Pagan holidays in October. Slavic holidays

Traditional Slavic pagan holidays 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. Youth plays turkey - funny 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 by Slavic mythology is the god of clouds, snakes, wells, 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. Domovoi in the most important holidays Slavs this day you need to make offerings 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. it 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 Candlemas - wait 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 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 holiday table by 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 horror 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 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 into different sides. 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 8th of September there is a holiday celebrating 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 games. In the hands of a woman is oat 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 summer jobs in 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. For Mother's Day Holy Mother of God meals were provided for all members of the family. 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 power 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 rites of closing Svarga (the termination of communication between the Earth and Heaven), the Day of Svarog comes - Great Holiday 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, he was equal to human growth, a priest hid behind him with the question: “Do you see me?”

In response to a positive answer, the priest wished that next year a more plentiful harvest was gathered, and even larger cakes could be baked.

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 the tale of the miracle hero and 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. FROM long time ago she was approached with a request for an easy birth 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 perform homework, bathe children and bathe yourself. 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 mound Gulbishche found his last resort Slavic holidays - the day of the Great Russian hero Svyatogor. 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, its dimensions this work were exaggerated, but an indisputable fact - this giant really walked 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.

Remains ancient holiday appear in holy games and divination. 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.

Memorial Day of Prince Oleg

As the prophetic Oleg is now going to Take revenge on the unreasonable Khazars: Their villages and fields for a violent raid He doomed to swords and fires; With his retinue, in Constantinople armor, the Prince rides across the field on a faithful horse. A.S. Pushkin “The Song of the Prophetic Oleg” The chronicle tells that on September 2, 911, Prince Oleg, nicknamed the “prophetic”, after a successful campaign against Constantinople (Slavyansk. - Tsargrad), concluded an agreement with Byzantium. One of the main results of the campaign, historians call the conclusion of a trade agreement, according to which Russian merchants could conduct duty-free trade. Oleg nailed his shield - a symbol of victory - on the gates of Constantinople. During the reign (882-912), Oleg did the seemingly impossible - he united the scattered Slavic tribes into a single state - Kievan Rus. But for this it was necessary to capture Kyiv, where at that time Rurik's combatants Askold and Dir, who were killed by the prince during a short campaign, were sitting. Ruled on the throne as a regent, Oleg gave education to the son of Rurik - Igor. The Chud Magi predicted the death of Prince Oleg from a faithful horse. And so it happened, although after the death of the animal itself.

Rod and Childbirth

This Slavic holiday dedicated to family well-being falls on September 8th. After the beginning, at which the glorification of Rod, Lada and Lely is obligatory, the ritual of the “funeral of flies” begins. The caught fly (cockroach, mosquito, wasp) is placed in a carrot domina, solemnly taken to a wasteland and buried in a grave, which means the stupor of insects during the coming winter. After the “burial”, the ritual hunt for “moose cows” begins. Two girls dressed as elks (deer) appear for a short time from the forest and run away. The hunters chase after them, trying to catch them. One caught "elk" is immediately released, and the second is led to the temple, where they are also released, having previously been scolded for making the fellows run for a long time. The holiday ends with a Christmas feast (ceremonial food: cottage cheese, eggs, cheese, venison or beef, oatmeal, berry wine) and games. The games begin with a round dance, which is led around the oldest of the women. A woman holds bread in her hands (preferably oatmeal). At the end of the round dance, bread is divided and distributed for the treatment of people and domestic animals. After the holiday of the Family and the Women in Childbirth, the "Indian summer" comes.

The first Autumn Hops - a symbol of the harvest

In the agricultural calendar of the Slavs, this day was called "autumn" or "ospozhinki" and was celebrated as a harvest festival. On this day, Thanksgiving was given to Mother Earth. At the beginning of September, the harvest was completed, which was supposed to ensure the well-being of the family for the next year. In addition, the meeting of autumn was marked by the renewal of fire: the old fire was extinguished and a new one was lit, which was mined with blows of flint. With "autumn" the main economic activity was transferred from the field to the garden or to the house: the collection of vegetables began (first of all, onions were harvested). Usually a treat was arranged in Oseniny, for which the whole family gathered. For the holiday, beer was brewed and a sheep (ram) was slaughtered. A pie was baked from the flour of the new harvest. They praised Mother Earth for giving birth to bread and other supplies. Since the harvest of hops began from that day, the corresponding game songs were sung at the festive festivities: We fly, hops, move, To our side, As on our side, there is a lot of freedom! And the freedom is big, the men are rich! That the men are rich, stone chambers! What stone chambers, golden doors, What molded domes! The second Osenins were celebrated on September 21, they coincided with the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The third Osenins fell on September 27th.

Closing of Svarga (Vyriy)

It was believed that on this day the goddess Zhiva - the personification of the fruitful power, youth, beauty of all nature and man - that is, spring, leaves the Earth, and Frost and Winter gradually enter into their possessions. Harvesting ends - people thank Zhiva for not letting me die of hunger, but sending fertility to Earth. The Spirits of the Ancestors do not descend to earth from this day. Birds fly into warmer climes- The Slavs believed that they fly to the upper world, where the souls of the dead live. People turn to flying birds with a request to bring news from the living to the dead. Vyriy (or Iriy-sad) is ancient name Paradise at Eastern Slavs. Our ancestors believed that light heavenly kingdom is located on the other side of the clouds or by the warm eastern sea, where there is endless summer. In Paradise, a world tree grows (our ancestors believed that it was a birch or oak), at the top of which birds or the souls of the dead lived. The keys to Iriy-Sad were once held by a crow, but she angered the gods, and the keys were handed over to a swallow. According to the testimony folk legends, in Iriy-Sad, near the wells, there are places prepared for future life good, good people. These are students with clean spring water, around which fragrant flowers grow, ripen on trees rejuvenating apples and the birds of paradise sing sweetly.

new year

September 14 Church New Year, or Slavic New Year, falls on September 14 (September 1, old style). This date is considered the first day of the new church year. Accordingly, the last holiday that ends the church year is the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos - August 28 (according to the new style), and the first holiday of the new church year is the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos (September 21). The celebration of the New Year began in September 1363 as a tribute to the civil Byzantine tradition. Since 1492, the New Year began to be celebrated in Russia as a church and state holiday. The meaning of the divine service on this day was the memory of the Savior's sermon in the Nazareth synagogue, when Jesus Christ said that he had come "to heal the brokenhearted." AT Orthodox calendar The New Year is also solemnly called the “beginning of the indiction”. You can understand what an indict is by referring to the traditions of Constantinople, which came to Russia along with Orthodox faith. An indict is the fifteenth part of an indiction (a fifteen-year interval of time, which was approved as a compromise between the year and the century, the unit of reference of historical time). The beginning of an indiction meant the beginning of a new fiscal year, the start of a new tax collection period. The concept of indiction was introduced by Emperor Constantine the Great. He ordered to finish military service after 15 years, after which to provide retirees with state benefits at the expense of an indict (tax, tax), collected just on September 1, after the harvest. In Russia, each new year of a fifteen-year interval, and the fifteenth anniversary itself, was also called an indict. By the way, according to astronomers, absolutely any date can be the day of the celebration of the New Year, since the concept of “beginning of the year” is very conditional. After all, all points of the earth's orbit are absolutely equal, and it is completely indifferent which of them to take as the origin.

Svarog Day

The holiday of the Heavenly Smith - Svarog has come. By this time, the rites of closing Svarga (interruption of the living connection between Heaven and Earth) had already passed. The earth is gradually fettered by frost from the abyss, the influence of the bright Gods is falling. The land remains in the care of Veles. So that people can experience hard times, Svarog gave them an ax, the art of craft. Therefore, blacksmiths, carpenters and all craftsmen are especially honored on this day. From that day on, chickens are slaughtered, and the first ones are served as a sacrifice to Svarog. The girls rent a hut, arrange a brotherhood, sometimes they gather it throughout the village, and for three days they invite the guys to a party, while the bride girl is considered the mistress of the house. At parties, they tell magical, scary and playful tales, spend naughty games with kisses. Brotherhood (other names - eve, candle) was called a joint meal full-fledged members of the one-village community, arranged in a clubbing after a prayer service. Despite the prohibitions of the authorities, brotherhoods were everywhere preserved in the social life of the peasants. At the heart of the brotherhood was a pious custom - the remembrance of the saint, to whose help the community once turned to save them from disaster.

Holiday Lada

Girls turn to the goddess to send a big harvest special status Lada - the great goddess of spring-summer fertility and the patroness of weddings, marriage life - determined the plurality of holidays dedicated to her: they were celebrated six times a year, from early March to mid-September. The rituals associated with Lada are usually timed to coincide with the spring-summer and autumn cycle of holidays. In particular, it was Lada and her daughter Lelya (Lelnik) who were asked for permission to call for spring. Then the goddess was addressed before the start of summer field work. The rest of the rituals were associated with the spring-summer cycle of prayers for rain, the festival of the first greenery, the first shoots, the first and last ears. On the Red Hill holiday, which was mostly dedicated to Lada, the girls played the game "And we sowed millet, sowed it." The place of its holding was a hill (red hill). The players were divided into two groups - one sang about sowing millet, the other about trampling it. Trampling meant the end of the whole cycle - the threshing of bread. Perhaps it was just such a game that the chronicler described, noting that the Slavs “arranged games between the village and that wife’s sly.” The researchers also found that Lada was also approached to ensure the well-being of a future marriage. Often it was in the middle of summer, by autumn, that a decision was made to conclude a marriage union, although the wedding was played much later, after the completion of field work. The cycle of glorifying the goddess ended after the harvest (at the end of August-September), so the last holiday associated with Lada was the holiday of the autumn equinox. (September 8-9, old style) and September 22, new.

Rodogoshch (Tausen)

The Slavs celebrate a great holiday - Rodogoshch (Tausen) - when the harvest is harvested, the autumn sun - Svetovit - no longer bakes, the trees are preparing for winter sleep, throwing off their beautiful outfits. By this day, a huge honey cake is baked (in the old days the cake was the height of a man), behind which, after the beginning, the priest hides and asks: “Do you see me?”. If the audience answers in the affirmative, then the priest pronounces a wish: next year to harvest a more plentiful harvest and bake more bigger pie. After the beginning, on which fortune-telling for the next year and divination over a bowl of sacred wine are obligatory, a feast begins with a mountain - food is placed on the table in a slide, which by the end of the feast is greatly reduced. On this day, a fairy tale is played out about the hero and the underworld, designed to remind of the fading Sun and the coming Winter. Before dark, they kindle a fire and jump over it, clearing themselves. Priests walk barefoot on hot coals, chanting: “Yazhe, Yazhe, trample!”. But you must beware of walking on coals without preparation in order to avoid burns. After all, priests avoid burns by introducing themselves with uniform blows to the tambourine into a special state of trance.

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February (Lute) 2017

Thursday, 02 February (Lute) 2017
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March (Berezen) 2017

Wednesday, 01 March (Berezen) 2017
Calls (spring Stribog) :: 1.03 perform the rite of invocations of Spring (the goddess Alive). Girls, standing on high places, hillocks or roofs, looking to the east, sing: Spring, Red spring! Come, ...

Friday, 24 March (Berezen) 2017
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April (Kveten) 2017

Red hill :: Under this name, there are a number of spring holidays, starting with Lelnik and ending with Earth Day.

Saturday, 22 April (Kveten) 2017
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Sunday, 23 April (Kveten) 2017
Yarilo vernal :: 23.04 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. ...


rodonitsa :: 30.04 the last spring cold ends. With the sunset, the beginnings are opened. On this day, they commemorate their ancestors, calling them to visit the earth: “Fly, dear ones ...

Sunday, 30 April (Kveten) 2017
Living day :: On the night of 30.04 to 01.05, a holiday begins - Zhivin's day. Women, taking brooms, perform a ritual dance around the fire, clearing the place of evil spirits. Glorify...

May (Traven) 2017

Wednesday, 10 May (Traven) 2017
Earth Day (Mermaid Day) :: On this day, 10.05, the Slavs celebrate the name day of the Earth. It is forbidden to carry out any excavation work, it is forbidden to plow, harrow and stick stakes into the ground, ...

Wednesday, 31 May (Traven) 2017
Mermaids :: From 31.05 to 06.06 Rusalie will take place. These days, mermaids come out onto land and dance in the light of the Moon, celebrate their weddings, dance and...

June (Cherven) 2017

Monday, 05 June (Cherven) 2017
Semik :: Festival of Fire. At the beginning of the worm, nature pleases the eye with a riot of colors. 5.06 Yarilo opens the sky, and green herbs are poured magic power. Spring is leaving...

Saturday, 24 June (Cherven) 2017
Kupalo :: Celebrated on 24.06. In the evening, June 23, 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. In advance...

July (Lipen) 2017

Thursday, 20 July (Lipen) 2017
Perunov day :: 20.07 Oh, mighty Perun, God of the Slavic tribes! With your right hand You shake our sleep. Once again fighting with the serpent In the steep sky - You return to us the memory of the family ...

August (Serpen) 2017

Monday, 07 August (Serpen) 2017
Spozhinki :: By 07.08, the harvest ends in most of Slavia, hence the name of the holiday - Spozhinki (dozhinki, swabs). The last sheaf ("reaper") is reaped in silence, so that ...

Friday, 18 August (Serpen) 2017
Horoyar :: 18.08 holiday "Khoroyar" - the day of veneration of two brothers, Khors and Yarila, patrons of horses. They are Tausen and Usen, and the Lithuanians ...

Thursday, 31 August (Serpen) 2017
tonsure :: 31.08 tonsure takes place. When a boy turns 3 years old, his hair is cut as a sign of the transition to a new stage of life. A shorn one is given an adult ...

September (Spring) 2017

Friday, 08 September (Spring) 2017
Women in labor :: The holiday of the Family and Rozhanits, dedicated to the harvested harvest and the family well-being associated with it, falls on 08.09. At the beginning they pronounce glorifications to the Family, ...

Sunday, 24 September (Saturday) 2017
Radogoshch :: 24.09, with the onset of the autumn equinox, the Slavs celebrate a great holiday - Radogoshch. Sun-husband Dazhbog becomes the wise Sun-old man Svetovit. It's not like that anymore...

October (Zolten) 2017

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 we must 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 the 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 games. In the hands of a woman is oat 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, he was equal to human growth, a priest hid behind him 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 mound Gulbishche, the Slavic holidays - the day of the Svyatogora, the great Russian hero Svyatogor, found their 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 "karachit" 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.