Meeting of spring in Russian tradition. Rites, traditions, crafts for the slaughter of spring
In order not to forget the old traditions, get acquainted with how to call spring, bake larks, how the Vesnyanka doll, Martinichka doll is made.
The content of the article:
Many people want spring to come soon. To do this, our ancestors had different customs: bake larks, and in some regions - sandpipers, from oatmeal or rye flour, make balls to appease Frost, and he quickly left. It was also customary to sing special stonefly songs to hasten this warm season with the arrival.
These are wonderful ancient traditions. It is not necessary to forget them, it is necessary to tell children about them, to prepare together for the coming of spring.
Holiday 40 Magpies - traditions of different regions
According to the Slavic calendar, the day of the arrival of spring is March 22. The holiday is called Larks or Magpies, in honor of the 40 Sebastian martyrs. This is the spring equinox, when day equals night. This holiday has a lot of names, here are some of them:
- Larks;
- Equinox;
- Five day;
- 40 martyrs;
- 40 Magpies;
- Name day of the lark;
- Sorochin.
In Ukraine and Belarus, it was believed that at this time the first birds arrive from Vyriya (from the word "paradise").
On this holiday 40 Magpies, as well as on the 5th week of Great Lent, it is customary to bake larks, in some regions waders, sparrows, nuts. Mostly birds were made in flight with outstretched wings, and birds sitting on nests with testicles were also baked.
Children are happy to engage in such creativity, together with adults they make figures from dough.
In the Voronezh region they say that we are meeting the winter, seeing off the spring. On Soroca, it was customary to bake pancakes and pancakes here. And the donuts were baked, similar to forty. They put money inside, which was supposed to bring happiness. The tail was bent up in the form of a cross.
In other Slavic regions, balls in the amount of 40 pieces were created from oatmeal, they were called nuts. Such treats were thrown one by one out of the window every day, while saying that Frost, red nose, we will give you oats and bread, just get out the best of health. People believed that they would appease Frost with a treat, he, having eaten these "nuts", would leave so as not to interfere with the spring sowing work.
In Pereyaslav region, it was customary to cook dumplings with cottage cheese in the amount of 40 pieces on this day. This was done by the girls, who then treated the guys to the dishes. The village boys had to run barefoot into the yard early in the morning and throw 40 wood chips over the roof.
In Kargapol, the holiday of forty forties is called "Teterochny Day". The hostesses prepared the dough, baked lace pancakes from it, so that the sun would shine brighter.
In Serbian settlements, it is customary to clean the yard and house, and burn the swept garbage. Through this fire, all households jump 3 times. In some Serbian regions, it is customary for girls and boys to gather on the eve of the holiday, after 12 at night, light a fire, jump over it, play, sing songs until dawn. When the sun begins to rise, the whole company goes to collect willow branches, with which they returned home.
But that’s not all, so that spring would come as soon as possible, those who came had to hit their household with these twigs, condemn everyone to be fast like a deer, healthy like a bull, well-fed like a pig, and grow like a willow.
And in the Aleksinac Pomoravie region, it is customary to swallow a dogwood flower early in the morning, then pronounce it so that this person is healthy, like a dogwood.
It is not for nothing that sometimes the holiday of 40 martyrs is also called "Newlyweds", "Young", and the Serbs and Bulgarians "Infants". After all, it is customary for these peoples on this day that the newlyweds, who have lived together for less than a year, receive guests. All those who come must bring rolls with honey, which symbolizes the sweet, peaceful life of the newlyweds. Those, in turn, must show their dexterity and skill, how well they receive guests and communicate with them. Women baked 40 rolls for this holiday and gave the first to newlyweds who had recently entered into a legal marriage.
And in the Balkan region, insects and snakes come out of hibernation on the holiday of forty forty. The Macedonians still have a legend that swallows fly on this day, and Bulgarians have storks. Bulgarian children go out into the countryside with small baked bread, roll their mountains, saying that the winter rolled back as soon as possible and the spring ceased.
Now you know how it is customary in different regions to celebrate the holiday of 40 magpies. Bake larks with the children, you can make these birds from other materials, show the children how to call spring.
We bake larks to meet spring
Be sure to do this at least once a year so as not to forget the ancient traditions. If you do not know when larks are baked in 2017, this question is easy to answer - March 22nd. But it must be done early in the morning.
We must not forget that at this time there is a fast, so it is customary to make pastries from lean dough. But now there are many other recipes, you will also get acquainted with them. After all, if a child needs to bring larks to kindergarten, it is better to bake them from muffin.
Larks according to the classic recipe are suitable for believers who fast. For the test you will need:
- 1 kg of sifted flour;
- 120 ml of vegetable oil;
- 25 g yeast;
- 0.5 cups of sugar;
- a pinch of salt;
- 250 ml of water;
- some sweet tea to lubricate pastries and raisins.
You can make larks from dough by first creating a dough from water, yeast, one tbsp. l. sugar and 2 tbsp. l. flour.
When the dough has risen the desired number of times, roll it into a layer, cut into strips measuring 2 by 10 cm. Tie each in the center with a knot to create a lark's head. Attach raisins for eyes. So that they are soft after baking, pre-soak the raisins for 20 minutes in boiling water, dry them.
Make feathers with a knife. Roll the wings out of the dough and pin them in place. Sprinkle the products with sugar or grease with sweet water, bake until tender.
In order for the child to bring these symbols of spring to the children's institution, he could make up a story on the topic: How do I bake larks - make them with the baby. To make things easier, you can use ready-made yeast dough. If you wish, make your own sweets for the children.
To do this, take the following products:
- 6 glasses of flour;
- 20 g yeast;
- 250 ml of milk;
- 2 eggs;
- 0.5 tsp salt;
- 5 st. l. Sahara;
- 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
- 30 g butter.
Also shape the birds, grease them with sweet tea, sprinkle with sugar and bake.
You can create lark wings in a slightly different way. To do this, on one side of a piece of dough, a round head with an elongated beak is made, on the other, it is flattened into a rounded triangle, which must be cut in half with a knife. Then, with the same tool, chop the tips of the feathers in the form of wings.
When you sculpt larks from dough, you can use another way to form them.
Start creating a head and a triangular body according to the principle just described. But from the wide edge we make a tail. The second piece of dough is first formed in the form of a ribbon, the ends of which are slightly flattened by hand.
Then they, as well as the tail, need to be cut into small strips to get an analogue of feathers.
Rites of invocation of spring - games
After the larks or other birds from the dough are ready, you need to go outside, string each bird on a stick (carefully so as not to injure your hands!). Waving such devices, people sing songs, call for spring.
Then the bird from the dough is eaten, if there are live birds in the cage, it was customary to release them into the wild. If you are spending this holiday with children, prepare:
- twigs;
- larks from dough;
- ratchets;
- embroidered towels;
- whistles.
Burn, burn bright
For this game, you need to choose a boy who will drive. The rest line up in pairs behind him. They utter the words of the famous chant about burning brightly, not going out.
As soon as the last words are spoken, the children from the last pair should run around those standing in the column and how they drive. If they managed to reunite before the driver taunted them, then the game is repeated again. If not, in this case, the one who was touched becomes "burning".
Brook game
Not everyone knows that the game "Brook" symbolized the spring melting of snow, called on the sun to warm up brighter in order to melt the snowdrifts as soon as possible.
Children stand in pairs of two, hold hands, but spread their sides so that a person can run along the central trajectory. The driver runs in here to the music, chooses a mate for himself, stands with this person behind everyone. The one left alone goes ahead of the stream to choose a new pair for himself.
Skittles
At the meeting of spring, it was customary to play skittles, this entertainment is a cross between towns and skittles. For it you will need:
- small chocks sawn across the trunk;
- stick;
- sandpaper.
On the holiday of 40 magpies, it was customary to make various dolls. Check out this kind of art.
Vesnyanka doll: crafts master class
Make a ceremonial doll for acquaintances and friends, give them, wishing them a good spring.
Before starting work, put next to you:
- fabrics of various colors;
- sintipuh;
- thin threads of bright colors;
- yarn for hair;
- red threads of iris.
- For the body and head, you will need a flesh or white fabric, you need to cut a square of 12 by 35 cm from it.
- In order for the Vesnyanka doll to get a beautiful dress, take two pieces of fabric with bright colors, each 15 by 35 cm in size. Since there will be two of them - upper and lower.
- For an apron, it is better to take wide sewing measuring 7 by 9 cm.
- For sleeves use colored fabric 12 by 16 cm.
Now fold this blank in half so that the soft lump is on top. Separate the resulting head with a red thread, tying the doll's neck with it.
Straighten the folds, fix the knots, the threads will help you with a wooden stick. Make it from a sushi stick, sharpening the end with a pencil sharpener.
Take a flap from which you will make arms, fold it in the same way as you twisted the body.
Tie with a red thread, slightly stepping back from the edge, fill it with a sharpened wooden stick.
Raise the upper floor of the body, put the hands of the stonefly doll here perpendicularly. To give them volume, you can first put a little synthetic down in the crease of your hands.
Secure this element by tying a protective cross on the body with a red thread.
Attach a piece of fabric for the petticoat to the bottom of the doll, tie with a thread to form this piece of clothing.
Attach the fabric for the top skirt, lifting it to the armpits, tie it with red thread, successively forming folds.
The stonefly doll will be ready very soon. Now you need to use your hands to wind the thread around a suitable rectangular object, such as a small brochure or DVD.
Cut the hair on one side, helping yourself with a wooden skewer, pass it between the two strips that form the head of the toy. Now lift your hair up, tie it with a thread of the same color.
If you want the Vesnyanka doll to have bangs, then separate the strand near the forehead before tying all the threads. Braid the girl's braid, tie it at the back with a red ribbon. Cut the front bangs to the desired size. Decorate your hair with a gold ribbon.
It remains to tie an apron and a ribbon to the toy to fasten it to the belt. This is such a wonderful stonefly doll made by yourself.
You can use a paper clip to fix it on the wall or put it on the table to admire the work done.
Martinichka doll for a meeting
It is called so because it is customary to make such toys in March. They are used in the ritual "slaughter of spring". Weave such dolls in pairs, using threads of red and white. The first will symbolize spring, and the second winter.
It is customary to hang such toys on trees so that the wind sways them, and at this time a person will make a wish. The scheme for creating a martinichka doll with your own hands is presented below.
As you can see, using a rectangular object, you need to wind threads of the same color on it in a row, having previously threaded a rope of the same color on one side. On the other hand, you will cut the threads when they are wound. From the opposite edge, you will tie up these ropes to highlight the head.
Right now, the martinichka doll will get hands. To do this, wind the threads around a rectangular object smaller than for the body. Tie them on both sides. Put your hands in place. Tie the doll around the waist. If this is a boy, then divide the threads at the bottom in half, fix each one to make legs.
Now you know how to celebrate 40 Magpies, bake larks, call spring, make a stonefly doll and martinichka. Watch the sparkling video to make you even more eager to arrange such a fun holiday.
How to make a stonefly doll is described in the next video.
The third one will help you bake the larks. Like the heroine of the stories, make them together with the children.
Calendar rituals and songs can be divided into two cycles: spring-summer and autumn-winter. In the first cycle, the central place is occupied by the image of the Sun and flowering vegetation.
The Russian calendar opens with a meeting of spring. The performance of stoneflies was usually associated with calendar dates marking the arrival of birds. The main dates of the “clicking of spring” in the Smolensk region were: March 1/14 (Eudoxia’s day), March 9/22 (the feast of the forty martyrs, popularly Magpies), and March 25 (April 7) - the Annunciation, when, as the people say , "spring overcame winter."
Spring calendar-ritual songs (vesnyanka) were performed to bring the arrival of spring closer. They were called, climbing onto the roofs or hillocks, calling for spring. The arrival of birds meant the arrival of spring, so an integral part of the spring rituals were appeals to birds, larks:
Larks, larks!
Fly to us
Bring us a warm summer
Take the cold winter away from us.
We are tired of the cold winter
Hands, feet frostbitten.
Chuvil-vil-vil,
Fly to us
bring us
warm time,
New bread!
On this day, "kuliks" are baked - rye cakes with curved edges depicting wings and a spherical head, in the middle of which, from right to left, there is a comb, without a neck, with dimples instead of eyes. Children find them very beautiful, and before they eat them, they "call" them.
Kulik-samorot,
Flew to the city
Broke a stick
Killed the jackdaw
The jackdaw is crying
Kulik is jumping. Then the children began to call for spring:
"Spring is red,
What did you come for?" -
"On a bipod, on a harrow,
On an oatmeal sheaf
On a rye spikelet.
Shouting their hearts out and admiring their "waders", the children, not without regret, breaking them, begin to have breakfast.
Chuvil-vil-vil,
lark,
bring spring
On your tail
On the plow, harrow,
On a rye pile
On an oatmeal.
The custom of being the first to meet spring everywhere was assigned to children. They were given larks (waders, rooks) baked in the form of birds with wings, a crest, and the children ran to the hills with joyful exclamations, climbed onto the roofs of huts, barns, baths to call spring. Larks were thrown up or, so that they were higher, they were strengthened on poles. In rare local traditions, larks were buried in the ground. This custom is clearly connected with the ancient ritual representations of spring treats to the earth.
In stoneflies (calls) they turned not only to the images of birds announcing the approach of spring, but also directly to the main condition for its arrival - to the flaring sun. At the same time, the warmth of the sun was identified with the warmth-“pity” of one’s own mother (“Spring is red, climb the mountain ...”). Spring in the songs is endowed with anthropomorphic features. She appears in the image of a creature on which the well-being of the collective of farmers depends to a large extent, she, like a good peasant mistress, carries with her a “little box”, oats for horses and grass for cows, “testicles” for village children.
People greeted spring not only because of economic expectations. The beauty of the spring awakening of nature awakened aesthetic feelings, emotional and psychological experiences of a person. The economic hopes expected from the life-giving sun are combined with the joy caused by the beauty of spring nature.
Spring ritual songs for the Annunciation
On the Annunciation, children call out to spring: “Spring is red, what did you come for?” -
"On a perch,
On a thin
on the board,
On the nice
With abundant bread
With high flax.
Spring, red spring
Come, spring, with joy,
With joy, with joy
With great mercy
With tall flax,
With a deep root
With abundant bread.
One of the biggest spring holidays of the Slavs - Yegory Veshny (St. George's Day), performed the ceremony of the first pasture of cattle to pasture. Cattle were decorated with ribbons, flowers, they sang about the coming of summer. Since ancient times, St. George's Day was perceived by the people as one of the boundaries between winter and summer, an important date in the agricultural calendar, and therefore a lot of work was timed to coincide with it, accompanied by various rituals. On Yegoriev's Day, children go from house to house and sing a spring ritual song:
We walked around the field
Yegorya called,
Macarius was called:
“Egoriy, you are our brave,
Reverend Macarius!
You save our cattle
In the field and beyond the field
In the forest and beyond the forest
Under the bright moon
Under the red sun
From the ravenous wolf
From a fierce bear
From the evil beast!
Father Yegore,
Save our cattle
Every animal
In the field and beyond the field
In the forest and beyond the forest.
Wolf and bear -
Stump and deck
Crow, crow -
Wood pebble.
Father Yegoriy - a candle,
We, well done, - on the testicle.
After matins on Easter, the children go to "Christ". Crowds of 10 - 20 people gather. The owners give colored eggs to the children; sometimes the children say:
I am a little boy
Get on the pole
I play flute
I entertain Christ.
Christ laughed
Forged into a pipe.
The spring cycle includes the so-called drag songs. They were usually performed as festive, congratulatory and the first days of the church holiday of Easter. The main ritual situation in which the dragging songs were performed was the Paschal tour of the yards (drag ritual). The inhabitants of the villages called the participants of the Paschal detours "volgers", "Christ-glorifiers", etc.
However, the songs performed during this period cannot be considered to be generated only by the Christian religion. Bright in their intonational structure, with an emphatically dancing rhythm, behind which one feels a joyful festive procession, these songs are the oldest in the spring cycle and reflect the purely earthly joy of perceiving the sun and awakened nature. The common chorus “Christ is risen, the son of God”, the mention of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, the participation of numerous Christian saints as characters in the unfolding song plot - all this is just a superficial layer formed in the process of the struggle that Christianity, introduced by the church, has waged for a number of centuries. with popular religion.
Dragging songs (Easter ceremonial)
Christ is risen, son of God...
Christ is risen, son of God.
To that yard
They tried.
Christ is risen, son of God.
To the master, To the heroic.
Christ is risen, son of God.
His wife
Went for water
Christ is risen, son of God.
Went for water
On the Danube river.
Christ is risen, son of God.
swung
Shirochenko.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Scooped deep.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Put
On the bench
Christ is risen, son of God.
She went to wake her husband up.
Christ is risen, son of God.
- Oh, you are a husband,
Don't sleep dude.
Christ is risen, son of God.
We'll be
Think to think.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Duma to think -
Build a church.
Christ is risen, son of God.
build a church,
The cathedral is new.
Christ is risen, son of God.
And in the cathedral
On the throne...
Christ is risen, son of God.
Mother of God
Weeping tears.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Yurya, Yegorya
Takes away.
Christ is risen, son of God.
- Don't cry, don't cry
Pure mother.
Christ is risen, son of God.
- Hey, how can I
Not a poster.
Christ is risen, son of God.
My son
aspinate.
Christ is risen, son of God.
The nail of the hand
They break through.
Christ is risen, son of God.
And hit
All calls.
Christ is risen, son of God.
All the bells - Bells.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Cheese land
Startled.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Uvse people
Hello.
Christ is risen, son of God.
With red egg
Kissed.
Christ is risen, son of God.
The magicians dragged...
The volochniki dragged.
My garden is green, cherry.
Dragged - got wet.
My garden is green, cherry.
Passed the river - found a candle.
My garden is green, cherry.
Passed another - lost thuja.
My garden is green, cherry.
Along the street along a wide ...
Along the street along the wide
Christ is risen, son of God.
No noise, no thunder,
Christ is risen, son of God.
Noise, volochebnich (s) ki rattle.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Volochebnich(s)ki are kind people.
Christ is risen, son of God.
Not accommodating, not inquisitive.
Christ is risen, son of God.
The texts of calendar and ritual spring songs from books are used on the page:
- SOUTH. Kruglov "Russian ritual songs"
- Nursery rhymes. Rhymes. Fables. / Comp., author. intro. articles and notes. A.N. Martynov. - M.: Sovremennik, 1989. p.212
- "Smolensk land in the monuments of Russian literature" Edited by V.V. Ilyin.
According to beliefs, the forty first birds arrive on this day and bring spring on their wings.
Spring
In Rus', they have always been very serious about the time preceding the summer - the beautiful Spring. Spring was always expected, met, called out, hooted, so that it would come with warmth, with good weather, with bread, with a rich harvest.
Spring was called several times. Often Spring's call for the first time they started when nature itself showed it: the snow melts, it drips from the roofs, the birds fly in and begin to sing like spring. But, nevertheless, there are dates that are considered the most suitable for the call. One such date is March 22. The second time they called Spring, they called it on this day.
Calls March 22
March 22 - this day coincides with the astronomical day of the vernal equinox - the day when Spring comes, the day when the length of the daylight hours is equal to the length of the dark time of the day. It was believed that from that moment on, light and heat begin to arrive, and darkness and cold leave ... On this day in Rus' they celebrated the feast of the Larks.
The Russian people say that birds bring real, warm spring on their wings. Russians everywhere believed that on March 22, forty different birds arrive from warm countries, and the first of them is a lark or sandpiper.
ritual tree
The celebration of the meeting of Spring was held at the ritual tree, which was decorated with ribbons, paper flowers, bells. The ritual tree was carried around the village so that everyone could decorate it, and then the decorated tree was brought to where spring was called.
baking larks
In order to bring the arrival of spring closer, the housewives on this day baked birds from unleavened or sour dough - "larks", which were called children or brothers of migratory birds, they were seated on thawed patches, roofs, trees and haystacks.
Roasted birds were sent to relatives and friends so that spring, light and warmth would come to them.
The birds were handed out to the children, and they ran screaming and laughing to call the larks, and with them the spring. To do this, baked larks were planted on long sticks and ran out with them to the hillocks, or they planted the birds on poles, on the wattle fence, threw them up and shouted songs-chants.
Round dance "Brook"
The round dance game "Brook" is an old ritual game that symbolized the melting of snow. The sun warmed the earth, the snow melted, murmuring streams ran everywhere.
You need to stand in pairs, hold hands and lift them up to make a stream. Under singing (music), the leader enters the stream and takes a couple. Whoever is left alone, he leads, choosing whoever he wants.
So the stream runs forward and forward. And along with this run, Spring is approaching ...
Rite of releasing the birds
Another holiday associated with birds falls on April 7, when Spring was called for the third (last) time. In Rus', spring was awaited with great impatience and they believed that birds could speed up its arrival.
Therefore, from ancient times there was such a beautiful custom on this holiday to release birds into the wild, so that together with the birds, nature would gain complete freedom from winter, so that spring would fully come into its own along with free life and the sonorous singing of birds.
“It has been established in Rus' from time immemorial to release birds into the wild on this day. In Moscow, this rite [was performed] ... against Okhotny Ryad. People come here in the morning, buy birds and let them out of the cage with their own hands. Previously, people flocked to fulfill this custom from all sides, and only one dark night stopped the gathering.
Releasing the birds they said:
Titmouse sisters,
Tap dance aunts,
red-throated snowmen,
Goldfinches, well done,
Sparrow thieves!
Fly at will
You live in freedom
Bring spring to us soon!
Our ancestors were distinguished by a very peculiar perception of the world around them. The change of day and night, and even more so the change of seasons, did not seem to them such immutable laws of nature. Watching the sunset, a person was not at all sure that it would rise again in the morning, and in winter people were worried whether spring would come this year, and if it did, then whether they would bypass the edge. But what people were sure of was their ability to influence the forces of nature. Many generations of our ancestors were firmly convinced that spring comes because it is they who call it, conducting the right rites and observing traditions.
“Clicking”, calling for spring began in March, when there was still snow and it was cold. The main role in this responsible business was given to girls. It was they who, climbing onto the roof, standing in a circle near the hole, on the top of the hill or in a round dance around the fire, stoneflies sang. In these songs, they plaintively called for spring to come, promising her all sorts of wealth and entertainment. There was another custom - young people gathered in the field prepared for spring sowing. A large fire was lit in the center of the field. The most beautiful and hardworking girl in the village was put on a harrow and carried around the fire with songs. Then on this field they arranged a feast and festivities for the whole village.
In order to speed up the arrival of spring, the custom was widespread to bake "larks" - bread in the form of birds, not necessarily larks. Each mistress portrayed that migratory bird for which she had enough skill and artistic abilities. In some places it was customary to bake buns in the form of storks - with their characteristic beaks, tufts and legs. The little ones climbed onto the roofs of the sheds and sang stoneflies, throwing their "larks" into the air. The hostess had to throw one loaf into the oven.
Especially many rituals were associated with Maundy Thursday (the last week of Great Lent). Perhaps because this period in ancient times was considered the beginning of the year. On this day, it was customary to call on their dead ancestors. They heated a bath for them, prepared refreshments. Ukrainians called Maundy Thursday "Navsky great day", that is, the Easter of the undead. They believed that on this day the dead were released from the other world so that they served mass and repented of their sins.
On Maundy Thursday, various cleansing rites were performed, as well as rituals aimed at increasing wealth and protecting against evil spirits. Until now, we have preserved the tradition of spring general cleaning on Maundy Thursday. And yet, many believe that if on this day all the money in the house is counted seven times, then this will bring prosperity.
To protect themselves from evil spirits, a lit candle was carried in the church from the evening service and a cross was burned on the door lintel.
The Feast of the Trinity is also associated with the undead in folk tradition. Namely, mermaids. According to legend, young girls become mermaids who did not die by their own death. They settle in reservoirs, in forests, in fields. It was believed that a mermaid could predict fate. In order to find out about their share, the girls “kumilis” with mermaids. In order to make a feast, they performed a “cuckoo baptism”, which was depicted by a bunch of grass. This nepotism or "fellowship" lasted three days, and then was terminated by the rite of sacrifice.
To appease the mermaids, to protect themselves from their machinations, they wove wreaths of birch branches for them, tying the tops of nearby birch trees, which served them as a swing. The wreath, on which the Kuma-mermaid swayed, was thrown into the water. According to whether it floats or sinks, they predicted the future. The rest of the wreaths were untwisted, urging the mermaids to go away from people into the forests.
On Trinity and before it, they remembered not only those dead who became mermaids, but also others who did not die by their own death. They arranged a very cheerful commemoration with refreshments, songs and, of course, with a whistle that scared away evil spirits. A purely Ukrainian tradition - eggs were dyed yellow on Trinity and distributed to children in memory of stillborn and drowned babies. At such cheerful commemoration, pipes and clay whistles were traditionally sold - a kind of sacrifice to the dead.
In the spring it was not customary to sing sad songs. As a rule, they sang about nascent love, about mutual feelings, about the flowering of love. The flourishing of nature was accompanied by the flourishing of the senses.
Ivanov's day completed the cycle of spring festivities. In fact, this is already the first summer holiday, and about it in the next article.
Borislav Bilyavskaya based on the materials of the book by Zelenin D.K. "East Slavic ethnography".
March 22, according to the folk calendar, is the Day of the Lark. According to legend, the forty first birds arrive on this day and bring spring on their wings.
Spring
In Rus', they have always been very serious about the time preceding the summer - the beautiful Spring. Spring was always expected, met, called out, hooted, so that it would come with warmth, with good weather, with bread, with a rich harvest.
Releasing the birds they said:
Titmouse sisters,
Tap dance aunts,
red-throated snowmen,
Goldfinches, well done,
Sparrow thieves!
Fly at will
You live in freedom
Bring spring to us soon!
Spring was called several times. Often, the call of Spring was started for the first time when nature itself showed it: the snow melts, it drips from the roofs, the birds fly in and begin to sing in spring.
The Russian people say that birds bring real, warm spring on their wings. Forty different birds fly from warm countries, and the first of them is a lark or sandpiper. But, nevertheless, there are dates that are considered the most suitable for the call. One such date is March 22. The second time they called Spring, they called it on that day.
Calls March 22
March 22 - this day coincides with the astronomical day of the vernal equinox - the day when Spring comes, the day when the length of the daylight hours is equal to the length of the dark time of the day.
ritual tree
The celebration of the meeting of Spring was held at the ritual tree, which was decorated with ribbons, paper flowers, bells. The ritual tree was carried around the village so that everyone could decorate it, and then the decorated tree was brought to where spring was called.
baking larks
In order to bring the arrival of spring closer, the housewives on this day baked birds from unleavened or sour dough - "larks", which were called children or brothers of migratory birds, they were seated on thawed patches, roofs, trees and haystacks.
Round dance "Brook"
The round dance game "Brook" is an old ritual game that symbolized the melting of snow. The sun warmed the earth, the snow melted, murmuring streams ran everywhere.
Rite of releasing the birds
Another holiday associated with birds falls on April 7, when Spring was called for the third (last) time. In Rus', spring was awaited with great impatience and they believed that birds could speed up its arrival.
Of course Maslenitsa
