Woman's porridge

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

Babi porridge - this is an astronomical date, therefore this holiday is celebrated immediately after the "Christmas of Khors", i.e. - December 26. In the Christian tradition, where astronomical nature is not observed, the holiday is celebrated in a new style - on January 8, i.e. after the "Nativity of Christ" and is referred to as "Cathedral of the Most Holy Theotokos".

Woman's porridge takes three days to cope. On the first day, midwives-puerperas are honored, midwives, who took birth earlier in the villages and towns, on the second day - the Heavenly Family and Parents; in the third - Rozhanits - Mother of God Lada and Mother of God Morena.

Earlier on this day, women who gave birth to children in a given year, and midwives gathered at temples (and later in churches) and brought gifts to Rod and Rozhanitsy. After bringing the treasures, the women in labor invited the midwives to visit them, presented them with money and treated them to porridge specially prepared that day. This ritual treat, made everywhere by Russians, gave the name to the feast "babi porridge". This custom in 1590 was condemned by Metropolitan Michael of Kiev and forbidden "like a pagan treasure."

In contrast to the usual "babka's porridge" it was "rich", that is, mild: nourishing and very tasty. At least for her, they did not skimp on additives such as milk, cream, butter, eggs. The finished porridge was decorated with poppy seeds, berries, nuts, halves of eggs, a chicken or a cockerel was baked in it, depending on whether a girl or a boy was born in the family.

The expressed respect for midwives was based on popular beliefs that spiritually kinship relationships were established between midwives and the children they adopted. On the one hand, the midwife was responsible for the child she had beaten; on the other hand, she occupied an honorable place among the relatives of this child in ceremonies related to the most important events of his life: during christenings, weddings, seeing off to the army (for boys), etc..d.

A midwife is a distant relative in the village, for not a single homeland could do without a midwife. But not every woman was entrusted with the difficult and responsible task of giving birth. First, she had to be middle-aged, i.e. exhausted childbearing age. Povityo was even called "babkanie". Secondly, the midwife could only be the one who herself gave birth to children, and in no case was a virgin allowed to the midwife art. She had to be “with hands”, that is. dexterous and knowledgeable. At the first labor pains, the woman in labor would heat the bathhouse to ease her torment, fumigate it with a birch torch, wormwood and immortelle herbs, read kind prayers, and support with affectionate words.

It should also be noted that women who did not stain their honor with adultery or a quarrelsome or absurd character were involved in obstetrics. It was believed that otherwise it could harm both the health and the fate of the newborn. For the same reason, it was forbidden to accept assistance in childbirth from black-eyed attendants.

About the God-given gift to midwives - "to help the mother-mother" - there were many proverbs and sayings among the people. They said, for example: “Each grandmother has her own grips,” “Wait, don't give birth, but go for grandma,” “Grandma will come, help with every business,” “God is with mercy, and grandmother with hands.”

In a number of communities, midwives were not invited to their place, and they themselves went to the grandmothers "for porridge." The parents of the children whom they took during childbirth came. The future mothers and young girls came separately, and in this case, men were not allowed to the holiday. The grandmothers were brought freshly baked pies, mead or home-made beer and liqueurs, lard or meat for cabbage soup and flour for pancakes. Such gifts symbolized prosperity and were supposed to call wealth into the midwife's house. In addition to food, the midwife was given a piece of canvas or a towel so that the "road" for the children she was taking was easy (childbirth passed easily).

Visiting and sharing meals with midwives sometimes took place from the evening until the end of the day. At the table, everyone was having fun, joking, and conversations were almost always filled with sexual overtones. The midwife herself sometimes performed rituals that should help women have more children or prevent the short stature of the child, for example, the grandmother raised a pot of porridge, saying: "Grow high, high."

According to the established tradition, one of the pots of porridge was broken "for good luck", and then they began to regale everyone who came "to the light", yes, not anyhow, but certainly "with a quote." For example, the father of a newly born baby was fed "with fun" porridge, which was mixed with horseradish, pepper, mustard, or salt was added in excess of any measure. It was believed that in this way, at least to some extent, he would share with his wife the torment she experienced during childbirth. The young mother was presented with walnuts for milk to arrive. And the children were treated to sweet cereals, counting on their favor to the newborn. In addition, each of them, so that he was speechless, the striker and did not go into his pocket for a word, was given handfuls of sweet nuts and dried peas. Rolling this delicacy in their mouths, the children stopped licking, lisping, and besides, they got rid of the vice, which is popularly called "porridge in the mouth."

And they also used grandma's porridges to tell fortunes. If during cooking she crawled out of the pot towards the oven, they counted on a happy, fertile year, otherwise they were preparing for trouble. Which, however, could have been avoided if the "unlucky" porridge, along with the pot, was drowned in an ice-hole.

In Bulgaria, an interesting custom has survived on Babin's Day: Early in the morning, women go to the midwife, whose children are between 1 and 3 years old. There, in the courtyard, under a fruit tree, a ritual of “washing hands” is performed. Young women, who took a bucket of clean water, soap and a new towel from home with them, pour the midwife on her hands, and then give her a towel, which she accepts as a gift (clothes are also brought as a gift to the midwife, a linen - all this is put on her right shoulder). In this ritual, the old woman tries to raise as much spray as possible with a slander, so that the woman's child can run and jump in good health. For her part, the midwife also gives mothers baby socks and shirts, and if the baby comes with the mother, she ties a coin or a figurine of a horse with woven threads (red and white) in his hand.

On this day, mothers carry out a special home ritual - they sprinkle grain on their children - "for a long time, for happiness, for well-being." And in the house where there is a baby, on this day at noon, the child is lifted above their head and they say to him: "Holy, holy, holy, and our baby is in harmony and treasure. You grow up, bloom with scarlet poppies. As the Sun gains strength, your health is Arrives! Glory to Rod! Glory to Lada! You grow up for the joy of mom!"

Christmas carol is in full swing and noisy gangs of children are knocking on every door: “Bring a cow, a butter head, a baking oven, a gilded cow! ". And in a child's box from every house, they carried both the big girls and the maidens-brides ritual cookies, which in their appearance are akin to a cattle. And the kids were provoking: “You, hostess, give me! You, sweetheart, give it! Serve - don't break! Break off a little - there will be Ermoshka. Break off a hump - Andryushka will be there. And give me the middle - to be a wedding! " …

And so the child's box was heavy. And then, with the whole childish world, the praisers ran to someone's heated bathhouse, divided equally among themselves both satiety and sweets.

It was a joyful time for games and fun. The children recognized each other and were childishly happy, remembering this wonderful winter time.

According to legends, from this day on, the Navya force begins to rage, for with the birth of Khors, the day conquers the night and the time of Darkness is shortened. Therefore, the peasants, wanting to protect themselves from the intrigues of evil spirits, previously dressed up in ridiculous costumes and walked around the village with songs and dances, thereby showing the evil spirits that their place had already been taken.