Orthodox Shrovetide and pagan comedy. Spring equinox day - Komoyeditsa

Maslenitsa-Komoeditsa - one of the four most important Slavic holidays, vernal equinox. Since that time, Nature begins to awaken, bears get out of their lairs. The souls of the Ancestors fly on bird wings from Heavenly Iriy to visit us, their descendants.
According to one of the beliefs, the name of the holiday was given by coma - ceremonial breads made from several flour mixtures: peas, oats and barley. The clods were baked by women, the eldest in the family, brought them to the forest, laid on stumps for awakening tree spirits. According to others, they regaled the awakened bear - the forest owner.

There is also an opinion that in ancient times the bear was called "com", hence the name of the holiday - Komoyeditsa, which began with the offering of food to the bears.

On the spring holiday, there is enough fun and treats for everyone! A wide feast unfolds. People ride horses, compete in climbing a pole for gifts, take snowy towns with a fight, dress up in disguises, dance round dances, bake sun-pancakes - round, golden and hot! Men celebrate the holiday with a special bear dance and wrestling.

Ritual festive treba: pancakes, “coma” pancakes with millet, pies, flat cakes, oatmeal jelly, kalachi, honey, kvass, gingerbread, gingerbread, pancakes, cottage cheese, nuts, milk, butter, fish, cookies.
The main dish of the great Maslenitsa holiday is a pancake - in the Slavic pagan tradition, symbolizing the Sun.

In the morning, people rush to the temple, a high place where the earth has dried up. Near the temple at the crossroads they scatter grain. This is done so that the Navi (devils, evil spirits), who have taken the form of forty, eat grain and do not interfere with the holiday. This is one of the oldest Russian holidays - the day of veneration of the Bear God: the offering of a sacrifice (requisition) to the great Honey Beast.
Glory to our Native Gods and Wise Ancestors!

Listening on TV to how Judeo-Christian clergymen explain to their flocks that there is Shrovetide, at first I was laughed out loud, and then bitter resentment for our people overcame me ... How much can you fool us?

And so, let's figure out what is Maslenitsa? And what is the incomprehensible word Komoyeditsa?
Komoyeditsa is one of the four oldest solar Slavic holidays. A two-week celebration of the Day of the Spring Equinox (the beginning of astronomical spring, March 20-21), farewell to Winter and the burning of the effigy of Winter, a solemn welcome of Spring. Yarilo - the sun melts the snow, nature awakens with spring force, the celebration of the beginning of the New Year according to the ancient Slavic solar calendar (in Russia until 1492 years / year / - March opened the account for the New Summer / year /).
In addition to celebrating the sacred entry of Spring into its rights, the bear was also revered on this day: in the morning, before breakfast, in a solemn procession with songs, dances and jokes, “pancake trebs” were brought to the great Honey Beast in the forest with the first baked holiday pancakes and laid out on stumps. After that, the festive feast began. Our ancestors called the bear Kom (hence the rule - "the first pancake to the koms", i.e. bears).
Komoyeditsu began to be celebrated a week before the day of the spring equinox and continued the festival a week after. For these two weeks, the relatives of each Slavic clan gathered together for many days of celebration and rituals.
For many centuries, Komoyeditsa has retained the character of a wide folk festival, accompanied by feasts, games, competitions in strength, and fast horseback riding.
Immediately after the holiday, people turned to hard agricultural work, which continued throughout the warm season.

The original, sacred meaning of the ancient sacred holiday of Komoyeditsa has long been lost.
After the imposition of Judeo-Christianity on Russia and the ensuing ban on old customs, the Judeo-Christian churchmen and authorities struggled for a long time and unsuccessfully with the traditional folk holiday.
It was the former Vedic Faith of the Ancestors that represented the main competition to the Judeo-Christian churchmen. The Church could not bear the spirit of the Ancient Faith of the Ancestors, struggling with it in the most cruel ways. With the introduction of the new religion of Judeo-Christianity in Russia with its "Great" pre-Easter forty-day fast, during which everyone is supposed to fast, repent, bodily and spiritually refrain, pacifying the flesh - the feast of the meeting of the Spring of Komoyeditsa is postponed from the date of the spring Equinox to earlier floating dates of the Judeo-Christian calendar. And since the Judeo-Christian Easter is a transitory holiday, Shrovetide has also been moving relative to it for the past few centuries. Therefore, “Seeing Off to Winter” sometimes happens with us in February, which is generally absurd ....
And also by Patriarch Adrian, the “demonic holiday” in 1698 is reduced to eight days. He did not succeed in completely banning the holiday and erasing it from the people's memory ...

So what is the celebration of Shrovetide?
When, for several centuries, the priests still did not achieve success in the power struggle against the wise folk Tradition, which they harassed in the most cruel and bloody ways, the church Judeo-Christian archpastors used the well-known Jesuit trick: "If you cannot defeat the enemy, unite with him and destroy him from the inside".
In the 16th century, Cheese Week (Maslenitsa) was adopted by the Church to replace the forbidden Slavic Komoyeditsa.
The Church simply privatized (as well as many other things) the most ancient folk holiday of the meeting of Spring and, according to its church custom, distorted and vulgarized this meeting.
And soon the people forgot their ancient Komoeditsa, but began to celebrate the Judeo-Christian "Shrovetide" with the same rampant scope.
Because the former Komoyeditsa fell on Great Lent, when holidays and fun are strictly prohibited, the Judeo-Christian churchmen "shifted" the holiday in time from the Spring Equinox by almost a month closer to the beginning of the year, giving it a week before Great Lent, i.e. made a false substitution of what is bestowed by Heaven itself. In addition to temporary about th "shift", the former popular celebration was reduced from two weeks to one.

Strictly speaking, it was not the “transfer” of the holiday of Komoyeditsa (Komoeditsa cannot be transferred, because it is associated with an annual astronomical event), but the establishment of a new church holiday for the people instead of the previous one, in order to destroy and erase the former Traditions from the memory of the people. And they quite succeeded in this - Jesuit techniques always work well and effectively.

A significant shift to the beginning of the year, which replaced Maslenitsa-Komoeditsa forcibly introduced a Jewish church holiday, makes perverted the artificially invented interpretation of the current Maslenitsa in the ancient way - as “seeing off winter and welcoming spring” - at this time it is still too early to meet spring among the snows and winter colds, especially in Russia with its cold climate.

So our wise ancient Ancestors met Spring at a more reasonable time than the current "Orthodox" Russians converted by church ideology into servants of God.
The new Judeo-Christian church holiday began to be called "cheese" or "meat-fare" week (week). Church “Cheese Week” began to precede their Great Lent.
During Cheese Week, the Church Charter already forbids believers to eat meat, but allows butter, dairy products, eggs, and fish. From these products allowed by the church calendar, the holiday soon, in the same 16th century, acquired its second, popular name - Shrovetide.
But even the former folk Slavic holiday of Komoyeditsa, “transferred” by the clergy, retained some of its ancient customs, turning into the folk Maslenitsa in the 16th century.
The traditions of the Russian folk Maslenitsa were finally consolidated in the 18th century through the efforts of the Russian false tsar Peter I, a great lover of all kinds of reckless festivities.
Despite the official inclusion in church holidays, Maslenitsa has not received a complete rethinking and remains a national holiday (a nationwide gluttonous and drunken revelry), and a religious Christian one (this is the last of the three weeks of preparation for Great Lent - before this there are weeks of "omnivorous" and " pockmarked" - the traditional Russian Maslenitsa week).

How to relate to the Maslenitsa holiday - it depends on the perception of the celebrant.
The current Maslenitsa, the dates of which are determined by the clergy, is in no way supposedly just the former holiday of Komoyeditsa “shifted” in time, which has always been and will be inextricably linked with the Day of the spring equinox.
And the meaning of the current folk Maslenitsa, especially the church "cheese week" is already completely different than that of the former Slavic Komoyeditsa.

- komoeditsa- this is a solemn meeting by our ancient Ancestors of the onset of astronomical spring for Nature and the beginning of the Old Slavic New Summer (year), as well as the necessary invigoration of people after a cold winter with fun and hearty food before the start of intensive field work.

Judeo-Christian Church Cheese Week- this is a preparatory week for Great Lent, the last week before Great Lent. Dedicated in the Judeo-Christian sense to one goal - reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for the repentant path to God - this is the Judeo-Christian component of their so-called. "Shrovetide". During the Church Cheese Week (Maslenitsa), meat is not eaten, but fish and dairy products can be consumed. Maslenitsa is a continuous week, fasting is canceled on Wednesday and Friday.

As a matter of fact, there is nothing to celebrate, as a matter of fact, the folk “Maslenitsa” (the colloquial name of the Cheese Week) determined by the church calendar - it’s just the arrangement of a certain party, with which the clergy replaced the ancient Komoyeditsa in order to erase it from memory. And it is still too early to cheer up on the Maslenitsa holiday before agricultural work - snow will lie on the fields for a long time, winter blizzards and blizzards will circle.
In addition, after the Church Cheese Week (Maslenitsa), a long Great Lent begins with huge dietary restrictions, which is completely unreasonable for people after the cold Russian winter, when the body is already weakened, and before the upcoming hard field work.

If some of the customs of the ancient Jews who lived in the hot desert and gave birth to Judeo-Christianity are still acceptable in warm Europe, then they are very stupid, and even harmful in Russia - the coldest country in the world. Only Antarctica is colder than Russia, but people don't live there; the average annual temperature in Russia is +4oC, 64% of the territory is permafrost. You can adopt other people's customs, but with the mind, and not thoughtless monkeying.

Of course, no Judeo-Christianity, now split into Catholicism, Protestantism, Lutheranism, etc., as well as into more than 17 different "Orthodox" autocephalous (headed by patriarchs, the Russian Orthodox Church is the 5th among them) and autonomous (headed by metropolitans) churches, can determine or postpone the dates of folk holidays of other faiths, especially the dates of astronomical events.

The ancient holiday of our Slavic ancestors, Komoyeditsa, always remains in time in its original place (in different years, the spring equinox on March 20 or 21), determined only by an annual astronomical event - this is a great holiday of the entry into its rights of the long-awaited and renewing world sacred spring given by Heaven itself to people, animals, birds, plants and all terrestrial Nature.

The day of the spring equinox is the beginning of the astronomical Spring, which no Judeo-Christian churchmen and no Jewish god can “move”.

And in our time, everyone can have fun celebrating Komoyeditsa - a bright and joyful holiday of our ancestors, a meeting of Spring and the spring renewal of Nature.

). The date of the spring equinox falls from March 19 to 25. Maslenitsa is a cheerful pagan holiday of seeing off winter, with a joyful expectation of spring warmth and renewal of Mother Nature. Such a natural phenomenon that our Ancestors simply could not ignore. Until now, we associate spring with rebirth and renewal, on all planes, physical and energetic. Therefore, this rite is accompanied by fisticuffs, delicious pancakes, round dances, sleigh rides, valiant games and the burning of an effigy of the Goddess Mary. According to tradition, straw was taken and during the Maslenitsa week they swept the corners of the hut with it every day. Then a scarecrow was made from this straw and all the negative was burned.

In 2019, the Slavic Holiday Maslenitsa falls on March 21

The oldest Slavic holiday Maslenitsa has survived to this day in a distorted form with a predominance of its entertainment part, with round dances, bonfires, pancakes and indispensable invitations to visit. Even the Orthodox Church now considers Maslenitsa not a pagan holiday, but its own, Orthodox and considers it as a preparation for a long Lent. This happened with many holidays, but Maslenitsa is the most striking example. It is known that until the 17th century, this old, truly folk holiday of spring and the birth of life was tried to be banned and those who celebrated it openly were persecuted. It is clear that nothing came of this idea to eradicate the "demonic fun", and the people defended their right to have fun in the last days of winter. Since the 18th century, the church has ceased to pay such close attention to the holiday, and the demonstrative festivities of the kings only strengthened Maslenitsa in the life of the Russian people, although they distorted the essence of what was happening. From the second half of the 18th century, the church "adapted" Shrovetide for its own purposes and did not forbid parishioners to participate in the general bacchanalia, while imposing certain restrictions on the composition of foods suitable for food these days, and a strict "regulation" of prayers. Each of the seven (and up to the 17th century fourteen) days of Shrovetide had its own name.

By the beginning of the 20th century, all the names were mixed up - ancient, church, folk, and now Maslenitsa is a holiday of meeting spring, cheerful, carefree, with plentiful food and, most importantly, pancakes. Pancakes for Shrovetide have become the central dish, its symbol. As in ancient times, pancakes in the human mind symbolize the sun. Only in the distant pre-Christian times, our ancestors praised God Yaril, and cooked pancakes in gratitude to Yarila for light and warmth. Each pancake symbolically meant one sunny day, so they baked pancakes as much as possible so that heat and light would not leave people for a whole year.

Why is the holiday called Maslenitsa?

The name Maslenitsa came from the celebration of spring, that is, from March 19-25. At this time, cows were calving, and they had a lot of milk, which means that there was enough butter in the house. The word oil originally sounded like smeared, that is, what a pancake is smeared with. Smeared or oil in this case was a symbol of prosperity, a new rich and well-fed year. Pancakes for Maslenitsa were also an earthly reflection of the sun. Pancake - like a small sun - round and hot. To grease a pancake with oil means to bring a gift to the sun, to appease it. Just as today, in the first half of January, Russia indulges in a holiday, so in ancient times our ancestors celebrated the New Year on a grand scale, only at the beginning of spring. Hence the burning of the effigy of winter, round dances, bonfires and other echoes of the pagan past. There is a version that the Maslenitsa holiday in ancient times was in honor of the god Veles, the patron saint of cattle breeding.

Evidence of the "royal" celebration of Shrovetide has been preserved. For example, in 1724, Peter the Great decided to arrange a grand celebration, but the frosts prevented a huge masquerade, a sledge procession and other fun. The strong Russian frost did not allow the celebration of Shrovetide, once again confirming that changing the dates of Shrovetide week is not the best idea for a holiday. The fact is that Shrove Tuesday was supposed to take place on the days of the spring solstice, which fell at the height of Lent. At the insistence of the church, the celebration was postponed a month ago, and now the last day of Maslenitsa was supposed to be a week before the start of Lent. But there were also good celebrations. According to the memoirs of the Austrian secretary Korb, who happened to be in Russia on Shrovetide week, “all respect for the highest authorities disappears, the most harmful self-will reigns everywhere.” The same Korb witnessed the case when the newly built Lefortov Palace was illuminated by a mummered pseudo-patriarch at the head of the “most joking and most drunken cathedral” with a cross made of tobacco pipes, a censer with tobacco smoke and, to top it off, serving a service in honor of Bacchus. During the Maslenitsa holiday in the palace, the tsar himself was the ringleader and the first merry fellow. A two-day feast began in the "consecrated" palace, while the guests were forbidden to sleep or leave, and only for foreign guests they made an exception and set aside several hours for sleep, after which they woke up and dragged them back to the feast.

Back in the 18th century, it was customary to cook a variety of treats on Maslenitsa - it was an open-air feast, at every home. Everyone went to visit each other, ate treats and had fun from the heart. On the streets they sold a wide variety of food: sbiten, bagels, honey gingerbread, pies and pancakes with a wide variety of fillings. There were also salty foods: all kinds of pickles, mushrooms, dried fish, caviar, fragrant bread and pies with various fillings. Of the entertainment were buffoons, booths and ice slides.

Maslenitsa holiday - festivities and rituals

The people have a custom of visiting and celebrating Maslenitsa. Each day of the holiday week has its own purpose. On Monday - Maslenitsa meeting. On this day, the first pancakes were baked, and the very first was intended for the ancestors. He was taken out onto the porch with a special conspiracy and left for the night. On the same day, they dressed up an effigy of Shrovetide, which they carried along the streets with songs.

Tuesday - games. On this day, it was customary to guess. A proverb appeared about the custom of this day: "Choose a husband for pancakes, and a wife for pies." What kind of pancakes a man prefers, such is his character. Real tough men love pancakes with caviar - they will provide for their wife and keep the economy strong. But you should not expect affection from such a man. If the betrothed prefers pancakes with red fish, then his temper is affectionate, he is more of a dreamer, an artist. Such one will speak tenderness, but the economy may fall into disrepair. Good men love pancakes with cottage cheese. With sour cream - a person without a strong character, who is easy to convince. Pancakes with butter are eaten by tender men - such a one will love-kiss, but he does not like household chores very much. Those who like to have many children eat with sugar, and the wife will look after them. The most unpleasant husband candidates are those who eat pancakes with boiled eggs. Bores at home and at a holiday, they perform household and marital duties, but somehow out of duty. Pancakes with jam are loved by handsome guys, the first in the village, in front of everyone. Being such a wife is flattering, but a hubby can go on a spree.

Wednesday was called gourmet. Rich tables were set in all respectable houses. Tents were pitched on the streets with hot sbitny (a soft drink made from hot water, honey and spices), gingerbread, pies, nuts and other street treats. On this day, it was customary to invite sons-in-law to visit. According to the rules, there should be all kinds of pancakes on the table - both salty and sweet, both small and large, with fish, caviar, cottage cheese and other delicacies. Here and to look at the son-in-law (is he strong, can he feed his wife), and feed him before fisticuffs on Thursday. They talked at the table, sang songs and had fun in a narrow family circle.

Thursday - go for a walk. Fisticuffs, wall to wall and other "men's fun". By this day, snow fortresses were built, which rivals conquered with noise. In ancient pagan traditions, this day was the meeting of the new year. They baked pigeons and larks from dough, and the kids “clicked on the sun” so that it “appeared from behind the mountain.”

On Friday - the sons-in-law invited the mother-in-law to taste treats. The strangeness of the custom (first the son-in-law on Wednesday, and then the mother-in-law on Friday to the son-in-law) was intensified by the fact that the mother-in-law had to bring all the ingredients for the treat the day before. And even a frying pan, a tub and a scoop for making pancakes.

On Saturday - sister-in-law gatherings. Unmarried sisters-in-law invited unmarried friends to visit. The daughter-in-law was supposed to give them gifts, and they should treat and entertain the guests.

Sunday is the last day of Maslenitsa, forgiveness Sunday, seeing off winter and burning the effigy of Winter. Before burning, the effigy is carried around the city, and after that they are installed in the square and dance round dances, while they scold Winter in every possible way, drive it away and, in the end, burn the effigy. The fun is completed by jumping over a huge fire. And this Sunday is called forgiven because everyone asks for forgiveness from their ancestors. They are called bonfires, they are invited to a plentiful treat. This appeasement of the spirits of the dead in the Christian era has been slightly distorted, and people ask for forgiveness from God and from each other. It is customary to say: “Forgive me”, receiving the answer: “God will forgive”, after which everyone goes to the bath, which can be considered a rite of purification before the long spring, and among Christians before Lent.

Pancakes are the most popular dish on Shrove Tuesday. This recipe is a simple dish prepared with special skill. Here the skill and accuracy of the hand, a trained eye, culinary flair and endurance are important. That is why pancakes are such a simple and at the same time complex dish. The word pancake is common Slavic. In the Ukrainian language there is Mlynets, in Bulgarian - Mlyn. Mlyn is a millstone in windmills, a round stone, which, by rubbing against another equally flat, but lying motionless, abraded grains of cereals, turning them into flour. Damn-mlyn are words from the terminology of the mill craft, which among the Slavs was one of the central ones.

Views: 4 022

Few people remember, and some do not even know that Komoeditsa and Maslenitsa are the same name for the Vedic celebration, and earlier it had a completely different meaning than now. This holiday has nothing to do with the Christian religion, and is a kind of agricultural New Year.

History and meanings of Komoyeditsa

Slavic Komoyeditsa, a holiday that was celebrated in Russia in pagan times, even before the establishment of the Christian faith. This celebration always falls on the day of the spring equinox.

Komoyeditsa, a holiday attended by the farewell of winter and the arrival of spring. It is at this moment, according to legend, that the god of the sun, the child Khors, turns into a strong young man Yarila and enters into his maximum strength.

The second name of this celebration is the Bear holiday. This is because on this day it was also customary to honor the bear God - Kom. This is where the expression “the first pancake is lumpy” came from, although initially it sounded like “komam”, which meant bears.

Pancakes also had a symbolic meaning. In their shape and color, they resemble the sun, and it is this heavenly sanctuary that plays a central role in the celebration of this day.

What date is Maslenitsa-Komoeditsa

Slavyanska Komoyedica is always celebrated at the same time. The celebrations begin a week before the spring equinox, and continue for another week after, i.e. a total of two weeks. In 2017, Komoyeditsa will be celebrated in Russia from 13 to 27 March.

Differences between Maslenitsa and Komoyeditsa

In fact, the name of the religious Maslenitsa is the "seven-way" or "cheese" week. The church specifically introduced this celebration to replace the old Slavic Shrovetide, so they tried to eradicate all the traditions of Vedic culture in Russia. The way Maslenitsa is celebrated today has nothing to do with the Vedic holiday.

The differences between Maslenitsa week and Maslenitsa-Komoeditsa can be described as follows:

Traditions and rituals

Thus, Komoyeditsa is an ancient Vedic holiday that glorified the onset of spring and the Bear God. I celebrate this celebration today, try to think about the good, imagine how solar energy fills you with warmth and new energy.

Shrovetide, Maslenitsa, Komoyeditsa, Komoyeditsy, Velikden. New Year - Spring Equinox - one of the four most important holidays of Kologod, timed to coincide with the Spring Equinox and celebrated on 25 berezosol / March, as well as the Maslyannaya week preceding it (from 18 to 24 berezosol / March). According to Slavic beliefs, Svarga is “opened” now, and the Light Gods “return” to Reality - they enter into force after winter, and the souls of the Ancestors “fly on bird wings” from Heavenly Iriy to visit us - their descendants. The time of rebirth is the spring "resurrection" (from kres - "fire") of Mother Earth and all Nature.

The history of the celebration of Shrovetide

One of the most ancient Slavic folk holidays that have survived to this day. Maslenitsa is a ceremony dedicated to the farewell to winter and the joyful greeting of spring. In fact, it was a meeting of the New Year, only at the beginning of spring (March 1, or March 23 - before the 15th century). Different regions of the state had their own, special rituals, however, the concept of the ceremony was the same. Of course, today's celebration format is very different from the original traditions. The dominant place is occupied by the entertaining side of the rite, which includes inviting guests, a fair, round dances, bonfires and, of course, a huge number of pancakes.

It is known from history that before the adoption of Christianity, people who lived on the territory of modern Russia were pagans, worshiped the sun god Yarila (according to some sources, a ritual character personifying spring fertility and sexual strength). Even then, it was customary to bake pancakes as a symbol of the sun and a certain expression of gratitude to the sun god for life on earth.

Later, until the 17th century, Shrovetide, as "demonic fun", was constantly condemned by the Orthodox Church. But already in the 18th century, the persecution weakened (this was greatly facilitated by the royal people, who celebrated the holiday on a special scale), and very soon this truly Russian rite was adopted by the church, regulated taking into account its interests. Today, Maslenitsa is considered an Orthodox (and not pagan) holiday cycle. In the Orthodox calendar, this cycle plays the role of preparing Christians for Lent, known for its severity and duration.

There is no consensus on the origin of the name of this holiday cycle. More often you can find a version according to which “maslenitsa”, “shrovetide” has a gastronomic root. It is in the spring, in March, that cows calve, thanks to which there is a lot of milk, dairy products and butter in the house - “smeared”. Oil, as a symbol of prosperity in the family, and a round, hot pancake, as the personification of the sun, were obligatory attributes in the ritual of “anointing” the deity, striving to appease him. After all, the fertility of the earth directly depended on the sun.

In addition, there is an opinion that Shrovetide goes back even deeper, and initially the ceremony was dedicated to the worship of the Slavic god of cattle breeding - Veles.

Another version of the origin of the name of the holiday is based on the assumption that during the week of Maslenitsa, meat was excluded from the diet, but dairy products (cheese, butter, cottage cheese, etc.) are allowed. The hostesses baked buttered pancakes. By the way, hence the second name of the holiday - Cheese Week.

In fairness, let's recall another legend. It is believed that the birthplace of the holiday is the far North. Once, on a harsh winter day, people who were exhausted from the frost noticed Maslenitsa - the daughter of Frost, hiding behind snowdrifts, and called her to warm, cheer them up, help them survive the cold. Maslenitsa appeared to people, but not as a little girl, which she seemed when she was hiding, but as a healthy, strong woman: her cheeks were ruddy and greasy from oil, her eyes were cunning, and her laughter was insidious. Carrying people into cheerful round dances, the daughter of Frost warmed them and allowed them to forget about the cold. From here came the fun with which every year the Russian people see off the cold and celebrate the spring.

cheese week

The week preceding Great Lent is referred to in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church as Cheese Week (seven days, a week). It comes immediately after the meat-fare week, and, according to church custom, is intended so that the believer can prepare for Great Lent, reconcile with his neighbors. According to the rules of the church, there is no Divine Liturgy on Wednesday and Friday of Cheese Week. And on Tuesday evening, the prayer of the Orthodox Saint Ephraim the Syrian is read. In addition, the services on the eve of Great Lent include the chants of the Lenten Triodion, the Octoechos, and the Menaion. On the Sabbath day, the commemoration of the venerable Fathers of the Church takes place.

Some Rules for Shrovetide Days

Shrovetide is an ancient custom, which over time has “overgrown” with many rules, rituals, and features of the celebration. Within the framework of this article, we cannot afford to enumerate the entire list of such rules. However, let us dwell on the key ones that are relevant today.

During this period, meat is not allowed, but dairy products and fish are not excluded from the diet. The main treat of the week is pancakes. They are baked throughout the week, and from Thursday to Sunday - in large quantities.

A feature of the holiday cycle is the permissibility to eat as much as the soul desires. The clearest evidence of this can be considered numerous legends, according to which the number of meals could be safely equated with the number of waving of the dog's tail, or the sum of crows crowing, rooster crowing, etc. Going to visit and gluttony at home is an obligatory component of the custom.

Mass celebrations are another significant part of the holiday cycle. Round dances, singing, Shrovetide rides in a sleigh pulled by horses, amusing fights, burning fires, huge scarecrows, fairs - motley crowds of people rejoiced at the approach of heat. In the old days, mass entertainment, and especially horseback riding, was of great importance for young men and women who sought to attract each other's attention.

The whole Cheese Week should be devoted to fun and food, and you should not think about business. Great Lent will come - business and worries will come.

Newlyweds who got married in the past year enjoy special attention on this holiday. Amusing tests are arranged for young people, they put them in an awkward position, they come to visit without an invitation.

On Sunday, which ends the festivities of the Cheese Week, it is customary to ask for forgiveness from loved ones, relatives: first, the younger ones ask for forgiveness from the elders of the clan, then vice versa. In addition, they ask for forgiveness from the dead by visiting cemeteries and leaving pancakes on the graves of relatives.

Shrovetide: the conceptual component of the ceremony

As mentioned above, the holiday came to us from antiquity. Its ritual component is quite multifaceted and complex. In the center of the custom is the idea of ​​the beginning of a new year, a cycle. Hence the other side - the inducement of fertility in nature (a person also applies to natural components). No less significant are some elements of the cult of the ancient Slavs, which are still preserved in the rites of Shrovetide. It is worth noting that most traditional religions are characterized by the ratio of the new year and rituals dedicated to the creation of the world, the renewal of the universe, and the rejection of the past. In the rites of Shrovetide, the destruction of the old and the stimulation of rebirth, fertility are conveyed in many details. These include burning garbage and stuffed Maslenitsa. An important role in this concept is played by the memorial component of Shrovetide. It was believed that the dead, being both in the earth and in the other world, could influence the fertility of the earth. Hence the special, honorable attitude to the ancestors, a lot of funeral rites.

Family traditions

It is obvious that a lot of attention is paid to family traditions on Shrove Tuesday. The theme of love and marriage is reflected in many customs. So, for example, young married couples honored Shrove Tuesday. They were subjected to various amusing trials: they arranged a bride, rolled in the snow, forced to kiss in public, threw straw or bast shoes on them, and even arranged a “kissing party” when guests could kiss their young wife. Young people and girls who did not marry during the past year underwent "punishments" in the form of various ordeal ceremonies.

Funeral rites

An important part of the holiday week. The rituals of this subject include: burning a scarecrow, a special diet, bonfires, fortune-telling on melted water (snow, as the embodiment of the souls of the dead). It was not permissible to perform household work for the reason that it could offend the dead, who are close to the living, and bring various troubles to the economy and people. In a word, Maslenitsa, in its essence, is a rite of “oiling”, appeasing higher powers for the coming year.

Special customs

A number of funs belong to special customs. The main place among them is sledding. Assorted teams rushed through the village or city in a race. The focus, however, was on the young families formed during the winter. Couples organized original shows, made visits to relatives. It happened that the groom took out his future wife, to the surprise of the people. Thus, the newlyweds or future newlyweds seemed to enlist universal approval and blessing.

Another fun custom is rollercoaster riding. This is a favorite activity for both children and adults. Skating from the slides to Shrovetide has always been a widespread custom. As a rule, everyone took part in it, from small to large. We rode on large and small sledges, short logs, boxes with frozen bottoms, pieces of ice from the river, overturned benches. It is interesting that the children rode the slides all week, and the adults - only from Wednesday. The newlyweds, according to custom, rolled down once.

Fair

It is a long tradition to arrange refreshments at Shrovetide at home, to visit each other. All sorts of pickles, pies, pancakes, sbiten and other goodies were sold on the streets of villages and cities for Shrove Tuesday. The fun took place on ice slides and in booths, people were entertained by buffoons. Today, fairs are held just as fun and on a grand scale. Folk festivals, concerts, pancakes and tea from a samovar are an integral part of many modern fairs. The audience is entertained not only by professional artists, but also by amateur citizens. And on Forgiveness Sunday, you can admire the things created by craftsmen, and even buy something for memory.

Days of Pancake Week

Until the 17th century, Maslenitsa was celebrated for 2 weeks, later it began to include only 7 days, each of which had a specific name and involved the performance of certain rites. Every day was full of traditional fun, religious or ritual activities.

Small Maslenitsa

In some provinces, they prepared for Shrove Tuesday from the Saturday preceding the onset of the Cheese Week. For some, such preparation was accompanied by baking pancakes, with which the children were supposed to perform the ceremony of meeting Shrovetide. For others, it was customary for children to collect old bast shoes around the village and greet those who came from the market with the question: “Are you bringing Shrovetide?”. With a negative answer, the person encountered could be beaten with these same bast shoes. In some settlements, the Sabbath was dedicated to dead parents, pancakes were left for their souls on the shrine, roof or graves.

Meat Sunday

This is the last Sunday before Cheese Week, or Shrovetide. On this day, it is customary to visit and invite relatives and friends to visit. The father-in-law invited the son-in-law to generous meat treats. They ate a lot and tasty, saying: "I'm talking about cheese and butter."

Shrovetide Week is conditionally divided into Narrow and Wide Maslenitsa. The first period was three days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). These days, you can do any homework. And already from Thursday to Sunday, the Broad Maslenitsa came, and all economic affairs ceased.

Monday - carnival meeting

In the morning, the daughter-in-law from the house of her husband's parents went to her parents. In the evening, the father-in-law and mother-in-law also came to visit them, discussing the “program of events” for Shrove Tuesday: the composition of the guests, the places for the festivities. On Monday, the housewives started baking pancakes. From straw and various rags they collected a stuffed animal, carried it through the streets.

Tuesday - win

Shrovetide was invited, relatives and friends were invited to visit for pancakes. The key rite of Tuesday is the bride's bride. We have already mentioned that special attention was paid to the family, marriage on Shrove Tuesday: matchmaking was an important part of the rites, since many aspired to get married on the Red Hill feast (immediately following Lent).

Wednesday - gourmets

The mother-in-law calls her son-in-law for pancakes. Of course, other guests were also invited. But the expression of affection for the son-in-law was a key rite on this day.

Thursday - revelry, or Broad Thursday

The Broad Maslenitsa began, and they had fun already on a grand scale. Horseback riding, competitions, fisticuffs, capturing the town from snow and feasting - all this allowed the people to release the negative energy that had been accumulating during the long winter days.

Friday - mother-in-law evening

The son-in-law invited his mother-in-law, her relatives and friends to visit pancakes baked by his wife. The key meaning of this custom was the demonstration by the son-in-law of affection for the wife's mother.
Saturday - sister-in-law gatherings

Sisters-in-law and other relatives from the husband's side gathered to visit the daughters-in-law. The daughter-in-law gave her husband's sister a gift. According to church custom, on Saturday, the celebration of all the venerable fathers is celebrated.

Sunday - seeing off carnival

This is the last day of the holiday cycle, its climax. It is customary to ask for forgiveness from loved ones, and in the evening to commemorate deceased relatives. On this day, people go to the bathhouse, it is customary to get rid of the remnants of festive food. At the end of the day, the effigy of Maslenitsa is publicly burned, and the ashes are fluttered over the fields. Church custom involves holding the rite of forgiveness and the beginning of Lenten services.

Briefly about pancakes for Shrovetide

Pancake is a Slavic word, its pronunciation is similar in many nations. So, for Ukrainians, a pancake sounds like “mlynets”, in Bulgarian - “mlyn” (millstone, flat and round stone). This word came from the mill business, one of the main crafts among the Slavs.

Despite the simplicity of the recipe, pancakes are a complex culinary dish that requires special skill and patience. In ancient times, each housewife had her own recipe for making pancakes for Shrovetide, passed down from generation to generation. When baking, they used flour from wheat, buckwheat, corn, adding potatoes, cream, apples, semolina. They ate pancakes all year round, but on Shrove Tuesday - during all holidays, along with other treats.

The main ritual dishes for Shrovetide: pancakes, cheese, cottage cheese, butter. During Maslyany week, they also celebrate Komoyeditsa - the Bear holiday. According to popular belief, the Bear (Forest Master, the incarnation of Veles Himself) is waking up in his lair after a long winter hibernation. Male Rodnovers honor him with a special Bear dance and Veles struggle. Koma, which are baked by the eldest women in the family on Komoyeditsa, are ceremonial breads made from a mixture of oat flour, peas and barley. Some of the lumps are taken out into the forest and placed on a stump-deck, inviting the Forest Master himself to the meal, who is asked not to flog cattle and not to be angry in apiaries throughout the year. At the time of dual faith in Russia, on March 25, the Annunciation was celebrated, which was revered as the third (after the Tomb / Candlemas and Forty / Forty Martyrs) Calls of Spring. The people said: “On the Annunciation, spring overcame winter,” which makes all living things happy: “The red girl does not weave braids, the bird does not build nests,” and even the Sun itself “plays”; “With the Annunciation, the bear rises from the lair”, “The Annunciation - let the birds go free.” It was also noted about this time: “A thunderstorm on the Annunciation (First Thunder - Spring Perunya) - for a warm summer.” Actually, the Annunciation was preceded by: 12 berezosol / March Feofan Prolomi Nast - “Fog on Feofan - to be a big harvest for flax and hemp”; 17 berezosol / March Alexey Teply (Alexey Vodotek) - “Alexey came - the ice broke”, “Alexey - pour a jug from each snowdrift”, “Alexey - streams of water from the mountains, and fish from wintering”, “Alexey - turn the shafts out of the sled »; 19 berezosol/March Daria Dirty Holes (Daria Poplavikha) - the time from which canvases began to be whitened. Shortly after the Annunciation, Matryona Nastovnitsa or Matryona Polurepnitsa was celebrated (Berezosol / March 27) - the time of the last snow crust and the arrival of the “pigalits-nastovnits” (lapwings).

It is usually celebrated when the Sun crosses the point of the Equinox. Many Rodnovers are celebrating about this time the New Year - the New Year, born on Kolyada, but coming to Reality only on the Spring Equinox, when winter ends and the Earth blooms.
In antiquity, the Maslenitsa festivities lasted not one, but two weeks.
Since ancient times, pancakes, resembling the Sun in their shape, have been revered as the main ritual event on Maslyanitsa. They usually didn’t eat the first baked pancake themselves, but put it on the dormer window in the hut, dedicating it to the souls of the Ancestors.
Each of the days of the Pancake week had its own name among the people: Meeting (Slanting, or Crooked, Monday), Flirting, Lakomka, Razgul (Korovye, or Velesovo, Holy), Mother-in-law Vecherki, Zolovkin Gatherings and Forgiveness Sunday. Starting from Thursday (Razgula) - Maslyanitsa was called "wide".
According to other ideas, the Bear leaves the den only on Vasily Pariysky (12th flowering / April), when “Vasily gives a couple to the Earth” and “The Earth will steam up like in a bathhouse.”
According to the Gospels, on this day an “angel” appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would soon become the mother of the “Savior”.
“Half-turnip” Matryona was called because until now, in the villages, suitable turnips were selected for planting, which made up the “inviolable half”.

Spring-Kostroma.

After the day of the vernal equinox, when the Sun-child Horse becomes the young man Yarila, the Russian people celebrate the Great New Year's Day.

The name "New Year (Clan)" has two definitions. The first - because the time is coming for a new natural KIND. The second is an ancient Svetorusskaya legend, according to which the Svetorus family was formed during the period of the Yarila-Sun. That is why he is revered as the Didom of the Light Russians. Therefore, the clan previously bore his name - yary (yaryi-ariyans-aryans). Therefore, Yarila's Christmas is the Christmas of the New Summer - the New Year.

The onset of Spring-Kostroma is also the Feast of the Virgin Lada. For Spring is the time of Love and Lada subject to it. In turn, Lada, being the Mother of the Sun, gave the modern name of the holiday - Maslenitsa. And although some interpret this name from the word "oil" - this is not so, because oil and fatty foods are eaten on other holidays and more than in spring.

Being a Great Holiday, Maslenitsa is also called Merry, Wide, Honest, Gluttonous, etc. Among the great pagan Slavic holidays, Maslenitsa is the first not only in significance and order, but also in the sacred sphere of ritual action.

The spectral color background of the Sun at the vernal equinox is red. Therefore, another name for the holiday is also legitimate - Krasnogor.

Yesterday the day was equal to the night, but from this day the daylight will begin to increase, and the night will decrease. That is why this day is also called Svetobor.

With the advent of Spring, the Forest Master wakes up in his lair after a long winter hibernation, the incarnation of Veles himself - the Bear. Men honor him with a special bear dance and Veles wrestling.

Koma, which are baked by the eldest women in the family, on this day determined another name for the holiday - Komoyeditsa (s). Coma - is the essence of ritual loaves made from several flour batches: oats, peas and barley. Some of the lumps are taken out of the forest and put on a stump-deck, calling for a meal the Master of the Forest, who is asked not to tear cattle and not to be mischievous in apiaries throughout the year. In some regions, the bear itself is called a lump on this day, because at this time it looks like a lump of spring mud.

To whom will we give the first pancake?
- How to whom? - to whom!
- To whom shall we give spring honey?
- How to whom? - to whom!
- To whom shall we give a piece of cheese?
- How to whom? - To whom!

Maslenitsa is one of the four most important holidays of Kologod. According to Slavic beliefs, Svarga is “opened” now, and the Light Gods “return” to Reality - enters the Force after winter, and the souls of ancestors “fly on bird wings” from Iriy Heavenly to visit us - their descendants. Time of rebirth - spring "resurrection" (from "Cres" - "Fire") of Mother Earth and all NATURE.

In the morning, people rush to the temple, a high place where the earth has dried up. Near the temple at the crossroads they scatter grain. This is done so that the Navi (devils, evil spirits), who have taken the form of forty, eat grain and do not interfere with the holiday.

The priests kindle the Fire, praising the gods and ancestors, and the entire Slavic ROD. General and private requests are brought.

The glorification of the Sun-Yarila and Spring-Kostroma - Invocations begin. The girls call on Spring, meet her at the edge of the forest and bring her to the people. Everyone begins to honor "Spring", and Spring goes around everyone with a kiss. Since that time, she has been at the center of the Holiday.

To help the Light overcome the Darkness (become involved in the temporary Day-Night change), and help the Spring overcome the Winter, various confrontation games are arranged.

Town. The girls stand on a high fenced place (town), armed with long sticks, and beat off the attack of the guys, beating them mercilessly. Guys "on horses" are trying to break into the town, take it by storm. The one who first breaks into the town gets the right to kiss all the defending girls.

Fortress. The girls (representing the Force of Winter) are inside the fortress, and the boys (representing the Force of Spring) are outside. At the signal, the assault begins. "Winter" throws snowballs and snow at the attackers, pushes them away from the fortress and interferes with their assault in every possible way. The task of the "Forces of Spring" is to completely destroy the winter fortress. In the end, Spring defeats Winter and the girls find themselves in snowdrifts.

After the assault on the fortress, the rest of the Maslenitsa fun begins: fists, horses, swings, climbing a pole for a gift ...

The Maslenitsa pillar is the earthly embodiment of the pillar of heaven, the "world tree" on which Iriy is located, and it is not easy to get there.

After the games, they begin to treat each other with pancakes. From that day on, the sun-young Yarilo begins to rage, fry. The sun's rays are getting hotter and brighter. Streams flow with might and main. However, the owner of the forest, by whose ancient name the holiday is named, is still sleeping in the lair. That is why the first pancake is donated to koms (bears), it is taken to the thicket. This trip is called the "Wake Up" ritual.

People, armed with burning firebrands, go to "wake up the bear". In the pit, covered with deadwood, lies a mummer, depicting a sleeping bear. The participants of the holiday lead a round dance around the lair, shouting with all their might, trying to wake the clubfoot, then they begin to throw branches, snowballs, twigs at him (a method of primitive hunting that has survived to this day in the form of a rite). "Bear" does not wake up until one of the girls sits on his back and jumps on him. That's when the "bear" starts to wake up. The girl runs away, tearing off a piece of a bear's skin or a bear's "leg". The mummer gets up and starts dancing, imitating the awakening of a bear, then goes to look for his loss, leaning on a crutch, singing a "bear" song:

"Squeak, leg, creak, fake!
And the water sleeps, and the earth sleeps,
And they sleep in the villages, they sleep in the villages.
One woman does not sleep, but sits on the skin,
Spins my fur, cooks my meat,
It dries my skin."

Having caught his offender, the "bear" tries to strangle her in his arms with a bear's grip. The girl pays off with a lump.

Komoyeditsy can be translated as "the holiday of eating lumps" (or "eating lumps"), special pancakes dedicated to this beast. A similar holiday in Ancient Hellas was called "comedia" (bear holiday), from where the ancient comedy came from. It must be clarified that the modern name of the beast is allegorical ("the real" name cannot be pronounced aloud, so as not to call by chance): "bear" is in charge of honey. In addition, it is quite ancient: not a bear, but a bear. But this name stuck, becoming "real". After that, the beginning was already supplanted by new allegories: a bear, toptygin, clubfoot, etc. "Kom" is also an allegorical name: the bear looks like a large woolen ball due to its apparent clumsiness. The primordial name, perhaps, is contained in the name of the bear's house: a lair - "a ber's lair", hence the berendei.

The doll of Spring-Kostroma is solemnly carried to the temple on a straw "mare" (the doll is knitted from straw and dressed only by women). All stand along the road and call the goddess:

"Come to our wide yard, ride in the mountains,
Roll in pancakes, amuse your heart.
Maslenitsa - red beauty, blond braid,
Thirty brothers sister, forty grandmothers granddaughter,
Three mothers a daughter, a little flower, a berry, a quail.

Spring is called Kostroma because it begins from the moment it is lit and it thereby determines the beginning of campfire gatherings. Kostroma - KOSTRA Mother.

And now Kostroma is hoisted with all honors on a festive steal and solemnly lit - "Hurrah! Spring-Kostroma has come and Yarilo-Sun has been born!" Around sunny Kostroma, salting round dances begin (according to the Sun, clockwise):

"How pancakes flew out of the chimney during Shrove Week!
You are pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, you are my pancakes...
And cheese, and cottage cheese, everything flew under the threshold!
You are pancakes, pancakes, pancakes, you are my pancakes ... "
"Come, Spring-Red! Come, Summer is hot!
With a suffering time, with flowers, with grass!

When the effigy of Kostroma burns down, they start jumping over the burning fire, turning to Semargl to light the snow. There is a belief - if you stumble in front of the Shrovetide bonfire - there will be trouble in the first half of the coming year, after the bonfire - in the second. if you fall into a fire, expect big trouble. Well, if you jumped over without poking, the year will be successful.

After the fire, they must wash themselves with snow or melt water. It is believed that melt water gives beauty to the face. Then they glorify Yarila, Vesna-Kostroma and Lada, and the feast begins.

The main dish of the great Maslenitsa holiday is a pancake - in the Slavic pagan tradition, symbolizing the Sun. Cookies, hot pancakes and pies, oatmeal jelly, honey, kvass and snacks are placed on tables covered with a tablecloth. The treat is divided into five parts, and the fifth part is placed in an open place near the sacred Fire, saying: "Our honest parents! Here is a pancake for your soul."

At parting, they give each other gingerbread, saying: "Forgive me, perhaps you will be guilty of something before you." The farewell ended with a kiss and friendly hugs.

The spirits of the Great Ancestors, invisibly present at the festival, rejoice at the place with us. The Slavic ROD has not yet died out, just like thousands of years ago, the Slavs come to the holiday in order to observe the custom. What is a holiday? The memory of a person about himself through the gods and about the gods through himself, the purification of the soul from vain worries and empty memory. Under the gaze of Heaven, the holiday ends, the songs subside, the Fire goes out. The words of the Book of Veles sound, awakening the memory of ancestors in the souls:

"And the Heavenly Svarog will say:
You go, my son, to that eternal beauty!
There you will see grandfather and grandmother.
O! How happy they will be to see you suddenly!
To this day, they shed tears,
And now they can rejoice
About your eternal life until the end of time!"

Spring Equinox - Shrovetide, Komoyeditsa

Shrovetide is one of the four most important Solar Holidays of the Year, timed to coincide with the Spring Equinox; a cheerful folk festival dedicated to the meeting of spring, which, as a rule, lasts for a whole week. (The Spring Equinox itself is honored by prophetic people separately: to meet Spring, special gates are built, located so that the Herald of Spring-Red - the Sunbeam - can penetrate through them exactly at the moment of the Equinox).

Many Rodnovers also celebrate the New Year this time: the arrival of the New Year in Yav, born on Kolyada - the 25th cold / December month.

Komoyeditsa - Bear Holiday, celebrated on 25 berezosol / March month.

According to popular belief, the Bear (Forest Master, the incarnation of Veles Himself) is waking up in his lair after a long winter hibernation. Male Rodnovers honor him with a special Bear dance and Veles struggle. Koma, which are baked by the eldest women in the family on Komoeditsa, are ceremonial breads made from several flour mixtures: oats, peas and barley. Some of the lumps are taken out into the forest and placed on a stump-deck, inviting the Forest Master himself to the meal, who is asked not to tear cattle and not to be mischievous in apiaries throughout the year. (There is also a version of the origin of the word “Komoeditsa” from Old Russian komon - “horse”.

According to popular beliefs, now the Trisvetny Dazhdbog sits on His Golden-Maned Horse, the sound of whose hooves on the Heavenly Firmament awakens the Forest Master from winter sleep on Earth.)

About the same time, cows calve, and milk, butter, cheese appear in abundance in houses, for which Veles, the God of Cattle, is thanked. Snow begins to melt in the fields, which marks the near end of winter and the onset of spring: the time is coming when the spell of the Old Woman-Mary must be dispelled by the magician of the Young Zhiva, stepping on Earth in the guise of the Maiden-Spring... According to Slavic tales, the Spring-Virgo comes about this time to people on a horse as golden as the sun, or as green as grass...

What is said in the word thing:

SPRING IS GOING ON THE GOLDEN KOMON IN THE GREEN SAYAN ON THE SOKHA SITTING THE CHEESE EARTH ORUCHI SEYUCHI SEEDS! GOY!

The celebration of Maslenitsa begins with the speech of the blasphemer by the magi:

Goy you are light-brown-loser, our red sun, you rebel you, in your bright tower, you wash yourself with dews and water in a whipping horse of good in the field of light-lazorer as a golden-haired horse with the heavenly expanses past the bore of the label and on the red on the mountain as on that one A grass grows on Gorushka Green as the white swans flickered on it, young young girls, all the red girls became over a river on a high on a tall on a mountain sang songs-wingers clicked the spring red: you spring bright you go in our direction, you have scarlet flowers all the same MEDVYANE DEW YOU CALL THE HOT SUMMER DRIVE THE WINTER COLD! LET THE STREAMS RUNN TO THE SEA TO THE OKIYAN-SEA BLUE LET THEY SING SONIC SONGS LET THEY SING THE SONGS OF SPRING GLORYING THE RED SUN OF SOME DAZHBOZHUSHKA GLORYING LELYUSHKA LIGHT YES CHEESE MOTHER EARTH! GLORY! GOY!

Then, a blessing is asked from the Native Gods for the invocation of Spring:

BLESS GOD BLESS MOTHER WINTER SEEING OFF SPRING CALL HAY MATI LADO-MATI WINTER SEEING AH MATI LADO-MATI SPRING CALL ZIMUSHKA IN THE CARRIER FLIGHT IN THE SHUTTER! GOY!

This is followed by the very invocations of Spring, which are created by the maidens from the high hills - Yarilin's Pleshey, already free from snow oppression, from the steep banks and from the roofs of the barns. They call Spring with a drawn-out “gurgle”, they say the words:

YOU VYRYY VYRYY YARYY YOU FLY OUT FROM THE SEA YOU TAKE OUT THE KEYS THE GOLDEN KEYS YOU LOCK THE ZIMONKA THE ZIMONKA STUDENTA LOCK THE LECHKO THE LECHKO HOT! GOY!

(According to Slavic tales, the souls of the Ancestors return from Iriy (Vyriy) Heaven in the spring on bird wings to stay on Earth with their descendants until next autumn.)

SPRING VIRGIN RED COME TO US WITH JOY WITH GREAT MERCY WITH HIGH-ROOTED FLAX WITH AN AMAZING BREAD! GOY!

Honoring Shrovetide, pancakes are certainly baked, which repeat the Sun with their very outlines. The first pancake is always given to the Ancestors - it is placed in the attic on the dormer window. They also bake a special form of cookies - "larks", which are thrown as high as possible, calling out to Spring:

LARKS-LARKS ARRIVE FROM THE FAR SIDE BRING THE RED SPRING CARRY AWAY THE WINTER! GOY!

The feast (the beginning of the mystery act) begins with the capture of the Winter Support, erected in advance, in which there is a scarecrow of Moraine-Winter. (It should be noted here that this scarecrow is created without fail by virgins and wives, who open Morena’s eyes only at the very last moment before the ceremony, covering them with rags or not depicting them at all until the very beginning of the action, for it is useless for the Terrible-eyed Lady of Death to look at honest people ahead of time .) The Fortress is defended by the “servants of Morena” - girls dressed in “hari” (ceremonial masks), who, reviling all those gathered opposite them, must resist the guys going on the attack - “servants of Yarila”, sitting on top of each other, as during a game of "horses". The first one who breaks into the Fortress gets the right to kiss all the girls, tearing off their "hari" and thereby removing the okruta from them...

After the Fortress is taken, a cart appears with the Virgin-Spring, which is accompanied by dressed-up "young servants" - old men, gray-haired, carrying a conquered scarecrow and a cage with birds. A procession with songs and fun goes around the field, after which Spring blesses the people, leads everyone to the Fire, where the Magi hoist a scarecrow of Morena over a ritual fire - they see off Mara-Winter, thanking for all Her Gifts. Here, special nauses are imposed on the scarecrow, so that everything obsolete, bad, unclean goes with them to Nav.
They set fire to Steal, they say the words:

Fire-Flame Flame Flame Flame Cudri Golden Eyes Flame Flame with a bright golden Falcon of the wing of the fire-fire flame wake up spring let the fire-fie-fingered bloody Blorious yar-fuel fuel flame flame Spring Spring Flame Flame Flame Flame UP FLY SVARGA SHALLOW THE EARTH LIGHT! GLORY! GOY!

Spring releases birds from the cage. Magi recite, and all the people pick up:

GOY ESI SVA! VYREY GOT WINGS! YOUNG SPRING GLORY! YARIL-SPRING GLORY! GLORY TO MOTHER EARTH! SVA! GLORY! GLORY! GLORY! GOY!

This Holy Day is certainly celebrated with fistfights and all sorts of valiant fun, all with noise, with din - buzz and songs, and prophetic words:

YARI YARILA US BY YOUR POWER VELMI GREAT BECOME SUNNY GREAT IN THE SKY CLEAR IN SPRING-RED LIGHT THE MOUNTAIN ABOUT THIS TIME ONE HUNDRED MOUNTAIN IS RED VELMI IS BEAUTIFUL HUNDRED MOUNTAIN IS HOLY AND ALL IS RICH TO THE GODS AND PEOPLE ALSO THE BRIGHT FORCE OF YOU YARIL! GLORY! GOY!

About the same time they go to the forest to "wake up the Bear." In a specially prepared "lair" one of the knowledgeable people lies in advance, transformed into a Bear. They "wake up" him with a cheerful noise - screams, blows to the coben-tambourine, the sounds of bells and rattles. In order to appease the "angry" Forest Master, they give him a "wife" a red maiden, who leads him to the set table, treats him - feeds and waters, honors him in every possible way. The "Bear" is no longer angry, forgives those who woke him up, and blesses all those gathered, after which he removes the okruta - throws off the guise of the Bear and glorifies the Prophetic God:

GOY YOU GRANDFATHER GOY MEDVEDUSHKO GENEROUS FATUSHKA! WE POUR YOU BEER SLAVUSHKA SING YES BOW BOW! IN A HAIRY FUR COAT IN A GOLDEN HAT WAKE DREAMS! GOY! GLORY TO VELES!

The festival ends with the erection of the Fiery Kol (Wheel) on a high pole, around which they dance salting (according to the movement of the Sun), glorifying the flaring Spring Sun with the whole world:

THE HIGHEST KOLO YARI WHITE LIGHT RAISE THE SKY OPEN MARU-WINTER DRIVE THE HIGHER KOLO YARI TO THE EARTH GIVE BY THE STRENGTH OF THE HIGHER GLORY FOR THE SAKE OF THE HIGHEST! GLORY! GLORY! GLORY! GOY!

Horse.
Sundress.

1. Morenin lot in Kologod

Mara Morena - Lady of the Winter, Young in the morning of winter (i.e., at the beginning of winter) and Old in the evening (i.e., at the end of winter). Rodovichi are honest, in Reveal their earthly belly is long, they meet and call Mara Temyanaya about the autumn season - on Marin Day, celebrated no earlier than 9 breasts / November-month, but not later than 21 breasts. They escort Her to Shrovetide week, timed to coincide with the Spring Equinox and the Bear Holiday - Komoyeditsa.
2. Honoring Morena on Komoyeditsa

About this time, having honored in the proper way the Prophetic God Veles in the form of the Shaggy Bear - the Master of the Forest, knowledgeable people recite a special magnification to Mara: VELESOV MARA! PROTECT WE FROM ALL TROUBLES OPEN THE DOORS OF THE VEDAS LEAD WE NEVER ARE IN ANGER WE CARE HISTORICALLY ABOUT THE WINTER MAID WE DAY! GOY BLACK MATI! GOY-MA!

3. Small trizna according to the Ancestors

Shrovetide week has been revered by the people since ancient times as a time for valiant daring and games, fun and merry festivities. But knowledgeable people, who know the timing of the opening of the Navi Gates from the Other to Reality, are doing feasts for the Ancestors at this time, giving special honors to the Navi Hosts: Veles Koshchny and Mare-Morena - the Lady of Navi. This is what happens:

1. After bringing the common requirement (for more on this, see our “Small Officer”), the priest approaches Krada, pours grain into the Fire and says the words:

IN GOOD IN NOVO DNESE RECOMMENDED TO THE KIND OF HEAVEN THE WORDS ARE HONEST THE JOY OF THE ISTA YES THE REQUIREMENTS ARE PURE TO US BE HEALTHY AND GLORY TO THE ANCESTORS! GOY!

2. Then the priest gives way to a devotee who says:

CHURY ANCESTORS IN THE TRUTH STRONG OLD ANCIENT GENERATION FAITHFUL HOLY PURE IN FAITH ISTS IN VED ARE STRONG PROTECT FROM THE WORSE FROM THE DASHING FROM THE INSH FROM THE BONE! GOY!

3. Further, the devotee gives way to the priest, who completes the short feast with the words: GOY HOLY GRANDFATHERS KEEP THE VEDAS BORYASH ILLNESS DRIVE TROUBLE GIVE YOUR SHARE AND FREE WILL TO OUR WEIGHTS BY THE KING BE STRONG TODAY IN GENERAL FORCE BY RIGHT JUDGE WITH US! GOY!

4. Burning of the effigy of Mary

In a prophetic tale, about Shrovetide time recommended, it is told about this taco:

Mara walks down the street, Carries pancakes on a saucer - Whoever takes it out will come true, Tom will come true, it will not pass ... About the bright time on Red Mountain, they called out to Spring-Virgo, they saw off Winter-Old: “Go away, Winter-Morenushka, Go away other care! Come to us, Spring-Virgin Red, Come to us, Lelya the Beautiful! Spring-Virgo Red answered people: “You are a goy, you are Russian people! Winter is still strong in its right, The icy support stands high, Therefore, there is no way for me to go to Russia!

As the Russian people heard those words, They gathered all over Bright Russia, The Russian people are honest Rodovichi, Good fellows are Yarilina's supporters. How they mounted fast horses, Ride on the Morinina Ice crepe, Scattered the crepe across the open field, Picked up the scarecrow of Morena from it. They took Morena, through the sleeves, Carried her out to the front of the yard, Knitted it on a scarecrow of the Naviya Nauz, Raised the scarecrow on a fiery fire. It burned smoky - the Old Winter went away, the Young Spring came to Russia! On that, the Russian people sing glory to the Red Spring, And they are waiting for the Morena-Winter in time: “Glory to this day, Spring-Virgin Red! Be magnified, Dark Mother in Your time! Goy, Great Mother! Goy-Ma!

1. Prophetic virgins call out to Spring from the hillocks and hills, sing spring songs, especially call out - drawl out the Light Goddess.

2. Spring comes from the eastern or southern side with His retinue and says, addressing all those gathered, that she will not be able to enter their circle until there is a snow fortress on the other side of the ravine, in which there is a scarecrow of Morena-Winter. At the same time, it must be said that the Eyes of the scarecrow are “opened” only at the very last moment before the start of the action, so that the Navi Eyes of the One Who Rules in Death do not peer ahead of time into Reality: the special priestesses of Morena, when the time comes, draw Marina Eyes on the face of a scarecrow (sometimes they are depicted half-covered) or they remove the bandage from the Eyes that were previously opened.

3. As a rule, the snow fortress is defended by the maiden gang - Morenin's accomplices, and the gang of young men - Yarilin's supporters - goes on the assault. Sometimes the girls come to the aid of several young men in Navi disguises. During the storming of the fortress, one should be very careful and careful with the effigy being conquered, so as not to accidentally blaspheme the Dark Lady, who justly punishes every belly for her faults and untruths.

4. When the fortress is taken, and the effigy of Morena is recaptured, it is solemnly carried to the place where the funeral Krada has already been laid out, and handed over to the Naviya priest or his accomplice, who will certainly accept the effigy through mittens or through the sleeves and install it near the Naviya Bozhnitsa, located on the northern or western side of Krada. All those gathered, at will, approach the scarecrow in turn and impose special nouzes on it, “tying” all the sorrows and pains of the past summer to it. If there are a lot of people at the festival, then the Naviy priest and his accomplice surround the entire gathering with a scarecrow.

5. Saying goodbye to Morena until next winter, the adherent of the Navi priest says the words:

YOU FORGIVE-FAREWELL, MORENUSHKA PRINCESS LEDYANA PRIESTESS TEMYANA ON KOLO FROM US YOU LEAVING WINTER LITU WITH YOU, TAKE WITH YOUR COLD DAY DO NOT COOL RODE OUR DAY DO NOT JUDGE GO AWAY FROM US NOT IN ANGER HONORING THE WINTER MAID! GOY BLACK MATI! GOY-MA!

6. Then the Navi priest himself speaks the words:

Hear Mara Honors the lessons of your shots of your people who are staring at the ears of the right of you with the stake of the year, rotate for our time, come back with a new winter not with the troubles with the snow white not with Black Moro, but the stitching of our weight, leaving Mara Khdnea away remotely ALL THE DASHING OUR UNHAPPINESS-GRIEF WITH YOU CARRY WITH YOU OVER THE BLUE SEA FOR A STONE LATYR FOR THE BLACK WASTEL WHERE NAVIA IS AND ALIVE CARRY YES BE TACO TO NOVA KOLA AND HERE NONE IS NOT YOUR TIME! GOY BLACK MATI! GOY-MA!

7. The Navi priest and the devotee carry the effigy to Krada (different from the common ritual fire, into which the Light Gods were previously placed) and plunge it into the Fire. Then, standing opposite each other on opposite sides of Krada, in turn, as if calling to each other, they utter words on the burning scarecrow, while waving their hands over the Fire and driving taco Force:

CARRY MARA! SHUT MARA! A NEW LIVING WITH A FURIOUS FAST CARRY MAR! SHUT MARA! FULL MEASURE FOR EVERYONE IN THE CASE OF CARIS MARA! SHUT MARA! YOUNG CHILD OLD OLD OLD CARS MARA! SHUT MARA! FOR GOOD QUIET TO OTHER DASHING KARSYA MARA! SHUT MARA! PAY A SHARE TO OTHERS FOR THE GAIN OF KARSIA MARA! SHUT MARA! THE WHITE BONE ASSEMBLE OF THE CARS MAR! SHUT MARA! APPEAR IN BEAUTY AND OTHER IN STRAS CARIS MARA! SHUT MARA! TAKE SEA-GLADY YES FEVER KARSYA MARA! SHUT MARA! GET AWAY FROM THIS AND GET OUT OF CARS MAR! SHUT MARA! CARRY AWAY FOR OKIYAN-SEA KARSYA MARA! SHUT MARA! MATI IS GREAT IN ALL FORMS! GOY BLACK MATI! GOY-MA!

8. And in conclusion, the priest speaks three times, and all those assembled repeat the words after him:

GET OUT MAR! GET RECOVERED ALIVE! GOY-MA!

9. After that, all participants in the action, as a rule, gather for a brotherhood
where they raise cups to the glory of the Native Gods and Ancestors, as well as for the health of all their relatives, in Reveal their belly. And only the radars of Morena, led by the Navi priest, do not participate in the general fun, leaving to perform special rejoicings in honor of the One Who rules in Death...

In the era of dual faith in Russia, Matryona Zimnyaya was celebrated on the 9th breast / November month. They noted: “On Matryona, frost on the trees - to frost”, “If there is fog on Matryona - to a thaw”, “If on this day the goose goes out onto the ice, it will still float on the water.” 21 breasts marked the Introduction of the Theotokos (Mary) into the temple. The people believed that on this day Morena-Winter finally comes into its own in the world of Revealing the Earth: “Winter is introduced at the Introduction”, “Introduction is the gate of winter”, “Introduction has come - winter has brought”.
Old Russian. we - "us".
Those. Gate of Spiritual Knowledge.
Old Russian. nikolizhe - "never".
Mara is both Living and Dead, Maiden and Old Woman, Dying and Reviving, just like Her Light in the sky - the Moon. At the beginning of winter, Mara is young, at the end she is old. When accepting the Power of Mary, they address Her as a Young Maiden, when daring, they call Her an Old Woman. True radars of the Dark Lady see Her in the form of a Beautiful Beloved, but to others She reveals Herself in the form of a Terrible Old Woman-Death with an iron jagged scythe or with a bloodied sickle in her hands.
See, for example, the following. publishing house: 1) Vlkh. Veleslav. Ritualist. - M., 2003; 2) Vlkh. Veleslav and others. Ritualist Explanatory. — M.: Ed. Communities "Rodolyubie", 2004.
Here: on "Yarylina Plesha" - on a hill from which the snow has already melted. Not to be confused with Krasnaya Gorka - Rodnoverie Holy Day, celebrated on Veshniye Grandfathers at the beginning of the month of May / May and dedicated to the Memory of the Ancestors.
Fortress.
During the Shrovetide games with the capture of a snowy fortress, a gang of attackers, young guys, often appears as when playing "Konyashki" - riding each other.
That is, without touching the scarecrow with bare hands, as Naviu required - so that Yav and Naviu do not interfere before the due date.
So that together with them everything that the term of stay in Reveal and in human souls went to Nav.
Joint feast.

Maslenitsa, which in the old Belarusian villages is still called Komoyeditsa, is the oldest holiday of the Slavs, rooted in distant pagan times. Then the Slavs did not know Christianity, they worshiped Veles, Yarila, Perun and their other deities. On this holiday, they saw off the winter and rejoiced at the imminent spring, merrily celebrating the awakening of nature. The most interesting thing is that the significance of the Maslenitsa holiday for the Slavic community has remained the same, despite dozens of centuries that have separated the present and the past.

Maslenitsa, or Komoyeditsa, is a Slavic holiday

Maslenitsa, especially cheerful after the winter rest, is an ancient Slavic holiday that symbolizes the arrival of spring and the energy and emotional renewal of the whole world associated with it. Komoyeditsa is one of the most important holidays of the Slavs associated with noticeable natural phenomena. On the day of the autumnal equinox (Tausenya), the gates of Iriy are closed, nature falls asleep, and the earth rests. On the day of the winter solstice, Kolyada was born - the god of the young Sun, during the summer they celebrate Kupala. On the day of the vernal equinox, the gates of Iria open wide, allowing the ancestors to enter the world of Reveal. Their appearance is symbolized by birds flying to this time. Komoyeditsa is the time when the connection with the family is the strongest and most palpable.

Maslenitsa - an ancient Slavic holiday

Such a large-scale phenomenon as the beginning of a new cycle in nature, our ancestors simply could not ignore. The Slavs, who lived in a harsh climate, valued the summer period, considered time not in years, but in years, which is why they were so happy about the arrival of heat. Even the new year in Russia until 1492 began in March. The peak of the pagan Maslenitsa falls on the spring astronomical equinox (March 19-21), when the day beats the night. After this date, daylight hours increase every day, the sun warms more and more, awakening natural forces.

After the baptism, the authorities tried to cancel the pagan holiday of the Slavs, but they failed. Despite prohibitive measures and harsh punishments, the holiday still remained popular with the people. Then the pagan Komoyeditsa, like many other Slavic holidays, tried to adapt to Christian traditions. Maslenitsa became the eve of Great Lent, and its dates were changed, adjusting to Christian rituals. There is no Shrovetide in the church calendar, the charter calls Shrovetide week a cheese week, attributing to it a meaning different from the original, adding its own rituals, replacing concepts.

However, for the most part, people still see in the holiday only a farewell to the cold, inhospitable winter, an opportunity to have fun in anticipation of the soon awakening of the long-awaited spring.

Maslenitsa holiday in the Slavic faith

The Slavs began to celebrate Maslenitsa a week before the solstice and continued for another week after it. Moreover, the week of our ancestors lasted not seven, but nine days. During this period, the young winter god Kolyada becomes Yarila-Sun, the personification of the flowering and strength of life, love, and all that is good. On the second day of the equinox, people see off the goddess Marena to rest in her possessions in the north of Midgard-Earth.

When the goddess returns again to observe the rest of nature, all living things will again plunge into peace and a long sleep. The Slavs were afraid and revered Marena - the deity of winter, night and death, the daughter of Lada and Svarog, the sister of Perun. She did not interrupt a person's life, but showed his soul the way to the world that it deserved. Heroes who gave their lives for the family, she rewarded with a kiss and sent to the heavenly country of Iriy.

Komoyeditsa - where does the name come from

The main dish of the holiday is still considered a pancake, symbolizing the sun, melting butter, like a luminary - snow. To eat a pancake meant to fill the soul and body with life-giving solar energy. Another ritual food was koma - bread baked from a mixture of barley, oats, peas with the addition of dried berries and nuts. According to one version, comas are bears rising after hibernation, and along with the awakening of the mighty forest owner, all living things wake up.

As respected Slavophiles believe, the pagan name for Shrovetide days - "Komoeditsa" came from one of these concepts. The holiday was called "Maslenitsa" later, in the 16th century. It was customary to regale the bear with pancakes and bread, appeasing him. Early in the morning, offerings were taken to the forest and stacked on a stump, only then they began to feast.

Maslenitsa: the struggle of two principles

Throughout the events of the holiday, women and men act mostly separately, symbolizing the confrontation between the two forces of the World. The masculine principle is a hot, bright personification of the coming summer, the feminine is cold, dark, like winter. Men are supporters of the new Light, Yari, thanks to which the new is born. Women are the defenders of Balance, Foundations. At the holiday, the spring forces must defeat the winter ones so that the power of Yarila begins to manifest itself more and more actively. The forces of Chernobog and Marena, as well as their servants - the spirits of illness and misfortune, increase significantly a few days before the burning of the effigy. After the sacrificial fire, Chernobog and Marena leave, leaving only spirits that can harm a person.

Creation of a scarecrow is not so easy

A large effigy of Winter is created by women separately from men. Hands are tied to a pole with a crossbar, a body made of straw or hay. The scarecrow is dressed in old clothes, with which all misfortunes and troubles will go into the ritual fire.

former dress owners. After the head is attached, the girls draw the mouth, nose and the last - the eyes, which must be closed. Marena should not for the time being look at people through the eyes of an effigy of Winter. Until its time, the finished image is left in a snow fortress.

Fun and competitions of the Maslenitsa holiday

Games (stream, town, climbing a pole, others), folk festivals, round dances - unrestrained fun at the holiday is in full swing, delighting all those present. Fires are made (not sacrificial) and guys and girls jump over them, purifying the body and soul with fire. During the holiday, men show their strength and prowess by competing in various competitions.

Previously, a real revelry of fisticuffs fell on Maslenitsa - fights during which the courage of the fighters was shown. No wonder the Slavs were known to all other peoples as valiant warriors. Fisticuffs were regulated by strict rules to avoid injury. They fought "wall to wall", "one on one". To participate in a dump battle, when everyone stood for himself and against everyone, special composure, striking power, and dexterity were required. Participation in the battles alternately took both gangs of boys and married men of age.

Assault on the Winter Fortress

After competitions and fun, the men storm the snow fortress, in which stands the effigy of Winter. Everything in the World is based on the trinity, so victory should be achieved only on the third attempt. With each offensive, the attackers win back one side of being: the reality of Yav, Rule, Nav. That is why the first two times the men must retreat, as if the defenders of the snow fortification are stronger. But each time they must take some trophy with them as a sign of world victory. The final victory will be when the scarecrow is captured and delivered to the Marena fire.

Burning the Scarecrow of Winter

Before placing an effigy in the fire, it is carried around in front of the assembled people in a circle in the direction of the sun. Having settled down around the fire, the participants of the holiday hang nauzes on a straw doll, in which they mentally put everything they need to get rid of in the coming summer. Intertwined figures of animals, men, flowers and other symbols enhance the effect if figuratively support the goal of the owners. Straw dolls are also placed in the fire, on which wishes of happiness, a rich harvest and much more are said. Together with the pupae, grains and pancakes are thrown into the flame, asking the gods for a good harvest.

After completing the Circle, Madder opens the “eyes” (they are drawn) and carefully looks around in order to remember and take away with him everything obsolete and unnecessary. For this reason, the Slavs covered their faces with masks to protect themselves from the punishment of Marena-Mara. The pole is hoisted into the fire, the effigy flares up and melts under the flames. They see off the burning Winter with a round dance counterclockwise and songs-sentences. The Slavs believed that if the ashes from the fire were scattered over the fields, there would be a rich harvest.

The holiday ends with a common feast: eating pancakes, drinking mead (fermented honey), kvass. The Slavs did not forget their ancestors, who were invisibly present at the holiday: they were destined for some of the most delicious dishes from the laid table.

Shrovetide is one of the kindest and brightest Slavic celebrations, when the flame dispels darkness, and young shoots appear on the World Tree, which has gained strength during winter dormancy. This is the time of new achievements, hopes, when people rejoice at the beauty and fertility of the blossoming nature. Komoeditsa was celebrated by our ancestors, who lived in harmony with nature, revered their ancestors and treated their family very respectfully. To be imbued with their spiritual essence, and not with the external ritual side, means to get closer to your roots and be cleansed.