Yulia Voronyanskaya
Subject:
« Folk holidays in Rus'»
Health saving technologies:
Technologies for preserving and promoting health
Aesthetic technologies
Outdoor and sports games
Music influence technologies
Educational areas:
Social and communicative development,
Cognitive development,
Speech development,
Artistic and aesthetic development
Target:
Introducing children to traditional culture, creating conditions for the formation of interest in the traditions and customs of their native people.
Tasks:
Educational
Introduce children to traditions celebrations Day of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Christmas, Maslenitsa, Ivan Kupala, folk signs , rituals.
Developmental
Develop memory, thinking, recreating imagination (the ability to mentally imagine the times and living conditions of society in ancient Rus',interest in folk culture, the need for information.
Formation of communication skills with cultural heritage.
Educational
Education of moral qualities, love for native land, folk art , To folk games.
Preliminary work:
learning by heart carols, poems about folk holidays, proverbs, ditties, folk signs.
Age: preparatory children groups 5-6 years
Materials and equipment:
candle, star, straw effigy, green blanket, calendar, gifts for carolers.
1. Organizational moment.
Educator:
Hello, dear guests. We are glad to see you as our guest.
"For the dear guest, the gates are wide open."
Children enter (3 people each) under Russian adv. melody. Line up in a semicircle.
Educator: Guys, many guests came to us today, let’s say hello to them, like in ancient times with a bow.
2. Opening remarks.
Educator: Our ancestors loved and knew how to have fun. Russian people loved and love holidays. They loved to treat guests heartily and tasty. They talked: “Help yourself to what God sent you”, “A hut is not red in its corners, but red in its pies”,
They sang songs and danced. Do you guys love holidays? Why? Which ones do you know holidays?
Children: Yes. Holidays are magical and fun. New Year, Christmas, Easter...
Educator: Well done, you know a lot holidays, which have been known since the time of our ancestors. Who do you think the ancestors are?
Children: Ancestors are those people who lived before us.
Educator: Our ancestors are Russian people, they lived on Rus' - always revered holidays, But celebrated them differently, not like us, modern people. Do you want to know how?
Children: Yes.
Educator: Then let's take you on an excursion into the past. You ask how? On a magic sleigh. Sit down, let's go back in time. Let's go! (Music)
It's winter on ID Rus'.
3. Conversation about Christmas.
And so, guys, you and I and our guests ended up in Ancient Rus'. Russian people have always been able to work well and have fun. Many different holidays they had and they were divided into great, medium and small. Some were celebrated annually and on the same days, others - annually, but on different dates of the month. Among these holidays people highlighted the greatest and most beloved. And so that we don’t get confused in them, let’s create our own calendar of the ancients holidays.
Educator: Tell me, what time of year does our year begin now? (Winter).Right. And our ancestors began the year in winter. And the most beloved and famous winter holiday is christmas.
Why this that's what the holiday is called? (Children's answers).
(The overhead lights turn off, candles are lit, quiet music sounds. The candle is lit. .)
Educator: Christmas is religious holiday. The word Christmas itself suggests that someone was born. The birth of a child is always good news. According to biblical legend, on January 7, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem.
The news of the birth of Jesus was carried by heavenly angels. The Star of Bethlehem appeared in the sky. Christmas - holiday of believers in Christ. This is the expectation of happiness, peace, home warmth and family harmony.
Do you know other traditions of this holiday? (children's answers)
Educator: That's right, these are gifts for relatives and friends; cards, sweets, souvenirs.
Educator: Our grandparents love this one very much holiday- Christmas. They also call him winter holidays. Christmas time - this is from the word "saint". This the holiday was glorified, praised, glorified Christ, the New Year, the future harvest. The boys and girls dressed up animals: goat, bear, unclean force: Babu Yaga, kikimora, etc. They went home in groups, congratulations on holiday, wished the best with special songs - carols.
4. Perception of folklore.
Educator:(Knock on the door. Preparatory children groups sing carols).
Educator: Carolers certainly get something edible: sweets, nuts and special ritual cookies, they were called kozuli - they were always prepared in every home for this occasion. These dough figures must be eaten right there, making a wish.
Educator: So, guys, what the holiday in Rus' was celebrated in winter? What's his name celebrated?
That's how fun it is celebrated. Christmas. Let's mark winter on our calendar Christmas holiday.
Educator: What time of year comes after winter? (Spring)
5. Conversation about Maslenitsa.
Who knows which one celebrated the holiday at the end of winter and at the beginning of spring (Carnival)
Maslenitsa was called broad and cheerful. (View presentation)
Maslenitsa - holiday farewell to winter and welcome to spring. Maslenitsa is so named because before Lent, Russian people ate cow's butter, on which pancakes, pancakes, and flatbreads were fried. Damn looks like the sun. The sun is a symbol of the end of winter. Why not use them? ate: with butter, with honey. We celebrated Maslenitsa for 7 days. All days, all week people had fun, laughed, sang songs, walked, went to visit. On the last day of the week, Sunday, people asked each other for forgiveness. A scarecrow made of straw (Showing the stuffed animal) they took it out into the street and burned it - this is how they parted with everything bad, with all the troubles and difficulties. While burning the effigy, people sang songs and had fun.
Do you like to have fun?
Then let's play Russian folk game"Burn, burn clearly"
Number of players: even
Additionally: No
The players line up in pairs one after another - in a column. Players join hands and raise them up, forming "gates". The last couple passes "under the gate" and stands in front, followed by the next couple. "Burning" stands in front, 5-6 steps from the first pair, with his back to them. All participants sing or sentenced:
Burn, burn clearly
So that it doesn't go out!
Look at the sky
Birds are flying
The bells are ringing:
Ding-dong, ding-dong,
Run out quickly!
At the end of the song, two players, being in front, scatter in different directions, the rest chorus shouting:
One, two, don't be a crow,
And run like fire!
"Burning" tries to catch up with those running. If the players manage to grab each other's hands before one of them gets caught "burning", then they stand in front of the column, and "burning" catches again, i.e. "burning". What if "burning" catches one of the runners, then he stands with him, and the player left without a pair leads.
Educator: So, guys, what the holiday in Rus' was celebrated with weights? What's his name celebrated?
Educator:And we’ll mark one more on the calendar folk holiday"Maslenitsa"
Educator: It’s getting warmer and you and I get out of the sleigh into a green clearing. What time of year has come after spring? (Summer)
7. Story about holiday"Ivana Kupala"
Educator:In the summer our ancestors honored Ivan Kupala holiday. (View presentation) Kupala is the oldest sun thanksgiving holiday, ripeness of summer and green mowing. Name holiday“Ivan Kupala” comes from the words - immerse in water.
Therefore, on this day they pour water on each other, bathe in the river, make fires, sing songs, tell fortunes, and dance in circles.
8. Round dance. So you and I will join in a round dance.
Round dance "Ivana Kupala""Cabbage
Educator: So, guys, what the holiday in Rus' was celebrated in the summer? What's his name celebrated?
Educator: We continue to compile our calendar national holidays. Summer-Ivan Kupala.
Educator. After summer comes autumn.
9. A story about autumn holidays.
In autumn on Rus' celebrated the holiday Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, October 14. This is very revered holiday in Rus'. After all, the Mother of God is considered the patroness of the Russian land, our intercessor and helper. IN people This day was considered the meeting of autumn and winter. They called this one Feast of the Intercession from the word“Cover”, because during this period the ground was covered with the first snow, like a blanket. Around these days, they began to heat the huts, the cattle were no longer driven out to pasture, all field and garden work was completed, and spinners and weavers began to work.
On Russian holiday The Intercession has long been associated with the beginning of winter and dedicated to it sayings: “On Pokrov the earth is covered with snow and covered with frost”, “On Pokrov it’s autumn before lunch, and after lunch it’s winter-winter”
On October 14, the autumn fairs of Pokrovsk began, cheerful, plentiful, bright. Here you could see everything with which the earth thanked people for their hard work. There was a brisk trade in vegetables, fruits, bread, honey and other goods. Showed off their skills craftsmen
On Pokrov in the villages the accordion played until the morning, and boys and girls walked in a crowd along the street and sang cheerful, daring ditties.
10. Ditties.
Our children also sing them with pleasure. (Ditties)
Educator: So, guys, what the holiday in Rus' was celebrated in the fall? What's his name celebrated?
Educator:This is where our calendar ends. Autumn- holiday of the Intercession. And it's time for us to say goodbye. And the calendar holidays we will definitely add new ones holidays, which we will get to know further on classes. Goodbye.
References.
Knyazeva O. L., Makhaneva M. D. Introducing children to the origins of Russian folk culture: Program. Educational and methodological manual. –
2nd ed., revised. T add. – St. Petersburg: Childhood – Press, 2002.
Karpenko M. T. Collection of riddles. M.: Education, 2986.
Summary of GCD on FCCM using ICT
Topic: “Folk holidays in Rus'”
for children preparatory group
Target:
To introduce children to Russian traditions, to develop an interest in folk culture through familiarization with Russian folk holidays.
Tasks:
Educational
Introduce children to the traditions of celebrating famous Russian holidays.
Developmental
Develop cognitive activity, memory, thinking, imagination. Develop an interest in folk culture.
Develop children's coherent speech.
Educational
Bring up moral qualities, instill a love for Russian customs and folk games.
Preliminary work:
Examination of illustrations, learning by heart carols, chants, poems about national holidays, proverbs, folk signs.
Materials and equipment:multimedia presentation, multimedia projector, tape recorder, disk with Russian folk melodies, model of Bethlehem stars, colored paper for each child, a glue stick for each child, a hat with a picture of the sun, a bell.
GCD move:
A teacher in a Russian folk sarafan invites children to join a group to a Russian folk melody.
Educator: - Hello, dear guests!(Children say hello).
Please join us here soon!
Come, honest people!
Move, hurry up -
The holiday calls everyone here!
Guys, do you like holidays?(Yes)
What holidays do you know?(Children's answers)
Educator: Well done, you know many holidays that were celebrated by our ancestors.Holidays in Rus'always loved because the people knew how to work, and knew how to have fun.
Do you want to knowHow did the holidays appear, how were they celebrated before?(Yes)
Educator: - I have a magic bell that will take us back in time.
Ring the magic bell,
Take us back to the past.
(Slide)
Educator: - Guys, we found ourselves in Ancient Rus'. Many different holidays they had.
Guess the riddle about the first holiday you and I will attend.(Slide)
In the middle of winter -
Big celebration.
Great holiday -...(Christmas)
Why is this holiday called that?(Children's answers).
(Slide) Educator: - Christmas is one of the main Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ. According to biblical legend, on January 7, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the city of Bethlehem. The news of the birth of Jesus was carried by heavenly angels. The Star of Bethlehem appeared in the sky.(Slide) Since it markedChristmas She is also called the “star of Christmas.”(Slide) Previously on Christmas Dayboys and girls went home, congratulated them on the holiday, anda large star made of gilded paper, decorated with a lantern, was attached to a stick, paper garlands, sometimes an icon of Christmas.(Showing and viewing the star model)
Educator: - Let us also make a little Christmas star for you.(Children make stars as shown by the teacher)
Educator: - Our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers loved this holiday very much - the Nativity of Christ. It was also called winter holidays. Christmastide comes from the word “holy”. On this holiday they glorified, praised, glorified Christ, the New Year, the future harvest, and wished the best with special songs - carols. Let's sing one carol:
Kolyada came on the eve of Christmas,
With crumpets, with flatbreads,
With pork feet.
Kolyada, Kolyada, give me some pie!
Give it to me, don't break it,
But in general, come on!
(Slide) Educator:-Christmas is celebrated by the whole family and children take active participation in celebration. This is the expectation of happiness, peace, home warmth and family harmony. Do you know other traditions of this holiday?(Children's answers)
Educator: - That's right, these are gifts for relatives and friends; cards, sweets, souvenirs.
Educator: - To get to the next national holiday, guess the riddle:
(Slide) It is celebrated in the spring
This holiday is groovy,
Everyone attends the fair
And they treat you to pancakes.(Carnival)
(Slide) Educator: - Maslenitsa is ancient Slavic holiday, which symbolizes farewell to winter and joyful anticipation of spring. The folk festival lasts a week and ends with Forgiveness Sunday. On the last day of the week, Sunday, people asked each other for forgiveness.
Maslenitsa was called broad and cheerful. Let's remember the nickname:
Come out people
Stand at the gate
Invoke spring
Seeing off the winter.
Spring, spring is red,
Come, spring, with joy!
(Slide) Let's put together a mosaic depicting Maslenitsa.(Children collect)
(Slide)Educator:What else did you do on Maslenitsa?(Children's answers)
The pancake is a symbol of the sun, and the sun represents health, longevity, wealth and regenerating life: spring will come, everything will begin to grow.
A scarecrow made of straw(Slide) they took it out into the street and burned it - this is how they parted with everything bad, with all the troubles and difficulties.
While burning the effigy, people sang songs, had fun, and played.
Do you want to play?(Yes)
Educator: “Then let’s play a Russian folk game.” Golden Gate"
Target: improve easy running, develop agility.
Progress of the game:
The participants of the game are divided into those who stand in a circle, raising their clasped hands. And those who run through these gates in a chain (or one at a time).
Those standing sing:
Golden Gate
Not always missed:
Saying goodbye for the first time
The second one is prohibited
And for the third time
We won't miss you!
The “gate” closes and “catch” the one who remained in it. Those who find themselves inside the circle join hands with those forming the circle, increasing the “gate”.
(Slide) Educator:- Guess the riddle:
Spring comes
Everyone is waiting for her
Easter cakes are baked in houses,
They sing good songs!(Easter)
(Slide)
Educator: - Easter - Holy Resurrection of Christ. This main event in the spiritual life of Christians was called the Feast of Feasts, the King of Days.On the night of the Resurrection of Christ, a festive service takes place. Various foods are brought to the church in beautiful baskets - Easter cakes, cheese, butter, which symbolize well-being, pysanky and krashanki -painted eggs(Slide) . Salt is placed in the basket - a symbol of wisdom. A solemn procession with a singer and a priest blesses the people.
Returning home, people break their fast - eat delicious food after Lent. The rich Easter table is a symbol of heavenly joy and the Lord's Supper. The closest relatives gather for Easter breakfast. The owner approaches the guests with wishes and the words “Christ is risen!”, and then kisses everyone. You should answer like this: “Truly risen!”
Let's remember Easter signs.
On Easter the sky is clear and the sun is shining -... (to a good harvest and a red summer.)
You can’t throw or pour outside the window on Easter -...(Christ walks under the windows)
Educator: - Well done, guys! (Slide) What national holiday are we at now?(Children's answers) (Slide)
The holiday of Ivan Kupala is celebrated in the summer, on the night of July 6-7. Kupala rituals performed on this night are very different. This includes weaving wreaths, decorating buildings with greenery, fortune telling, dousing with water, night festivities around the Kupala bonfire. First, they danced around the fire (this is an ancient symbol of the sun), sang songs, and then girls and boys, holding hands, jumped over the fire. Let's join you in a round dance.
Game with the Sun.
In the center of the circle is the “Sun” (a cap with the image of the sun is placed on the child’s head). The children say in chorus: “Shine, sun, brighter - Summer will be hotter, And winter will be warmer, And spring will be sweeter.” Children dance in circle dance. On the 3rd line they come closer to the “sun”, narrowing the circle, bow, on the 4th line they move away, expanding the circle. To the word “I’m burning!” - “The sun is catching up with the children.
Game “Folk Holidays” Goal: Find out the Russian folk holiday.
Watching a movie about folk holidays.
Educator: - Guys, it’s time for us to return home.
Ring the magic bell
Currently, move us.
Educator: - Did you guys enjoy your trip to Russian folk holidays? What do you remember and find most interesting?(Children's answers)
The Russian people have long created their own customs, traditions, and holidays. They have changed over the centuries, but people's need for holidays get together, rejoice, have fun.
Open the calendar autumn holidays, since according to Orthodox teaching it was in the first month of autumn, in September, that the world was created and September was considered the beginning of beginnings. In addition, at the end of the 15th century, the beginning of each year began to be counted from September 14, i.e. this day was the New Year holiday. However, they called it differently - “the entrance of summer,” where summer meant not the season, but the new year. Today, although it doesn’t start in September, calendar year but this is the beginning academic year and everyone's favorite holiday, September 1 - Knowledge Day. The coincidence of the beginning of the school year and the Orthodox New Year is very symbolic and carries a deep spiritual meaning.
AUTUMN
SEPTEMBER
September 11 - Ivan Lenten day. It was believed that Ivan Lent was the godfather of autumn, since this day ends summer.
September 30 - Day of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sofia. This day was not only the day of the Angel of women with these names. It was called the “universal Indian name day” and was sometimes celebrated for three whole days in a row. Along with the joy of the holiday, it was believed that on this day women definitely needed to cry and lament in order to bewitch happiness and peace into the house.
OCTOBER
October 27 is the day of Praskovya the dirty woman, to whom people turned to with a request to get rid of loneliness. The rituals of this day, like most October rituals, are related tomainly with family matters. So, on this day women could learn about upcoming events in family life.
NOVEMBER
WINTER
The folk calendar defines winter with frosts, and the end drop by drop, taking as a basis the phenomena of living nature. December in the popular imagination is a turning point of the year, its peak in the days winter solstice, which divided the year into dark and light halves. During pagan times, wise men and sorcerers predicted in December events that awaited people in the summer. The whole month was filled with sorcery, witchcraft, magical rituals and all kinds of sacraments.
DECEMBER
December 1st – the holiday of the beginning of winter
was held under the motto: “What is Plato and Roman - such is winter for us!”, a holiday of folk winter games and fun. The celebration lasted for several days, covering
December 3 – Proclus Day (“all evil spirits are cursed on Proclus”) and Introduction.
December 7 is the day of Catherine the Sunny. The main sign of this day is sledding, which, according to popular belief, relieved all worries and burdens from the soul. On this day, the girls began to make fortunes about their betrothed, and finished their fortune-telling on Christmastide in January.
December 9 – St. George’s Day , the day of Yegor the Cold, the day of the patron saint of Rus', St. George the Victorious, is one of the main holidays of December, celebrated in our country since pagan times.
Most readers remember this day with the saying: “Here’s St. George’s Day for you, grandma!”, said for the first time in 1607 as a reaction to the ban on moving from landowner to landowner, which became the beginning of serfdom in Russia.
December 13 is the day of St. Andrew the First-Called , the first disciple of Christ, the “Russian Church of Stone,” who predicted the spread of Christianity on Russian soil. Oddly enough, most often it was a girl’s holiday dedicated to fortune telling and prayers for a good groom, since it was believed that on this day a girl’s prayer easily reaches the sky.
December 14 is the day of Naum the Reader - the patron saint of students, a holiday of literacy, a holiday of initiation into disciples. Education in Rus' has long begun in the fall on the day of Kuzma and Demyan, and on the day of Naum the Gramotnik, students demonstrated their successes. The teacher was most often a sexton. Training took place in the home of the student's parents. The teaching aids were an ABC book and a whip. For his efforts, the teacher received refreshments and gifts. According to ancient custom, often such a gift was a pot of porridge, thickly strewn with coins.
December 19 - Nikola's day, Nikola's winter. On this day, old people and elders in the family were honored, since the cult of St. Nicholas replaced the pagan cult of Rod, the deified ancestor.
December 22 – Dark or Winter Anna Day coincides with the winter solstice according to the astronomical calendar.
December 31st is the end of the cold month , followed by a month of “burning up of the sun.” In this regard, the fire had to burn invariably on December 31st. Today, the living sacred fire of this day is embodied in modern candles and lights on Christmas trees. It was believed that on this day the evil spirits were having their last fun and one had to protect oneself from it.
To predict the next year, they guessed by leaving a shallow bowl of water on the porch on New Year's Eve. In the morning, the “forecast” appeared as a frozen picture: the ice froze evenly - a calm year, the ice rose up - a good year, the ice froze in waves - a year of happiness interspersed with grief, the water froze like a hole - a bad year.
December ends with the celebration of the New Year according to the secular calendar. According to the folk New Year in Russia, it began on March 14, and according to the church, on September 14.
JANUARY
January 1 is the day of the holy Christian martyr Boniface – a healer against drunkenness and patron of people sick with alcohol. It was he who determined the measure of wine consumption.
Before Christianity, this day was dedicated to the memory of the mighty hero of the Russian land, the epic hero Ilya Muromets.
However, first of all, January 1 is the beginning of a new year according to the European calendar. In Russia, this day first began to begin the new year only by the will of Peter I in 1700. According folk calendar the year began on March 14, and according to the church year from September 14. The introduction by Peter I of the New Year celebration was accompanied by a huge celebration, which was repeated annually. At first the people looked with pleasure at the amusing games, but many, including noble persons, began to grumble, not understanding how the sovereign could change the movement of the Sun. Under the assumption that God created the world in September, those dissatisfied with the innovation remained unconvinced for a long time, counting the new year according to ancient custom.
The word “year” sounds the same in the language of the Russian, Bohemian and Vendian Slavs and means “holiday”. The year is divided into four parts - winter, spring, summer and autumn. Although this was not always the case: our ancestors divided it only into winter and summer. Summer consisted of the current three spring and three summer months, the last six months constituted winter. Later, our ancestors adopted the word “year” from their fellow Slavs, but not in the sense of a holiday, but in the meaning of the entire annual time and summer as part of it.
January 2 is the day of Ignatius the God-Bearer , marked as home, family holiday. On this day, a prayer service was served and then during the religious procession they carried icons around the village in order to protect themselves and their property from special evil spirits - shulikans (from the ancient Russian word “shui”, which means “bad, leftist”). From the standpoint of Christianity, these are little devils. To protect against them, the owner stuck an ax into the threshold in the evening, and the hostess stuck a sickle into the lintel. The power of the sharp sickle and ax was supposed to be transferred to the door and threshold to protect the entrance to the house from evil.
January 7 – Christmas
, the beginning of Christmastide, the multi-day celebration of which ended on Epiphany, January 19.
January 14 – Vasiliev’s Day according to the folk calendar; By church calendar the day of one of the most prominent church fathers, Basil of Caesarea. According to one legend, while blessing people, he accidentally blessed a pig, so people prayed to this saint for the fertility of pigs. This was reflected in the menu of the festive table, where the head of a pig was traditionally placed.
This day is especially famous for a unique event - the secondary celebration of the New Year, i.e. Happy New Year according to the old style. On the night of January 13-14 - Vasilyev (generous) evening - they collected again New Year's table, where especially notable was such an abundance of baked goods that the celebrants might not see each other behind a pile of pies. Another sign of this evening was the last fortune-telling: for girls - about marriage, for family people - about the harvest of the coming year.
January 19 – Epiphany according to the church calendar, Vodokreshchi - according to the people. On the eve of Epiphany, on January 18, we celebrated the holiday of snow and purity - Epiphany Christmas Eve. On this day they collected snow, since its water can heal many diseases. At midnight they went to the ice hole for water, because it was believed that on this night the heavens opened and their reflection in the water made it holy.
The theme of holy water was also the main one at Epiphany. Epiphany water Everyone who took part in fortune-telling, caroling and mummers' games had to cleanse themselves. Up to swimming in an ice hole, if the sin was serious. On this day, children were willingly baptized, as this could make them happy people.
Baptism ended the holidays, but opened the wedding season, which lasted throughout February until the celebration of Maslenitsa.
January 25 – Tatiana’s Day , or woman's whip, i.e. corner by the stove. This day received its name in honor of the holy martyr Tatiana (Tatiana), the daughter of a noble Roman dignitary and secret Christian, arrested because of her refusal to sacrifice to pagan idols. The brutal tortures to which Tatyana was subjected either did not cause her harm, or during the night their traces disappeared without a trace, or the tormentors themselves suffered from blows inflicted by an invisible hand. Shocked by her resilience, the executioners themselves turned to Christianity and were baptized in their own blood. An amazing and tragic story, but known to few.
For most of us, Tatyana's Day is a holiday for Moscow students, since in 1755 Empress Elizaveta Petrovna signed a decree establishing Moscow University. Since then, not only Moscow, but all Russian students have had their own holiday.
FEBRUARY
February 15 – Meeting , the border between winter and summer. On this day, all the spiritual strength and prayers of the Russian people were aimed at attracting spring and the sun. If the sun appeared as a result of requests, it means spring responded, the first meeting with it took place. Otherwise, severe Vlasyev frosts awaited everyone ahead.
February 24 – Vlasiev day , and in pagan times - the day of Veles, the god of wealth, livestock and master of animals. On this day, cattle from the entire village were driven to the church and blessed with baptismal water. However, even at midnight, women came out with a broom and poker and “plowed” the village three times. At the same time, one of them beat the frying pan, the rest waved brooms and pokers in honor of Veles, helping him drive away death from the cattle.
By performing festive rituals in the spring, our ancestors deeply believed that they were helping the sun to warm up to its full potential and defeat the cold.
MARCH
March 1 - Yarilo with a pitchfork. On this day, the struggle between heat and cold begins, and Yarilo “raises winter with a pitchfork.” Yarilo was presented as a young man, an ardent groom in love. sometimes, wanting to emphasize his youth and beauty, they dressed up a girl as Yarila. She was seated on a white horse, a wreath of wildflowers was placed on her head, ears of corn were given in her left hand, and a symbol of death - an image of a skull - was given in her right hand. In another case, Yarila, as a rule, at a fair, was represented by a young man with a whitened and rouged face in a paper cap decorated with bells, ribbons and flowers. Naturally, fresh flowers were part of the decoration of Yarila’s costume or head during the holidays in his honor only at the end of April. And on the first of March, bonfires, the so-called “Yarilin’s lights,” were lit in elevated places - on the “Yarilin’s bald spot.” The next day, March 2, there was a continuation of Yarilin’s games. A mandatory ritual is “snow thickening,” during which the snow was harrowed, especially where it was covered with a dark layer.
March 6 - Timofey-spring symbolizes the distinct feeling of spring. Watching natural phenomena on this day you can predict what spring will be like this year. From that day on, they were wary of evil spirits that could cause illness. After all, weakness and illness, aggravated by fasting and chilly weather, contributed to the strengthening of faith in evil spirits and aroused the desire to bypass them.
March 10 -Tarasiy-kumokha. The word "kumokha" in the Old Russian language means one of the evil forces - fever. Spring fever hid behind itself at least 12 demons - diseases that were represented in the form of scary old women. They could be driven away by melted March water, fun and hard work, walks in the healing March air.
March 12 is Prokop Day. The excavation finally destroys the winter crust and pierces the road.
March 13 is the day of Vasily the Dropper. On this day, they collected medicinal pine branches in the forest, brewed pine buds and inhaled the steam, as it was considered healing.
APRIL
In Russia, to this day, ancient rituals are lovingly preserved and celebrated regularly. And, although there were no special children’s celebrations in ancient times, children necessarily took part in many of them and played their own special role. Both Orthodox and even more distant pagan traditions have reached us.
Holidays revered in Rus'
Since ancient times, Russians lived based on three calendars:
- Natural.
- Pagan.
- Christian.
Each of them gave their great and interesting holidays, but over time many of them merged. This happened with the advent of Christianity. So, for example, Christmas merged with carols and Christmastide. Here are the main holidays revered in Rus', a kind of folk calendar.
It is worth noting that there are many more holidays, but they are less known (in a new way).
- January 6-7 – Christmas. Kolyada.
- January 7-19 – Christmastide.
- February 15 – Meeting.
- End of February – beginning of March – Maslenitsa (floating date).
- March 22 – Magpies.
- April 7 – Annunciation.
- The first Sunday after Easter is Krasnaya Gorka.
- On the night of June 23-24 - Ivan Kupala.
- August 2 – Elijah’s Day.
- August 28 – Spozhinki.
- September 14 – Semyon Letoprovedets.
- September 27 – Exaltation.
- October 26 – Bolshiye Oseniny.
Many of them had common features. It was impossible to do difficult work. There had to be cleanliness all around and everywhere. And the house was put in order, and the soul. Quarrels and hostility were not allowed. We should only talk about good things, no bad news. Anyone who violated this rule could be flogged. They dressed up in their best, and filled the table with the most delicious dishes.
Winter rituals and celebrations
In December, people could already take a break from hard work and should think about a more pleasant spring preparation for new business. Our ancestors loved December 25 ( Spiridon-solstice). On the night of it, according to their beliefs, their ancestors came to people in the form of holy spirits.
Hence the name of this multi-day holiday. Custom prohibited any negativity towards each other. The evening before Christmas - nomad (Christmas Eve)) had to be fast until the shining of the first star in the sky. With the onset of sunset, a quiet family meal began.
Little godchildren ran to visit their godparents with congratulations and kutya, and they fed them all sorts of tasty treats and gave them money. This holiday ended early.
The next morning belonged entirely to the children. It was not without noise and fun. Flocks of children walked around houses and huts, carrying a star the size of an arshin, a nativity scene - a box with two tiers and figurines of biblical heroes cut out of wood. They glorified Christ with songs and poems. The cheerful singers also carried with them baskets for pies and sweets, which the owners of the houses provided them with.
There was also a treasured plate where generous peasants and townspeople put coins for the children. Such processions lasted until noon, then the adults began chanting. All Russian classes had this tradition.
On Christmastide Mummers' games were obligatory. In a cheerful crowd they entered houses, presented skits and pulled out various funny tricks. Caroling is also considered traditional. It has been preserved since the times of the Slavic Kolyada.
Carols and short songs sounded everywhere. Those who wished the owners all earthly blessings. If they were stingy and did not thank the singers, then they could receive an evil wish for the holiday.
Symbolic meeting spring with winter took place on Candlemas.
With the onset of spring came the long-awaited Maslenitsa. Even in Slavic paganism, it symbolized the end of the cold and the beginning of spring. Initially it was called Myasopust and only later received its real name. It is justified, since meat was prohibited in the last week before Lent, but oil was not.
All days of the week of Maslenitsa with your name and rituals. One of the most fun things the children took part in was sliding down the slide and taking over the snowy town.
A few days before the holiday, the boys sculpted a town out of snow. The mayor, the defender of the year, was chosen. On the last day of the Sami, a crowd of boys and girls, the army of Maslenitsa, stormed the city, trying to conquer it, and a battle broke out with the mayor. It was imperative to capture the flag and bind the defender of Snow Town.
For a whole week there was a farewell to winter: pancakes, guests, skating. Highest point of heat festive mood- burning an effigy made of straw and hay. After Maslenitsa symbol burned, the ashes were released to the winds.
The period from January 6 to Maslena, as it was also popularly called, is still considered the best to start a family. The wedding weeks passed.
Annually in the spring - Easter. The rituals of this oldest holiday Christians all over the world are familiar to everyone: they bake Easter cakes and paint eggs. Often it was the children who were given the role of coloring the symbols of the blood of Christ.
Spring holidays
Magpies. On this holiday, both day and night are equal. The birds are returning, waiting for them, wishing for speedy warmth. According to legend, if the finch was the first to arrive, then there will still be cold weather, but if it is a lark, warming is expected. The ancestors of the Russians made birds from ordinary dough, baked them and gave them to children. They took them outside and showed them to the sun.
In many villages the tradition still exists, the figures are called larks, due to the desire to see this particular bird. Yes, and the holiday is often called Larks.
To Krasnaya Gorka, which comes after the strict feast of the Annunciation, people were supposed to paint eggs and take them to the graves of loved ones. Children rolled them over mounds and left them as sacrifices under crosses. On this day it was believed that spring had finally arrived.
Summer holidays
Unusual and mysterious Ivan Kupala They celebrated not in the light of day, but always at night. Everyone was walking on the street or going to the meadow where the fires were burning. Jumping through them we purified ourselves. There was no shame in jumping with children and young people and mature villagers. Girls and boys sang and danced around.
Unmarried and lonely women wove wreaths of flowers and herbs and let rivers flow, wondering about their family future. Two plants symbolize this holiday: fern and Ivan da Marya. It is believed that a fern that never blooms suddenly throws out its bud on this night, and the lucky one, having found it, will find the treasure.
Elijah's day the children didn't like it. After him, his parents forbade him to swim in the river. The water from lunch is cooling down. That's it - you can't swim.
IN Spozhiki the whole world rejoiced at the end of the harvest. There was a celebration.
Autumn holidays
All celebrations of this period are in one way or another connected with the new harvest. On the Seeds of the Summer Conductor we tried to celebrate a housewarming party, life promised to be fine. We looked after nature: the geese flew away - winter will come unexpectedly and quickly. It rained that day and soaked the field; it is unlikely that the harvest will be harvested and stored.
Exaltation– the beginning of arable land dormancy. On Sergius of Radonezh The cabbage was being chopped and fermented, snow was expected and the fun began. Intercession brought cold. People burned worn-out bast shoes and old straw beds. We turned to the elements. Asking for mercy and mild winter. They rejoiced and thanked nature if the fields were snow-covered that day.
To Bolshie Oseniny there was a special celebration in honor of everything that was grown on mother earth and prepared for winter storage.
Many holidays and rituals associated with them indicate that ancestors honored family and traditions. There is matchmaking, wedding feasts, and children's baptism. They sincerely believed that by carrying out the proper rituals, they would guarantee success in life, for themselves and their descendants, everyone would be healthy and happy, and the family would be strong and for life.
Russian people knew how to work, and they knew how to relax. Following the principle: “There is time for work, an hour for fun,” the peasants rested mainly on holidays. What is a holiday? The Russian word “holiday” comes from the ancient Slavic “prazd”, meaning “rest, idleness.”
What holidays were revered in Rus'? For a long time in villages they lived by three calendars. The first is natural, agricultural, associated with the change of seasons. The second - pagan, pre-Christian times, just like agricultural, was correlated with natural phenomena. The third, latest calendar is the Christian, Orthodox, in which there are only twelve great holidays, not counting Easter. In ancient times the main thing winter holiday It was considered Christmas. The holiday of Christmas came to Rus' along with Christianity in the 10th century. and merged with the ancient Slavic winter holiday - Christmastide, or carol.
The time of this holiday was of great economic importance for the ancient Slavs. Winter work was ending, and a period of active preparation for spring began. It is not surprising that people rejoiced at the long-awaited vacation. And nature itself was conducive to this: the sun shone more cheerfully, the days began to arrive. The day of December 25 in the calendar of our ancestors was called the day of Spiridon the solstice. According to Slavic beliefs, on the night of the birth of the new sun, the spirits of ancestors, who were called “saints” or “Christmastide”, descended to earth.
Slavic Christmastide was a multi-day holiday. They started at the end of December and continued throughout the first week of January.
On Christmastide it was forbidden to quarrel, use foul language, mention death, or commit reprehensible acts. Everyone was obliged to do only nice things for each other. The evening before Christmas is known as Christmas Eve, or nomad, by observing the ritual of which people, as it were, prepared for Christmas itself. On this day, it was customary to fast until late in the evening, until the appearance of the first star, in memory of the Star of Bethlehem. And as soon as the evening dawn lit up in the sky, the family sat down at the table. On Christmas Eve, the godchildren went to visit their godfathers and mothers, congratulated them on the holiday, and at the same time brought them kutya and pies. They, in turn, treated their godchildren and gave them money.
Christmas Eve - This is a modest, quiet holiday, taking place at the table, in well-mannered conversation and ending very early.
And the next morning a completely different holiday began - noisy and cheerful. His children started it. They walked from house to house with a star, a nativity scene and sang poems to the glory of Christ. A star the size of an arshin was made of paper, painted with paints and illuminated from the inside with a candle. The boys, who were most often trusted to carry the star, twirled the star in all directions for importance. A nativity scene is a two-tiered box in which wooden figures depicted scenes associated with the birth of Christ. It is not difficult to guess that walking with a star is a reminder of Star of Bethlehem, glorification is singing in praise of Christ, and the nativity scene is a puppet theater.
For their singing, singers of fame received various gifts, most often pies and money. To collect the pies, one of the Slavelians mowed down the body, and a plate was intended for the money. Around noon, worship began for adults. In the old days, all classes took part in this.
Christmastide could not do without the participation of mummers. Mummer games are an ancient Russian buffoon fun. The mummers went into the huts and had as much fun as they could: fooling around, putting on entire performances.
A common Christmas ritual was caroling - an echo of the ancient holiday of Kolyada.
Carols are special Christmas songs. Their content was traditional - glorifying the owner, wishing his family and home well-being and prosperity. There was a reward for caroling - something tasty. If the owner was stingy and did not give anything, or gave little, then he risked hearing the following wish:
“For the New Year, an aspen coffin,
A stake on the grave, I will skin the mare!”
My favorite Christmas pastime is fortune telling. Fortune telling gave birth to people's desire to somehow foresee the future and even magically influence it. In pagan times, fortune telling was of a purely economic nature - about the harvest and the offspring of livestock, about the health of relatives and friends. On Christmastide they brought a sheaf of wheat or an armful of hay to the hut and pulled out a straw and a blade of grass with their teeth. A full ear foreshadowed a good harvest, and a long blade of grass meant good haymaking.
Over the years, only young people, especially girls, have retained interest in fortune telling. Everything pagan and magical that the ritual included was long forgotten, and festive fun was born from the rubble. But why is this particular time good for fortune telling? Popular legend says: “On the night of New Year, countless hosts of demons emerge from the underworld and walk the earth, frightening all baptized people. From her, from the unclean force, one could find out one’s fate.” At Christmas time, grown-up girls told fortunes:
Will they get married this year? In the dead of night, when everyone in the household is fast asleep, the fortune tellers, observing the strictest silence, bring a rooster into the hut. If he goes to the table, then the girl will get married, and if the rooster retreats from the hut, then she will still remain a maiden.
The girls quietly went to the goose coop and caught the bird in the dark: if a male falls into the hands, then the girl will get married, if the female, she will remain a girl.
Single or widower? The girls secretly left the house to the tine or fence, and, clasping it with both hands, began to finger each tine with one hand, saying quietly: “Single, widower, single, widower.” If the term ends with the name of a single man, then that means that the girl will marry him.
In which direction does the betrothed live? “The shoe was taken off the foot and thrown behind the gate.” In which direction the end of the shoe points, that’s where the betrothed lives.
To find out their fate, they “drowned wax.” Based on the resulting figures, they judged their lot: if it looks like a church, it means a wedding, but if it’s a pit or a cave, expect death.
The most common was fortune telling. The girls, putting their rings in a dish and covering it with a scarf, “sang subbed songs in harmony.” After the song, the dish was shaken, and the fortune teller pulled out one of the rings at random. The content of this song, predicting fate, related to its owner.
The most interesting, but also the most terrible, was fortune telling with a mirror and a candle. The girl looked through the candle flame into the mirror and she might have dreamed something.
Fortune telling could be done during Christmas time, that is, before Epiphany, or Epiphany. The Feast of Epiphany, celebrated on January 19, is one of the great holidays of the Orthodox Church. Established in memory of the baptism of Jesus Christ by the prophet John the Baptist.
On the threshold of spring, a cheerful holiday was celebrated in the villages - Maslenitsa. It has been known since pagan times as a holiday of farewell to winter and welcome of spring. The original name of Maslenitsa was “meat empty”. Later they began to call Maslenitsa week “cheese”, or simply Maslenitsa. The name “Maslenitsa” is not accidental. In the last week before Lent, it was not allowed to eat meat, but dairy products, including butter, which was generously poured over pancakes - the main holiday dish, were not yet prohibited.
Like any event related to Easter- the main event of the Christian year, Maslenitsa does not have an exact calendar attachment, but is the week preceding Lent.
Each day during Maslenitsa week had its own name, each day had its own specific actions, rules of conduct, and rituals. Monday was called a meeting, Tuesday - flirting, Wednesday - gourmet, Thursday - revelry, wide fours, Friday - mother-in-law's party, Saturday - sister-in-law's get-togethers, Sunday - forgiven day, farewell.
The whole week, in addition to the official names, was popularly called: “Honest, wide, cheerful, Maslenitsa lady, Maslenitsa lady.”
On the Sunday before Maslenitsa, the father of the young wife, taking with him a treat (most often pies), went to the matchmakers and asked to let his son-in-law and his wife go visit him. He also invited matchmakers along with the whole family. Usually the young people arrived on Friday, the whole village was waiting for their arrival. The mother-in-law was supposed to look after her son-in-law; she cooked the best dishes and, of course, baked pancakes. Therefore, it is Maslenitsa Friday that is called “mother-in-law’s evening”. The next day, the guests were received by the sister-in-law, that is, the husband’s sister. One of the main events associated with the holiday was the meeting and farewell of Maslenitsa. By Thursday of cheese week, a straw doll in the shape of a woman was made. The outfit for Maslenitsa was either bought together or dressed in cast-offs. The stuffed animal was carried around the whole village laughing and making jokes.
The most common type of wiring was lighting fires. On Sunday evening, the Maslenitsa procession went out to the winter, where Maslenitsa was burned at the stake. All the people gathered around the Maslenitsa fire. There were songs, jokes and jokes. Throwing straw into the fire, they repeated: “Maslenitsa, farewell! And come again next year.”
One of the Maslenitsa customs was the newlyweds skating down an icy mountain. Young people came to skating in their best clothes. Every young husband was obliged to give his wife a ride down the hill. All this was accompanied by kisses and bows. Cheerful young people often delayed the sled, and then the married couple had to pay off with a certain number of public kisses.
Skiing from the mountains is generally one of the favorite Maslenitsa pastimes. Starting on Monday, not only the newlyweds, but also the children rode. The ice slides were decorated with Christmas trees, lanterns were hung, and even ice statues were placed on the sides.
From Thursday onwards the slides were replaced by horse riding. We rode troikas with bells, racing and just like that.
More severe entertainment was fist fights. They fought one on one, and wall to wall. The battles took place on the ice of frozen rivers. The battles were fought mercilessly, passionately, sometimes ending in injury and even death.
One of the actions Maslenitsa week was the “capture of the snowy town.” A week before Maslenitsa, the boys built a town out of snow, giving it all kinds of looks. Next, a mayor is selected who is obliged to protect the city from the attack of Maslenitsa. They took the city on the last day of Maslenitsa, aiming to take possession of the flag on the city and the mayor himself.
The last day of Maslenitsa - Forgiveness Sunday. On this day, they ask for forgiveness not only from the living, but also from the dead. In the evening on this day they go to the bathhouse and enter Lent cleansed.
During Lent, the Feast of the Annunciation was celebrated. According to church tradition, on April 7, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would have a miraculously conceived son. It is believed that on this day the earth and all living things on it are blessed. Despite the strict fast, it was allowed to eat fish on this day.
Every spring, Christians around the world celebrate Easter, the Holy Resurrection of Christ, the oldest and most famous of Christian church celebrations. The main Easter rituals are known to everyone: dyeing eggs, baking Easter cakes. For a believer, Easter is also associated with the all-night vigil, procession of the cross and the making of Christ. Christening consists of exchanging kisses while pronouncing the Easter greeting: “Christ is risen!” - “Truly he is risen!”
For a Christian, Easter is the main and most solemn holiday of the year, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who accepted martyrdom on the cross.
The mobility of the day of Easter celebration leads to the fact that every year the day of events directly related to the Easter cycle changes, the date of the beginning of Lent and Trinity changes.
