Ancient traditions about when to celebrate Kolyada

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Our calendar has a difficult fate. How many changes he got nowadays he can't remember!

Nowadays, many associate the name of Kolyada only with festive carols, which are sung in the evening from January 6 to 7. Here you can tell us yourself how it happened: the ancient holiday of Kolyada merged with Orthodox Christmas, and the date of Christmas itself moved two weeks. So now the carols are singing not at the end of December, but in January. But we are celebrating the magical moment of meeting the Young Sun, not Christian Christmas, so we will look for the right date further.

Let's remember what Kolyada portends for the longest night of the year. So we celebrate at the end of December. It is at this time that the Winter Solstice will occur, the moment when the still young and barely noticeable light begins to drive away the darkness. But here, too, there are disagreements. Some people believe that if the Solstice falls in 2019 on December 22, you need to celebrate Kolyada the day before. Others confidently declare: "There has never been a Kolyada before December 25, only from this day the light comes!"

When to celebrate? Ancient traditions will tell about it.

Dangers of winter nights and the Karachun holiday

From the old days people remembered that the holiday of Kolyada is associated not only with joy, but also with great danger. Before the birth of the Winter Sun, Navya, evil spirits, are furious. The darkness tries to win the battle with the light and, it seems, even triumphs … but in the morning the Young Winter Sun is always born and a new circle of life begins.

To meet the light you have to go through the darkness. Before Kolyada, the day of Karachun awaits us, a holiday when people try to call Kolyada and warm the world with the warmth of their souls. Karachun ends with sunset and the longest night begins - the Night of Chernobog. It was this time that the laity feared in ancient times, and those who are ready to meet the Gods Navi performed rituals in their honor.

Only in the morning, Kolyada, the Winter Sun, is born from the darkness. But nothing in the world happens in an instant, the dangers do not disappear immediately. That is why, on the Winter Solstice itself, of old, only the Known were honored by Kolyada - those people who know how to deal with secrets. It was the time of the rituals and the glorification of the Gods. The lay people waited for several days until the sun began to add "to the passerine gallop" and even then a noisy and cheerful holiday began.

What's the bottom line?

We told you about where the different dates for the celebration of Kolyada came from. We will not leave without the dates of the holiday for 2019:

• 21 Decemberday of Karachun. Whoever feels the strength to Slavic rituals, raises the fiery wheel into the sky after sunset - this is how the birth of Kolyada is called. Those who are not versed in rituals can light the wheel even in the daylight.
• December 21-22 - Night of Chernobog. Here it is, the longest night of the year, full of dangers. If you know how to turn to the Navi Gods, you can conduct rituals on this night. For the rest, it would be better to stay at home and it would be nice to light a living candle light.
• December 22 at 7:19 Moscow time Winter Solstice, the moment of the birth of the Young Sun. Those in the know are celebrating Kolyada at this time.

• December 24-25 we are starting the holidays and noisy festivities for everyone! From this day, the laity begin to celebrate.

We hope that now you will not get confused about when to celebrate Kolyada correctly. For the good!