Slavic holidays of May - new life

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

To rejoice in a new life that blooms on the verge of spring and summer, and to spend death outside the world of the living - this is the main essence of the May holidays of the ancient Slavs.

Life-giving power

Many peoples of the pagan world had a tradition to celebrate the rebirth of nature in early May, and the ancient Slavs were no exception: on May 1, they celebrated Zhivin's day, when they glorified the daughter of the goddess Lada Zhivu, who gives the world flowering and fertility. The time Alive on earth began to grow green when orchards and orchards, fields and forests began to turn green, when people saw the beauty of young spring nature and re-learned the joy of love

The Slavs represented the goddess as a young woman in a rich outfit, decorated with flowers and fruits, under whose affectionate gaze the earth blooms even more. And our ancestors considered the cuckoo to be the incarnation of Alive: according to legends, this bird flew directly from Iria, from where the souls of newborns came and where the deceased retired. That is why she had power over the duration of human life and could tell everyone how long he was allotted on earth. The Zhiva-cuckoo was addressed by those to whom a short life was written in the family - it was believed that if you ask the goddess well, she could, by her will, prolong the years of a person.

The Slavs dedicated whole groves to Zhivee, where they arranged feasts in her honor, because it was she who was revered as the creator of the forests. This is what the legend tells about it. When the gods created the earth, they forgot about trees and bodies of water. The goddess Zhiva came down from heaven to look at God's creation, but quickly got tired, wandering through the mountains and plains under the scorching sun, sat down to rest and dozed off. The giant Swamp saw her at this time, inflamed with unclean passion and grabbed Zhivu in his arms. The goddess broke free and fled back to heaven, but while fleeing, she dropped the comb and ribbon from the scythe. And where they fell, a forest grew through which a river flowed. Since then, forests and rivers have appeared on earth, and people honored them as a gift from Zhiva.

Alive she provided patronage to girls and young wives, and therefore on the holiday they praised the goddess with ritual songs and dancing with brooms near the fire, ritually cleansing the place where they lived from traces of evil spirits and the goddess of death Marena. Also, on this day, it was supposed to jump over the fire in order to cleanse oneself from ailments and other misfortunes, and at the same time prolong one's life.

On Zhivin day, young people played out the idea of the soul's journey into the world of Navi and its return unharmed back to Yav. And the children let the birds out of their cages and were treated to ceremonial lark cookies, calling on people to warm and bloom.

Green sunday

On the first Sunday in May, Zelnik came- a day of growing and flourishing nature, a celebration of new spring life, fresh herbs and foliage. The day before, our ancestors went to meadows and groves to collect branches with young leaves, flowers and herbs. During the collection of greenery, it was supposed to sing songs about spring, and one bunch of grass was sure to mourn: tears symbolized rain, and ritual crying provided the Slavs with summer without drought and a rich harvest.

In the evening before the holiday with the harvested "green harvest" the whole family decorated the house. Plants were hung not only in the dwelling, but also on windows, shutters, gates, fences and even on sheds and cattle pens - this was to show the gods that people are ready for the arrival of heat and flowering, and also to drive away any evil spirits from the village. Herbs (thyme, wormwood, lovage, fern, mint) were spread on the floor in houses: it was believed that on Zelnik they acquire wonderful properties, can heal a family, cleanse the premises and attract good spirits to them. The first flowers and branches with young greenery were dried and stored until harvest, when they were placed in a granary and mixed with hay so that the harvest would not be spoiled by evil spirits or bad weather.

For the same, so that the harvest was plentiful, the village was "led to Poplar" - a girl dressed with wreaths and flowers. For this role, they tried to choose a tall and beautiful girl, who was an image of a fertile, generous nature. Poplar with songs and dances was taken through the streets, she bowed to everyone she met and wished a good harvest, for which she received food and coins "for ribbons" from the villagers.

Girls on Zelnik performed the rite of curling a birch tree. It was necessary to go to the forest, find a young birch, twist the tree branches with rings and tie them. Then, under the "curled" birches, a festive meal was arranged with pies, porridge, kvass and the obligatory ritual scrambled eggs. The first spoonful of porridge was "treated" to a birch tree, and after the meal they danced in circles with songs about the maiden's share. A week later, at the Mermaid's farewell, the girls checked their birch trees and wondered about marriage: tightly holding green branches promised a lasting happy marriage, and those that were withered or developed - girlhood or even early death. Another fortune-telling about fate could be done with wreaths of the first spring flowers. They were thrown into the river and watched what would become of them. If the current carried the wreath into the distance - the girl had a quick meeting with the groom, if it was nailed to the shore - then marriage was not expected soon, but if the wreath was sinking - therefore, fate foreshadowed separation from her dear friend.

According to legend, our ancestors had a serious incentive to celebrate Green Sunday properly, from the heart. It was believed that if the village takes a good walk on Zelnik, then a fern will be sown in the nearest forest by nightfall, blooming on Ivan Kupala, and bringing happiness and good luck to those who find it.

Return to Nav

A week after Zelnik, Farewell to the Mermaids was celebrated- the day after which the souls of the resting dead lost their ability to walk on the earth and influence human lives. The main character of the rituals that day was a mermaid - a famous character of Slavic folklore. In fairy tales, dead children and girls turn into mermaids, usually drowned women, whom Vodyanoy took to his service. It was believed that these creatures are dangerous to people, they can tickle them to death or bewitch and take them under the water.

On Rusal Great Day, the Slavs walked around the village with ritual songs, then laid the tables, without fail, outside the village, in the open air. Then, in the late afternoon, it was time for the main rite - the seeing off of the mermaid. To do this, one of the girls was chosen to play the role of "escort", dressed in a white shirt, loose her hair, her friends cleaned her from head to toe with wreaths and greens, and late in the evening, together with the entire community, they led her outside the village. The mermaid at this time tried to "attack" her fellow villagers, tickle them or otherwise scare them. And in order to "drive" the evil spirits from the village, they chose a lively teenager - a "talk" who knew many jokes and could taunt the mermaid, making the audience laugh. Other participants in the wires had to create a noise effect: singing loudly, playing balalaikas and pipes, rattling rattles, hitting basins and clicking whips. It was believed that in this way the evil spirits would get scared and quickly get out of the village.

The mermaid was traditionally escorted away from the settlement, beyond the forest, to the river - to places that our ancestors perceived as the border between the worlds of the dead and the living. There, wreaths were tore off the mermaid, scattered them and scattered in different directions so that they could not be caught up and harmed. At dawn, when, according to legends, the mermaids went far from the village, everyone went to bathe in the river water purified from evil spirits.

The annual ceremony can be explained by the desire of the Slavs to get rid of a dangerous creature that instills fear in people. Seeing off the mermaids, people thereby expelled, escorted out of their living space the restless souls of the dead, tried to return them to Nav, where they had a place.

Spring Grandfathers - invaluable experience of ancestors

Towards the end of May, when summer was about to come on the Slavic lands, a memorial day came - Spring Grandfathers, when the souls of ancestors descended from Iria to see how things were going with their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The deceased ancestors from the founder of the clan to the recently departed loved ones were called grandfathers, the worship of which was one of the foundations of Slavic paganism.

On this holiday, they certainly visited cemeteries with ritual gifts - pancakes, pies, jelly, cereals, painted eggs and other ritual foods. The pagans considered death only a transition to another world, to the ancestors and gods, and therefore the Spring Grandfathers were not at all a sad day. On the churchyards, real feasts were held with memorial speeches, songs, jokes and general fun. Even real battles were part of the holiday - battles in honor of the ancestors, so that they could see what valiant warriors remained to live on earth. When setting the tables for refreshments, the Slavs never forgot to put a separate dish for the souls of their ancestors with the best dishes.

Characteristic for Grandfathers are special song-calls. Some of them urged their ancestors not to leave their care for living people, to help them in rural work and other worldly affairs. Others "called out" the first spring rain. It was believed that on the day of the holiday, heaven should be born with at least a very small rain. If the songs helped, and the rain did happen, it was necessary to wash with drops of it, and this water should bring happiness. If a thunderstorm also thundered, then it brought good news and a successful year. And after the Spring Grandfathers, it was not long to wait for a warm, sunny summer.