Russian folk traditional calendar. Calendar of folk signs

Calendar specifics

The folk calendar is based on the church calendar - the calendar, which determines the order and hierarchy of holidays, fasts and meat-eaters, and to a large extent their terminology. However, the content of the folk calendar, the interpretation of holidays, periods and seasons, as well as their rituals are part of folk tradition. The content of the folk calendar is based on the mythological interpretation of time, the distinction between sacred, pure, light and impure, dark, dangerous times, which is reflected in the names of holidays, revered and dangerous days and periods.

An analysis of signs and names of days allows us to come to the conclusion that if folk calendar was based on the church, then the most significant figures of the church pantheon would be mentioned first of all. However, a number of "minor" martyrs are noted in the Menologion, and most of Christ's disciples (apostles) are not indicated, like half of the Old Testament prophets. When creating the calendar, the people did not proceed from the Christian calendar, but from the available agricultural signs and rituals, often taking the saints in consonance, whose names echo the old Russian names (“wet day”, that is, the day of rain and hail, became Happy Mokiya (English) Russian or Day of the Tsar-city; The day of the first meeting of spring became Candlemas or meeting) or simply added the former name to the names of the saints (“ Kupala” became “Ivan-Kupala”, “The cattle god - knock off the horn from winter” was called “Vlasiy - knock off the horn from winter”). And one of the hundreds of saints not particularly marked by the church - Paraskeva, became one of the most revered in Rus' under the name Pareskeva-Friday, in honor of which there was even a special "Friday calendar".

The folk calendar exists mainly in oral form, partly also in the form of handwritten lists of holidays. All Slavs also had primitive wooden calendars (tags, cuts, raboshes) in everyday life, on which the dates of holidays and major events marked with notches. Separate Slavic traditions were quite different in composition, ratio, interpretation and name of the units of time that make up the folk calendar.

The complex of views and traditions that makes up the folk calendar has been formed over many centuries, starting from the pagan era, and finally took shape in the 16th - centuries. In the XVIII - centuries. there was a significant transformation of the folk calendar under the influence of changes in official chronology and calendar styles, so modern dates will not coincide, for example, with pre-revolutionary ones. There are regional differences in the folk calendar.

Scientists identify various components of the folk calendar: a calendar of agricultural activities, community and church life (Orthodox holidays), a family calendar, a children's folk calendar, a calendar of youth divination, a demographic folk calendar, etc.

The Russian folk calendar also reflected the specifics of the lifestyle of the Orthodox Russian peasant, and those natural conditions where he lived. This is, first of all, the Central part of European Russia (where it developed), with its temperate continental climate and the inconstancy of transitional seasons. The alternation of seasonal natural phenomena underlies the traditional Russian calendar.

About the dates of church holidays

An outstanding Russian and Soviet scientist, philologist and folklorist V. Ya. Propp believed that:

In setting the dates for the celebration, the Church was guided by its own special, "pedagogical" or missionary considerations. Fixing this or that day, the Church sought to change some local traditions and former religious customs.

Establishing its holidays during the days of pagan festivities, the Church knocked one of the last means of defense out of the hands of polytheism. To establish a Christian holiday on the day of a pagan holiday meant to call Christians to church and put them under the influence of such memories that it later became psychologically impossible for many to participate in pagan holidays. Whoever heard in the morning that in the midst of a noisy feast it was customary to cut off the head of the greatest of those born by women, in that pagan Christmas mood it was ruined for the whole day.

Many church holidays were the heirs of the ancient folk. The Church has not always been able to maintain control over the village festive culture, and some have retained their essence to this day (for example: Shrovetide, Rusal Week, Ivan Kupala). Peasant holidays remained a manifestation folk customs keeping in touch with the ancient cult of fertility and natural phenomena.

Items to track

The folk calendar received material embodiment, as a rule, in a tree; these were the forerunners of modern wall and tear-off calendars. They could be twelve-sided bars, where each face denotes a month, and has notches for the number of days, or bundles of twelve planks, also with day marks. There were also six- and four-sided bars.

Among the days-marks, holidays were marked with special icons, and the icons denoting them were often related to the theme of the holiday (for example: the day of the solstice was designated by the symbol of the Sun, the day of Evdokia, when inventory was being repaired - by the image of a plow, etc.).

Since the second half of the 17th century, folk calendars have been preserved, printed on paper, usually with drawings or diagrams.

Names and signs of days

TO XIX century The Russian folk calendar mentioned the names of more than 400 Orthodox saints, martyrs, clerics and princes. "Personification" calendar days allowed the peasants to better navigate the time and preserve the traditional way of life, without fear of reproaches of paganism from the church and state.

The names, events, ideas of Christianity were interpreted by the villagers in their own way, approaching the daily needs of the peasants. So the martyr Eusebius, in the rethinking of the peasants, became "Evsey - ovsy otsey", two saints Stephen on April 27 (May 10) turned into "Stepan the Ranger". The Transfiguration of the Lord on August 6 (19) was called the Apple Savior (the time when apple picking began), the feast in honor of the icon depicting the Savior on August 16 (29) is popularly known as the Savior of the Savior, i.e. the period of dozhinok in the harvesting of cereals.

New saints were often rethought, depending on the natural phenomena for these days of the year. It is likely that it was observations of the weather and natural phenomena that underlie the folk calendar that became the reason that "the everyday content of the holidays always turns out to be more stable than the mythological meaning that is invested in them."

On old Russian carved wooden calendars, with the help of Slavic letters, monograms and pictograms, the following days are highlighted: the arrival of birds (Larks, Kuliks); the end of the toboggan run (Prokop the road-breaker) or vice versa - its establishment (Introduction or Gate of Winter), thunderstorms on Ilyin's day. This tradition continues to live in the future, the folk calendar allocates days for which certain phenological or meteorological phenomena are characteristic. Dedicated to certain period year, they are not related to the weather forecast, but only reflect the timing seasonal changes, characteristic of the climate middle lane Russia. So, border day at the junction of autumn and winter, the folk calendar considered Pokrov - October 1 (14). "In Pokrov, autumn is before lunch, winter is in the afternoon." But the "real" winter came to Kazan-autumn - October 22 (November 4): "Kazan frost shows the way." On Kuzma-Demyan on November 1 (14), “the meeting of winter”, and about Mikhailov’s day they said: “Since Mikhailov’s day, winter has been standing - the earth is freezing.” The folk calendar identifies several waves of cold and frost during the winter. Frosts: Christmas, Vasilyevsky, Kreshchensky, Afanasevsky, Timofeevsky, Sretensky (but a thaw is also possible), Vlasevsky and the latest, rare Annunciation - March 25 (April 7). But already from the Finding - February 24 (March 9) - the arrival of spring is felt, first in the south of Russia, where wintering birds begin to prepare places for nests, and then to the north: "On the Finding, the bird finds a nest." On Vasily the dropper - February 28 (March 13) - the snow begins to actively melt: “Father Vasily the dropper will come - and winter will cry”, on Prokop the road destroyer - February 27 (March 12) - winter roads begin to crumble.

Notes

Literature

Agapkina T. A. Mythopoetic foundations of the Slavic folk calendar. Spring-summer cycle. - M .: Indrik, 2002. - 816 p. - (Traditional spiritual culture of the Slavs. Modern research).
Bolotov V.V. Michael's Day: Why is the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel celebrated on November 8? . - St. Petersburg. : Printing house of A. Katansky and Co., 1892. - 644 p.
Buzin V. S. Ethnography of the Eastern Slavs. - St. Petersburg. : Publishing House of St. Petersburg University, 1997. - 96 p.
Butkevich A. V., Zelikson M. S. Perpetual calendars. 2nd ed., add. and reworked. - M .: Nauka, 1984. - 208 p.
Velsky District Municipal Museum of Local Lore Folk wooden calendar. Museums of Russia. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
Vlasov V. Russian calendar style // Around the world. - 1986. - No. 8. - S. 38-42. - ISSN 0321-0669.
Cyprian Kern Liturgy. Hymnography and Eorthology. - M .: Krutitsy Patriarchal Compound, 2000. - ISBN 6-7873-0007-8
Loginov K.K. Russian folk calendar of Zaonezhie // Kizhi Bulletin No. 9/ Ed. I. V. Melnikov, R. B. Kalashnikova. - Kizhi: Museum-Reserve "Kizhi", 2004.
Nekrylova A. F. All year round. Russian agricultural calendar. - M .: Pravda, 1991. - 496 p. - ISBN 5-252-00598-6
Maistrov L.E., Prosvirkina S.K. Folk wooden calendars // Historical and astronomical research, No. 6. - M ., 1960. - S. 279-298.
Holiday // Dictionary of Medieval Culture/ Ed. A. Ya. Gurevich. - M .: "Russian Political Encyclopedia" (ROSSPEN), 2003. - ISBN 5-8243-0410-6.
Propp V. Ya. Russian agricultural holidays. - St. Petersburg. : Terra - Azbuka, 1995. - 176 p. - ISBN 5-300-00114-7
// Soviet Historical Encyclopedia / Ed. E. M. Zhukova. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1973-1982.
Rudnev V.V. Agrarian calendar // Russians / Ed. editors: V. A. Alexandrov, I. V. Vlasova, N. S. Polishchuk. - M .: Nauka, 1999. - 828 p. - (Peoples and cultures). - ISBN 5-02-009558-3
Tolstaya S. M. Folk calendar // Slavic Antiquities: Ethnolinguistic Dictionary/ Ed. N. I. Tolstoy; . - M .: International relations, 1999. - T. 2. - S. 442-446. - ISBN 5-7133-0982-7.
Tolstaya S. M. Polissya folk calendar. - M .: Indrik, 2005. - 600 p. - ISBN 5-85759-300-X
Moiseeva N. I. Astronomy of Ancient Rus' // Time in us and time outside of us. - 1991. - ISBN 5-289-00864-0

Vegetative; agricultural, cattle breeding, hunting, weaving, beekeeping, etc.; wedding and funeral, demonological (cf. seasonality and calendar timing of the appearance of mythological characters), folklore (cf. calendar regulations for singing, riddles, etc.). Each of these models forms a particular cycle and corresponds to a particular circle of beliefs about nature and human life; however, they are all interconnected.

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The folk calendars of the Slavs are based on the church (Orthodox or Catholic) calendar, which determines the composition, order, hierarchy of units of annual time (primarily holidays, fasts and meat-eaters), and to a large extent their terminology. However, the content side of the calendars, the interpretation of holidays, periods and seasons, as well as the rituals, customs, prohibitions, and prescriptions associated with them, as a whole, are not derived from Christian teaching and are an organic component of folk tradition. The Slavic folk calendar can be qualified as pre-Christian, because its mythopoetic content has little to do with Christian symbolism.
The content basis of the calendars is the mythological interpretation of time, the distinction between sacred, pure, good and impure, evil, dangerous times, which is reflected in the language (in the names of holidays, revered and dangerous days and periods).
Folk calendars have been preserved mainly in oral form, partly also in the form of handwritten lists of holidays; all Slavs also used primitive wooden calendars ( tags, cuts, work, bulg. Chetuli, Polish karby), on which the dates of holidays and major events were marked with notches. Separate Slavic traditions reveal significant differences in the composition, correlation, interpretation, evaluation and terminology of the units of time that make up the folk calendar.
The southern and eastern Slavs are, in a certain sense, the successors of the Western Asian tradition of counting the new year from the beginning of spring or from the date spring equinox.

Calendar of the Eastern Slavs

IN traditional culture Eastern Slavs, there are two main cycles of rituals:

The basis of the folk calendar of the Eastern Slavs is the calendar Orthodox Church, which determines what holidays, fasts and meat-eaters (units of annual time) are, the order in which they follow, a certain hierarchy of these units, and even terminology in many respects. However, the content of the folk calendar, the interpretation of holidays and fasts, as well as the ritual side, if taken as a whole, cannot be derived from Christian teaching and form part of the folk tradition.
The everyday confinement of the names of saints, indicated in church calendars, is only in rare cases associated with a Christian legend. Days marked by the names of saints or church events often serve only to indicate periods of time calculation. Agricultural comprehension of church calendars led to the creation of “household calendars” that had in common with the church only in the dates and names of the “cartridges” of work, and even then their names often had a special folk edition, to which were added nicknames corresponding to labor or natural processes, rituals.
The folk calendar exists mainly in oral form, partly also in the form of handwritten lists of holidays. All Slavs also had primitive wooden calendars (tags, cuts, raboshes) in everyday life, on which the dates of holidays and major events were indicated by notches. Separate Slavic traditions were quite different in composition, correlation, interpretation and naming of time units that make up the folk calendar.

Serbian folk calendar

The Serbian folk calendar contains remnants of ancient polytheistic beliefs, customs and rituals associated with the winter and summer solstices, autumn and spring equinoxes. For ancient people, these periods were not only astronomical, but also economic milestones: in agriculture, for example, these were concerns about sowing and growing crops, about harvesting and preserving it.
From observing the changes in the crescent of the month (phases of the moon), a person divided the year into months. The days of the month begin with the new moon and end before the next new moon. The Serbs themselves divided the month into five parts of six days, which were named after the day of rest weeks(now this is the name of the seven-day period of time - weeks). The ancient Serbs in pre-Christian times had six days in a week - without Saturday, which was introduced along with Christianity. There were five weeks in a month. Exact duration solar year did not exist, since at the present time there is no exact length of day and night. A day is counted from sunrise to sunset; from sunset to sunrise is night. "Half" of the day, according to modern ideas, is day, and the other half of the day is night.
The Serbs divided the year into two semesters: summer and winter. Both semesters are associated with the spring and autumn equinoxes. Transition period from winter to summer - this is spring or span (Serb. proleћe), and the transition from summer to winter was called winter (Serb. podzim) or autumn. Thus, four seasons were formed, approximately equal in duration. Due to the differences in the natural features of the seasons, various agricultural activities during these periods and diseases over the years, each season has its own special beliefs, customs and rituals.
Letnik often referred to as March 1st. And now a similar name for the first of March has been preserved in the villages Podrimlya, somewhere in Kosovo and Montenegro - spanner(Serbian flyer). In the distant past flyer celebrated at the time of the vernal equinox, but then on official calendar"moved" to the first of March. Letnik- a celebration of the renewal of nature after winter sleep, the beginning of the summer half of the year. So far preserved new year customs on this day, which are analogous to Christmas. And today, among the people on the first of March and on the eve of the Annunciation (see Wounded), and sometimes on other days, they burn manure or make a fire in front of the entrance to the house, over which household members jump over to be healthy. Burning a dunghill and jumping over a fire are relics from pagan times.
In the 19th century, the summer semester was considered from Yuri Veshny (Serb. Ђurevdan) on April 23 to Dmitriev den (Serb. Mitrovdan) on October 26. With the beginning of the semester, transactions and hirings were made from the beginning to the end of the semester. In the summer half of the year, the goats were in the mountain pastures, and in the winter - in the sheepfold; birds flew away for wintering at the beginning of the winter half-year and returned to the beginning of the summer, etc.

Polish folk calendar

Bulgarian folk calendar

The Bulgarian folk calendar consists of two semesters - winter and summer, with milestone holidays in honor of St. Demetrius (Bulgarian. Dimitrovden) and St. George (Bulgarian. Gergovden). In essence, this is a solar-lunar calendar in which the new astronomical year begins with Christmas (bulg. Koleda), marking the winter solstice point and the holidays of the Easter cycle, which are annually calculated in accordance with the first full moon after the spring equinox.
The folk calendar consists of 12 months and 56 holidays. Four months have personified names - January, February, March and April. One of the female personifications is Baba Martha (March), the sister of the big Sechko (January) and the small Sechko (February). The names of other months are formed mainly in accordance with the works inherent in this time or by the name of the most revered saint in the month.
See also: Bulgarian month names
see also

Folk calendars of Slavs at Wikimedia Commons
Folk calendars of Slavs at Wikinews
Notes

Literature
- Maistrov L. E., Prosvirkina S. K. Folk wooden calendars // Historical and astronomical research, No. 6. - M., 1960. - P. 279-298.
Today, the most famous chronology systems are the Julian calendar (“old”), introduced in the Roman Republic by Julius Caesar on January 1, 45 BC, and the Gregorian calendar (“new”), which was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. But history also knows other calendars - some of them were used by the ancients, while others were put into use quite recently.
Mayan calendar

The Mayan calendar actually consists of three different calendars: the Long Count (astronomical calendar), the Tzolkin (divine calendar) and the Haab (civil calendar). The Haab calendar had 365 days, and it was divided into 19 months: 18 months had 20 days, and 19 months had only 5 days. The Tzolkin had 20 "periods" of 13 days each. The Tzolkin was used to determine the days of Maya ceremonies and religious events. The long count was used to determine long periods of time in the "general cycle", which has 2.88 million days (about 7885 years). The ancient Maya believed that the universe was destroyed and rebuilt every 2.88 million days.
International corrected calendar

The International Corrected Calendar has 13 months, each with 28 days. Months in it go, as in the usual calendar - from January to December, and also in June-July, the 13th month is added - "Sol". According to such a calendar, Easter will always be on April 15, every Christmas will fall on Wednesday, and every year will start on Sunday. However, every month the 13th will be a Friday. The calendar was made by Moses Costworth in 1899 but was never adopted.
Egyptian calendar

The first calendar that the ancient Egyptians began to use is the lunar calendar, based on the floods of the Nile River. This calendar turned out to be very inaccurate, and an error of up to 80 days could occur in it. Therefore, the Egyptians introduced a solar calendar based on the movement of the star Sirius. The two calendars were used at the same time, but they soon began to differ greatly, causing the Egyptians to add an extra month to lunar calendar every three years. But even with an additional month, the calendars did not match, so the Egyptians introduced new calendar, which had 365 days divided by 12 months. Each month had 30 days, and at the end of the year 5 were added extra days.
positivist calendar

The positivist calendar was intended to replace Catholic calendar. It was invented in 1849 by Auguste Comte. In all of his 13 months, there were exactly 28 days, divided into four seven-day weeks. Each week of this calendar is dedicated to an outstanding personality in world history.
Chinese calendar

The Chinese calendar was solar-lunar, that is, it was calculated based on the position of the Sun and Moon. There were 12 months and 353-355 days in a year, while a whole extra month was added in a leap year (resulting in 383-385 days in a year). A leap month was added about once every three years. Although this calendar is still used in China, it is mainly used to calculate the days of Chinese ceremonies and weddings, and the Gregorian calendar is used for everything else.
Ethiopian orthodox calendar

Ethiopia celebrated the new millennium on September 12, 2007, seven and a half years after the rest of the world. This happened because in Ethiopia they use the Coptic Orthodox calendar, which has 13 months of 30 days each. IN leap years an additional month is added, consisting of five or six days. The calendar was often used in the West until 1582, after which it was replaced by the Gregorian calendar. Ethiopia did not switch to the Gregorian calendar due to excessive conservatism and religiosity in the country.
French revolutionary calendar

The French Revolutionary Calendar is also called the French Republican Calendar and was unsuccessful attempt"de-Christianization" of France. The calendar was used in France from October 24, 1793 until January 1, 1806, when it was finally abolished. The year of the beginning of the revolution (1792) was declared the beginning new era. The era "from the birth of Christ" and the beginning of the year on January 1 were abolished. Instead, each year began on September 22 (the first day of the Republic). Given that the calendar was introduced in 1793, it had a 1st year, instead, the countdown immediately started from the 2nd year.
Roman calendar

The Roman calendar is a perfect example of what a calendar shouldn't look like. This chronology, sometimes referred to as the "pre-Julian calendar", was created by King Romulus during the founding of Rome. The calendar had 10 months, a total of 304 days, and an additional 61 days that were not included in any month or week. Since the months did not coincide with the seasons of the year, King Numa Pompilius added two additional months, januarius (January) and februarius (February). Subsequently, the pontiffs added additional months for your personal purposes. Some of them were even bribed to add or reduce the length of the year. Julius Caesar later introduced the Julian calendar after he became pontiff.
Aztec calendar

The Aztec calendar was made up of two different calendars: Xiupoualli and Tonalpoualli. The regular Xi'poualli calendar had 365 days, divided into 18 months of 20 days each. Five extra days were added at the end of the year, and another 12 days were added every 52 years. The tonalpoualli ritual calendar had 20 months divided into 13 days, i.e. there were 260 days in a year. Each of these 260 days was designated by a separate symbol and was dedicated to a particular god. Both calendars coincided once every 52 years, and the Aztecs believed that the world could be destroyed at the end of each such cycle. To avert impending doom, they performed a 12-day ritual called the New Fire Festival, during which they practiced human sacrifice.

Not all peoples of the world meet New Year 1st of January. Jews and Ethiopians meet it earlier than us, while Tuvans and Chinese meet it later. This is due to the fact that in different ethnic groups and religious denominations, different events and dates were chosen as the starting point of time. Jews count from the creation of the world, Christians - from the day of the birth of Christ, Buddhists - from the date of the death of Buddha. True, in international use today only the Christian Gregorian calendar is used - this is dictated by considerations of practicality. The Islamic calendar is official only in Saudi Arabia and some other states of the Persian Gulf. Other Muslim countries use it only for religious purposes.

In India, there are more than twenty systems of chronology, in Nepal - a little less, but both Delhi and Kathmandu are still forced to focus on the calendar adopted by the rest of humanity. However, this system of chronology, taken as a universal system, is rather arbitrary. After all, if you mentally imagine the 3.35 billion years that have passed since the formation of the Earth as one day, then the first signs of life on the planet were found around noon. Man, according to this time scale, appeared four seconds before midnight, and the time studied by history (the last 6-7 thousand years) lasts only a quarter of a second.

Who is counting from where?

The Orthodox Church follows a calendar in which the chronology is from the creation of the world. Orthodox believe that this happened in 5508 BC. e. This year was taken as the first, and March 1 was considered the day of the new year. According to this calendar, March 1, 2016 will be the year 7524.

According to the Jewish calendar, the creation of the world took place almost 2 thousand years later than according to the Orthodox. Therefore, the Jewish New Year, which has already begun on September 16, has the serial number 5777.

The Chinese date back to 2637 BC. e. It was then that the first calendar in the history of mankind was compiled. According to the Chinese lunar-solar-Jupiter calendar, 2016 will come on January 28 and will be the 4714th in a row. In addition, China has a cyclic system of reckoning: once every 60 years, each of the twelve animals of the lunar cycle is combined with one of the five elements (wood, fire, metal, water and earth). 2016 will be the year of the Fire Monkey.

The historian Timaeus introduced Ancient Greece calendar in which the chronology was carried out from the year of the first Olympic Games. The Olympics - the Greek year - lasted 1417 days (i.e. every 4 years). If you follow Timaeus, next year will begin on August 8, 2016, when the next Olympics starts in Rio de Janeiro. He will be the 699th in a row.

The ancient Romans counted the chronology from the day of the founding of Rome. The next Roman year will be 2769.

Buddhists count down from the day the Buddha died. According to their lunar calendar, the change of year will occur on January 29th. For Buddhists, this will be the year 2559.

The Christian (Gregorian) calendar counts from the birth of Christ. New Year - 2016 from the birth of Christ.

According to the Ethiopian calendar, the birth of Christ occurred 6 years and 8 months later than is customary in the rest of the Christian world. This is how much the Ethiopian calendar lags behind the Gregorian. Therefore, the new year 2010 in Ethiopia has already arrived.

Muslims count years from the year of the migration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. Under Caliph Omar I (634-644), this year was declared the beginning of the Muslim era. In order to convert the Muslim calendar to the Christian one, it is necessary from the year Christian calendar subtract 622 and multiply by the correction factor 1.03069 (the Muslim year is 11 days shorter than the Christian year). So 2016 will be 1436 for Muslims.

It was introduced on November 24, 1793 and abolished on January 1, 1806 (years are counted from the moment the First French Republic was established). Then it was used during the days of the Paris Commune in 1871. Each year in this calendar begins on the day autumn equinox(September 21 or 22). Accordingly, in France in September the 224th year could come.

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Today, we navigate time using the days of the week and the names of the months. How did this happen to our ancestors? IN Ancient Rus' the change of seasons allowed to determine the folk calendar. The signs of the month-word were the main adviser and assistant of the Slavs for every day. So, in our article we will consider the main holidays of the folk calendar, as well as their signs and customs.
Kolyada
Kolyada - traditional holiday at Slavic peoples of pagan origin.
The celebration was directly connected with the Celebrations were held from December 25 to January 5-6. During this period, the Slavs put on costumes, animal masks, truly believing that in this way it was possible to influence the rotation of the sun from winter to summer. It was believed that at this time carolers should be greeted hospitably, since the fate of the coming year depends on the generosity of the owners of the house.
In more late time Kolyada began to be closely associated with Christmas. The peasants united in groups and went from house to house, where they were to be rewarded with money and treats.
It should be noted that on this day the Slavs predicted a plentiful harvest. So, if there is frost at Christmas, then a lot of bread will be born. And if on this day the sky is starry, then peas will be in abundance.
It was believed that it was during this period of time that it was necessary to have fun from the heart and perform numerous rituals. So, carolers had to put on bright clothes, horns, masks and with large bags to the sound of loud tambourines go under the windows of rich peasants, praise their name and ask for money. Cookies in the form of a cow, kutya and uzvar were considered traditional food for the holiday. It was imperative to roll a burning wheel uphill with the words: “Roll uphill - come back with spring.”
Christmas time
It continues the winter folk traditional holiday, which was celebrated from January 6 to 19. At this time, it was necessary to distribute gifts and sweets to children, alms to the poor, and food to the elderly.
The 1st week of Christmas time was considered “holy” (since it was during this period of time that Christmas was celebrated), and the 2nd was called “terrible”. The people believed that at this time among the people wanders devilry. It was with this that the desire of the people to tell fortunes for the future or to bewitch a soul mate was connected.
At Svyatki people walked and had fun, and some spent magical rites. The purpose of the celebration was caroling, caroling, sowing, erotic games, ritual excesses of youth, etc.
On Christmas Eve, it was believed that one should behave quietly and calmly at the table, otherwise the year would not go well. It was not allowed to seat unmarried and unmarried people on the corner of the table, otherwise there was a threat to remain forever alone.
People believed that if it snowed on Christmas Eve, the year would be fruitful and profitable. Everyone believed that at the table it was necessary to try all the dishes offered, but in no case eat them to the end, otherwise the year promised to be hungry.
At Epiphany, Christians rejoiced at the wet and rainy weather, because bad weather foreshadowed a bountiful harvest. The same goes for snowy weather.
Meeting of the Lord
The folk calendar (February) continues the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, which is celebrated by Orthodox peasants on February 15th. This day comes on the 40th day after the birth of Christ. It was believed that at this time winter meets spring. Many signs for the Candlemas were connected precisely with the weather. So, if the sun came out in the morning, then the two seasons finally met. A snowy morning meant a bountiful grain harvest. If it rained on the Meeting, then spring should be with a thunderstorm.
Maslenitsa
Continues the folk calendar, the signs of which were considered fateful by the peasants, Maslenitsa. This holiday was celebrated by the Slavs a week before the start of Lent. The people believed that it was during this period that farewell to winter should take place.
The most important custom on this holiday is the preparation of pancakes, the organization of a feast, sleigh rides, and the burning of a straw effigy.
People believed that if you do not skimp on treats during this period, then the coming year will be successful and generous. It was believed that if the hostess bakes few pancakes, then there will be no harvest.
Holy Week
This the last week before Easter. It starts on Monday and ends on Saturday. During this period, it is customary to clean up the house, commemorate deceased relatives, bake Easter cakes, paint eggs and be sure to swim. Peasants sincerely believed that colored eggs at that time had healing properties. So, if you hold the shell on fire and attach it to a sick tooth, then it will be cured immediately, the same applies to the disease common at that time - night blindness.
Folk customs and signs in Holy Week also existed. For example, if in Good Friday plant parsley, then the year promises to be fruitful.
It was also believed that bread baked on Good Friday would never go stale. And if you save it until the end of the year, then it will protect the house from robbers and fires. People believed that in Great Saturday sunny weather will bring warm and hot summer.
Easter
Easter is the oldest of all Christian holidays. On this day, people should rejoice and meet people with the words "Christ is Risen." The Orthodox call this holiday the “triumph of celebrations” or the “feast of holidays”. On this day, people go to visit and give each other decorated eggs and Easter cake.
On the night of Easter, it was believed that you can see your deceased relative. To do this, you should hide near the temple with a candle.
People believed that on this day, according to the folk calendar, the devils and all evil spirits are especially evil, so the people were very afraid to leave the house. Christians also thought that if you roll a consecrated egg along a crossroads, then the devils must jump out and dance.
At this time, it was also easy to identify the sorcerer. Magicians always stood with their backs to the altar.
"Red hill"
According to the folk calendar, this day was considered especially important for Christians. It was celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. "Red Hill" symbolized the full arrival of spring, which is why the peasants loved to celebrate this Holy holiday. Folk festivities began after sunset and continued until morning. But most of all, this celebration was awaited by the youth. It was the girls and boys who were supposed to participate in the celebration. Those who refused to walk were given offensive nicknames. It was even believed that the reluctance to celebrate the "Red Hill" would lead to an unsuccessful marriage and unhappy love.
On the eve of the holiday, all the peasants washed the icons in a basin. The water was left and washed with it in the morning. It was believed that the liquid in which the holy icons were washed would bring good luck and allow you to get rich.
As for signs on the weather, people believed that if bird cherry blossoms on that day, then it's time to plant potatoes.
Women on this day finished spinning, otherwise the hands could subsequently be struck by dryness. It was also believed that if you get married on this day, then the marriage will be the strongest.
Ivan Kupala
The folk calendar, the signs of which are still observed by many, continues the notorious holiday of Ivan Kupala. Festivities were held from July 6 to 7 and were directly connected with the rituals that were held on this day, water, herbs and fire were used. At this time, it was customary to kindle a fire and jump over it, dance, sing songs, swim in the lake, tell fortunes and weave wreaths.
People believed that devils and spirits on Ivan Kupala were especially dangerous, so it was impossible to sleep that night.
It was believed that strong dew on Ivan Kupala would bring good harvest, A starry sky give a lot of mushrooms. If there is a thunderstorm on this day, then the nuts will be born empty.
Day of Peter and Fevronia
The folk calendar of summer continues the Day of Peter and Fevronia. This holiday is still celebrated by the Orthodox people in our time. In the old days, it was believed that 40 hot days should be counted from this day, and then autumn would follow.
Many do not even realize that the Day of Peter and Fevronia is considered the holiday of married lovers. The people believed that it was on this day that mermaids begin to dance, so bathing on a holiday should be done with extreme caution, otherwise the “water seducer” could drag her to the bottom.
It was believed that if there is a drought on the Day of Peter and Fevronia, then there will be no mushrooms until autumn. Have mice and pigs started eating hay? Then the mowing will be bad.
If on this day the seedlings drink water well, then on the days of haymaking it will be dry, and vice versa.
Ilyin's day
The traditions of the folk calendar were carefully observed by the Slavs. So it is on the holiday of Ilyin's day, which is dedicated to the transition of summer to autumn. The nights were already getting colder, the daylight hours were shortening, and the behavior of animals and insects was noticeably changing.
Of no small importance for the Slavs were folk signs about the weather on that day. It was believed that it was at this time that it should rain and begin a strong thunderstorm. Girls on Ilyin's day did not let their hair down, otherwise the one that dropped at least one could be struck by lightning.
People believed that on this day all the evil spirits were hiding from Elijah, since it was he who was considered their "exterminator". On Ilyin's day, the people drove all the animals out of the house, since it was in them that the devils most often instilled. It was also believed that animals and fish with red eyes were evil spirits.
Luxuries were also subjected to "persecution", since on this day it was not allowed to possess wealth. Thunderstorms and lightning on Ilyin's day were considered the most dangerous. People were even afraid to go outside. It was believed that the one who at this time will fall under a lightning strike will definitely end up in paradise.
Honey Spas
What other very important day for the Orthodox people was highlighted by the folk calendar? Signs at the time were considered the most reliable. This important day is dedicated to the small blessing of water. It is on August 14 that the collection of honey, its consecration and the meal begin.
People believed that on the first day of the Assumption of the Savior, it was necessary to sprinkle all the corners in the house with poppy seeds so that evil spirits would not enter the dwelling. Poppy heads should have been scattered around the barn with cattle, so that the witches would not send diseases to animals and steal milk.
Apple Spas
On this day (August 19), the people gathered for festivities, the children sang songs, danced round dances and gave everyone smiles. On Apple Spas it was customary to pick a lot of apples, illuminate them, distribute them to relatives, the poor and the sick.
It was believed that before the onset of the holiday it was impossible to pluck the fruits, and even more so - to eat them.
People believed that on this day the cold comes, the cranes leave their native lands and fly away.
Dormition
Assumption - very important holiday end of summer. This day is celebrated on August 28. The peasants dedicated the Assumption to the end of the harvest and the greeting of autumn. People laid tables, invited guests. Parishioners had to present a wreath woven from spikelets as a gift. It was believed that it was he who would protect and protect the house from misfortune and poverty.
People believed that if you drop at least one crumb of bread from the table, then this is a great sin.
People's signs about the weather on this day were also observed. It was believed that the weather in Assumption should be rainy, otherwise it would be cold on the old Indian summer (from September 13 to September 21).
Semyon Letoprovodets
This holiday was celebrated on September 14 and was dedicated to the approach of cold autumn. On this day, customs were observed by the peasants and rituals were performed. So, on Semyon the Pilot, it was necessary to celebrate a housewarming party, kindle a fire, perform the rite of tonsure.
It was believed that if the weather is clear on this day, then the Indian summer will be warm, and vice versa. Lots of web? Autumn will be long and dry. If they fly away that day wild geese- It is worth waiting for an early and cold winter.
Russian folk calendar. Cover
To the celebration of the Intercession Holy Mother of God the peasants tried to finish preparing food for the winter and harvest the entire crop. The people believed that if the holiday was fun, then life would be easy and carefree.
On this day, the harvest of the last fruits also ended. People believed that the departure of cranes before the onset of the Intercession preceded the early and cold winter. If on this day the wind blows from the east, then the winter will also be frosty.
So important for the peasants was the folk calendar. Signs for every day were observed by them unquestioningly. It should be noted that even today some Orthodox holidays celebrated with special pomp. Well, this suggests that we still appreciate and respect the traditions of our ancestors.