginning, grain is placed in a furrow plowed ahead of time and beer is poured, saying, facing east:
Mother-Cheese-Earth! Take away all the unclean reptile from a love spell, turnover and dashing deeds.
Turning to the west, continue:
Mother-Cheese-Earth! Swallow up the impure force into the seething abyss, into the combustible pitch.
Turning to noon, say:
Mother-Cheese-Earth! Satisfy all the midday winds with bad weather, calm the free-flowing sands with a blizzard.
At midnight call:
Mother-Cheese-Earth! Calm down the midnight winds with clouds, hold back the frosts with blizzards.
After each appeal, beer is poured into the furrow, and then the jug in which it was brought is broken. Once upon a time in the old days there was another rite with a furrow and grain, after which children are born, but now, due to changes in morals, the rite is limited to spells on the cardinal points.
After the spells, the priests, digging the ground with their fingers and whispering: “Mother-Cheese-Earth, tell me, tell the whole truth, show (name)”, they guess about the future according to the signs found in the earth. The warriors, laying down their weapons and putting a piece of turf on their heads, swear allegiance to the Mother-Raw-Earth, pledging to protect her from enemies.
The beginning ends with a glorification:
Goy, the earth is damp,
mother earth,
Mother to us dear,
She gave birth to all of us
nurtured, nurtured
And gave me a treat.
For us, our children,
Potion thou hast brought forth
And drink every cereal
Drive away the demon
And help in illnesses.
They took off from themselves
Various needs, lands
For the benefit of the stomach.
After conception, the consecrated handful of the Earth is collected in bags and stored as amulets. A drunken feast and games complete the holiday.
20.05 - 30.05 - 20-30 May - Breast Rosnoe (ROD week)
May 21 - May 21 - Oleny-Lennichi (performing a ceremony to make flax taller)
4.06 - 5 worms - Yarilin Day
At the beginning of the worm, nature pleases the eye with a riot of colors. 5 worms (4.06) Yarilo opens the sky, and green herbs are filled with magical power. Spring is leaving, summer is coming. Before sunrise, they wash themselves with healing dew, go around the fields with bread, illuminate houses and gates. On this day, the Yarilo-Sun shows its strength. At the beginning, the Fire burns unusually hot. Semargl the Fire God helps his heavenly brother. After the day of Yarila, hot weather usually sets for seven days. After the initiation, the rite “Venue” is performed for young men, initiation into warriors. Then they arrange a feast in the field. Ritual Strava: sweets, scrambled eggs, pies. Ritual beer is brought in the requirement. Before the games, they play out a fairy tale or an ancient legend. Mandatory love games and dances.
14.06 - 15 worms - Striglav's Day
15.06 - 20.06 - 16-21 chernya - Green Svyatki (Spirits Day)
Green Christmastide (Spirits Day) was the main boundary between winter and summer. In the folk calendar (with the adoption of Christianity), the feast of the Trinity was timed to these days. In the rites of green Christmas time, the first greenery and the beginning of summer field work were welcomed. The cycle of green Christmas holidays consisted of several rituals: bringing a birch tree into the village, curling wreaths, kumlenya, burial of a cuckoo (kostroma or mermaid). The birch was a symbol of inexhaustible vitality. As during the winter Christmas time - carols, mummers participated in all the rites, depicting animals, devils and mermaids. Two main themes can be distinguished in the songs performed during green Christmas time: love and work. It was believed that the imitation of labor activity ensured the well-being of future field work. During the performance of the song - "You succeed, my flax succeeds" the girls showed the process of sowing flax, weeding it, cleaning it, combing it and spinning it. The singing of the song "We sowed millet" was accompanied by movements in which the participants reproduced the processes of sowing, gathering, threshing, and putting millet into the cellar. In ancient times, both songs were sung in the fields and performed a magical function. Later, the ritual meaning was lost, and they began to be sung in places of festivities. It was customary to bring birch branches and bouquets of first flowers into the house. They were dried and stored in a secluded place all year round. After the start of the harvest, the plants were placed in the granary or mixed with fresh hay. Wreaths were made from the leaves of the trees collected during the holiday, they were placed in pots, where cabbage seedlings were planted. Trinity plants were believed to have magical powers. To ensure a high harvest, a special prayer service was sometimes served. The custom of “crying for flowers” is associated with it - dropping tears on the turf or a bunch of flowers. After the completion of special prayers, all participants went to the cemetery, where they decorated graves with birch branches and arranged refreshments. Having remembered the dead, they went home, leaving food in the cemetery. Green Christmastide ended with a funeral or seeing off Kostroma. The image of Kostroma is associated with the completion of green Christmas time, ceremonies and rituals often took the form of ritual funerals. Kostroma could be portrayed by a beautiful girl or a young woman, dressed in white, with oak branches in her hands. She was chosen from those participating in the ceremony, surrounded by a girlish round dance, after which they began to bow, show signs of respect. The "Dead Kostroma" was laid on boards, and the procession moved to the river, where the "Kostroma" was awakened, and the celebration ended with a bath. In addition, the burial ceremony of Kostroma could be carried out with a straw effigy. Accompanied by a round dance, a scarecrow was carried around the village, and then buried in the ground, burned at the stake or thrown into the river. It was believed that next year Kostroma would rise again and come to earth again, bringing fertility to the fields and plants.
19.06 - 24.06 - 20-25 chernya - Rusal week
Mermaids - An important cycle of rituals is associated with the "seeing off the mermaids", the "egg charm", the "mermaid charm". According to the Easter calendar, this falls on the twentieth of May to mid-June and is associated with Peter's fast, which always ended exactly on June 28, and began at different times, depending on Trinity Day and Pentecost. In any case, the mermaid week came after the week. In ancient times, the gap could have been larger, since Stoglav speaks of mermaids on Midsummer Day, June 24th. Clay calendar 4th c. also defines a special week immediately before Ivan Kupala - June 19-24 (including Kupala Day in it). Seeing off the mermaids, who gave moisture to the fields, was made at that important moment of the growing season, when the formation of ears was completed and for a certain period of time the rains were no longer needed, it was possible to temporarily say goodbye to the mermaids. Seeing off mermaids as a ritual is associated with horses, with a masquerade, where one of the guys dresses up as a horse; they ride horses during the Kupala holiday; sometimes two men lead a horse into a field. Mentioned in ethnographic records are old mermaids who led a masquerade horse. It was believed that mermaids spend most of the year at the bottom of the river or appear on the ground during the so-called "Mermaid Week". The ancient Slavs noted that mermaids danced round dances on elevated places, mummers walked; through the village, singing mermaid songs. The center of the holiday was the rite of burial or seeing off the mermaid. Its participants chose the most beautiful girl, decorated with numerous wreaths and "garlands" of greenery. Then the procession passed through the village, closer. By evening, the participants took the "mermaid" out of the village, most often to the river bank. Performing special songs, wreaths and garlands were removed from the mermaid, thrown into the water or into the fire (if there was no river nearby). After the completion of the ceremony, everyone scattered, and the former mermaid sought to catch up and catch one of the escorts. If she killed someone, it was considered a bad omen, foreshadowing future illness or death. According to legend, during the Mermaid Week, mermaids could be seen near rivers, in flowering fields, in groves and, of course, at crossroads and in cemeteries. It was said that during the dances, the mermaids perform a ceremony related to the protection of crops. They could also punish those who tried to work on a holiday: trample down sprouted ears, send crop failures, downpours, storms or drought. A meeting with a mermaid promised untold wealth or turned into misfortune. Mermaids should be feared by girls, as well as children. It was believed that the mermaids could take the child into their round dance, tickle or dance to death. Therefore, during the Mermaid Week, children and girls were strictly forbidden to go out into the field or into the meadow. If during the Mermaid Week (a week after the Trinity already during Christianity) children died or died, they said that the mermaids took them to them. To protect themselves from them, it was necessary to carry with them sharply smelling plants: wormwood, horseradish and garlic.
23.06 - 24 worms - Kupalo
Celebrated on 24 worms (23.06). In the evening, when the setting sun does not yet touch the edge of the forest, the holiday begins. All the action takes place in a clearing near the river bank. A bonfire with a long pole in the middle is prepared in advance, on which a Kupala wheel with six spokes is mounted. Separately, they build a funeral steal (for a doll) and a small bather, through which the betrothed will jump. It should burn not far from the big bather, but in such a way that it would be possible to dance. “Yarila”, a doll made of green branches (women make it), is solemnly carried out to the beginning. They put “him” under a birch tree entwined with wreaths and ribbons and dance in a round dance, glorifying Yarila. During the round dance, the doll "accidentally" falls - dies. Women rush to "Yarila", trying to "revive" the "deceased". But it's all in vain. Yarilo "died" and "born" Dazhbog (the Sun-young man became the Sun-husband). From the prepared fire-baker, a “funeral” procession goes to the field - they bury “Yarila”. Having reached the middle of the field, a line of people backs away, pretending to cry and mourn over “Yarila”. The doll is placed on the funeral steal under the funeral words of the “mourners” and, after the “farewells”, it is solemnly burned. Then the participants of the holiday gather at the temple, lining up in a row. The second round begins.
The priest collects the common trebu (bread, pancakes, grain, peas, pies) in the hem of the vestment, and then, choosing the largest korovai, passes along the rows. Everyone should touch the cow with their right hand, making a wish.
Before burning at the stake, the treba is consecrated by a priest. The priest reveals the opening:
Let us glorify God Almighty,
Like our ancestor molych,
Let's sing great glory,
Slovenian family, father and grandfather,
Kie ve Swarze bo sute.
We will sing the glory of Dazhba,
Grandchildren of Dazhbov, darlings of God,
Bozisko yelled howling,
Like a right hand holding Suna,
Let's sing the glory of Svarozhich,
Bozi is glorious, surya is drunk,
Yako ve Svarze bosi bo sute,
They drink for the happiness of the divine grandchildren.
Glory!
Everyone is offered a brother with surya “for the glory of the ancestors”. Then the priest reads the glorification of Dazhbog. During the rite, the obavniks collect amulets for lighting “for love”. The priest turns to the audience and throws three pancakes “uphill” in turn on three sides. Whoever catches it will be lucky in the next three months. After the distribution of the illuminated amulets, the priest reads the last glorification:
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First - worship Triglav! —
Se yahom,
And to that vlikow the glory of the drunkard,
And Svarga is God's dida praiser,
Like you are waiting for us
This is God's kind of badge
And to the All-Union Rod - the students of the prophetic,
Yako votetse in summer od kryne sva
And in winter, you won’t freeze at all.
And that water is a livelihood drinker.
Zhivihomsia, until the end of time,
Yakozhde sve to him ubendeh
Do lutse goeh raistieh.
And to the god Perunev the Thunderer,
And to God pre a fight -
Orcexom:
“Zhivinta is revealed,
Don't stop spinning!
And kyi us wende stezeou right
Before the battle, and before the feast, Vlika!”
Oh all pavshia,
Yakove is an idiot, lively thing
According to Perun!
And glory to the god Velesiu,
Behold a hundred god Navi and Reveal,
And to that we sing a song,
Like a light.
And through it I see the light.
You see - and Reveal life!
And you will save us about Navi -
And let's praise that!
Let's go dancing to him,
Invoking our God,
Like you are our land
And the zvezda cutter,
And the world is creepy.
Thank the Gods! Glory!
Glory to the Ancestors! Glory!
Viva victory! Glory!
Goy!
The cry is picked up by all those gathered, stretching out their right hand in salutation to the Sun. The elder goes around the ranks, pouring each brother surya:
— Thank the Gods!
— Thank the Gods!
After bringing the treb, the obavniks close the rite.
Around the birch decorated with ribbons, the girls begin to dance:
How did the girls walk?
Near Marenochka.
Around Kupalo
The sun played.
Chorus: Polel bathed,
Kupalo Polel.
At Kupala, at Kupala
The willow stood.
Candles burned on the willow.
A drop fell from that willow -
The lake has become
God bathed in the lake
With children, sudetenki.
Polel bathed
Yes, I fell into the water
Chorus: Polel bathed, Polel bathed.
The guys are trying to break through one by one through the round dance and tear out the tree. After the tree is uprooted, it is thrown into the river.
Then the sorcerer ignites the Immortal Fire by rubbing wood against wood and passes the burning brand to one of the girls. She lights a huge bonfire from this brand.
A round dance is spun around the fire, and when the fire flares up, they begin to sing round dance interlinear songs (the singer sings a line, then the rest repeat it).
Now the fire engulfed the pole with the wheel, instantly burning it to the ground. The round dance spins faster, the sounds of the flute become louder ... Suddenly, at the sign of the priest, the round dance crumbles and games are started: “turnip”, “horses”, “brook”. When the fire burns out and settles, the choice of the narrowed begins.
Girls and women go to cumming. Moving away from men, but remaining in sight, they begin to choose their own sweetheart, discussing with the "gossips" his merits and demerits. Every now and then, women's laughter is heard (during a discussion of the merits of another young man), and the men are waiting, wondering: lucky - no luck. A priest walks between the young and the maidens, settling all disputes and passing questions and wishes from one to another. Finally, all the young men and women were discussed, and the ceremony of choosing the betrothed begins.
The girl hits the guy on the shoulder with her palm and runs away, and he runs after him. Having caught the girl, he brings her to a small bonfire-bath, over which they jump, holding on to the "swimsuit", a doll on a long stick. If during the jump the hands do not part, then this means that the guy and the girl have become narrowed. If they diverge, then both are looking for another pair for the jump. But, as a rule, the first jump is the most “true”. If you are not sure of your charm, it is better not to let go of the “bathing stick” in the first jump. Those who do not jump yet sing:
Kupalo Polel,
Polel bathed,
Yes, I fell into the water
Kupalo Polel…
When everyone jumps over the fire or finds a betrothed, the sorcerer asks: “Have everyone forgiven the insults?” If there are those offended, he judges in public. Then the sorcerer guesses by lot. While casting spells, he digs lots out of the ground with his staff and announces the will of the gods.
If the gods do not resist, then everyone goes with burning firebrands to the water, singing:
Kupalo Polel,
Polel bathed,
Yes, I fell into the water
Kupalo Polel…
On the shore, the betrothed exchange wreaths, after which each puts his wreath on a raft of wood and straw, puts a burning candle in the middle of the wreath and lets it float on the water. Brands are extinguished in the water. The whole river is filled with wandering lights. After that, the betrothed, holding hands, jump over the Kupala Fire for the last time and run to the river, where, undressing, the naked are washed in the night water. After that, having sealed their lips with a kiss, scattered along the shore, they seek love for love, remaining together until dawn, and this is not adultery, but there is an enthusiastic sacrifice to the gods, because there is no owner of man among people. Children conceived on the Kupala night are endowed by the gods with magical powers. Those who have not found their betrothed, bring a ransom to the gods. The priest sends some to sleep in huts, while others he appoints as a watchman, to protect the peace and tranquility of the holiday from enemies. At night, they go to the forest to collect medicinal herbs, look for a fern flower, with the help of which treasures are opened. They guess by the flow of streams, the flow of rivers and the bubbling of springs.
The holiday ends at dawn. After a magical night, people go to meet the rising Sun.
The celebration of Kupala, the day of the summer Solstice, has not stopped for a millennium on the Slavic land. The sacred Custom is not interrupted. As long as the Custom is alive, the people are also alive.
July 12 - 13 Lipnya - Election of a victim to Perun.
15.07 - 14 lime - Stribog Day
14 lime day Stribog - the god of the winds. On this day, they bring the demand to the wind - they scatter pieces of bread on all four sides around the house. Then flour or ashes from the bones of the sacrificial rooster are poured into the wind from a high place. On this day, it is especially forbidden to “throw words to the wind”, although this is also not welcome on other days.
20.07 - 21 limes - Perunov Day
21 lime (20.07), on the 27th day after the Kupala holiday, a military holiday is celebrated - Perunov Day. Eight days are being prepared for the holiday. All men present at the beginning are required to have weapons with them (knife, ax, and if there is permission, then something more suitable). After glorifying Perun, the warriors begin to illuminate the weapons: swords, axes, stakes, knives, maces and other edged weapons are placed on the shields placed in front of the temple. Eight days before, lots are thrown (features, to determine the victim, and cuts, to determine its quantity). If a “sacrifice” falls out, then a bull is sacrificed, and in the absence of it, a rooster (should be of the same color, not motley, red is best). A weapon is spoken on the sacrificial blood, the priest anoints the forehead of each warrior with the blood, after which they put red bandages on their heads (those who do not have an ochelia). If “silver” falls out, then money is brought. If “bashno” falls out, then food is brought. And, finally, if “stray” falls out, then the warriors enter into fights. At the beginning, pairs of combatants are selected (whom the lot will fall on). Fighters themselves agree among themselves on the choice of weapons or struggle. Military amulets are illuminated over the sacrificial fire. Praises to Perun are pronounced: Pozheshmoti, God! Yako se namo deyatseshi sura piti. Death, but in the face of grendeshes, and toya beyasheshes with your sack. Movleno mzgou and sventem shreshchishi oschesy. And anshch is not on the tense, otherwise the isian is important, then Perownu is at omovlenhomsen. It’s like he’s overthrown the ridge with an unforgiving id inde, then it’s ideal, like you want to. And goiter imo reproaches and thunder on us. And then quickly your strength on the fields is about fruitful and gram, where it is lying, and it and this darkness cover it, as if we were walking along your will ... Az for the glory of the morning, the glory of the renches naimah. And so it’s worth it, as if it’s good, and under the drag of our blessings ... They’ve been upbraided, like a sheep they’ll console ... yes, we have all the days! May we be virni and until the end of your glory ... from our father, yes to the leader, and yes, bend tacos in these days ... You’ll feed the right sheep. And tacos we sing glory and your majesty ...
After the beginning, the ritual battle of “Perun” with “Veles” begins, dedicated to the victory of Perun over Veles (Perun defeats Veles and returns the herd of heavenly cows). At the end of the battle, the warriors carry a boat with gifts and put it on steal (logs stacked in a well for a funeral pyre). The priest, undressed to the waist, sets fire to the steal. After the fire burns out, the warriors pour a grave over the ashes and begin the funeral feast (ritual battles on the grave).
A warrior is leaving ... Crying, a flame of stealing, are rushing after him,
And, exposing the proud camp, the young men take off their outfits,
And they ascend to the mound, upward, where the thunderclouds are close,
Where he slumbers, forgetting about everyone, the lord of battles - the mighty Perun
And so they agreed ... And the battle is in full swing, dropping lightning and thunder.
The earth hums, the earth trembles, the defeated rolls down the steep,
And the shield falls on the shield, and in the sky, surrounded by darkness,
Perun woke up! And thunder! Bewitched by the earthly struggle ...
Yarisvet (E. Sizov)
On this day, especially solemn initiations into warriors take place. To begin with, the priest sends them to Nav, performing a special rite of entry into the world of the dead over the soldiers. The test subjects are killed, as it were, then they are laid on the ground on their backs, with their eyes closed. From now on, no one should talk to them, except for the priests conducting the ceremony. Then they must undergo four trials. The priest lifts the subject one at a time and leads him to the "fiery river" - a platform of hot coals 5-6 steps wide. It is necessary to overcome it with a not very fast pace in order to get to the other side. You need to immerse yourself in a special state of detachment for the duration of this test, so as not to get burned. If you are afraid, go slowly or go very fast, then the first test will be the last. The second test consists in the fact that the subject must, blindfolded, reach an oak tree or a birth post in three attempts. An easy test at first glance turns out to be no less difficult. It is necessary to remember the path to the oak, then go through these 30-40 steps “from memory”, determining by hearing (birdsong) and touch (wind) the right direction. The third test is to find the most necessary among several items, solve riddles (for three attempts). Those who do not pass the third test are buried in the ground, thrown with turf, where it lies until another test person rescues him, giving up one or two of his attempts. This is a test of mutual assistance. And finally, the fourth test - for cunning and dexterity. A real hunt begins for the test subject. He must escape from the chase for a certain period of time, hide in the forest or tall grass, and then make his way through the chain of guards to the illuminated apple tree (or oak), touching the leaves with his hand. Only after all the trials can he be considered a real warrior. Then the priests “bring back to life” the subjects to continue the feast.
After the feast, a celebration is performed, at which all the fallen Slavic warriors are commemorated.
Ritual food: beef, game, chicken, cereals. From drinks: honey, red wine, beer, kvass. After Strava, games continue until late in the evening.
Games begin with the capture of the "town". On this day, they prefer military pleasures, but do not forget about love affairs. The Magi advise to spend the night after the holiday with a woman. That warrior is bad who wins victories only over the enemy.
Oh, mighty Perun,
God of the Slavic tribes!
You are your right hand
You shake our sleep.
Fighting the snake again
In the sky steep -
Bring back our memory
About your KIND!
26.07 - 27 Lipnya - Chur
The holiday of Chur, the god of protection, protection of property, patron of borders, hearth. On this day Churu is brought with milk. A hole is dug at the boundary stone and milk is poured into it. On the Chura holiday, you cannot work away from home. The owner must be in his yard, thereby honoring Chur.
The holiday is celebrated at night with bonfires, jumping over them - for good luck, songs, traditional games, walking with a birch, fortune-telling. Girls put wreaths woven from meadow flowers into the water, it is believed that in this way you can find your betrothed.
This holiday is a cult of light, the sun, all living things, at this time the dew is healing, the grass is healing, the water is cleansing.
Semik
Semik (Green Week, Mermaid Week) is an old Russian women's ritual holiday.
It was believed that on Semik, that is, in June, when it becomes warm, mermaids appear on the banks of rivers, in forests and groves and swing on tree branches.
One of the ancient customs associated with this holiday is the ban on swimming in the river until the end of June. It was due to the fact that the water was still cold at that time, there were many accidents, and there was a belief that mermaids drag drowned people to their place.
On Thursday the girls went to the forest to perm the birch. Having chosen the trees, the girls curled them - tied the tops of two young birch trees, bending them to the ground. Wreaths were woven from the branches. At the same time, they sang songs, danced round dances, and ate food brought with them under the birch trees (there must have been scrambled eggs). When curling the wreaths, the girls idolized. A cross was hung on birch branches connected in the form of a circle, the girls kissed in pairs through this wreath, exchanged some things (rings, scarves) and after that they called themselves kuma. Experts explain this custom as a relic of ancient rituals that marked the puberty of girls and their acceptance into a special age and sex group.
In Murom on Semik, women sang a special song about Kostroma and arranged her funeral. Lada was buried in Vladimir, and Yarilo was buried in Tver. This was, as it were, the exile and seeing off of the mermaids. In Ryazan, the Monday after Green Week was called Seeing the Mermaids. On this day, round dances of girls and girls with cheerful songs converged from different sides of the city to a designated place and sang and danced for about an hour. In the center of each such dance stood a girl and held a stuffed animal depicting a mermaid.
Almost all holidays have pagan Slavic roots. In our article, we will talk about both pagan holidays, which are celebrated throughout Russia, and Orthodox ones.
The latter are most often celebrated not only here, but also in Europe. In Slavic culture, there are four main holidays, according to which days and weeks are counted.
Let's consider them below in more detail.
What is paganism?
First of all, let's deal with the concept of paganism. Scientists do not give an unambiguous interpretation of this word. It used to be believed that paganism appeared thanks to the New Testament. In Church Slavonic, this word meant other peoples, i.e. those who had a religion other than the Christian one.
Philologists who study pagan holidays and Slavic culture believe that the meaning of this concept is hidden in the word "paganism" - respect for clan, kinship and blood ties.
In the distant past, our ancestors revered family ties, they considered themselves to be one whole, completely existent, and were related to Mother Nature herself.
pagan holidays
The concept of the Sun in pagan culture
All Slavic pagan holidays were reduced to one goal - honoring respect for the forces of nature and the earth.
The Slavic people deified the Sun, because the very process of life depended on its light. The main festivities and celebrations related to the position of the sun in the sky and its changes in position.
Solstice holidays among the pagan population
It's no secret that the holidays of the Slavs were held using the solar calendar. It showed the position of the Sun relative to other astrological bodies.
The calculation of the year was not by days and weeks, but by four astronomical main events:
And the main pagan holidays were directly related to these natural changes.
Types of Slavic holidays
- In ancient times, the Slavic calendar of holidays began with spring equinox. This holiday commemorated the victory over winter time year, and was called Komoyeditsa.
- Summer Solstice- a holiday called Kupail Day.
- Spring was a holiday autumn equinox.
- Kolyada The holiday was celebrated at the time of the winter solstice.
As a result, the four main pagan holidays in Russia were carried out by the Sun and its changes during the astronomical year.
The Slavic people sincerely believed that the sun, like a person, changes throughout the year.
The deity, which died on the night before the winter solstice, was reborn again in the morning.
Holiday Kolyada or Solstice
December 21 was considered the beginning of the astronomical winter, and was dedicated to the rebirth of the Sun. The Slavic people identified this holiday with a baby who was born at the dawn of the winter solstice.
Fun and celebration lasted two weeks, and it all began at sunset on December 19th. All relatives, friends and acquaintances came to celebrate the Christmas of the sun. To scare away evil spirits and evil spirits, the Magi lit fires.
Evil forces on the eve of the birth of the Sun were most active, due to the death of the old Svetovit and the birth of Kolyada. The Slavs believed that on the magical night of timelessness, the ancestors helped to resist the evil forces, gathering together for a common celebration.
In order to help the Sun to be born, the Slavs kindled ritual bonfires at night. They cleaned the house and the yard, washed and washed. Old things were thrown into the fire to get rid of the past, and in the morning to meet the Sun clean and renewed.
The winter sun was called Kolyada. The Slavs rejoiced that every day now the sunny day will increase, and the Sun itself will grow stronger. A cheerful pagan holiday was celebrated on this day until sunset on January 1.
Yule night
The Slavs considered the twelfth night of Yule to be magical and fabulous, that is, from December 31 to January 1. It was customary to celebrate her with funny disguises, dances and songs.
Currently, we are also celebrating this night, and the children are looking forward to the arrival of the pagan god in the person of Santa Claus.
The ancient Slavs invited this god to appease him and protect all crops from freezing.
Preparing the house for an ancient pagan holiday, we usually decorate the Christmas tree and the apartment, put sweets on the table in the form of logs or logs, as Christian tradition suggests. All these holiday decorations borrowed from the god Yule.
In winter, they also celebrated Honoring Women and Christmas Christmas. All these celebrations were accompanied by dances, songs, festivities and fortune-telling. The Slavs glorified the young Sun during all these holidays.
Holiday Komoyeditsa
March 20-21 is considered the day of the spring equinox. Spring pagan holiday - seeing off winter, the beginning of a new year, the meeting of spring and the departure of cold weather.
As soon as Christian culture appeared, this holiday was shifted in time according to church calendar at the beginning of the year. In the modern world, we all know this holiday as Maslenitsa. The pagan holiday was usually celebrated for 1.5 or 2 weeks.
The Slavs glorified the growing strength and strength of the Sun. And replacing his first childhood name Kolyada with the adult name Yarilo, the sun god became strong and could melt the snow and wake nature from hibernation.
Celebration of Kupala pagan holiday
June 21 is the summer solstice. At the festival, the Slavs glorified the pagan god Kupaila, who gave an excellent harvest and fertility.
According to the solar calendar, the beginning of summer came precisely from this day. The Slavs rejoiced at the fun and rested from hard work. Girls during this period could guess at the narrowed ones and put wreaths on the water.
A tree decorated with ribbons and various festive attributes was a symbol of fertility. On this holiday, all the elements of nature have healing power.
The Magi, knowing what healing properties this holiday gives, collected roots, herbs, flowers, morning and evening dew in the forest.
Meanings of Orthodox and pagan holidays
Celebrating and having fun, our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers burned an effigy of winter. Spring was coming, and the fear of a cold death in winter was receding.
In order to win over spring, on the thawed patches in the field of treats, sweets and pies for Mother Spring. At the festive feast, Slavic men ate only nutritious food.
This was necessary in order to gain strength before the summer. The Slavs, celebrating national pagan holidays, danced round dances, prepared delicious dishes, for example, pancakes, which resembled the spring sun.
Since the Slavs lived in harmony with mother nature, they also glorified her flora and fauna. The bear was a respected and deified animal. It was to him at the beginning of the celebration that the ancient Slavs brought pancakes.
komoeditsa is a name associated with the bear, as the ancestors called it "kom". There is such a proverb: “The first pancake is coma”, that is, it is intended for a bear.
Magical pagan holidays and rituals
For the positive location of Kupaila, the Magi performed many rituals. On the night of fun, they went around the field in a circle, reading conspiracies from evil spirits, people and animals.
There is an old legend that all people gather in the forest on Kupala in search of a flower. He is able to work miracles, heal and point to the treasure. But this ancient plant cannot bloom.
And the lucky ones who see a suspicious glow in the garden are justified by the phosphorescent organism present on the leaves of the fern. But, despite this, young people still go to look for a magic flower.
Veresen holiday
September 21 is the autumnal equinox. Denotes the harvest and the beginning of autumn. They celebrated the holiday for two weeks.
The first time they celebrated two weeks before the equinox, in Indian Summer, they counted the harvest, planned expenses.
The second time was celebrated after the autumnal equinox. On such days, the Slavs honored the aging and wise Sun. They burned bonfires, danced round dances, kindled a new fire to replace the old one.
The house was decorated with bouquets of wheat, pies were baked from the harvest. This holiday has always been celebrated on a large scale, and all the tables were simply bursting with a variety of dishes.
Pagan holidays in Russia
When Christianity came, many traditions of the Slavs disappeared. But, thanks to the people's memory and some traditions, it was possible to recreate some elements of the celebration.
But, despite the past tense, Slavic holidays continue to be celebrated, albeit in a distorted form. If you care about the history of your people, you can easily recreate these holidays.
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