Russian folk autumn holidays and rituals. Autumn calendar holidays and rituals

Description: The folk calendar is compiled using dates and folk holidays. In Rus', they have always treated with reverence everything that happens in nature - its phenomena - be it rain or frost, heat or cold.
Purpose: This work will be useful to teachers of additional education, educators in environmental education, and to everyone who is interested in folk signs, rituals and holidays.
Target: Introduction to the folk calendar (autumn).
Tasks:
- cultivate interest in folk traditions;
- instill a love of folklore;
- develop a desire to be interested in what is happening in nature in the fall.

1. Autumn chores: welcoming autumn. Autumn
Autumn is an ancient holiday of farewell to summer and welcome to autumn. What is Autumn - this is a meeting of autumn in Rus'.

It was celebrated three times: September 14, 21 and 27.
September 14 is the day of Semyon the Summer Guide. The sit-ins began with Semyon, i.e. work in huts under fire.
September 21 - Ospozhinki was celebrated - the harvest festival. It was believed that from this day summer ended and autumn came into its own.

September 27 - Exaltation. All the signs, characteristics and recommendations of this day were in one way or another connected among the peasants with the word “move”. The rise of autumn moves towards winter, “the grain moves from the field to the threshing floor,” “the bird moved to take flight,” and even “the caftan and fur coat moved, and the hat pulled down.”

In the old days in Rus', our ancestors celebrated Autumn on September 21, on the day of the autumn equinox, when day is equal to night. By this time, the entire harvest had already been harvested. The holiday is celebrated with visits and widespread hospitality. They definitely visit their parents and remember their ancestors.

September 8/21 - Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Popularly - Small Most Pure (Big Most Pure - Dormition, August 15/28).
Autumn - the second meeting of autumn. Pasekin's day. They remove the bees and collect the onions. Onion teardrop day. The earth strives for white mornings. “All summer is amen (end).” “If the weather is good, autumn will be good.” “Indian summer has scared away the quiet.”

Autumn people are greeted by the water. On this day, early in the morning, women go to the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds to meet Mother Osenina with oatmeal bread. The older woman stands with bread, and the young people around her sing songs. After which they break the bread into pieces according to the number of people and feed it to the livestock.

The Aztecs celebrated this day as the day of male fertility, i.e. celebration of erection. September 21 was considered a favorable day for conceiving strong and healthy boys. It is interesting to note that the day of the Aztec mother goddess, Atlatonin, was not this day at all, but 18/06, which is approximately 9 months after this holiday.

In the old days, there was a custom for newlyweds to treat their relatives, which is why September 8 was also called “Presentation Day.” All relatives and friends came to the newlyweds. The invitee invited such guests: “To visit the young, look at their lives and teach them wisdom.” After a hearty dinner, the young housewife showed off her entire household in the house. Guests, as usual, were supposed to praise and teach wisdom. The owner took the guests to the yard, showed them livestock in the barns, summer and winter harnesses in the sheds, and treated them to beer from a keg in the garden.
September 27 – third Autumn, “Snake Festival”.

According to popular belief, on this day snakes and other reptiles, along with birds, moved to an unknown blissful country called Iria (the Christian word took on the sound of “paradise”). Therefore, a farewell was arranged for them with requests to convey messages to those who had gone to another world.

“Exaltation is the festival of snakes. The snakes move to one place. They go into the ground and move there.” On September 27, people try not to go into the forest, which is completely at the disposal of snakes. Anyone who goes 27 into the forest can be dragged underground by snakes. To escape from snakes, you can read a poem. Step with your right foot and stop when you go into the forest. Make three prostrations and say: “Save me, Lord, from the running beast, from the creeping thing.” And spit three times over your left shoulder.

In the Perm province it was believed that wearing the Maryin root plant on a pectoral cross protects against snakes.
“If you see a snake, shake it by the tail, then it won’t bite and won’t crawl away.” (Vlasova M. Russian superstitions. Encyclopedic Dictionary. - St. Petersburg, 2001. - P. 202.)

The snake is depicted on medical emblems: above the bowl, the staff of the god of healing Asclepius (among the Romans - Aesculapius), entwined with snakes. A snake in the hands of the sorceress Medea, who could restore youth.
Every year, thousands of snakes are removed from the wild to obtain venom. Viper and cobra have become rare.

AUTUMN. Folklore holiday

LEADING. Hello guys! Today we have a holiday called Autumn. What is Oseniny - a meeting of autumn. In the old days in Rus', our ancestors celebrated Autumn on September 21, on the day of the autumn equinox, when day is equal to night. By this time, the entire harvest had already been harvested. What kind of harvest could the peasants harvest? Let's remember what grows in the garden?
CHILDREN: Carrots, beets, cabbage, potatoes...

HOST: Correct! And so, after harvesting the harvest, the peasants held a holiday, sometimes for a whole week, visited each other, put all the most delicious things on the table, and the grandchildren stayed with their grandparents for several days. And we will also invite you to visit Autumn today. Only you and I are used to imagining Autumn as a beauty in a multi-colored outfit, with an armful of yellow leaves, but in Rus' Autumn was depicted as a small, dry man. He has a stern face, three eyes and shaggy hair. After harvesting, he walked through the fields to check that everything was harvested properly. And today Autumn will appear in our country as a girl. So, let's say the chant together: Autumn, Autumn, you are welcome!

Includes Autumn and 3 autumn months.
AUTUMN: Good afternoon, my friends!
Are you tired of waiting for me?
Summer was red
For a long time the power did not yield.
But everything comes in time -
I showed up at the door.
Guys, I came not alone, but with my brothers. Now you can guess what their names are.

SEPTEMBER: Our school garden is empty,
Cobwebs fly into the distance,
And to the southern edge of the earth
The cranes arrived.
School doors opened.
What month has it come to us?

OCTOBER: The face of nature becomes increasingly gloomy -
The gardens have turned black, the forests are becoming bare,
Bird voices are silent,
The bear fell into hibernation.
What month did he come to us?

NOVEMBER: The field became black - it became white,
It rains and snows.
And it got colder,
The waters of the rivers were frozen with ice.
The winter rye is freezing in the field.
What month is it, tell me?

AUTUMN: Do you guys know that people called these months differently?
SEPTEMBER: They called me gloomy, howler, and zealot.
AUTUMN: September is a howler, from the roar of autumn winds and animals, especially deer.
OCTOBER: They called me winter, leaf fall, mud.
AUTUMN: September smells like apples, and October smells like cabbage.
NOVEMBER: They called me half-winter, breast.
AUTUMN: November - September's grandson, October's son, winter's dear father. Do you guys know any folk signs, proverbs, sayings?

Now guess the Russian folk riddles:
A girl sits in a dungeon, and her scythe is on the street (Carrot)

SEPTEMBER: They threw off the golden feathers from Yegorushka, made Yegorushka cry without grief. (onion)

OCTOBER: Alena dressed up in her green sundress and curled the frills thickly. Do you recognize her? (cabbage)

NOVEMBER: There is a flatbread on one leg. Anyone who passes by will bow. (mushroom)

SEPTEMBER: Sits - turns green, falls - turns yellow, lies - turns black. (sheet)

OCTOBER: The bird built a nest underground and laid eggs. (potato)

NOVEMBER: Round as a moon, leaves like a spruce, and a tail like a mouse. (turnip)

HOST: Do you guys know that turnips were a very important vegetable (remember the fairy tale about the Turnip?).

The fact is that our favorite potato appeared in Rus' only in the 18th century, and before that the main vegetable was turnip. Turnips were eaten fresh, steamed, or dried. They baked pies with turnips, made turnip kvass, and cooked porridge.

AUTUMN: And the last riddle: It is bitter in haymaking, but sweet in frost. What kind of berry? (Rowan)

HOST: Guys, mountain ash was very famous in Rus'. All the berries have long been harvested, even in the summer, and the rowan turns red only in the fall, its berries burn brightly. Rowan kvass, a laxative and cooling drink, was prepared from rowan berries. There was even a special day, September 23, when rowan berries were picked and hung in tassels under the roof. But some of the berries were always left on the tree - for field thrushes and ruby-throated bullfinches.

This is how they greeted Autumn in Rus'.
Well, we are celebrating Autumn with our traditional exhibition of gifts of nature, unusual vegetables grown in your dacha, and autumn crafts.

Autumn, we invite you to watch the children’s exhibitions and help select the best exhibits for the school-wide exhibition.

AUTUMN: With pleasure! Wait for me, guys, in your classes. I’ll come to everyone, I won’t miss anyone, and I’ll also bring treats!

When autumn says goodbye in the classroom
AUTUMN: Well done guys, great job! Now try my treat - autumn apples! Autumn distributes apples from a basket. Goodbye!

September 21 is the second Autumn, the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Early in the morning, women and girls went out to the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds to meet Mother Osenina with oatmeal bread and jelly. In the minds of Russian people, her image merged with the image of the Mother of God, therefore they turned to her: “Most Pure Mother of God, deliver me from toil and harassment, take me away from others, illuminate my life and existence!” According to custom, on this day all relatives and friends went to visit the newlyweds to “teach them wisdom.” The young housewife was preparing a special round pie: “You are welcome with our bread and salt!” After a hearty lunch, the young housewife shows the house, and the young owner shows the yard, barn, barn, garden. Guests were treated to beer of their own production. Everyone celebrated the Sun together with the cathedral.

Since September 21, it was believed that every summer - Amen. Autumn has come into its own. In fact, it is a religious holiday of the astronomical autumn equinox.

The Second Autumns seem to connect two holidays: earthly and spiritual. In its earthly essence, it is a harvest festival, accompanied by games and songs, and in its spiritual, heavenly nature, it is the birthday of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ.

9th of September
In the agricultural calendar of the Slavs, this day was called “Oseniny” 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 ended, 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 by striking flint.

From “Osenin” the main economic activity was transferred from the field to the garden or to the house: the collection of vegetables began (onions were first of all harvested). Usually on Oseniny (in Orthodoxy - the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) a treat was arranged for which the whole family gathered. For the holiday, beer was brewed and a sheep (ram) was slaughtered. A cake was baked from the flour of the new harvest. They praised Mother Earth for giving birth to bread and other supplies.

Since the hop harvest began on this day, the corresponding game songs were sung during the festive festivities:

We are drunk, we are drunk, we are drunk,
To our side
There is great freedom on our side!
And the freedom is great, the men are rich!
That the men are rich, stone chambers!
What stone chambers, golden doors,
What domes are cast!

September 27 - Third Autumn
The Third Autumn is timed to coincide with the church holiday of the Exaltation of the Honest Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, this is the third meeting of autumn. "Exaltation - autumn moves towards winter."

According to folk tradition, cabbage parties began, girls' parties, when young people went from house to house to chop cabbage. These parties lasted two weeks. This is a kind of sacred rite: cabbage was considered the sacred food of the Gods. On this day, a very ancient rite was carried out - the cross. The sign of the cross has been a symbol of the sun since prehistoric times. It was believed that during the Exaltation he radiates a protective power. The peasants carved crosses out of wood, made criss-cross rowan branches, and painted crosses in places that they wanted to protect from evil spirits: in bins, barns.

On the third Autumn, according to popular belief, snakes and other reptiles, along with birds, moved to an unknown blessed land called Iria (in Christianity, this word took on the sound of “paradise”). Therefore, a farewell was arranged for them with a request to convey a message to those who had passed on to another world.

In the villages, peasants brewed beer. They carried out a ritual plowing of the village, driving out Kukhoma (fever, shaking) from it, then shared beer between their homes and rested after the labors of the righteous. In the evening they heated the bathhouses and took a steam bath, driving out the evil spirits from themselves. In the forests, before the long winter, the goblin joked with people for the last time, arranging a review of animals and birds to see if they were ready for a harsh winter.

According to the ancient calendar, the beginning of autumn fell on September 14. The First Ecumenical Council (325) established this day as the beginning of the year. According to Orthodox tradition, the world was created in September.
Autumn's first meeting of autumn. On this day, it was supposed to “wipe” the “new” fire with two planks and begin sit-downs or gatherings with this clean fire. From this day on, in Rus' they began to celebrate autumn weddings (until November 15), moved to new houses, and carried out the ritual of “tonsuring” (initiation) of boys who had reached the age of seven into adolescence, marking their new role in the community.

An ancient funny ritual of funeral of flies and cockroaches, annoying inhabitants of the Russian summer, was timed to coincide with the holiday of the first Autumn. September 14 is the beginning of Indian summer, which lasts in some areas for up to three weeks. We noticed: if Semyon is a clear day, then the entire Indian summer will be warm, and we must expect a warm winter.

September 14- day of the Seeds of the Flyer. Simeon the Stylite (5th century) became famous as a man of a selfless lifestyle. In the history of mankind, he discovered a new type of asceticism. Wanting to test his spiritual strength and faith in God, he built a 4-meter-high pillar on the mountain with a platform on top, surrounded it with a wall, and from this “mountainous” place read sermons to numerous pilgrims. Then Simeon settled on a pillar in a small cell, devoting himself to intense prayer and fasting. Gradually he increased the height of the pillar on which he stood. Its last pillar was 40 cubits (16 meters) high. He spent 80 years in intense monastic labors, of which 47 stood on the pillar.

His life was well known in Rus'; people learned from him to endure numerous difficulties of human existence in the name of a holy cause. According to an ancient tradition, it was believed that on this day it was necessary to perform charitable deeds and be merciful. In Muscovite Rus', not a single beggar was left without abundant alms on this day; even prisoners in prison were given gifts.

2. Equinox
Autumn Equinox
The day becomes shorter than the night, the “dark” winter part of the year, real autumn, begins. The harvest is ending and active autumn preparations begin. From here begins a series of autumn holidays and associated fairs and weddings. There is an active decrease in energy, which determines the rhythm of household work, personal life and ritual practice...

From the point of view of astronomy and astrology, the Autumn Equinox is the moment when the Sun crosses the Celestial Equator and enters the sign of Libra. Accordingly, the day when this happens (and the day, day, in the Indo-European tradition is considered from sunrise to sunrise) is considered the Day of the Autumn Equinox. The night is now longer than the daylight hours, the dark, winter half of the year is coming. The weather can still please people with the warmth of “Indian summer”, but almost all the trees have already turned into autumn colors, almost all the flowers have faded, only those few remain that bloom until the very first snow, like Alpine asters, for example. And although it is still warm on sunny days, the nights are already cold, and the first frosts will soon begin (if they have not already begun).

The Autumn Equinox marks the fullest part of the year. By this time, most of the harvest has already been harvested and the housewives are actively preparing for the winter. There will be no fresh vegetables and fruits until next summer; only a few autumn berries and mushrooms are still available fresh. The resulting harvest must be calculated and distributed throughout the next year, until the next harvest. This is why the sign Libra is associated with the Autumn Equinox.

It is not enough to collect the harvest (harvesting is mostly a concern of the previous period of the annual cycle), the harvest must also be preserved. The period between the Equinox and Samhain is dedicated to precisely this – calculation, preservation and distribution. At this time, housewives are actively fermenting cabbage, preparing pickles, and at the same time they begin to serve pickles and preserves to the table. From this day on they began to brew beer. The peasants finished working in the fields, all activity moved into the house and to the farm yard, and the preparation of the farm for winter began. And, of course, autumn fairs. Sell ​​the harvest, buy something that they couldn’t grow themselves. Accordingly, by this time the artisans were preparing more of their own goods for sale. Where there are fairs, there are always festivities, and where there are festivities, there are matchmaking and weddings.

The day of the Autumn Equinox itself - the day when the transition from Light to Darkness occurs, like other turning points, was considered not working, idle, festive, like all holidays it had its own name. The Celts called it Mabon, Alban-Elved, the Slavs called this day Oseniny. The Day of the Autumn Equinox is dedicated to the mother goddess (who also bestows material wealth); the astrological sign of Libra is ruled by Venus.

Christians adopted this ritual: on September 21, Christian churches celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Interestingly, in the distorted Julian calendar the holiday is closer to the original, correct date than in the Gregorian calendar (Catholics celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary on September 8, all dates are given in the Gregorian, new, style), this suggests that Christians adopted this holiday quite late.

The holiday was traditionally for women. On this day they baked ritual bread (however, agricultural peoples baked ritual bread for any holiday), with this bread the women went to the river to greet them very much. Also, women plowed the salt around the yard with a plow, protecting the house and household from the dark forces that were gaining strength.

One of the most important rituals was the lighting of fire. All fires in houses were extinguished and then rekindled. The fire was supposed to be lit in a ritually pure way - by hitting stone against stone or rubbing wood against wood. By the way, an interesting incident - the fire produced with a piezoelectric lighter turns out to be the cleanest. Zoroastrians, the main fire worshipers of our day, believe that the purest fire is when natural gas escaping from the earth is ignited by a lightning strike. In a piezoelectric lighter, an electric spark - a small lightning - generated by an impact on a stone - a piezoelectric crystal - ignites gas extracted from the bowels of the Earth.

Feasts and celebrations were also organized, especially for youth. Young people made crowns for themselves from fallen leaves, girls made beads by stringing red rowan berries on a thread. These beads symbolized Brinsingamen - Freya's necklace. During the festivities, the girl threw this necklace around the neck of the guy she liked and he had to spend the whole day with her.

This is the historical and cultural background of the holiday, predetermined by the energy of the annual cycle. How and what should we, city residents, do today?
How can a modern city dweller celebrate the Autumn Equinox?

Actually, exactly the same. Bake a pie to treat your friends. Women can and should go to the river with this pie, greet autumn, leave part of the pie on the shore (eat the rest, so take it with you in moderation so as not to take it back home).

What to do and what not to do near the Autumn Equinox?

We must remember that near the Autumn Equinox the decrease in solar and vital energy occurs very quickly, so you should reduce the load on your body as much as possible, pay more attention to health, and avoid overload. The period near and after the Autumn Equinox is extremely unfavorable for new beginnings, new projects and affairs; on the contrary, it is very good for summing up, completing, obtaining results and renewing old contacts and connections. In a sense, this time is similar to the period of the waning of the Moon, but it mostly affects long-term matters, with a development cycle of a year or longer.

Immediately after the Equinox it is very good to trade. During this period it is good to both sell and buy. Right now it makes sense to bring your projects to the phase of obtaining results and sell them. In the period immediately after the Equinox, this can be done to maximum benefit. And, by the way, this is a good time to audit stocks and reserves, decide what needs to be kept and what to get rid of. The period is most favorable for selling supplies you no longer need with maximum benefit for yourself. If you don’t do this on time, these reserves will lie like a dead weight, hindering your development; it will be much more difficult to sell them later, they may generally “go rotten” and become useless to anyone. And they can interfere with further development, like excess fat in an obese person. At the same time, right now we should stock up on what we need and need, creating the material base for further growth.

Since it is in the period immediately after the Equinox that vitality decreases most quickly, you should set aside time for rest and generally limit your loads. It is very good and useful to combine relaxation and business communication, as was usually done at fairs. The time while the Sun is in Libra is very favorable for concluding any alliances, from marriage to business and political. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity! This time is also extremely favorable for renewing old connections, finding old friends, and renewing lost acquaintances.
Magic

The dark season is suitable for dark witchcraft. This is not only about casting spells, love spells and curses. This is also any magic aimed at communicating with the world of the dead, with ancestors, guardians of the clan, with “dark” gods personifying the elemental forces of nature. This also includes all fortune telling. It is not for nothing that fortune telling is almost never done in the summer, and the peak of fortune telling occurs on the night before Christmas (Winter Solstice), the longest night of the year, the moment of triumph and the greatest power of Darkness.

During the period between Mabon and Samhain, the last rituals are performed for the goblin and water goblins, who, according to popular beliefs, then go into hibernation.

The dark side of magic also includes a modern hobby - spiritualism. On long winter nights, communicating with the world of the dead is much easier. But also more dangerous!

3. Lighting a new fire
You can and should light at least a few candles at home. Ideally, there are five: four on the cardinal points and one in the center of the room. You can symbolically light a new fire - turn off all electrical equipment in the house for a minute, which will symbolize the extinguishing of the old fire, and after the candles are lit, turn it on again.

And, what is very important, try to free this day from all activities as much as possible. Energy on the days of a turning point is actually very unstable; any business you do on this day will be especially difficult and can lead to completely unpredictable consequences. It was not for nothing that our ancestors declared these days as holidays.

4. Fieldfare
September 23 – Peter and Pavel Ryabinnik. Mass collection of rowan. On this day, rowan berries were prepared for future use, for compotes and making kvass. Rowan infusion was considered a good anti-inflammatory remedy for winter colds. They decorate the windows for the winter with bunches of rowan berries to protect them from all wickedness.

Rowan is a faithful assistant against sickness and evil spirits. Rowan infusion was considered a good anti-inflammatory remedy for winter colds. People believed that if some evil spirit torments you, does not allow you to sleep, comes to your chest and strangles you, you need to take a rowan branch, outline the space around you - and the evil spirits will disappear, as if they never existed. And therefore, for the winter, the windows were decorated with rowan berry clusters to protect them from all wickedness.

There are two Peters and Pauls in Rus' - big and small, summer and autumn. Autumn Peter - Pavel - fieldfare. At this time, after the first frost, the rowan becomes sweeter and they begin to collect it for food. When collecting rowan trees, they leave some of the berries on each tree for the birds. A little rowan means a dry autumn, but a lot means a harsh winter.

Rowanberry or SORBARIA - a beautiful flowering Ornamental Shrub with leaves very similar to Rowan. The height of the bush reaches 2 m. Numerous white or cream small flowers are collected in large fluffy paniculate inflorescences that decorate the plant for quite a long time in mid-summer. The plant is very stable, unpretentious and even quite aggressive - it reproduces by root shoots with good care in huge quantities and can oppress other plants.

The root suckers of most species form dense thickets. They can grow both in the sun, but there they are shorter and bloom faster, and in partial shade - the plants are taller and bloom longer.

Fieldfare (lat. Turdus pilaris) is a common species of European blackbirds.
Breeds everywhere in Europe, from the northern border of forest vegetation to the northern border of the steppe strip, as well as in Siberia - to the watershed between the Yenisei and Lena. In Southern Europe, North Africa, the Caucasus, Central Asia and Kashmir it is found as a migratory, wintering bird, although with a significant harvest of forest berries it also winters in central Europe.

The fieldfare differs from other thrushes primarily in its way of life. Although some pairs nest in isolation, most of them gather in medium-sized colonies of 30-40 pairs. They love to settle in parklands and copses, along the edges of forests, closer to wet meadows. Fieldfare is not found in dense forests. Its main habitats are in the north and middle parts of Europe and Asia. Some birds lead a sedentary lifestyle, some are nomadic. Scandinavian fieldfares, like a number of Central European ones, fly south for the winter, primarily to the south and west of Europe. The nesting season lasts from April to July. Fieldfare feeds on both animal and plant foods. In winter, flocks of field berries flock to feast on ripe mountain ash and other berries (eg sea buckthorn). The fieldfare thrush is not a particularly valuable commercial species; its shooting is permitted all year round without a license. The main purpose of shooting is to protect gardens; thrush meat is also eaten.

Publications in the Traditions section

September will show: holidays and traditions of the first month of autumn

The Slavic calendar had many rites and rituals dedicated to the changing of the seasons. People depended on nature and built their lives in accordance with its rhythms. With the advent of Orthodoxy, Christian holidays were closely intertwined with pagan customs and traditions. In the material of the portal "Culture.RF" read why our ancestors went to church during the day, and in the evenings they told fortunes and communicated with brownies.

Liliana Rastorgueva. Harvest (fragment). Image: artchive.ru

Natalia Goncharova. Mowing (fragment). 1910. Private collection

Alexey and Sergey Tkachev. In September (fragment). 1963. Image: wanderlord.com

The beginning of autumn was considered a special time in Rus'. On September 1, the peasants finished harvesting the landowners' fields, and on the same day the owner collected taxes and rent from the serfs. On the first day of autumn, personal courts and disputes between peasants were held.

In the old days, serfs were required to work in their master's fields from three to six days a week. In addition to the lordly smells, the peasants had their own small plots of land. On such plots they grew grains and vegetables, which they then ate for a whole year. In order to sow his field, the serf first had to fulfill the quota on the landowner's plot. The peasants collected harvest from their fields throughout September.

Until 1492, the beginning of the new year was celebrated on March 1 - it was at this time that field work began in Rus'. But from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 17th century, the beginning of the new year began to be celebrated on September 1 (September 14, new style). The clergy decided to postpone the celebration at the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, Greece. In the biblical Old Testament, September 1 was an annual holiday; on this day in ancient Israel it was customary to take a break from all everyday worries. By analogy with the Old Testament Church, the Orthodox holy fathers proposed moving the main secular holiday to this date. Tsar Ivan III supported the priests and issued a corresponding decree.

From that moment on, September 1 began to celebrate not only the end of the harvest, but also the beginning of the new year. Since the middle of the 16th century, on this day the heir to the royal throne was presented to the people when he turned 14 years old. This is how the royal wedding took place. The future ruler gave a public speech on Cathedral Square in Moscow.

What is born in the forest will be useful at home

Andrey Kusachenko. Pick mushrooms (fragment). 2004. Image: m24.ru

Yuri Petrov. Mushrooms and lingonberries (fragment). 1980s Private collection

Natalia Goncharova. Harvest (fragment). 1911. Image: avangardism.ru

On September 5, the villages celebrated the day of St. Lupus of Thessalonica, a Christian saint who lived at the beginning of the 4th century. This holiday is popularly called Lingonberry, or Lupov's Day. At this time, the lingonberries ripened, and the peasants walked with tues - birch bark boxes and baskets of berries. Pies were baked with lingonberries, jam and compotes were made from it, and marshmallows were made from it. There was a popular belief: if the lingonberries are sweet and juicy, it is time for harvest. They hurried to collect oats before the first frost.

On September 7, Titus the Deciduous was venerated. On this day, the peasants went into the forest to pick mushrooms. In Rus' they said: “Saint Titus grows the last mushroom”. If there are a lot of mushrooms, the winter will be cold.

On September 8, the Orthodox Church celebrated the day of the Great Martyr Natalia, who in Rus' was nicknamed Natalia the fescue. They started mowing oats for Natalya. According to tradition, the first sheaf was carried home and placed under the icons - in the red corner. All household members sat down at the table and treated themselves to oatmeal pancakes and cold oatmeal mixed with milk or kvass - dezhen.

September will show: if you sow crops in haste, they will give birth to laughter.

David Burliuk. Harvest (fragment). 1915. Private collection

Alexander Tyshler. Harvest Festival. 1934. Kemerovo Regional Museum of Fine Arts, Kemerovo

Yuri Bezzubov. Jar with cucumbers (fragment). 1980s Image: artchive.ru

The main national holiday of September was autumn. In different provinces this holiday was called in its own way: Ospozhinki, Day of the Blessing of Loaves, Bogoroditskaya, Mother Autumn, Harvest Festival, Ogorodichen Day. Autumn was celebrated three times: September 14, 21 and 27. They symbolized farewell to summer, welcome to autumn and preparation for winter. Until September 14, work in the field was completed: reaping, harvesting flax, transporting wheat to barns, drying sheaves before threshing.

From September 15, field work ceased. At this time they began to take care of the house. They prepared vegetables for the winter, dried the collected onions and garlic, and removed the bees. The welfare of the whole family for the whole year depended on how much bread was in the barn. On September 14, we went to church and thanked the Mother of God for the harvest. In the popular consciousness, pagan and Orthodox traditions were closely intertwined. The Mother of God was perceived as a continuation of the pagan goddess Mokosha, who patronized fertility and agriculture.

After church, a table full of various treats was set in every house. At the head of the table was placed a pie, which the hostess baked from flour of the new harvest. Especially for this day, a sheep or ram was slaughtered and beer and berry fruit drinks were brewed.

Vladimir Pentyukh. In the hut (fragment). 1965. Image: livemaster.ru

Nicholas Roerich. Sophia the Wisdom (fragment). 1932. Nicholas Roerich Museum, New York, USA

Nikolai Gorsky-Chernyshev. Morning in the village (fragment). 1988. Image: kirpichiki.pro

On the evening of September 14, a ceremony was held to renew the fire. It symbolized the beginning of autumn and universal renewal. The ceremony was performed by the head of the family. He extinguished the old fire in the stove, which signified the passing year, and lit a new one. In some provinces, fire was made by striking flint, in others by rubbing two pieces of wood, usually linden and oak, less often pine and birch.

The house was fumigated with smoke from the fire to appease the brownie. They always went into the barn - this is how they drove away evil spirits from the cattle. Sometimes candles were lit with this fire in the church before a prayer service.

Philip Malyavin. Village dance (fragment). 1920. Private collection

Natalia Goncharova. The Virgin and Child (fragment). 1911. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Ivan Kulikov. Bride's attire (fragment). 1907. Murom Historical and Art Museum, Murom, Vladimir Region

On September 21, the second autumn began, which in Rus' was greeted with songs and dances. The Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 21. According to popular beliefs, it was believed that on this day autumn officially comes into its own. The second autumn combined the harvest festival and women's day. The woman, as the continuer of the family, was the personification of mother earth, who generously gave people everything necessary for life. They said that if the weather was good that day, then the whole autumn would be warm and dry.

On this day the newlyweds were visited. The young wife prepared a round pie and greeted the guests with it: “You are welcome to our bread and salt!” After the meal, the head of the house showed the guests the outbuildings, livestock and harvested crops. The elders gave advice to the young and blessed them for a long and happy life.

Autumn was celebrated by the water. Girls and married women in festive sundresses left the house early in the morning and went to the river or lake. On the shore of the reservoir, they treated the goddess Mokosh - the pagan prototype of the Mother of God - with jelly and oatmeal bread. To do this, the girls left jelly near the water with the words: “Most Pure Mother of God, deliver me from toil and harassment, take me away from others, illuminate my life and existence!” Everyone gathered in a round dance, in the center of which stood the eldest woman, and sang songs. Oatmeal was broken and fed to livestock.

On this day, childless women went to church with prayers for childbearing. After the liturgy, they set a rich table and invited all the poor in the village to pray to the Mother of God and the intercessor saint would send a child. On the second Autumn they commemorated the dead and visited their parents.

Vikenty Trofimov. Weeding cabbage (fragment). 1930s. Image: shishkin-gallery.ru

Pyotr Konchalovsky. Still life. Red tray and rowan (fragment). 1947. Private collection

Nikolay Pymonenko. Girls are telling fortunes (fragment). 1893. National Art Museum of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine

September 23 was the holiday of Peter and Pavel Ryabinnikov. On this day, the peasants collected rowan. Be sure to leave some berries for the birds. If there were a lot of rowan trees, autumn was expected to be rainy and winter cold. A poor harvest meant dry, warm weather. To make rowan berries sweeter, branches with berry clusters were hung under the roofs of houses. According to popular beliefs, this also protected the hut from evil spirits. Housewives used rowan to make a favorite drink in Rus' - rowan kvass. And the girls made a rowan doll, which was considered a talisman. A rag figurine with a red cap was a symbol of female wisdom and family happiness.

The day of the third autumn coincided with the holiday of the Exaltation of the Honest Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. People said: “Exaltation - autumn moves towards winter” And “The bird has moved to fly away”. People believed that on September 27, all birds, snakes and insects moved until spring to Iriy - a kind of paradise in Slavic mythology. They were solemnly escorted off with messages for their deceased ancestors. We didn’t go into the forest that day. It was believed that at this time bears make a den for themselves, and snakes can drag an unwanted guest underground.

On Exaltation, a rite of the cross was performed to protect the house and yard from evil spirits. The prototype of the sign of the cross in the Slavic tradition was the swastika - a symbol of the sun that disperses darkness. According to popular beliefs, on the third autumn this sign had special power. The peasants folded rowan branches into a cross and carved crosses out of wood. These amulets were hung in huts, barns and stables.

On this day, they began to chop cabbage - the sacred food of the gods. People said: “On Vozdvizhenye, a good fellow has cabbage on the porch”. Skit parties were organized in the villages, which lasted two weeks. Young people gathered in crowds and went around the yards to chop cabbage for sourdough. Smartly dressed girls - cabbage girls - sang funny songs. Russian ethnographer Ivan Sakharov wrote in the 19th century: “In houses where cabbage is prepared for guests, a special table with snacks is cleared. After the girls, young people come with their gifts to look out for brides. In the evening, round dances are performed throughout the city.".

In the evening of this day, the girls told fortunes about their betrothed. This happened in a barn. The people believed that the barnyard lived there - the most malicious of all the brownies, who ran the outbuildings. He was represented in the form of a huge black cat with burning eyes.

Alexey Stepanov. Cranes are flying (fragment). 1891. State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow

Elena Vilkova. Felt boots. 2014. Image: history-lib.ru

On September 28, Nikita Gusyatnik Day was celebrated. On this day the sheep were sheared. Sheep wool was greased and felt boots and woolen stockings were made from it - onuchi. Before the onset of severe cold, the sheep had time to acquire new wool.

On Nikita Gusyatnik they saw off the birds who flew away to warmer climes. The peasants raised their heads to the sky and said, looking at the slender wedges of cranes and geese: “The road with a wheel, the road with a wheel!” Come back in the spring!”

August - dawn, stubble, pickle, thick-eater, Little Russians, Poles, Czechs and Slovaks: serpen Folk name: zornik(ripening of cornfields, zornik from zornit = to ripen). Work: harvesting bread, mowing, plowing, sowing winter crops, breaking up honeycombs in hives, finishing barns, cleaning threshing floors.

Ilyin's day July 20 /August 2 The Prophet Elijah in the popular imagination was associated with Perun, the Thunderer, riding across the sky in a fiery chariot. Rains, thunderstorms and droughts are at His will. Perun's Day in paganism is a holiday of warriors and farmers. Then, for the holiday, which included two components - military and agricultural, they baked a huge pie for the whole village, prepared a large piece of cottage cheese, and brewed ritual beer. At the beginning of the festival, “living fire” was produced by friction, and a fire of oak logs was lit from it.

Elijah is the initiator of the harvest. The haymaking must end and the harvest begin. After Ilya, the water is not suitable for swimming. The sun turns to autumn. (boundary: summer-autumn) A sacrifice in the form of a general meal with the slaughter of a bull or a ram.. People said: “Before Elijah, clouds walk with the wind, and from Elijah they begin to walk against the wind,” “On Elijah, before lunch it’s summer, and after lunch - autumn", "Ilya the Prophet - mowing time" Ilya's Day - "angry day". They didn’t work that day. “They don’t throw sheaves on Elijah’s Day: they’ll burn with a thunderstorm.” They distinguished between Ilya Wet and Ilya Sukhoi: He was called Wet during prayers for the sending of rain to the fields, and Dry - during prayers for the cessation of prolonged rains. If there was no rain at all on Perunov (Ilyin) Day, they were afraid of imminent forest fires.

Autumn - celebrated at different times, depending on the climate - from the first rescue to Semenov's day (September 14). Songs “farewell to the sun” in the evening dawn. (they were also sung at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary). A feast was being arranged. Treats are the magic of well-being.

The holiday is associated with the baptism of Rus' in 988. The church performed the rite of the small blessing of water, St. All wells and reservoirs were blessed with water, and people washed away their sins in the Jordan. This same honey Savior - the first honeycombs with honey were “trimmed”. And the poppy Savior - pre-Christian ritual food contained poppy seeds, which ripened by this time. Poppy and honey were blessed in the church. Sowing winter crops.

Harvesting vegetables and fruits. The holiday of blessing the fruits of the earth, incl. apples Until this day they were not supposed to be eaten. This day - first meeting of autumn . Donations for the poor (meal)

Assumption 15/ August 28 . Dozhinki, dozhinki, dozhinki. Assumption. Celebration of the end of summer, harvest and the beginning of autumn. Feasts, fraternal beer, donations to mark the end of the harvest season, glorification of hard peasant labor. Obzhinki- the last day of the grain harvest. Pickling of cucumbers and mushrooms begins. Remembrance of the dead. Autumn round dances began. The beginning of the young Indian summer (before Ivan Lent)

Third Spas 16 /August 29 – walnut, bread(they consecrate the bread of the new harvest, bake bread from the flour of the new harvest), canvas or Spas on the canvas. From this day on, it was allowed to collect and eat hazelnuts from the new harvest. A favorable day for trade in paintings and canvases, on this day they organized textile fairs.

He recorded the beginning of autumn with a ban on swimming: “Since Ilyin, the days have not been good A Yuts. Everyone said...: " Deer in the water And I'm sorry, I can't buy anymore A ttse"" ; "Swimming, you see, kovda ol And ni s And you can't throw it into the water" (Mod., Plotichye, KTSNTK: 135-14).

As on any other significant holiday, on Elijah’s day, and often the next two or three days, they did not work, which was facilitated by the custom of going on visits and festivities to the villages in which this or that holiday was celebrated: “Ilya’s second day O va [August], and here it is Friday [before Elijah’s day]... And not rob O there was a waist. No matter how many robots A field, and not rob O there was no time for waist A. Cherished Friday! Everyone was afraid" (Mod., Cortija, STNK: 079-22); "Ilya's day is a holiday celebrated. A big holiday. Nar I days and walked - changed A dressed [in festive clothes]. It's a big holiday on Elijah's day... So we went to visit each other [to visit]" (Mod., Popchikha, SHTNK: 085-29).

Despite the fact that harvesting was not an easy task, like any other peasant work, it evoked only the most positive emotions in women and girls. This was greatly facilitated by ditties, which during the harvest were sung with a special “long” chant (Nos. 53-58): “Less on[do] and with such, with a thin voice, and with such a carrying out” (Nikol., Petrovo, KTSNTK: 082-24); "At the harvest they sang like this, in this tone - duty O, prot I zhnyim" (Dub., Tsampelovo, 081-16); "U min I when mom leaves,<...>so I will unsing myself. Happy until dark A reap" (Inst., Kormovesovo, KTSNTK: 088-67). Of course, harvest motifs were also present in the ditties performed on the field:

The tall rye stung,
I knitted with Kolosinotskaya.
Because of my dear girlfriend
I grew up with him And notskaya
(Const., Romankovo, ONMCC: 003-16)

[Green rye] thick -
Why not l e Stylish?
Now love is not intimate e sleep,
Next is the unknown.
(Nikol., Petrovo, KTSNTK: 082-22)

They don't reap green rye,
And it doesn’t knit when it’s wet.
About mine I about young at
Chev O, chev O they won't say anything.
(Nikol., Petrovo, KTSNTK: 082-21)

The harvested crop was taken to special rooms with stoves - barns, where it was dried, and then threshed on a nearby threshing floor: “There was also a device like this: “threshing floor O"was called or "palm" - under the cr s shoy. There is a very flat clay floor. So they untied the sheaves and laid them out: one row, and then another row. And so they go and hit these ears [with a flail, a thresher]. And they have to guess O no matter what O two times two O they didn't hit me right away" (Zales., Zalesye, KTSNTK: 112-05) KTSNTKpod

The most important event not only of the harvest, but of the entire annual cycle of the peasant farmer was dozhinki. Therefore, of course, they were furnished with a whole series of rituals, one of which, preserved for the longest time, was the veneration of the last sheaf: “Bez A really, kovd A con cha Etsy [harvest], we put such a small sheaf in the corner.<...>This is the very last sheaf O to the manager I eat it and bring it home" (Const., Romankovo, ONMCC: 003-007); "Dozhin A we eat - we bring the sheaf here [= to the house].<...>It's ishsh O single And we lived well, so here we go: “Pozhin A linen, they say, at the mines I, con h". Reaped A linen Pozhin A there is a sheaf of flax in the corner"; "They brought such a small... - sheaf O chick of oats. Oats after And the day went by. Rye - before, I h They reaped less before, but the oats were the last. And so they carry a small sheaf of oats O chick - they'll make an okkur A thin, cute h Nenko - and they will put it O under the image."

Elderly performers also remember making a reaper in the form of an anthropomorphic creature: “[The last sheaf] will either be dressed up as a grandmother, or put on a hat,<...>on the lane e the lower corner will be placed, and stands in the lane e corner during the day" (Nikif., Danilovskoye, KTSNTK: 089-07).

Bringing the reaper home was accompanied by a symbolic expulsion of insects from the house - cockroaches, fleas, flies: “Mom is coming, this sheaf very good com waves:

Cockroaches, flies, fleas,
Everyone get out!
You are the summer of summers A whether,
We have to spend the winter. -

Available everywhere:

Cockroaches, flies, fleas,
Everyone get out of the house!
You're in the summer A whether,
We have to spend the winter. -

<...>She goes everywhere A it goes slowly, okkur A tnenko, and prigov A roars.<...>This is because "summer [summer] A Li]", because the whole summer you are not at home much, everything is in the field, in the field: now haymaking, now harvesting, now sowing, now harvesting... - and still A field. And in winter h ov O[they don’t] - they will remove the cattle and again h ku. That's why - "you are summer of summers A whether"" (Ust., Kuzminskoye, KTSNTK: 083-37).

The last sheaf stood in the front corner of the hut before the Intercession. And on Pokrov, the day on which grazing usually ended, it was divided in the yard among all the livestock on the farm - the cattle were fed for the winter: “Mom gets up in the morning, takes the harvest A line from the corner A, where is the image A... and carries it to the barn. L O shade will give - cha He will feed the waste to cows and calves. This reap A the flax must be fed to the cattle" (Ust., Kuzminskoye, KTSNTK: 083-37). "It was we who fed them: ...there are sheep, yes sheep A m, cow, duck to cow, - everyone [shared]. It’s like it’s in place [= the cattle get up for the winter].<...>Pozhin A flax - we feed the cattle... A small sheaf O so it's worth up to s A Movo Pokr O va" ( Est., Romankovo, ONMCK: 003-007).

The celebration of dozhinok and the feeding of livestock for the winter continued during the collective farm period: “And on the collective farm there is reaping.” A lnitsa: beer brew And t pridsid A tel. D O he'll give you some sweets - there's a kov O- he'll stab him. Will give milk. The war was going on, people lived poorly. Well, they'll feed us. It was called "reap" A flax"" (Dub., Lineva Dubrova, KTSNTK: 079-74); “We reap oats, and they say: “The cow needs this.” e guys, - well, by the way I stochka [we'll give it]. Even on a collective farm. E If I [work] as a milkmaid, I’m from Kolkhi O I’ll take the last handful from the field again and feed it. [This is] feeding the cows And meh - that's what it was called. Here in the fall they feed... The social cow [needs] to be fed: she brought the last handful, [took it to the field] where the women finished their harvest, and fed it and e. This is what they say: “I fed the cow by sitting O days of oats"" (Ibid., KTSNTK: 079-74).

Special rituals were performed earlier and at the completion of flax harvesting. One of these rituals was lining flax with a circle - a “mirror” or “sun”, as it was called here: “When you finish laying the field, and at the end they [made the “sun”]... the linen is white. And lsy" (Const., Demetyevo, KTSNTK: 088-33). In the old days, the making of the “sun” was accompanied by women tumbling on torn flax: “I’m already Soviet, so I made a bed [linen], and there’s a fight.” A home. The old women who [those] did "with O sunshine... - like the sun walks around. And [the old woman] says: “Didn’t you make a sunshine, Anna?” I say: “No damn thing.” A didn't. U min I beat e e in A there will be a seam." Like this. And the other old woman: “Yes, it would be necessary, it would be necessary,” she says, “to do something.”

They somersaulted [with the verdict]:

Kukur And ku-naman And ku,
Manka lost her And ku.
Kukur And ku on the face,
I gave my friend the ring. -

Yes, he will run. The old woman already [did this], st. A rey who min I. Tumbled square e I kick my feet. Legs sq. e ryhu. Kuv s Rnettsy kv e rkh legs: "U min I, - says, - flax b e loy b at children<...>St e lem len something. TO O n h that's all for them. The women say: “I did somersaults sitting down O days, pcs O would have mine I on the strip there is linen [better bleached]". This is before..." (Dub., Lineva Dubrova, KTSNTK: 079-74, 75).

The flax was crushed in the same place where the grain had been threshed before, on the threshing floor. On p O urine, as a rule, they collected girls and women: “We need to call seven or eight women there - we think flax. A"th" (Dub., Lineva Dubrova, KTSNTK: 079-76); “Before, girls used to crush [flax]... O girls can do... All VM And get on track O didn't collect at ttsy... And I crumpled t O what the hell e shno - yo dvin A ten, thirteen, fifteen [was] - crumpled flax And on Sun Yu. The canvas needs to be processed. We'll crush there, we'll break there e let's see - they're all young people. Well, the old women are in charge O new... But of course! And [then] I’ll get things done O in some way - isomn at-That's not right. We need to take a closer look e I mean, it was crumpled.<...>[Songs are not sung here]. Remember And- try it, the fiber is smelly A and here we go, yes: hop, hop, hop... There’s no time for p e sen, like a mouth t e sen.<...>[And when] grandma sd e la[e]t the table in the evening, give me some beer, then we eat and so on I shom - flax crumpled" (Ibid., KTSNTK: 079-76).

The peasants tried to coincide with the end of harvesting and processing the harvest to coincide with the patronal holidays, which were celebrated in every village in the fall: “Kovd A everything in the fields will be removed... - Bo G op O Ditsin day - tovd A Everything was removed from the fields, and on that day we walked" (Zales., Zalesye, KTSNTK: 112-01); "[Dmitriev's day] - h etv e Rtovo October - h ov O We have a throne, we have a holiday in the village... It seems like the harvest has already been harvested A Well, we walked... for two or three days. We walked and had fun... Saint Dm And Trey is the birthday boy, so they set [the tables], walked around, had fun" (Mod., Popchikha, SHTNK: 083-27).

EXCELLENCE. In Vozdvizhenye, according to popular beliefs, snakes curl into balls and crawl away for the winter: “In Vozdvizhenye And We don't go into the forest. You can't go into the forest. Collect snakes there A the Yuts, they say, are in ku h And. Whoever they say is true, that he came into the forest and ran away - snakes to uch am" ; "[A man came into the forest. There] like snakes, yes to uch am.<...>At this time And Zhenya collected A snake snakes in o[d]nn O wintering place.<...>In Vzdv And"My wife can't go into the forest at all" (Nikif., Volosovo, KTSNTK: 084-12).

The Exaltation is also distinguished by the fact that on this day, as on some other important holidays of the people's Orthodox calendar, one cannot work: “On the Exaltation And They don’t dry barns, they don’t heat baths, they don’t go into the forest. [If you work] - also a ghost e Nye how O wow" (Mod., Sludy, KTSNTK: 136-07).

Pyramid of Kukulkan. The object is designed so that on the days of the equinox, the sun's rays create triangles of light and shadow on the pyramid. The lower the sun, the more distinct the contours of the shadow; they resemble a snake in shape. This illusion lasts a little more than three hours, during which time you need to make a wish.

Autumn equinox among the Slavs

The autumn equinox was one of the main holidays among the Slavs. It had different names: Tausen, Ovsen, Radogoshch. Rituals and rituals were also performed in different places.

Ovsen is the name of a deity in mythology who was responsible for the change of seasons, so in the fall he was thanked for fruits and harvests. They celebrated the day of the autumn equinox (with ceremonies and rituals) for two weeks. The main holiday drink was honey, made from fresh hops. Pies with meat, cabbage, and lingonberries are the main delicacy on the table.

The ritual for the autumn equinox was the farewell of the goddess Zhiva to Svarga - the heavenly kingdom, which was closed in the winter. On the day of the equinox, the Slavs also revered the goddess Lada. She was the patroness of weddings. And weddings were most often celebrated after the completion of field work.

On the day of the autumn equinox, special autumn folk rituals were held. To attract good luck and happiness, they baked pies with cabbage and round apples. If the dough rose quickly, it means that the financial situation should improve next year.

On this day, all old things were taken out into the yard and burned.

Special rituals for the autumn equinox were performed with water. She was believed to have special powers. We washed ourselves morning and evening with the belief that water would keep children healthy and women attractive.

Our ancestors often used trees in autumn rituals and holidays. So, they protected the house and themselves with rowan branches. It was believed that rowan, picked on this day, has enormous energy and will not let evil into the house. The girls used walnut branches. They put a second pillow on the bed in order to get married faster, they burned the branches of the nut, and the ashes were scattered on the street. The clusters of rowan trees were used to judge winter. The more berries, the harsher the winter.

A special autumn ritual in Rus' was sacrifice. In gratitude for a good harvest in pagan times, the Slavs sacrificed the largest animal to Veles. This was done before the harvest. After the sacrifice, the sheaves were tied up and the “grandmothers” were placed. After the harvest, a rich table was set.

Orthodox autumn holidays, traditions, rituals

The biggest holiday is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 21). The holiday coincided with the second autumn.

September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the 4th century, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great found the Cross and the Holy Sepulcher. Many then wanted to see this miracle. This is how the Feast of the Exaltation was established. From this day we began harvesting cabbage for the winter. And young boys and girls gathered for cabbage parties. The table was set, the guys looked after the brides.

October 14 - Intercession of the Virgin Mary. The holiday was established by Andrei Bogolyubsky. In Rus' they believed that the Mother of God took Rus' under her protection, so they always relied on her protection and mercy. At this time, they were finishing work in the field and collecting the last fruits. In Pokrov, women made ten-handed dolls, which, it was believed, were supposed to help around the house, since the woman did not have time to do everything.

On the third day of November they celebrated "Kazanskaya". This is the Day of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God.

Autumn signs in Rus'

September 11 - Ivan Poletny, Poletovshchik. A day later they began to pull out root crops and dig up potatoes.

September 24 - Fedora-Ripped off. Two Fedoras up the mountain - one autumn, one winter, one with mud, the other with cold.

October 1 is crane summer. It was believed that if the cranes flew on this day, then there would be the first frost on Pokrov. If not, you should not expect frosts before November 1st.

November 14 - Kuzminki. On Kuzminki they celebrated the rooster's name day. The girls had a feast-conversation and invited the guys.

On this day, a ritual called “the wedding and funeral of Kuzma-Demyan” was performed. The girls made a stuffed animal out of straw, dressed it up as a guy and held a comic wedding. They sat this scarecrow in the middle of the hut and “married” it to some girl, then they took it into the forest, burned it and danced on it. We made dolls Kuzma and Demyan. They were considered guardians of the family hearth and patrons of women's handicrafts.