Rituals of escorting ancestors to the afterlife

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

The burial appeared to the ancient Russian people as equipment for the journey. The methods of burial and the rituals that accompanied the burials among the Old Russian Slavs had two goals: to arrange a normal life for the dead in the new world and to establish a living connection between them and their relatives.

Among the ancient Slavs, depending on their place of residence, there were several methods of burial, the main ones: 1) where there was a lot of forest and naturally firewood for the construction of a kroda (funeral pyre), burning of the body was used; 2) in the steppe regions of the Kuban and Don, where there was little fuel, burial in the ground could be used (after the baptism of Rus); 3) on sea voyages - lowering the deceased into the water.

The most common form of burial was the kurgan one. The ashes of the burnt deceased were buried in the ground, placed in urns-pots. A churchyard of several hundred domina among the ancient Slavs was a "city of the dead", a place of worship for the ancestors of the clan, it was usually located across the river. The distance between the churchyard and the river must be at least 10 sazhens, and between the settlement and the river 27 sazhens. The distance from Kroda (funeral pyre) to the altar or the place of Tryzna was at least 7 sazhens. Between the altar and the idol with the firefighter there are two and a half sazhens. The firefighter was located at a distance of one column from the Idol Rod. The height of the idol on the churchyard was not less than two fathoms.

The mounds in the valley of the ancestors were located at a distance of three sazhens from each other in a checkerboard pattern, so that the light from the Yarila-Sun could illuminate all the mounds, and the shadow from one mound did not fall on the neighboring ones at sunrise and sunset. The skulls (these bones have the highest density and therefore do not burn) were piled up near the Idol of the Roda, and the ashes and crushed remains of other bones were put in a jug or urn that was called domino or as the house used to say (made of clay and burned). In addition, on the southern side of the place for the funeral, the Ristalische was sometimes still attached - a place where warriors with swords showed battles in front of the Gods in which a deceased warrior participated. In the center of the future mound, a pillar was installed on the top of which a platform was fixed with four pillars between which the domina was installed. Utensils were folded under the platform, everything was covered with a board and then covered with earth by hands. There were mounds of reusable use, they made a log passage to the inside, and the area for the domina was larger (so that other dead people could be buried with relatives). Now adherents of Vedic traditions use the same system, only after cremation the domina is placed in a depression and a mound is poured over it, and a monument is erected on the west side. The depression is a square pit with sides equal to one measure and a depth of one measure.

According to an established tradition, when a Slav died, he was washed under any circumstances, changed into clean, sometimes very expensive clothes. Then they put the deceased on a bench, with their heads in the red corner (there were idols in the red corner), covered with a white canvas, folded their hands on their chest.

Previously, there were mirrors made of bronze or copper (now mirrors) and they were covered with dark matter. If the mirrors are not closed, then the deceased can take the Souls of relatives with him and then there will be several deaths in this genus in a row. The doors were not locked, so that the soul could freely enter and exit (and nothing would interfere with it), otherwise an unintelligent soul could be frightened. After all, the soul at this time is next to the body and if it does not figure out how to get out, then it can remain attached to this place for a long time (up to 3 years).

When the deceased was lying, they tied his arms and legs with thin ropes. Before the croda, the fetters were removed from the legs and arms.

A copper wire was tied to the middle finger of the right hand, and its other end was lowered into a vessel with earth (a kind of grounding, connection with the mother earth). This was done in order to keep the body longer. The right hand emits energy - therefore, they tie it to it (and not to the left, which absorbs energy).

Copper or silver coins were placed on the eyes of the deceased so that the eyes would not open. This was done so that the deceased would not be reflected in parallel structures. The coins must be heavy enough to keep your eyes from opening. The same coins then remained with the deceased, as a tribute to Horon for transporting them across the river between the worlds. A mirror and a light feather were placed near the face.

For three days the priest, according to the book of the dead, read the parting words. At this time, all living beings from the room where the dead lay were removed. Then, after three days, the ceremony of farewell to relatives was performed.

Further, the deceased was carried forward with their feet, symbolizing by this as if he had come out himself. The relatives were not supposed to carry it. Relatives never walk ahead of the deceased. After taking out the deceased, the floors in the rooms should be cleaned, but not by loved ones. The floors are cleaned from the farthest corner to the threshold.

Before the kroda, the relatives said goodbye and kissed the forehead of the deceased (kissing the forehead gives energy).

If a kroda was carried out, then the wife, of her own free will, could climb on it and stay with her husband, and then she would be carried away with him to the purest Svarga. Preparing for death, she dressed up in the best clothes, feasted and rejoiced, rejoicing in her future happy life in the heavenly world. During the ceremony, they brought her to the gate, behind which the body of her husband lay on the wood and brushwood, they lifted her over the gate, and she exclaimed that she saw her dead relatives and ordered her to lead her to them as soon as possible.

After the body was burned, the ashes were collected in domina (urns). Unburned bones and some of the ash were scattered over the fields. Next, they put a pillar on it, a platform with four pillars on it, an urn is placed next to it, a fire maker and things, weapons, etc. were put on. The lid was put on these four pillars and a white scarf was put on top, it went down below the footboard on which the domina stands. All this was covered with earth and a mound was obtained. A memorial stone was placed next to or on top. When the mound was being poured, everyone was obliged to throw a handful of earth (it is by no means possible to pour earth by the collar, this is a rite of black magic in which the energy balance is disturbed and energy channels are interrupted).

Then they held a funeral farewell supper (Tryzna) and lists, if the deceased was a warrior. His friends showed past battles in which he participated. It was a kind of a theatrical performance and this custom was preserved in a number of regions of Ukraine (hutsuls, boyki) until the beginning of the 20th century, when funeral games were held near the deceased. Conducting the funeral rite, instead of expressing grief and sadness in the presence of the deceased, everyone present had fun: they played folk musical instruments, sang, danced, told fairy tales, acted out something like dramatic scenes in the spirit of heaven. All these actions have been preserved since ancient times, when the people had the correct concept of death. After the performance, tables were laid and a commemoration was held, and the next morning, in the morning, they went to feed the deceased, brought food to the mound and left them there. Nothing is carried away from the churchyard. Until the ninth day, no one goes to the churchyard anymore.

Burying the dead, the Slavs put with the man not only weapons, but also horse harness; sickles, vessels, grain were laid with the woman. The bodies of the dead were laid on the kroda (sent to the KIND), because the flame most quickly breaks the connection between the soul and the body and the spirit with the soul immediately falls into the heavenly world. The funeral pyre at the funeral of noble warriors was so great that its flame could be seen within a radius of up to 40 km.

The existence of such a method of burial (burning) is evidenced by Ibn-Fodlan (early 10th century) in his description of the burial of a noble Russian. When Ibn-Fodlan told one Russian that the Arabs 'bodies are buried in the ground, the Russian was surprised at the Arabs' stupidity: “For the deceased,” said the Russian, “it’s so hard, and you are still putting an extra burden on him by burying it in the ground. Here we have better; look, - he said, pointing to the burning of the corpse of a noble Russian, - how easily our deceased ascends to the heavens together with the smoke. There is another evidence in our chronicle, where the customs of the ancient Slavs are described: “And if anyone dies, I will create a funeral over him and therefore I will put (fire) a great one and will lay it on the dead man’s treasure, and so, having collected bones, I will put a mala in the court and deliver on the pillar on the tracks, the Vyatichi hedgehogs and now (at the beginning of the XII century) are creating the custom of Krivichi and other pogagi … . From this testimony of our chronicle it is clear that the ashes of the deceased after being burned, collected in a vessel, were placed on a pillar, and then a large mound was poured over the remains.

With the adoption of Christianity, the custom of burning disappears and is everywhere replaced by burying in the ground.