MBDOU "Proskokovsky kindergarten "Teremok"
Winter and spring folk holidays
(Material for teacher work)
Nadezhda Nikolaevna, teacher
first qualification category.
2014
Winter and spring folk holidays.
Russian folk holidays came to us from ancient times. The people knew how to work and knew how to relax. Following the rule “time for business, time for fun,” we rested and had fun in holidays. The holidays were mainly religious. The most ancient of them, pagan, were of Slavic origin and were associated with the agricultural calendar. The rest of the holidays are Christian.
For example, New Year is a pagan holiday, and Christmas is Christian.
New Year's poems.
It smells like fresh tar again,
We gathered at the Christmas tree.
Our Christmas tree is dressed up,
The lights on it came on.
Games, jokes, songs, dances!
Masks flash here and there...
You are a bear and I am a fox -
What miracles!
Let's dance together.
Hello hello,
New Year!
New Year (N. Naydenova).
The Christmas tree is lit with lights,
There are blue shadows underneath,
Spiny needles
As if in white frost
She thawed in the warmth,
I straightened out the needles.
And with merry songs
We arrived at our Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree is lit with lights
(L. Nekrasova)
Hello Dedushka Moroz!
You're probably cold:
The day walked around the city,
I froze my beard...
Place your nose on the battery.
I'll warm you up now!
Dad chose a Christmas tree
The fluffiest one
The fluffiest one
The most fragrant...
The Christmas tree smells like that -
Mom will gasp immediately!
(A. Usachev.)
About the Christmas tree
We would be at the Christmas tree
legs,
She would run
Along the path.
She would dance
Together with us,
She would knock
Heels.
Spin around the Christmas tree
Toys -
Multi-colored lanterns,
Firecrackers.
Let's spin around the Christmas tree
Flags
From crimson and silver
Papers.
We'd laugh at the Christmas tree
Matryoshka dolls
And they would clap for joy
In the palms.
Because tonight
At the gate
The cheerful one knocked
New Year!
New, new,
Young,
With a golden beard!
(Korney Chukovsky)
***
The animals celebrated the New Year.
The animals led a round dance.
Around a green Christmas tree.
The Mole also danced,
And Behemoth,
And even evil Wolves!
The Porcupine also started dancing -
prickly needles,
And all - tremble,
And that's all - scream
And that's all - run away from the Christmas tree!
Look: Already -
At least he's good! -
And he is trembling with fear!..
But you won’t get through me! -
Said Che-re-pa-ha!
We'll dance
Step by step
Turtle,
But everyone
Perhaps,
Let's dance!
(Zakhoder Boris)
It was in January
There was a Christmas tree on the mountain,
And near this tree
Evil wolves roamed.
Once upon a time
Sometimes at night,
When the forest is so quiet,
They meet a wolf under the mountain
Bunnies and hare.
Who's up for the New Year?
Fall into the clutches of the wolf!
The bunnies rushed forward
And they jumped onto the tree.
They flattened their ears
They hung like toys.
Ten little bunnies
They hang on the tree and are silent -
The wolf was deceived.
It was in January -
He thought that on the mountain
Decorated Christmas tree.
(Agniya Barto)
And toys frolic on the Christmas tree:
Horses, gnomes, cones, balls,
Somewhere there are firecrackers hidden in the branches,
And the showers of tinsel sparkle.
Winter wind, cold prankster,
Snowflakes cling to our windows -
He probably also wants it for the holiday -
But no one invites him into the house.
...The weeks will fly by like a bright fairy tale
Under the rays of Christmas stars,
And he will leave, dissolving in the blizzard,
Good grandfather - old Frost.
(I. Aseeva).
To our Christmas tree - oh-oh-oh!
Santa Claus is coming alive.
Well, Grandfather Frost!..
What cheeks, what a nose!..
A beard, a beard!..
And there's a star on the hat!
There are specks on the nose!
And those eyes... are daddy's!
(A. Shibaev)
It has grown to my eyebrows,
He got into my felt boots.
They say he is Santa Claus
And he plays pranks like a little boy.
He ruined the water tap
In our washbasin.
They say he has a beard
And he plays pranks like a little boy.
He draws on glass
Palm trees, stars, skiffs.
They say he is a hundred years old,
And he plays pranks like a little one!
(E. Tarakhovskaya)
***
If the frost ends,
The snow will melt white,
What about Grandfather Frost?
Will the poor person do it?
Water will run off it
Streams to the floor,
From his beard then
Will it start to drip too?
Dear Grandfather Frost,
Darling, darling!
Hide, Grandfather Frost,
In our refrigerator!
Poems about the Christmas tree, about the gray wolf, about the dragonfly and about the poor goat
I love sitting by the Christmas tree alone.
I like to take a good look at everything:
What kind of toys, aren’t they bored?
Or who is not happy with his neighbor
There's a dragonfly hanging next to Frost.
And with a toothy wolf, look, it’s a goat.
I think it's cold here for the dragonfly
And the poor goat is very scared.
I'll hang a star next to Frost,
And I’ll take this goat here.
Here, by the way, a golden flower bloomed
And the sun is shining...
- Well, goat, stop!
And here is the bell. It's porcelain.
If you touch it, you will hear a ringing sound.
And here is a ballerina, and here is a cockerel.
Next to him is a chicken, like yellow fluff.
And this is a firecracker, and this is a flag,
And this is a shepherd, he is playing a horn.
Wait, I'll hang the goat here.
A goat and a shepherd - wonderful, right?
Here is a striped ball, this is a bear.
Here's a bird - she's about to sing.
And this is a mushroom, and this is the moon,
And this is a haystack of fragrant hay.
Wait, I'll hang the goat here.
A goat near a hay is wonderful, right?
But the goat suddenly screamed pitifully.
I look and my eyes are sparkling from behind the hay.
I laugh until I drop: this is what it’s all about!
I brought the goat to the wolf again!
So I walked around the tree.
(E. Blaginina)
***
Santa Claus puts all the bunnies under the Christmas tree
By soft toy- fluffy wolf.
Let every coward play the one
Who brings terror to him in the forest.
And each fox gets a new comb
For a trendy, shiny and red hairstyle.
So that there is no time for the bunnies to offend -
You have to keep your hair in order.
What did Santa Claus have in store for the bear cub?
A basket of raspberries? Medka from a barrel?
Left under a huge forest spruce
An alarm clock that will wake up the bear in the spring.
(N. Stozhkova)
Fur coat, hat, mittens,
Tits are sitting on the nose.
Beard and red nose -
It's Santa Claus!(T. Shatskikh)
FATHER FROST
Walking the street
Santa Claus,
Frost is scattering
Along the branches of birch trees;
Walks with a beard
White is shaking,
Stomping his foot
There is only a crash.
(N. Drozhkin).
* * *
Where does Santa Claus live?
Amazing question!
Not in the lamp, not in the alarm clock,
Let's look in the refrigerator!
* * *
Christmas tree, prickly needle,
Where did you grow up? - In the forest.
What did you see there? - Fox.
Wolves and bears
These are my neighbors.
And on New Year's Eve
Everyone sings a song.
White shiny blanket
Winter has delayed everything
And on your new path
Here she showed herself.
Following him is
Our beloved Santa Claus,
And the small fry runs out:
“Grandfather, what did you bring us?”
So many pretty eyes
And flushed cheeks...
You can hear the creaking of the sled,
Someone's skate jingled.
Will there be dolls and toys?
Will there be piles of candy?
Candles on Christmas trees, firecrackers?
Grandfather! Yes or no?
Grandfather smiled slyly
And he continues to walk.
Haven't you forgotten us, really?
Or doesn't he want to say?
Fir branches waving
Because of the wide back...
He keeps laughing: “Oh, kids!
Were you obedient?”
NEW YEAR
New Year! New Year!
Will bring a lot of happiness:
For adults - all sorts of joys,
Children - various sweets.
Get terribly excited
Christmas trees - new outfits,
Courtyards - snowmen,
Ice - the cheerful creaking of skates,
The sky is a festive fireworks,
Santa Claus - medal for work!
Long-awaited New Year
We meet together
There will be a friendly round dance,
And poems and songs.
Let the lights on the tree
Will light up brightly
And for the holiday of Santa Claus
Will bring gifts.
Father Frost
I am Frost, Red Nose,
With a white beard.
I'll pinch you to tears!
Don't joke with me.
For what, why
Should I be angry?
I came to you, friends,
To have fun!
New Year, New Year
I'm meeting you
Happy New Year to all of you
I congratulate you.
(E. Boguslavskaya)
Soon it will be New Year,
Round dance around the tree,
Santa Claus will come to us,
He will bring a cartload of gifts.
He will fulfill all dreams
If you believe in him,
To everyone who behaved well -
He will hand over the gifts personally!
The elegant Christmas tree has arrived,
In beautiful lights!
Santa Claus, Snow Maiden, come to us,
They are hurrying in their sleighs!
Everyone is beautiful today
And we are waiting for gifts again,
It was not in vain that we learned poetry,
Again about the New Year!
Gifts, fruits, sweets,
Smiles all around!
We congratulate everyone joyfully,
And we sing songs!
Snow Maiden
At the entrance, on the site
I collected the snow with a shovel.
There was at least a little snow
I made a Snow Maiden.
I put it in the corridor,
And she... melted!
(Yu. Shigaev)
New Year's riddles
Christmas tree with toys,
Clowns with firecrackers.
All the people are having fun!
What kind of holiday? (New Year)
It has twelve months
They will easily fit.
will bring them all together
One word, this is... (year)
Decorated with toys
Balloons and firecrackers -
Not a palm tree, not a pine tree,
And the festive one... (Christmas tree)
He comes with gifts
He leads round dances with us.
Overgrown with a white beard
Good Grandfather... (Frost)
Santa Claus visiting the children
He brought his granddaughter on a sleigh.
Snow figurine -
He will come to us... (Snow Maiden)
Both in boxes and in bags
Packed with sweets.
The candy wrappers are so bright!
There will be... (gifts) for everyone
It sat on the shelf for a whole year,
And now it hangs on the tree.
This is not a flashlight
And the glass one... (ball)
The lights flash quickly
They run from top to bottom.
This friendly team
It's called... (garland)
On the beauty of the forest
The rain is golden in waves -
From a silver cord
Hangs down... (tinsel)
A blizzard is walking around the yard,
The Christmas tree is sparkling in the house.
Children dance in a circle.
What kind of holiday? (New Year)
The big Christmas tree is all lit up,
Firecrackers fly loudly.
It's snowing outside.
It's coming... (New Year)
All toys on the Christmas tree:
Beads, balls, firecrackers.
The kids are waiting for gifts.
What kind of holiday? (New Year)
winter tongue twisters
- A hat and a fur coat - that’s all Mishutka is.
- Sanya was driving down the hill, and Sanya was riding a sleigh.
- Little Sanya's sleigh overturned.
- Sasha knocked over a bump with his hat.
- There is a Snowman on the street, the snowman's wife, the snowman's children.
But I have no time for the Snowman, no time for the snowman’s wife, no time for the snowman’s children.
Christmas time
In winter there was a noisy and cheerful holiday -Nativity with Christmastide. Christmastide (or holy evenings) were held in late December - early January. On these days, children gathered in groups and went from house to house caroling Stopping under the windows of someone's hut, the children sang special Christmas songs - carols. Their content was traditional - a wish to the owner, his home and family for well-being and prosperity:
* * *
The carol has arrived
On the eve of Christmas,
Give me the cow
I'm oiling the head!
And God forbid that
Who's in this house?
The rye is thick for him,
Dinner rye!
He's like an ear of octopus,
From the grain he has a carpet,
Half-grain pie.
The Lord would grant you
And live and be
And wealth;
And create for you, Lord,
Even better than that!
(ocmina is an old measure of bulk solids, equal to one hundred liters)
* * *
The carol has arrived
Here's to Christmas
Forward Maslenitsa.
Carol came in
To your yard,
In your yard
It's worth an iron tine,
And this one has
Turned ropes,
Gilded pillars
Give you, Lord,
Cattle, belly,
A cow with a calf,
Sheep with lamb
Horse with foal
A pig with a piglet.
* * *
I sow, I winnow, I sow,
Happy New Year!
For the New Year, for new happiness
Be born wheat,
Peas, lentils!
On the field - in heaps,
There are pies on the table!
Happy New Year,
With new happiness, hostess!
There was a reward for caroling - something tasty. Among the carolers there was even a special carrier of the gift bag. After caroling, the participants ate the collected delicacies together. If the hostess was greedy, the carolers would remind her:
* * *
Mistress,
Open the chest
Get the piglet!
Open the boxes
Get your pennies!
Serve the pie!
If you don’t give me some pie, we’ll eat the sides!
Christmas poems.
Merry holy, wonderful Christmas
Congratulations from the bottom of my heart!
In the vastness of the heavens
The star floats in silence.
It snows at Christmas
falls like God's mercy.
It's snowing and magic
could happen on this day.
On this day we say
About the birth of Christ.
On this day they cannot be silent
Our children's lips.
And hearts want to praise,
Without stopping for a moment.
Glorify God with us!
Don't be silent - He is great.
It's Christmas again -
Celebration of the heavenly forces:
On this day Christ came
To save our world from evil.
Glory to Him eternal,
Conqueror of darkness.
Congratulations with all our hearts
With this great joy.
The God Boy was born in a manger
Among donkeys, lambs.
And I was illuminated by a star
Bethlehem courtyard and garden.
And the gray donkey thought,
Looking into the Baby's eyes:
“He came with goodness and faith,
With compassion and affection!”
And the puppy is a couch potato
I peeked from the kennel,
How the Magi came from the East,
They brought their gifts.
CHRISTMAS NIGHT
Olga Guzova
The snow falls white-white
to the hills and houses;
dressed in sparkle-frost
Old Russian winter.
The stillness of the blue river...
And you don’t need anything -
on the painted porch
Christmas is lurking.
The cradle will rock
and drive the clouds away...
All doubts will be debunked
that Christmas night.
Birthday today
With the Lord Christ.
Singing praises to Him
Mouths are full.
Our children's hearts -
A house alive for the Spirit -
Like the manger of Bethlehem
We give to Christ.
Like green Christmas trees,
We want to live forever
And, saved by the Lord,
Always serve Him.
FINE!
Galina Vezikova
And I heard that Christ
He brought happiness and joy to people.
It’s good that He came to everyone,
And what is Christmas is good!
BEFORE A BRIGHT CHRISTMAS
In the morning the Christmas tree was decorated,
And a little tired.
Let's sit under it, little sister,
What a beautiful tree!
Gilded top
There are toys all over the Christmas tree,
The lights of the garlands flicker,
Like stars are shining.
And also at our Christmas tree
The needles smell fabulous
Filling the house with peace
Before Merry Christmas.
I love this spring day
Wonderful April day.
Christ Jesus resurrection
I'm not too lazy to celebrate.
After all, he, having destroyed all barriers,
Risen for me too!
I will be forever happy with Jesus,
And my whole family.
(Tikhonin Sergey)
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
The sun is shining from heaven!
The dark forest has already turned green,
Christ is truly risen!
Spring has come - it's time for miracles,
The spring is babbling - Christ is risen!
There are no brighter words in the world -
Truly Christ has risen!
Proverbs about Christmas
- It's Christmas on Petrovka Street, in the hut.
- It's not for Christmas, it's for the Great Day.
- The saint's shirt is either poor or white; for Christmas it is at least harsh, but new.
- On the day of the Nativity of Christ, the owner should not leave the yard: the sheep will get lost.
- At Christmas and Epiphany, they burn dung in the middle of the yard so that the parents in the next world will be warm.
- We apologize for your treat: for our baptism, for Christmas, to eat, to taste Shrovetide.
- Cover in front, Christmas in back.
- The veil did not cover, and neither will Christmas.
- I sipped milk on the eve of Christmas, but something shuddered.
- Cold Lent (Christmas Lent), Famine Lent (Petrine Lent), Great Lent and Gourmet Lent (Assumption Lent).
- Blow, don’t blow, it’s not for Christmas, it’s for the Great Day.
- Weave bast shoes - they will be born crooked; sew for Christmas - you will be born blind.
Maslenitsa
The oldest truly folk holiday of seeing off winter and welcoming spring. Maslenitsa week fell during the cheese-free week before the start of Lent. “Rampant”, “wide”, “abundant” Maslenitsa is the favorite winter holiday of the Russian people. Each day of Maslenitsa week was distinguished by its traditional rituals and entertainment.
This holiday is coming to us
Early spring
How much joy it brings
He is always with him!
Ice mountains await
And the snow sparkles
The sleds are running down the hills,
The laughter doesn't stop.
At home the aroma of pancakes
Festive wonderful,
We invite friends for pancakes,
Let's eat them together.
Noisy, fun
Cheese Week,
And behind it is Lent,
Time to pray.
***
Maslenitsa has arrived!
Madam-boyar Maslenitsa!
With cheese, butter, and pancake,
And a rosy pie!
***
Wide Maslenitsa - Cheese week!
You came dressed up to greet us in Spring.
We'll bake pancakes and have fun all week,
To drive the cold winter out of the house!
CONGRATULATIONS on Maslenitsa.
We congratulate you on the tender Maslenitsa,
The time has come for pies to reign.
The winter farewell cannot be enjoyed without pancakes,
We invite you to song, to jokes, to joy!
***
We sincerely congratulate you
And we cordially invite:
Give up all your worries,
Come to visit,
Straight to our porch
Come to us for Maslenitsa.
See for yourself:
Let's treat you to pancakes,
Puffs on sour cream,
Lush pies,
Let's wave to February,
Let's say hello to Martha.
***
Like during Shrovetide
Pancakes were flying out of the oven!
From the heat, from the heat, from the oven,
All blush, hot!
Maslenitsa, treat!
Serve everyone some pancakes.
In the heat of the moment, take it apart!
Don't forget to praise.
Song for pancakes.
We haven't eaten pancakes for a long time,
We wanted pancakes.
Chorus.
Oh, pancakes, pancakes, pancakes,
You are my pancakes.
Dissolved in a new kneader,
The pancakes went on for two hours.
Chorus.
My big sister
She's a master at baking pancakes.
Chorus.
She baked something to eat,
There are probably five hundred.
Chorus.
Places pancakes on a tray,
She carries them to the table herself.
Chorus.
Guests, be healthy, everyone!
My pancakes are ready.
Chorus.
Proverbs about Maslenitsa
- Maslenitsa, Semikov’s niece.
- Maslenitsa is crazy, I'm saving money.
- Maslena has been walking for a week.
- It was Maslenitsa near the yard, but she didn’t go into the hut.
- Not life, but Maslenitsa.
- It’s not all about Maslenitsa; there will be Lent too.
- At least put something aside from yourself and spend the Maslenka celebration.
- It pops into your mouth like a buttery pancake.
- Without a cat, mice have Maslenitsa.
- After Maslenitsa there is Lent, and after Holy Easter.
- And the butter doesn’t last forever.
- Without a pancake there is no butter; It's not a birthday party without a cake.
- Ride in the mountains, lie in pancakes.
- Our Maslenya lasted until Sunday.
- They drank about buttermilk, and the hangover was like a rainbow.
- For some it’s oil, it’s solid, but for us it’s palm oil, and it’s passionate.
- I didn’t go for walks, I didn’t indulge in Christmas or Maslenitsa, but God brought me into Lent.
- What a red Shrovetide day, this wheat.
- To whom is rank, to whom is damn, and to whom is wedge.
- Don't feed him pancakes, give him water first!
- Set aside the pancakes until another day.
- Bad weather on Sunday before Shrovetide means a mushroom harvest.
- Maslena spread widely: it flooded Lent.
Palm Sunday, Easter.
On Palm Sunday, the custom of hitting adults, children, and livestock with a bunch of willow was widespread throughout Russia. It was believed that this would add vitality to them. Hitting each other with branches, they usually uttered a spell: “Be healthy, like a willow,” “Grow like a willow.” Some spells were structured as if it was not people who were beating each other with willow branches, but the willow itself passing on its strength and health to them: “It’s not me who hits, it’s the willow that hits,” “The willow whips, hit them until they cry.” At the end of the 19th century. these ancient spells gradually began to turn into comic children's songs.
Willow, willow,
Willow whip,
Willow whip
It brings me to tears.
Blue willow
Doesn't hit hard
The willow is red
It hits in vain
White willow
Strikes for the cause
Willow whip -
It brings me to tears.
"Easter"
The stars have disappeared from human sight.
Rivers, groves and lakes brighten.
Tired of the darkness and dampness of the night,
They greet the morning with a new dawn.
An unusual, joyful day will come,
As soon as the sun comes out in the morning,
It sparkles and plays in the skies,
And it shines gold in the domes!
CHRIST IS RISEN! The bells are ringing!
And heaven and earth hear their ringing!
The people hurry to the holiday in God's temple,
CHRIST IS RISEN! He gave us salvation!
Loud laughter is heard everywhere,
Birds chirp loudly
That the holiday has arrived
For every child.
2. It smelled like a butter roll.
At our doorstep.
I’ll treat myself to cottage cheese Easter,
I'll try a little.
3. I’ll take a brush, gouache
And I will work for glory,
I'll paint the eggs different colors,
May Easter shine.
4.Wonderful day, the soul shines,
And the heart of God glorifies.
The spring forest rings in the distance,
And the song sounds: “Christ is risen!”
All children: Truly risen!
Sergey Yesenin
EASTER GOOD NEWS
The dormant bell
Woke up the fields
Smiled at the sun
Sleepy land.
The blows came
To the blue skies
It rings loudly
Hidden behind the river
Pale moon
She ran loudly
Frisky, full.
Quiet Valley
Drives away sleep
Somewhere down the road
The ringing stops.
Andrey USACHEV
EASTER
The bright holiday of Easter comes to earth,
More magical than any fairy tale,
More wonderful than any earthly miracles:
Christ is risen!
Truly risen!
Easter ringing, and eggs with Easter cakes.
The birch trees stood up like white candles.
And the good news spreads over the earth:
Christ is risen!
Truly risen!
And willow in honor of the Holy Resurrection
I put on my spring jewelry...
And like a temple, the forest is filled with singing:
Christ is risen!
Truly risen!
A. N. Maikov
CHRIST IS RISEN!
Everywhere the gospel is buzzing,
People are pouring out of all the churches.
The dawn is already looking from the sky...
The snow cover has already been removed from the fields,
And my hands are breaking from their shackles,
And the nearby forest is greener...
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen!
The earth is waking up
And the fields are dressed,
Spring is coming, full of miracles!
Christ is risen! Christ is risen!
A. A. Blok
WILLOWS
Boys and girls
Candles and willows
They took it home.
The lights are glowing,
Passers-by cross themselves
And it smells like spring.
The breeze is distant,
Rain, little rain,
Don't blow out the fire.
Palm Sunday
Tomorrow I'll be the first to get up
For the holy day.
K. D. Balmont
WILLOWS
The willows are covered
Heated by the wind,
Tenderly nurtured
Morning light.
Easter branches,
Gently sad
They look happy
Whispering with the bees.
The cemetery is peaceful
Blooms with flowers
Clergy singing
It pours in waves.
Light sad
Easter songs,
Cherished by heart,
Covered with eternity.
K. D. Fofanov
To the tune of Easter prayers
And to the sound of bells
Spring is flying to us from far away,
From the midday regions.
In green attire
The dark forests are gloomy,
The sky shines like the sea,
The sea is like heaven.
Pines in green velvet,
And fragrant resin
Along the scaly columns
It leaked like amber.
And in our garden today
I noticed how secretly
The lily of the valley made Christ
With a white-winged moth.
Proverbs and sayings about Easter .
- He's like a child; if you don't amuse him with an Easter egg, he'll be offended.
- The sun shines five times a year: at Christmas, Epiphany, Annunciation, Bright Resurrection, Birth of John
- After Maslenitsa there is Lent, and after Holy Easter
- Holy, glorious, Great Day, great, joyful week
- Someone else's caress - Easter for an orphan
- As round as an egg is, so would my horse be
- There is a pillar for seven miles: on the eighth gate there are apple trees, on the apple tree the color is all over the world (Easter)
- For holy rain - good rye
- On the night of a bright Sunday there is frost - peas will not be born
- At Christmas on the porch, at Easter at the stove
- There was a fast, there will be a holiday! There was sadness, there will be joy!
- Spring is coming full of miracles - Christ is risen, Christ is risen!
- Expensive egg on Christ's Day
- Happy Sunday for everyone!
- Christ is risen! Christ is risen! Angels from heaven rejoice!
Easter riddles.
1. Strong round bottle
White in color, yolk inside.
The chickens carry it
Tell me your name. (Egg.)
2. I live in sea water,
If I’m not there, there will be trouble!
Every chef respects
And adds to taste. (Salt.)
3.Kittens love to drink
Yes, little guys. (Milk.)
4. They bake cheesecakes from me,
And pancakes and pancakes.
In cakes, pies and buns
They must put me down. (Flour.)
5. It is ripe on a branch,
The fruit is beautiful and tanned.
Squirrels love to chew on it,
Hide in a hollow for the winter. (Nut.)
6. The grapes were dried,
They put it in the sun.
She was tired from the heat,
And what has it turned into? (Raisin.)
Spring nursery rhymes.
Spring, beautiful spring!
Come, spring, with joy,
With joy, with joy,
With great mercy:
Ugly flax is tall,
Rye and oats are good!
Spring, red spring!
Come, spring, with joy!
With joy, with joy,
With great mercy!
With tall flax,
With deep roots!
With abundant bread!
With viburnum-raspberry!
With black currants
With pears and apples!
With azure flowers,
With grass-ant!
Spring, beautiful spring!
Come, spring, with joy,
With joy, with joy,
With great mercy:
Ugly flax is tall,
Rye and oats are good!
Spring is red, what did it come with?
On a bipod, on a harrow,
On a horse's head
On a sheaf of oatmeal,
On a rye ear,
On a grain of wheat.
Voditsa, voditsa,
Cold speedster,
Run around
Water our meadow!
In the forest, in the woods
Ant grass grew,
Has grown to the waist,
She wrapped herself around a birch tree.
We wove wreaths
The birch tree was curled,
Welcomed spring
They called out the cuckoo:
- Ku-ku, ku-ku, ku-ku!
Spring has come
Spring is red,
Ay, lyuli-lyuli,
Spring is red.
Spring has brought
golden keys,
Ay, lyuli-lyuli,
Golden keys.
You close it, Spring,
The winter is fierce.
Open up, Spring,
Warmth fly,
Ay, lyuli-lyuli,
It's warm.
Larks, larks,
Give us summer
And we will winter for you,
We don't have food
Larks, come,
Bring the red Spring.
Bring Spring on your tail,
On the plow, harrow,
On a sheaf of oats.
Larks, come,
Take away the cold winter,
Bring warmth to spring:
We're tired of winter
She ate all our bread,
And I picked up the straw,
And she picked up the chaff.
You little Easter cakes are larks,
Come together, come together.
Lark, lark!
Take winter for yourself
Give us spring.
Get yourself a sleigh
Give us the cart.
The lark is alive
Flying across the field
Without holidays, life is boring and monotonous. Holidays are created so that we can feel the fullness of life, have fun and take a break from routine worries. Winter would be especially dreary without the holidays - because of the frost and darkness you won’t be able to get out much in the evenings, and you’re already tired of TV! That's why there are so many in winter happy Holidays: New Year and Christmas and Epiphany.
New Year's changes or when does the New Year come?
The most beloved and long-awaited winter holiday for everyone has been and will be the New Year. Children are eagerly counting down the days until New Year's Eve in the hope of receiving gifts, and adults are rushing to get rid of the accumulated last year a load of problems. Celebrating the New Year on the night of December 31, many of us don’t even think that this wonderful holiday has been postponed several times. But in pagan times, the onset of the New Year was symbolically associated with the spring equinox and was celebrated old year March 22. Since 998, the year began on March 1, and this was due to the introduction of a new chronology (in connection with the Baptism of Rus') and the adoption of the Julian calendar. Over time, the New Year began to be celebrated on September 1. The idea was that by September the harvest had been harvested, which meant that the results of the past year could be summed up. In 1699 Peter I approved new date- January 1 and founded the tradition of waiting for the arrival of the New Year noisily and cheerfully.
Traditions of the festive feast for the New Year
To celebrate the New Year, it is customary to invite close friends and beloved relatives to visit you. Traditional New Year's festivities continue until the morning. On New Year's Day, gifts are placed under the Christmas tree for everyone without exception - both children and adults.
A mandatory attribute of the New Year celebration is a decorated Christmas tree. The forest guest is decorated not only with glass balls and garlands, but also with various “goodies” wrapped in foil - tangerines, candies, apples, nuts. Fir branches or wreaths are hung on the doors. Candles lit everywhere create a festive atmosphere.
The obligatory guests of New Year's Eve should be Father Frost and Snow Maiden. By the way, it is advisable to place symbolic images of these fairy-tale characters under the Christmas tree.
According to traditions, 12 different dishes should be presented on the New Year's table. However, the Soviet period of history made its own adjustments and now it is impossible to imagine New Year's table without Olivier salad, Soviet champagne and tangerine.
IN New Year's Eve it is customary to arrange with dressing up or putting on masquerade masks. To avoid getting bored, you can come up with fun competitions and games at the New Year's table.
The New Year comes into law at midnight on December 31st with the deafening chimes. In the last moments of the outgoing year, it is customary to accept congratulations from the current president. And while the glasses of champagne are clinking, you need to try to make a wish - if you have time, then it will definitely come true.
It is impossible to miss the onset of the New Year - fireworks and exploding firecrackers illuminating everything around will notify everyone about the event.
A little about Christmas celebrations
While the New Year is a magnificent and noisy holiday that does not provide for absolutely no restrictions on food or games, it is a quiet and modest holiday. On Christmas Eve, that is. On January 6, the fast ends, and the meal begins no earlier than the rising of the first star. For the meal on Holy Evening, you need to prepare 12 dishes, necessarily lenten, and, of course, kutya. Kutya was always cooked from wheat, rice, barley or peas and seasoned with sweet uzvar with honey, dried fruits, poppy seeds, etc.
But on Christmas (January 7) they were already preparing a festive dinner and the whole family sat down at the table. According to tradition, an armful of hay is symbolically placed on the table as a reminder that Jesus was born in a cattle shed. Meat and fish dishes are already prepared for the meal, but kutia should be the central dish of the evening. Traditionally, the celebration begins with kutia, because according to popular belief, anyone who eats at least one spoon of kutia on Christmas will be healthy and successful in the coming year.
It is very difficult for modern people to observe the age-old traditions of organizing this particular holiday. Constant employment, stress and haste do not allow us to allocate enough time to prepare the required 12 dishes or the same kutia. However, holidays are precisely designed to stop your running for a moment, give your loved ones your love and feel involved in the traditions of your people.
Celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord
The Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated on the night of January 18-19. Due to the fact that church baptism was a very important and significant event for true Christians, the baptism of the Savior Jesus Christ in the Jordan River acquired a special magnitude. Therefore, Epiphany is the main church holiday on which all Christians try to repent of the sins they have committed during the year.
Cleansing the soul occurs through swimming in a winter ice hole. First, a service dedicated to the Baptism of Christ is held in the church, and then all the priests and people who come to the church make a religious procession to a nearby reservoir. A hole is cut and the priest blesses the water according to all church canons. After consecration, the water becomes healing and plunging into ice water three times helps cleanse the soul and heal from illnesses. It is recommended to collect holy water and sprinkle it around the house, give it as medicine to sick people, or use it as a remedy for various love spells, the evil eye, etc.
On Epiphany Eve it is customary to cook lean porridge and vegetables for dinner. The evening before Epiphany has long been famous for folk festivities, fortune telling and other sacraments. For example, on Epiphany it was customary to choose a bride, baptize children and enter into marriages.
Epiphany ends the cycle of winter holidays, and winter begins to gradually lose ground. Despite the fact that the Epiphany frosts are the most severe, the people knew that winter was finally falling.
Elena Sirotinkina
Lesson summary “Winter holidays. Christmas"
Winter holidays. Wed. gr.
Target: Introduce CHRISTMAS holiday.
To form children's ideas about winter, winter phenomena.
Develop passive and active vocabulary, memory, attention, thinking, creative imagination, fine motor skills.
Pin winter months.
Equipment: A set of paintings about winter; Coloring pages with pictures Christmas tree; Training apparatus "Seasons" By fine motor skills (with a set of clothes, signs winter: snowdrifts, snowflakes, clouds). Tambourine.
Vos. Guys, today I completely accidentally heard the dolls talking. Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you, the dolls were talking. After all, miracles happen on NEW YEAR!
And you know, I was very upset by what I heard. And they said that they had never seen winter, and did not even know what it was, much less had they ever celebrated the NEW YEAR.
Guys, I can’t handle this matter without you.
Can you help?
Children: Yes!
The teacher invites the children to take each doll and approach winter picture.
They look at it and tell what is depicted there.
List winter fun(sledding, skiing, skating, playing snowballs, making a snowman, building a fortress.)
Vos. Guys, is it fun in winter?
Children: Yes!
Vos. But what is winter like?
Children: Cold.
Vos. Winter is a cold season. And you still like it?
(children's answers)
Vos. Winter is also a very beautiful time of year.
And who will call me winter months?
Children: December January February.
Vos. Which one then holiday do we celebrate in december?
Children: NEW YEAR!
Vos. And of course, the NEW YEAR cannot be without a beauty... (Christmas trees)
The main character at NEW YEAR'S the holiday is?
Children: Ded Moroz and Snegurochka.
Vos. And gives gifts to children. What are you doing on holiday?
Children: We read poems, sing songs, dance, dance around the Christmas tree.
Vos. I suggest you arrange such fun for our dolls, but only on the street.
You said that winter is a cold season. So we need to dress warmer, dress our dolls.
Finger gymnastics.
“We went for a walk in the yard”
One two three four five, (children bend their fingers)
We went for a walk in the yard. (walk along the table with the index and middle
fingers)
They sculpted a snow woman (make a lump with both hands)
The birds were fed crumbs, ( "crumb" bread with all fingers)
Then we rode down the hill (lead index finger palm)
And they were also lying in the snow (palms are placed on the table, first one, then the other
side)
Everyone came home covered in snow, (dusts off palms)
We ate soup and went to bed ( "eating soup")
Then the children go to the boxes with clothes and dress the dolls, following the dressing algorithm (pants, jacket, hat, boots). They come together with the doll to the rugs and create their own winter picture(attached to Velcro: sun, snowdrifts, clouds, snowflakes on a tree, bunny). While the children are working, an audio recording plays with the sounds of wind and creaking snow.
Children answer the teacher’s questions to reinforce signs winter: the sun shines but does not warm, snowstorms often blow, blizzards howl, there is snow everywhere, the rivers are covered with ice, the trees stand without leaves, only pines and spruces remain green.
Breathing exercises.
Children create an artificial storm.
Vos. Guys, it's getting cold. But we promised to show the dolls how the NEW Year is celebrated, and at the same time we will warm up.
Round dance around the Christmas tree. (with audio recording)
Vos. Well, did you have fun and warm up? It's time for us to go back. Guests will soon come to us, and we need to prepare for their meeting, put things in order.
Children change clothes of dolls, neatly fold things.
Surprise moment.
Children come to visit us preparatory group (mummers) with carols, and we give them sweets.
Vos. This is how we celebrate CHRISTMAS!
Did you like it?
« CHRISTMAS and NEW Year are firmly connected with the tradition of decorating the Christmas tree, dressing up, carols, dancing, general fun, and also giving gifts.”
And for our dolls, we ourselves will make a gift with our own hands.
Children color a New Year's picture and give it to the dolls.
Publications on the topic:
How to introduce a child to his native village. Recommendations for parents Recommendations for parents “How to introduce a child to his native village” 1. PRI R O D A Our village of Shatki is located in the south of Nizhny Novgorod.
What kind of holiday is being prepared here? Maybe the guests of honor will come? Maybe the generals will come? No. Maybe the admirals will come? No. And who will come?
Our winter traditions. For a number of years in our kindergarten The Winter Buildings competition is taking place. Without changing your traditions, taking the buckets.
Dear colleagues and educators! Not so long ago there was a Christmas holiday. And I would like to say a little about this wonderful holiday.
Type of project: short-term, cognitive-speech, creative. Dates: 1 week – from January 11 to January 15. Project participants:.
Christmas - one of the favorite holidays of the Russian people and in Orthodox Rus', and in modern Russia. Winter began with him
Christmastide (a two-week period from Christmas to Epiphany, in the middle of which the New Year was celebrated). Christmas coincided with the winter solstice, when, according to the observations of our distant ancestors, daylight hours began to gradually increase. In ancient times, on December 25, the birth of the sun was celebrated, which foreshadowed the spring revival of nature. The Catholic and Protestant churches still celebrate the Nativity of Christ on this day, and in Russia in 1918 it was moved to January 7.
The 40-day Nativity (Filippovsky) fast preceding Christmas usually ended with Christmas Eve, during which, with the appearance of the first star in the sky, the festive meal began.
On the morning of Christmas Day in Orthodox Rus' it was customary to sing carols (from the word “kolyada”). The exact meaning and origin of the word “kolyada” have not yet been established. There is speculation that it has something in common with the Roman word "calenda", which means the beginning of each month (hence the word "calendar"). Another hypothesis comes down to the fact that the word “kolyada” comes from the word “kolo” - a circle, a bracelet and means the end of the solar circle, its “turn” to the summer (“The sun is for summer, winter is for frost,” says the Russian proverb ). Kolyada was also the name of one of the ancient Slavic solar deities.
Most often children and youth caroled, less often adults. Walking from house to house with a star symbolizing the star of Bethlehem, as well as singing carols (ancient congratulatory songs in honor of Kolyada), Christmas hymns glorifying Christ - essential elements holiday. According to the Gospel, the Star of Bethlehem led the Magi to the cave where Jesus was born. During the festive tour of the courtyards, carolers praised the owners, their children and the house.
For example:
Kolyada was born
Christmas Eve
Behind the river, behind the fast one.
How Kolyada searched
Sovereign's courtyard.
Found by Kolyada
The Sovereign's Court!
Sovereign's yard
Not small, not big,
On ten pillars
On the seven winds.
The owners gave gifts to the mummers, invited them into the house, and treated them. Kolyada himself, an ancient Slavic mythological character, is mentioned in most Christmas greeting folk songs.
Christmastide was celebrated from December 25 (January 7) to January 6 (January 19). The first six days were called "holy evenings", the second six - "terrible evenings". The ancient Slavs had holidays during this period associated with the cult of nature, its revival, the turning of the sun towards spring and the increase in the duration daylight hours. This explains many conditionally symbolic actions that have come down to us since pagan times. Religious and magical rituals aimed at caring for the future harvest, spells about the offspring of livestock symbolized the beginning of preparation for spring, for a new cycle of agricultural work.
This determined the content of many carols, which invariably included wishes for a good harvest and prosperity. In the middle of Christmas time, December 31 (January 13), i.e. On New Year's Eve, Vasiliev's evening was celebrated (or as it was also called “generous evening”). Again, children and youth went from house to house with congratulations and carol songs. Each participant in the ritual had his own favorite carol, which he sang to the owner of the house and members of his family.
In New Year's rituals, one is struck by the abundance of motifs associated with the spring and summer peasant work, although, it would seem, these works are still far away (in carol songs, the hardworking owner, praised by the carolers, “walks around the yard with a plow”, “reaps a good harvest”, and "cattle are grazing in the meadow"). This is explained by the fact that the original basis of winter New Year’s customs was the so-called “magic of the first day”: peasants believed that everything that happened on the first day of the new birth of the sun would spread to all subsequent days, weeks, months and the year as a whole.
Gift giving during caroling was not just payment, but a kind of magical act, designed, like the whole ritual, to ensure good luck for the family in the coming year. Carolers received special ritual food: figured cookies depicting domestic animals (“kozulki”, “cows”), as well as pies, cheesecakes, etc. Moreover, right up to the 20th century, it remained in the minds of the peasants ancient meaning this gifting. It was believed that if the housewife did not give gifts to the carolers, then the bins in her household would be empty in the coming year. This belief was reflected in the texts of the carols.
For example:
There's a pie on the stove
Don't cut it. don't break it
Better give it all!
Who will serve the pie?
So the yard is full of cattle,
Ninety bulls
One and a half hundred cows.
Won't you give me some pie?
We take the bull by the horns...
Numerous fortune tellings were associated with the magic of the first day, with the help of which people tried to guess their fate in the new year. Most fortune telling took place in the second half of Christmastide. People called these evenings “terrible”, since there was a belief that all evil spirits resist the rising sun and gather together to resist it. Any fortune-telling, according to popular belief, is impossible without the help of witches, devils, werewolves and other representatives of evil spirits.
For two weeks, the entire population gathered for holiday parties - the so-called gatherings and games, at which they sang round dance and dance songs, ditties, arranged all kinds of games, and acted out skits; the mummers came here.
Mummering was one of the favorite pastimes of young people. Mummering once had a magical meaning, but over time it turned into entertainment.
The Christian holiday ends the winter holidays - Baptism, on the eve of which Epiphany Christmas Eve is celebrated, the last day of Christmas festivities. Epiphany is one of the twelve main (twelfth) Christian holidays. It is based on the Gospel story of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River by John the Baptist.
On the eve of Epiphany, the girls wondered. At the same time, so-called dish songs were often heard, during which objects belonging to one or another participant in the fortune-telling were taken out of a vessel with water. The words of the song sung at the same time were supposed to predict certain events in the girl’s life.
In Rus', the celebration of Epiphany was accompanied by rituals associated with faith in the life-giving power of water. The main event of the holiday is the blessing of water - the rite of great consecration of water. It was held not only in Orthodox churches, but also in ice holes. A hole was made in the ice in the shape of a cross, which is traditionally called Jordan. After the church service, a procession of the cross headed by the priest goes to her. The consecration of water, the solemn religious procession near the Jordan, and the filling of vessels with holy water are the constituent elements of this ritual.
According to custom, at Epiphany, people organized bride viewings: elegant girls stood near the Jordan, and boys with their mothers looked for brides for themselves.
On this day, the Russian people carefully monitored the weather. It was noted that if it snows while walking on water, then next year will be a grain-bearing year.
One of the favorite holidays of the Russian people was Maslenitsa - An ancient Slavic holiday marking farewell to winter and welcoming spring, in which the features of agrarian and family-tribal cults are strongly expressed. Maslenitsa is characterized by many conditionally symbolic actions associated with the expectation of the future harvest and offspring of livestock.
A number of ritual moments show that Maslenitsa festivities were associated with appeals to the sun, “going into the summer.” The entire structure of the holiday, its plot and attributes were designed to help the sun prevail over winter - the season of cold, darkness and temporary death of nature. Hence the special significance of solar signs during the holiday: the image of the sun in the form of a rolling burning wheel, pancakes, horseback riding in a circle. All ritual actions are aimed at helping the sun in its fight against cold and winter: primitive people as if they did not believe that the sun would certainly complete its circle, he had to be helped. A person’s “help” was expressed in seminal magic - the image of a circle or circular movement.
Pancakes, a must for Maslenitsa, not only symbolize the increasingly frequent appearance of the sun, but are also an ancient ritual funeral food for all Eastern Slavs. Associated with the cult of ancestors is the custom of leaving the first baked pancakes outside the window for birds to peck at.
In some places the first pancake was given to the poor so that they would remember the dead.
Many families started baking pancakes on Monday. The night before, when the stars appeared, the eldest woman in the family, quietly from the others, went out to the river, lake or well and called on the month to look out the window and blow on the dough.
This is reflected in the lyrics of some so-called Maslenitsa songs:
Month, you, month,
Your golden horns!
Look out the window
Blow on the dough!
Each housewife had her own recipe for making pancakes and kept it secret from her neighbors. Usually pancakes were baked from buckwheat or wheat flour, large, the size of a frying pan or the size of a tea saucer, thin and light. They were served with sour cream, eggs, caviar, etc.
Maslenitsa is the most cheerful, riotous holiday, awaited by everyone with great impatience. Maslenitsa was called honest, broad, and cheerful. They also called her Lady Maslenitsa, Mrs. Maslenitsa.
Already on Saturday, on the eve of the holiday, they began to celebrate the “small Maslenka”. On this day, children rode down the mountains with special excitement. There was a sign: whoever rides further will have longer flax in his family. On the last Sunday before Maslenitsa, it was customary to pay visits to relatives, friends, neighbors and invite everyone to visit Maslenitsa.
Maslenitsa week was literally overflowing with festive activities. Ritual and theatrical performances, traditional games and fun filled all the days to capacity. In many regions of Russia, it was customary to make a Maslenitsa effigy from straw and dress it in women's dress and drive through the streets. Then the scarecrow was placed somewhere in a prominent place: this is where Maslenitsa entertainment mainly took place.
An atmosphere of general joy and fun reigned at Maslenitsa. Each day of the holiday had its own name; each day was assigned certain actions, rules of conduct, customs, etc.
The first day - Monday - was called “Maslenitsa meeting”. They waited for her and greeted her like a living being. Children went outside in the morning to build snow mountains. At the same time, they quickly wailed: “I called, I called honest Semik Maslenitsa to visit you in your yard. Are you my soul, Maslenitsa, quail bones, your paper body, your sugar lips, your sweet speech! Come visit me in the wide yard on the mountains, roll around in pancakes, amuse your heart,” “Are you, my Maslenitsa, red beauty, light brown braid, thirty brothers, sister, forty grandmothers granddaughter. Come to my clapboard house to enjoy your speech, amuse your soul, and have fun with your body!”
Russian people began the Maslenitsa celebration by visiting their relatives. In the morning, the father-in-law and mother-in-law sent their daughter-in-law to her father and mother for the day, and in the evening they themselves came to visit the matchmakers. Here, at a circular bowl, they agreed on how and where to spend their time. Who to invite to visit, when to ride through the streets in troikas.
By the first day of Maslenitsa, public mountains, swings, hanging and round, and booths for buffoons were set up. Not going to the mountains, not riding on swings, not making fun of buffoons, not having fun in the old days meant only one thing - to be sick, weak, to live in bitter misfortune.
On the days of the holiday, the mother-in-law was obliged to teach her daughter-in-law how to bake pancakes, because the newlyweds were celebrating the first Maslenitsa with their family. If there is no mother-in-law, then the mother-in-law comes to her son-in-law’s house and teaches her daughter how to bake pancakes. In the old days, the son-in-law and daughter had to personally invite her to “teach her wisdom.” This invitation was considered a great honor by our ancestors, and all neighbors and relatives talked about it. The invited mother-in-law was obliged to send in the evening everything necessary for baking pancakes: a tagan, frying pans, a ladle and a tub in which the dough was placed. The father-in-law sent a bag of buckwheat or millet flour and cow butter. The son-in-law's neglect of these customs was considered a great insult.
The second day of the holiday - Tuesday - was called “flirts”. Girls and young men were invited to play and visit each other to ride in the mountains and eat pancakes. On this day, the brothers built mountains for the sisters in the middle of the courtyard. Parents sent a “request” to relatives and friends to invite their daughters and sons with the words: “Our mountains are ready and pancakes are baked - we ask you to be kind.” The messengers were greeted with honor and greetings, treated to wine and pancakes, and released with the order: “Bow to the master and mistress with the children, with all the household members.”
The third day of Maslenitsa - Wednesday - was called "gourmet". On this day, mothers-in-law invited their sons-in-law for pancakes. The mocking Russian people composed several songs about their caring mother-in-law (“How the mother-in-law baked pancakes about her son-in-law,” “How the mother-in-law’s head hurts,” “How tired the son-in-law was, he said “thank you” to his father-in-law”), which were sung in the evening only by single guys, this is playing out everything that was sung about in these songs.
“Broad” Thursday is the culmination of the holiday, its “revelry”, a turning point. On this day, skating continued through the streets, Maslenitsa rituals and fist fights took place. Entire trains were assembled for the ride. They chose a huge sleigh, placed a pole in the middle, and tied a wheel to the pole. Behind this sleigh was a train with people singing and playing. In the old days, in some places, a tree decorated with rags and bells was carried on a sleigh. Honest Maslenitsa sat down nearby, accompanied by jesters and singers.
Fist fights began in the morning and ended in the evening. At first there were fights “on your own”, i.e. one on one, and then “wall to wall”.
Friday - “mother-in-law’s evening”: the holiday is still in full swing, but is already beginning to move towards its end
On this day, sons-in-law treated their mothers-in-law to pancakes. In the old days, the son-in-law was obliged to personally invite his mother-in-law the evening before, and then, in the morning, send elegant messengers for her. The more of them there were, the more honors the mother-in-law received. Usually a friend or matchmaker performed these duties and received gifts from both sides for their troubles.
Saturday is “sister-in-law’s get-together.” On this day, the young daughter-in-law invited her relatives to her place. If her sisters-in-law were still girls, the daughter-in-law called her girl friends; if they were married, then all the married relatives with the whole train were invited, and the newlywed daughter-in-law was obliged to present her sisters-in-law with gifts.
In many provinces on Saturday, children built a snow town with towers and gates on rivers, ponds, and fields. Then they were divided in half: some guarded the town, others had to fight to occupy it and destroy it. Adults also took part in this game. After the capture of the town, general fun began, then everyone went home singing.
The last day of Maslenitsa - Sunday - is called “farewell”, “tselovnik”, “forgiveness Sunday”.
Forgiveness Sunday is celebrated 50 days before Easter. On Forgiveness Day, it is customary to repent of the sins committed during the holiday (and not only on these days) and ask each other for forgiveness for the voluntary or involuntary offenses caused. This is the special Christian meaning of Forgiveness Sunday: before the 48-day Great Lent, every person must be cleansed and forgiven by all people and must forgive all loved ones.
They asked for forgiveness from both the living and the dead: in the morning everyone went to the cemetery and remembered their parents. On the way back we went into the church and asked for forgiveness and remission of sins from (priests.
The newlyweds went to their relatives to present their father-in-law, mother-in-law, matchmakers and friends with wedding gifts. Everyone asked forgiveness from all relatives and friends. At the same time, people said to each other: “Forgive me, perhaps I will be guilty of anything before you,” followed by a low bow and a kiss.
There was another ritual custom - burning an effigy of Maslenitsa. On Forgiveness Sunday, the youth took the scarecrow of Maslenitsa to the rye field with the song “It’s enough, winter, winter.” Saying goodbye to Maslenitsa, they sang:
Maslenitsa, liar,
Deceived, deceived,
Brought to the post
She ran away on her own.
Maslenitsa, come back,
Show up on New Year's Day.
Maslenitsa, goodbye
Come next year!
Finally, Maslenitsa was set on fire with bunches of straw, throwing them up or scattering them across the field. The magical meaning of such a ritual has its origins in ancient beliefs; fire has always purified and protected. Now the fire was called upon to melt the snow and bring spring closer.
Thus, in this last winter holiday we find a mixture of pagan and Christian rituals. The image of Maslenitsa in the form of a straw effigy (or wooden idol), buffoon games, burning the effigy or throwing it into water belong to pagan rites, while everyone’s requests for forgiveness on the eve of Lent, “farewell to the dead” in the cemetery personify Christian ideas. Some researchers consider the ritual of burning an effigy as a symbol of the eternal triumph of Christianity over paganism.
The arrival of spring in the popular consciousness was associated with the awakening of nature after winter sleep and, in general, with the revival of life. On March 22, on the day of the vernal equinox and the beginning of astronomical spring, Magpies were celebrated in Rus'. There was a belief that it was on this day that forty birds, forty great birds return to their homeland and the magpie begins to build a nest. For this day, housewives baked spring birds - larks - from dough. Throwing them up, the children sang chants - short inviting songs, calling (“hooking”) spring.
The arrival of spring, the arrival of birds, the appearance of the first greenery and flowers have always evoked joy and creativity among the people. After the winter trials, there was hope for a good spring and summer, for a rich harvest. And therefore, people have always celebrated the arrival of spring with bright, beautiful rituals and holidays. We were eagerly awaiting spring. When she was late, the girls climbed the hills and sang stoneflies:
Bless, mother,
Call for spring,
Call for spring,
Say goodbye to winter!
Finally, she came, the long-awaited one. She was greeted with songs and round dances. On April 7, people celebrated a Christian holiday Annunciation. On this day, every Orthodox Christian considered it a sin to engage in any business. The Russian people believed that the cuckoo somehow violated this custom by trying to make a nest for itself, and was punished for this: now it can never have its own nest and is forced to throw its eggs into others.
The Annunciation - a Christian holiday - is one of the twelve. It is based on the Gospel legend about how the Archangel Gabriel brought the good news to the Virgin Mary about the impending birth of her divine baby Jesus Christ.
The Christian religion emphasizes that on this day the beginning of the mysterious communication between God and man was laid. Hence the special significance of the holiday for believers.
The Feast of the Annunciation coincides in time with the beginning of spring sowing: many of its rituals are associated with turning to the Mother of God with prayers for a good, abundant harvest, warm summer, etc.
There is a popular belief that on this day the Mother of God sows all the fields of the earth from heavenly heights.
The main Christian holiday is Easter -"feast of holidays." It is celebrated by the Christian Church in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ crucified on the cross.
Easter belongs to the so-called moving holidays. The date of its celebration is constantly changing and depends on lunar calendar. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox. To determine the day of Easter celebration, special tables are compiled - Easter. Easter's roots go back to the distant past. Initially, it was a spring festival of cattle-breeding and then agricultural tribes.
Easter is preceded by a seven-week Lent. Its last week is called Passion and is dedicated to remembering the passion (suffering) of Christ. In the old days, preparations were underway throughout Russia for Easter: they cleaned, washed, cleaned homes, baked Easter cakes, painted eggs, in preparation for the big celebration.
Thursday in Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday. On this day, church services are dedicated to memories of the Last Supper. The night of Holy Saturday usually presented a magnificent spectacle wherever there were Orthodox churches: a religious procession began to the sounds of the blagovest (a special type of bell ringing). In Moscow, a solemn service on Easter night took place in the Assumption Cathedral in the presence of the Tsar.
On Saturday, Easter cake and Easter are supposed to be blessed in the temple. Kulich is an Easter butter bread baked with the addition of sweets, apples and berries. Easter is a ritual food that is mixed with cottage cheese, sugar, eggs, raisins, and butter. If the Easter cake is round, then Easter has a tetrahedral shape, symbolizing the Holy Sepulcher. And on the walls of the form there are patterns and letters, symbolizing the holiday of the Resurrection. Having blessed the Easter cake, the hostess quickly went home. It was believed that the bread would grow as quickly as the housewife returned home. Pieces of Easter cake were never thrown away, dried and carefully stored.
On Easter the sun is shining. Its pure beneficial rays bring us purification and joy. That’s why in the old days the whole village went out at noon to watch the “sun play”, asking him for a good harvest, for good health.
The people have preserved many customs and rituals associated with the celebration of Easter. On Easter, everyone goes to visit each other, shares Christ, wishes the owners happiness and prosperity, and gifts each other with colored eggs and Easter cakes.
On Bright Sunday, festive festivities begin, which previously lasted throughout Bright Week. On Easter, all interested men are allowed to climb the bell tower and ring the bells. Therefore, this day is always filled with the solemn sound of bells.
With Bright Week, the first spring round dances, games and outdoor festivities begin. Preparations are underway for weddings that take place on Krasnaya Gorka.
The Russian people have always respected their ancestors and deified them. One of these days of remembrance of people who have passed away was Radunitsa. Easter week passed, and the following Tuesday was celebrated as a memorial day. They took Easter cakes and colored eggs with them to the cemetery.
According to popular belief, the souls of our ancestors rise above the earth during these days of spring and invisibly touch the treats that we bring to please them. Memories of relatives, loved ones, care for your family, concern so that the souls of your ancestors do not despise your family, and symbolizes Radunitsa - spring commemoration. The very word “care” contains the meaning of trouble, effort with all your heart. To rejoice is also to care, to care. The people believed that by organizing spring commemorations, we both bring joy to the souls of our ancestors, and we care and take care of them.
The height of the spring holiday festivities falls on Red hill. Red Hill begins on Fomin Sunday. This is one of the national holidays of the Red Spring; V On this day, our ancestors celebrated spring, walked through the streets with songs, danced in circles, played, stoneflies sang. Betrotheds were married on Krasnaya Gorka and weddings were played.
The name of the holiday is due to the fact that the sun begins to shine brighter, turning the hillocks thawed from the snow reddish. Mountains and hillocks were always revered by the ancient Slavs, endowed with magical properties: mountains, according to legend, are the cradle of humanity, the abode of the gods. The dead have long been buried in the mountains. Hence the custom after mass on this day to go to the cemetery: to remember the dead, to clean up the graves and decorate them with flowers.
The holidays began at sunrise, when young people went out onto a sunlit hill or hillock. Led by a round dancer holding a round loaf of bread in one hand and a red egg in the other, they danced in circles and welcomed spring. Brides and grooms walked in festive attire, looking closely at each other.
The celebration of Krasnaya Gorka was accompanied by various rituals, among which we can highlight the vine rituals. Young people gathered on Fomino Sunday after lunch and went in crowds to the houses where weddings had been played the day before. She was treated and given eggs, pies and Easter cakes. After this, the boys and girls again danced in circles, choosing from their midst beautiful girl, symbolizing spring. She was decorated with greenery, flowers, and a wreath of fresh flowers was placed on her head. Round dances, vines, and wreaths symbolized the return of the sun, a new circle in life and in nature.
The sun was shining brighter, the earth was covered with lush green vegetation, and on Thursday, the seventh week after Easter, a holiday was celebrated in Russia Semik(this is where its name comes from). Semitic rituals originate in the pagan beliefs of the ancient Slavs, who revered nature and the spirits of vegetation. The custom of decorating a home with fresh greenery and fragrant herbs, branches and young birch trees, etc. has survived to this day.
Semik marked the end of spring and the beginning of summer. The ritual of the holiday is based on the cult of vegetation. Another name for Semik has also been preserved - Green Christmastide. They celebrated in groves, forests, on the banks of rivers, where young people sang, danced, wove wreaths, curled birch trees, etc. until late at night.
A cheerful crowd often headed to the river to throw wreaths: the girl whose wreath floats to the shore first will be the first to get married, but if the wreath spins in one place, its owner is destined to spend another year as a “girl.”
These predictions served for fun, relaxation, jokes and amusement. At the same time, they provided grounds for thinking about their fate. Old women explained to young girls what the different positions of the wreaths meant, taught them to read how fate would turn out, thereby pushing them to make certain decisions.
Curling a birch tree is a ritual that comes from ancient times. The girls believed that this was how they tied themselves tightly to the guy they loved. They also wondered about the future or wished a speedy recovery for their loved ones. It was believed that birch branches had great healing powers on these days. An infusion of birch leaves was also considered healing. Birch branches protected the huts of our ancestors from unclean spirits. To this day, peasants stick Semitsk birch branches into the corners of houses so that purity and healing spirit are transferred to the walls.
It was Semitic Thursday that was the day when they predicted what would happen. (If the curled branches of the birch did not wither before Trinity, this meant that the plan would definitely come true).
Russian people call Semik honest, like Maslenitsa, considering it one of the three main summer holidays, which is confirmed by the words of the ancient “Trinity” song:
Like we have three holidays a year:
The first holiday is Semik honest,
Another holiday is Trinity Day,
And the third holiday is the Bathing Suit.
N.P. Stepanov in his book “Folk Holidays in Holy Rus'” recalls the famous commander A.V. Suvorov, “who, despite all his greatness, gathered guests at Semik, with whom he dined in a birch grove under curly green birch trees intertwined with multi-colored ribbons, while singing folk songs. After dinner, he played round dances not only with the girls, but also with the soldiers, played burners, running around like a young man” 2.
On the Sunday after Semik, Russia celebrated Trinity or Pentecost.
2 Stepanov N.P. Folk holidays in Holy Rus'. - M., 1992.-S. 52-53.
For all Slavs, Saturday on the eve of Trinity is the traditional day of remembrance of the dead (in Orthodox calendar it is called “parental Saturday”): on this day it is customary to visit the cemetery, order prayer services, and light funeral bonfires. Sometimes boys and girls dance in circles around the “Saturday bonfires.” These games reveal a ritual of purification by fire, widespread in ancient times, closely associated with the cults of the earth and ancestors. Thus, the ancient ritual combines the memory of the departed and the joyful meeting of spring shoots, a festive hymn to the nurse-earth and everything that lives and grows on it.
Trinity Sunday is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, hence its second name.
The Christian meaning of the Trinity holiday is based on the biblical story of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles on the 50th day after the Resurrection of Christ, after which they began to understand all languages. In the Christian religion, this is interpreted as the desire of Christ to carry his teachings to all peoples of the earth in all languages.
The church devotes the first day of Pentecost, Sunday, to honoring the Holy Trinity. This day is popularly called Trinity Day; the next day, Monday, is dedicated to the Holy Spirit, which is why it is called Spiritual Day. On these days, solemn services are held in churches.
On the holiday of Trinity, it is customary to decorate churches and homes with branches and flowers and stand at the service with flowers.
In Russia, Trinity has absorbed those customs and rituals that are characteristic of the Semik holiday. Since ancient times, the Trinity was accompanied by wreathing, fortune telling, boating, etc.
The Russian birch tree became the symbol of the holiday. Decorating a birch tree, wringing and curling wreaths, decorating the windows of houses with fresh birch branches, collecting medicinal herbs on these days - all these customs originate in the beliefs of the ancient Slavs.
The holiday of Trinity is celebrated throughout the Christian world. And almost everywhere it is not only a church holiday, but also a national holiday. In Trinity rituals, ancient customs associated with the celebration of the flowering of nature and the arrival of warmth and light on earth can be traced throughout. Rituals are also performed, the main purpose of which is to ensure the future harvest, health, well-being of all people, good offspring of livestock, etc.
On this day, festive processions, dances and round dances, rites of blessing people, fields, greenery and grass are held. Rituals related to water are very common on Trinity. The playful pouring of water on each other is an echo of the magical ritual of making rain. Boat rides decorated with greenery and flowers, as well as pilgrimages to holy springs, are also popular. The custom of consecrating water has been known for a long time, while power and healing properties are also attributed to Trinity water (it is used to sprinkle crops, irrigate gardens, ensuring future harvests.)
Semik and Trinity are holidays with dancing, noisy cheerful processions, with the choice of a Trinity bride, etc. The Trinity bride, at the head of the festive procession, goes around the village or city, sometimes participating in the ceremony of consecrating fields and springs.
Ivan Kupala- the next big summer folk festival. The Kupala week, celebrated by the ancient Slavs, coincided in time with the day summer solstice. The holiday was dedicated to the sun and was associated with the most ancient cults of the Slavs - the cult of fire and water. On this day, traditionally, people lit fires, swam in warmer rivers, and doused each other with water.
After the adoption of Christianity in Rus', this day (June 24) began to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist (John the Baptist), who, according to legend, baptized Jesus Christ. Due to the fact that the celebration of Kupala week coincided with this church holiday, the people adopted its new name “Ivan Kupala Holiday”.
On Ivan Kupala, medicinal plants are also collected, which, according to legend, are full of special healing powers. The meaning of the word “Kupala” is interpreted differently. Some researchers consider it to be derived from the word “kupny” (together, joint, connected). Others explain its origin from the word “kupa” (pile, bale). In some regions of Russia, the hearth as a place in which a fire is lit is called a “bathroom”.
In ancient Slavic mythology, Kupalo was considered the deity of earthly fruits. Before the grain harvest, sacrifices were made to him. At the same time, Kupala is an angry, hot deity, seething with anger and rage; it serves as a symbol of fire. According to popular belief, the sun rides out on three horses on this day: silver, gold and diamond; it rejoices and scatters fiery arrows across the sky. People believe that the sun “plays” five times a year: at Christmas, at Epiphany, at the Annunciation, at Easter and on the day of Ivan Kupala. At the same time, the sound of the word “kupala” coincides with the word “to bathe”, to immerse in water. It is no coincidence that ritual bathing and dousing with water are indispensable attributes of the holiday. On this day, at dawn, it was customary to swim in the river and wash with dew - such actions were attributed with magical, healing powers.
From summer holidays Ivan Kupala Day is the most cheerful and cheerful day; the entire population took part in it, and tradition required the active inclusion of everyone in all rituals and mandatory observance of customs.
Signs related to this holiday have survived to this day: “The dew on Ivan is strong - for the harvest of cucumbers”, “On Ivan’s night it’s starry - there will be a lot of mushrooms”, “If there is a thunderstorm on Ivan’s day, then there will be few nuts and they will be empty” .
The Ivanovo rains caused both joy and anxiety in the farmer: the crops really needed them and were already dangerous for the grass just before haymaking.
On the eve of Ivan Kupala, peasant women always washed “kvashenki” - tubs in which dough for baking bread was prepared - at the well or on the river.
One of the fairly common Kupala rituals is pouring water on everything that comes and goes. Village boys dress in old linen and go with buckets and jugs to the river, where they fill them with water, walk through the village, dousing everyone, making an exception only for old people and young people. But, of course, girls are the most willing to be doused. In turn, the girls try to take revenge on the guys and also run to the river for water. The matter ends with the young people, soaked to the skin, rushing in a crowd to swim in the river.
The main feature of the Kupala night is the cleansing bonfires. Having extracted “living fire” from wood by friction, bonfires were lit while singing special Kupala songs, undoubtedly having a symbolic meaning. They threw birch bark into the fire to make it burn more cheerfully and brightly. Guys and girls in festive attire usually gathered around the fires, where they danced in circles, and, holding hands, jumped over these fires in pairs, thinking that this would save them from all evils, illnesses, and grief. Judging by a successful or awkward jump, they predicted future happiness or misfortune, early or late marriage. “Fire cleanses from all filth of the flesh and spirit,” wrote one of the 19th century ethnographers, “and the entire Russian village jumps over it to Ivan Kupala.” Popular belief says: whoever jumps higher over the Kupala fire will have a higher ear of bread. Livestock was driven through the Kupala fire to protect it from pestilence. In the Kupala bonfires, mothers burned old shirts taken from sick children, so that the diseases themselves would burn along with them.
Youth, teenagers, children, jumping over the fires, made noisy funny Games. We definitely played burners. The participants lined up in pairs one after another and sang in chorus:
Burn, burn clearly, so as not to go out.
Look at the sky - the birds are flying,
The bells are ringing:
Ding-dong, ding-dong,
-Run away quickly!
At the last words, the first couple, without releasing their hands, ran forward, and the driver tried to catch up with them. During the game, different choruses were performed, each locality having its own, for example:
Stop, burn in place,
Burn, don't burn,
On the sides with eyes
Shoot less
And look at the sky,
There are cranes there
And we carried away our feet!
The trumpeters are going there
Yes, they eat rolls.
- One, two, don't be a crow
And run like fire.
According to peasant beliefs, in Kupala, the most short night in the year, which is considered a “terrible night”, you cannot sleep, as all evil spirits (witches, werewolves, mermaids, snakes, etc.) come to life and become especially active.
Ivan Kupala Day is associated with numerous customs and signs related to the plant world, which are expressed in Russian proverbs and sayings. (“Ivan Kupala - good herbs”, Midsummer came and went to collect grass”). Some herbs and flowers are collected during the day, some at night, and some only according to the morning dew. When the girls pick the herbs, they say, “Mother Earth, bless me, brother herbs.”
Herbs and flowers collected on Midsummer's Day are dried and preserved, considering them very healing compared to those collected at other times. They fumigate the sick, fight evil spirits, throw them into a flooded oven during a thunderstorm to protect the house from a lightning strike, and are also used to “kindle” love or to “dry it out.”
On the day of Ivan Kupala, girls make wreaths of herbs and in the evening they put them on the water, watching how and where they float. Mature women, being present, help interpret certain positions of the wreath, thereby pushing the girls to make one or another decision.
The main symbol of the holiday was the fern flower. According to legend, this fiery flower appears only on the night of Ivan Kupala. Anyone who manages to find a fern flower and pick it will become the ruler of the forest, will rule the paths in the forest, own treasures underground, the most beautiful girls will love him, etc. The main ritual elements of this day are immersion in water, traditional bathing, lighting fires (“bathing baths”), and sharing a meal. Cooking votive porridge in huge cauldrons also had a symbolic meaning. A joint ritual meal symbolized the unity of people, abundance, prosperity, fertility of the earth, etc. On this day, the baths were heated, laying grass and flowers on the floor. They steamed with brooms of Bogorodsk grass, fern, chamomile, Ivan da Marya, buttercup, wormwood, mint and other herbs to expel bodily impurity.
Swimming in rivers, reckless fun, washing away sadness, illness, the evil eye - all this was covered in ancient paganism, the custom of worshiping fire and water.
Most of the ancient rituals have been preserved only partially. Therefore, what is still valuable is what has survived. And we need to preserve its past for the people.
The next big summer holiday - Ilyin’s day, celebrated on July 20 of the Old Style (August 2 of the New Style) in honor of Elijah the Prophet, one of the especially revered Christian saints. Elijah's day served as a reference point for seasonal agricultural work; the end of haymaking and the beginning of the harvest are associated with it. It was these economic and everyday moments that made Elijah’s Day a significant celebration for the peasants. On the folk calendar until the beginning of the 20th century, this day was symbolized by the image of a wheel. A wheel with six spokes as a talisman against thunderstorms was common among Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians. In the 19th century, such signs were often carved on the piers (ridges of huts).
The sign in the form of a hexagonal wheel is found in the clay calendar of the 4th century, and therefore long before the introduction of the official cult of Perun. It is quite understandable why the day of veneration of this powerful deity and all his subsequent transformations fell on July 20. By this time, summer was approaching its hot and stormy period. The crops were almost ready for harvest. But a heavy downpour, lightning or hail was enough for everything to perish.
Therefore, on Elijah’s day, rituals were performed designed to preserve and protect both the harvest and the person himself.
What was the appearance of Elijah the Prophet in the popular imagination, and what rituals are associated with his day? He performs differently in different genres of folklore. In some, mainly in ritual poetry, he is merciful: he takes care of the harvest, livestock, and people’s health. This side of his appearance clearly appears in Belarusian ritual folklore: in schedrivkas, carols, stubble songs, as well as in spells. In them, Elijah the prophet is the giver of all blessings and mercies. In other genres, for example, in most legendary fairy tales, in laments, stories based on beliefs, he appears in his formidable guise as a thunderer, punishing and unmerciful.
Biblical legend and apocryphal tales, inscriptions on icons, and later popular prints created the idea of Elijah the Prophet as a “fiery,” “cloud-bearing” thunderer who threw lightning. Hearing thunder, people said that it was Elijah the prophet riding across the sky in a fiery chariot.
... Already in tune with the chariot of fire,
Above the prophets the prophet, with a blow, thunders,
Our father shows up.
Below him is a white, brave horse,
This horse is not simple either,
A good horse has a pearl tail
And a gilded mane,
Decorated with large pearls
In his eyes is a margarite stone,
From his mouth a fire-flame burns.
Ilya is popularly considered the master of rain. “Ilya holds thunderstorms,” says the proverb. A church legend also contributed to the idea of Elijah the Prophet as a rain bearer. The church accepted the popular belief. For a long time, on Elijah’s day and a week after it, religious processions were held with prayers for rain and a bucket. In Novgorod in the old days there were churches of Ilya the Mokroy and the Sukhoi. During a drought, a religious procession was held with prayers for rain to the first church, and with a request for dry, clear weather - to the other. In pre-Petrine Rus', the kings themselves took part in the visits to Ilya Sukhoi and Mokry. The Sukhoi and MokrogoIlya churches were built not only in Novgorod, but also in Moscow, Pskov and other cities. Since in many areas Ilyin’s day falls, as it were, on the border between summer and autumn, many proverbs, sayings, and observations are associated with it, noting this fact. For example: “Before Ilya, the man takes a bath, and from Ilya he says goodbye to the water.”
There are many popular explanations for why you can’t swim after Ilya’s day: from Ilya’s day, the water becomes colder because “Ilya throws a piece of ice” into it (whoever violates this prohibition will certainly get sick).
With Ilya’s Day, as popularly put it, the “red” days of summer ended and the turn to autumn began. “Prophet Elijah ends the summer and reaps the harvest.” The first morning colds appear, the nights lengthen: “Before Ilya, at least undress - after Ilya, put on a zipun,” says the proverb.
Many agricultural tips and signs related to the harvesting of crops, the upcoming winter sowing, and the ripening of vegetables are associated with Ilya’s day (“On Ilya’s day, cover the cabbage with a pot so that it is white.”)
Most Ilyinsky agricultural customs and rituals relate to the harvest. Ilya was most often associated with one of the oldest agricultural rituals - “beard curling,” which was widespread in the past both in Russia and in many European countries. The original meaning of this ritual is to ensure the harvest for the next year: “Here is a beard for you, Ilya, a crop of rye, oats, barley and wheat.”
One of the most striking rituals of Elijah's day is collective meals with the burying of a ram or a bull (the ritual is also common among many peoples of Europe). It originates in pre-Christian cults and has a very specific magical purpose - to ensure the harvest, the fertility of livestock, and well-being in the family. The stabbing ritual could be different, but basically it consisted of the following. The peasants gathered in their entire parish at the church and drove all the cattle there. The priest sprinkled the animals with holy water. After mass, an animal was chosen and bought by the whole world with money collected “from every soul.” He was slaughtered, the meat was boiled in a common cauldron and distributed to those present.
Along with “bull slaughter”, on the day of Elijah the Prophet, beer was brewed from grains collected from village residents. In some places, beer brewing took place together with the “bull slaughter”, in others it existed on its own. The celebration was accompanied by games and round dances. At the same time, young people gave gifts to the girls, often presenting small icons. Ilya was considered the patron of happiness and love.
However, it would be wrong to see in Ilya only an ally and protector. In folk stories, fairy tales, legends and beliefs, Ilya appears as a formidable messenger of God's wrath, merciless, jealously concerned about his veneration. Ilya's punitive function is closely related to the cleansing function. According to popular beliefs, he is called upon to cleanse the earth of all evil spirits, pursuing and destroying evil spirits, punishing people for bad deeds (“A thunderstorm thunders over all dark forces”).
Its miraculous power was also extended to natural phenomena associated with Elijah’s day: they washed themselves with Elijah’s rain, believing that it protected against all “enemy spells.”
The variety of traditions and customs of Ilyin’s Day, which is a kind of symbol of a responsible period of agricultural activity, is reflected in folklore, first of all, in proverbs and sayings, apt words, signs, etc. They embodied in a unique form the results of centuries of experience and practical wisdom of the peasant relating to this period of the year.
In August, the Russian people celebrate three Spasa- holiday dedicated to the All-Merciful Savior (Savior): August 1 (14) - honey Savior (Savior on the water), August 6 (19) - apple Savior (Savior on the Mountain), August 16 (29) - nut Savior (Savior on the canvas ). This saying is widely known:
“The first Savior is to stand on the water, the second Savior is to eat apples, the third Savior is to sell canvases.”
The first Savior is called honey because starting from this day, according to popular belief, bees stop taking honey bribes from flowers. On this day, Russian people visited each other and tried the first new honey. From August 6, throughout Russia they began to collect and eat apples and fruits, which were blessed in churches on this day. Until this day, it was impossible to eat apples. The days following the Apple Savior are called “gourmets”. “On the second day of the Savior even a beggar will eat an apple,” says the people. The custom of sharing apples and other fruits with all the poor was carefully observed. From this time on, the full harvest of garden and horticultural crops began. Summer was coming to an end.
Farewell to summer began with Semenov's day - from September 1 (14). The custom of welcoming autumn was widespread in Russia. It coincided in time with Indian summer. Celebrated in mid-September Autumn. Early in the morning, women went to the bank of a river or pond and met Mother Osenina with round oatmeal bread.
The Russian people had a wonderful tradition of the so-called “cabbages”, or “cabbages”, when after harvesting the cabbage, the owners invited people to visit. Neighbors came to the house, congratulated the owners on a good harvest, then chopped the cabbage and salted it with special songs dedicated to this event. Working together was always more successful, joyful, and successful.
At the end of the work, a common meal was arranged, for which beer was brewed in advance and pies with cabbage were baked. During this meal, the women promised to always help each other and be together in sorrow and in joy.
Thus, work and everyday life, everyday life and holidays were closely intertwined with each other, promoting the unity of people and their unity.
Among the autumn agricultural holidays, the beginning of the harvest should be noted - stings, and its ending - dozhinki.
Zazhinki and dozhinki are the most important agricultural holidays. Many researchers of Russian life talk about how they were carried out in Rus'. “In the morning, the zazhinshchiki and zazhinshitsy went out to their paddocks,” writes A.A. in his work. Corinthian, - the field was blooming and dappling with peasant shirts and women's scarves,... life-giving songs echoed from boundary to boundary. At each paddock, the hostess herself walked ahead of everyone else with bread and salt and a candle.
The first compressed sheaf - “zazhinochny” - was called the “birthday sheaf” and was set apart from the others; in the evening the woman who bought him took him, walked with him ahead of her household, brought him into the hut and placed the birthday boy in the red corner of the hut. This sheaf stood - right up to the dozhinki... At the dozhinki, a “worldly fundraiser” was organized in the villages, ... they baked a pie from new flour... and celebrated the end of the harvest, accompanied by special rituals dedicated to it. The reapers walked around all the harvested fields and collected the remaining uncut ears. From the latter a wreath was twisted, intertwined with wildflowers. This wreath was placed on the head of a young beautiful girl, and then everyone walked to the village singing. Along the way, the crowd increased with oncoming peasants. A boy walked ahead of everyone with the last sheaf in his hands.”
Usually dozhinki occur during the celebration of the three Saviors. By this time the rye harvest is over. The owners, having finished the harvest, carried the last sheaf to the church, where they consecrated it. Winter fields were sown with such grains sprinkled with holy water.
The last compressed sheaf, decorated with ribbons, rags, and flowers, was also placed under the icon, where it stood until the Intercession itself. According to legend, the sheaf had magical powers, promised prosperity, and protected against hunger. On the day of the Intercession, it was solemnly taken out into the yard and, with special spells, fed to domestic animals so that they would not get sick. Cattle fed in this way were considered prepared for a long and harsh winter. From that day on, she was no longer taken out to pasture, as the cold weather set in.
Other rites of the end of the harvest include the custom of leaving several unharvested ears of grain on the strip, which were tied in a knot (“they twisted the beard”). Then they were pressed to the ground with the words: “Ilya on the beard, so that the holy saint does not leave us next year without a harvest.”
A kind of milestone between autumn and winter was a holiday Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God, which was celebrated on October 1 (14). “On Pokrov before lunch it’s autumn, after lunch it’s winter,” people said.
Pokrov - one of the most revered by Orthodox believers religious holidays. In ancient church books there is a story about the miraculous appearance of the Mother of God, which occurred on October 1, 910. They describe in detail and colorfully how, before the end of the all-night service, at four o'clock in the morning, a local holy fool named Andrei saw that he was standing in the air above the heads of those praying The Mother of God, accompanied by a retinue of angels and saints. She spread a white veil over the parishioners and prayed for the salvation of the whole world, for the deliverance of people from hunger, flood, fire, sword and invasion of enemies. When the service ended, the holy fool Andrew told people about his vision, and the news of the miracle spread. In honor of this miraculous phenomenon, the Russian Church established a special holiday - the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God Virgin Mary, the mother of the God-man Jesus Christ, according to Christian teaching, played an important role in the salvation of the world.
According to popular beliefs, the Mother of God was the patroness of farmers. It was to her that the Russian people turned to pray for the harvest. It was from her that he expected help in difficult peasant labor. The very image of the earthly woman Mary, who gave birth to a divine son and sacrificed for the salvation of people, was close and understandable to believers, especially women. It was to the Mother of God that they turned with their troubles, worries, and aspirations.
The festive church service on the day of the Intercession is structured in such a way as to convince believers of the mercy and intercession of the Mother of God, of her ability to protect people from troubles and comfort them in grief. The service on the Feast of the Intercession is dedicated to revealing her image as the all-powerful patroness of this world and as a spiritual figure who unites heavenly and earthly powers around herself.
By the time of the celebration of the Intercession, autumn field work was ending, and the peasants solemnly celebrated these events. The folk harvest festival merged with the Christian one.
There are a lot of beliefs associated with the holiday of the Intercession, which have their roots in ancient times. Let's get to know some of them. “The Intercession will come and cover the girl’s head,” say the old men, and the girls, in turn, secretly pray: “Father Intercession, cover the ground with snow, and cover my young woman with a veil!” or “Pokrov, Most Holy Theotokos, cover my poor head with a pearl kokoshnik!” The girls spend the entire day of the holiday in their circle, throwing together a cheerful feast in the simple-minded confidence that “if you have fun during the Intercession, you will find a sweet friend.”
Thus, we examined the main calendar holidays, winter, spring, summer and autumn, the holding of which reflected the character of the Russian people, their beliefs, customs and traditions. Over the centuries, they have certainly undergone some changes associated with certain historical events and the change of eras. But the main meanings and meanings of these holidays are still important for our people.
Literature
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Vinogradova L.N. Winter calendar poetry of Western and Eastern Slavs: genesis and typology of caroling. M., 1982. Gromyko M. M. The World of Russian Village M., 1991.
Zhigulsky K. Holiday and culture. M., 1985
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Zelenin D.K. East Slavic ethnography. M., 1991.
Zemtsovsky I.I. Poetry of peasant holidays. M., 1970.
Ivleva L.M. Mummers in Russian traditional culture. St. Petersburg, 1994.
Calendar customs and rituals in foreign European countries. Winter holidays. M., 1973. Spring holidays. M., 1977. Summer-autumn holidays. M., 1978.
All year round. Russian agricultural calendar / Comp. A. F. Nekrylova. M., 1989.
People's month book. M., 1992.
Nekrylova A.F. Russian folk city holidays, entertainment and spectacles. The end of the 18th - the beginning of the 20th century. L, 1988.
Poetry of peasant holidays / Comp. Zemtsovsky I. I. M., 1973.
Holiday services and church celebrations in Moscow. M., 1995.
Propp V. Ya. Russian agrarian holidays: Experience of historical and ethnographic research. L., 1967.
Propp V.Ya. Russian agricultural holidays. L., 1963.
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Russians: Historical and Ethnographic Atlas. T. 1-2. M., 1967 -1970.
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Seleshnikov S.I. History of the calendar and chronology. M., 1977.
Snegirev I.M. Russian common holidays and superstitious
rituals. M., 1990.
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Ukrainians, Belarusians of the 19th - early 20th centuries. M., 1979.
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Stepanov N.P. National holidays in Holy Rus'. M., 1992.
Tereshchenko A. Life of the Russian people. St. Petersburg, 1996.
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Russian folk choreography. M., 1984.
Chicherov V.I. Winter period Russian folk agricultural calendar of the 16th-19th centuries. M., 1957. Shmelev I. Summer of the Lord. M., 1989. Ethnography of the Eastern Slavs: Essays traditional culture. M., 1987.
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Chapter 4. Artistic traditions of family holidays and rituals
Calendar holidays are associated with the change of seasons and the cycle of nature. Another group of holidays and rituals - family and everyday ones, are dedicated to the most important milestones of another cycle - the cycle of human life, reflecting a person’s life from birth to death, traditional life and family traditions.
These include: births, christenings, name days, housewarmings, weddings, funerals. It should be noted that family and calendar holidays and rituals are closely related to each other. Many scientists believe that agricultural and family rituals, especially wedding rituals, once formed a single whole, having one common goal - achieving well-being in the family and a good harvest. Not by chance great similarity is observed in calendar and wedding songs of an incantatory nature. A number of songs are performed at calendar holidays and weddings. One can often observe the transformation of agrarian-calendar rituals into family-domestic rituals (for example, bathing a newborn in a trough with cereal grains, meeting young mothers-in-law after the wedding in an inverted fur coat, ritual dishes of christening and funeral meals, etc.).
At the same time, being confined to the most significant events in the personal life of each person, and not constantly repeating dates due to the changing seasons, and, accordingly, other functions and other content make it possible to distinguish family holidays and rituals into a separate group. The sequence of implementation is objectively determined by human life itself. Therefore, we will begin our acquaintance with family and everyday holidays by considering maternity rituals.
Maternity rites
Customs and rituals of the maternity cycle have played a huge role since ancient times. We must not forget that the first form of social organization of people was the maternal race, and in difficult times living conditions, the short life expectancy of ancient man, the fulfillment by women of their natural function of childbearing was the main condition for the existence of the clan. Events related to this were elevated to a cult. Rituals of the maternity cycle have existed for millennia and are the oldest in human history. The main meaning of the maternity cycle was determined by concern for the birth of a healthy child and the preservation of the life and health of the mother. This led to the holding of magical rituals, almost not modified under the influence of the church.
There was a popular saying: “There are many children, but God does not send “extra” children to anyone.” And in the old days they said: “Whoever has many children is not forgotten by God.” People have always welcomed large families, condemned large families, and sympathized with the childless. In some places in Russia, precautions were taken already during the wedding to ensure the successful birth of a young woman. They often had a superstitious connotation. N. Sumtsov "wrote that in the Nizhny Novgorod province, the newlyweds are taken out from the wedding table in such a way as to avoid walking in a circle, otherwise the young woman will not give birth. During the covering of the young woman's head, a little boy is placed on her lap in order to position the young woman for the birth of her first male child. floor.
Quite rich in various rituals, customs, and superstitions is period of bearing a child.
A pregnant woman in Rus' was the object of many superstitions, in which, however, one cannot help but see a rational grain. Some of them regulated her behavior, prohibited or, conversely, encouraged certain actions.
"Sumtsov N. People's view of a newborn child // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. 1880. No. 11.-P.70-72.
These include:
Prohibitions on contact with certain objects. To avoid difficult childbirth, a pregnant woman was forbidden to step over a pole, shafts, collar, broom, axe, pitchfork, rake, climb over a fence, window, or step on the horse's trail. It was forbidden to pick up the rope or walk under it, so that the umbilical cord would not wrap around the child’s neck and strangle him. It was not recommended to look at the fire - the child would have a birthmark.
Temporal and spatial restrictions. Pregnant women were supposed to avoid “unclean places” and “unclean times.” They were forbidden to stand or sit on a threshold, on a log, on a boundary, to be at a crossroads, in a cemetery, to approach a house under construction, or to leave the house after sunset.
Prohibitions on drinking and eating. Pregnant women were forbidden to eat fish, otherwise the child will not speak for a long time, eat on the go - the child will become a crybaby, do not eat hare meat - she will give birth to a timid child, do not eat secretly, otherwise the child will become a thief, do not eat honey - otherwise the child will be “scrofulous”, not eat fused fruits - you will give birth to twins, do not drink wine - the child will become a drunkard.
Social prohibitions. During pregnancy, you cannot quarrel with neighbors, get irritated - so as not to spoil the child’s character, as well as steal, imitate someone, participate in rituals (being a godmother, matchmaker, groomsman at a wedding, attending a funeral, washing the deceased).
Prohibitions to look at everything unpleasant and without reward, because an object that disgusts a pregnant woman will certainly affect her child. It was not recommended to look at animals (otherwise the child will be born furry, with long claws), at ugly people, and especially those with some kind of defect - the child will be ugly. And vice versa, it was considered useful to contemplate the beautiful: flowers, the moon, beautiful children in reality and in various images - then the child would be born not only healthy, but also with a pleasant appearance.
The attitude of others towards the pregnant woman was also subject to certain regulation. So, a pregnant woman could not be denied food (after all, it is not she who asks, but the baby) - otherwise “the mice will gnaw the clothes”, do not fulfill her request (you yourself will not eat, but do not refuse the pregnant woman), you could not quarrel, shout, or speak loudly in front of her - you will scare the child
True, the attitude of the people towards the pregnant woman was twofold. On the one hand, she brought goodness and was the personification of fertility. The ability of a pregnant woman to magically transfer fertility was used in many ritual actions: to increase the fertility of livestock, poultry, increase grain yield, and fruit trees. During a drought expectant mother poured water on them to make it rain. During a fire, she walked around the house, which helped extinguish the flames. On the other hand, according to superstitious beliefs, danger came from a woman expecting a child. Obviously, this was due to the presence of two souls in her and her proximity to the border of life and death. (“To walk with your belly is to wear death on your collar”). And this caused various protective measures on the part of others and gave rise to certain superstitions. For example, they believed that meeting a pregnant woman brings misfortune.
At the same time, a woman expecting a child herself needed protection from evil forces that could harm her and her descendant. To protect against them, she always had with her objects - “amulets”: red woolen threads, rags, ribbons that she tied around her finger, arm or belt, bundles of multi-colored yarn tied in a “dead knot”, iron objects - a needle, a knife, as well as chips from a tree broken by lightning, coal, pieces of brick from a stove, salt.
Naturally, both the expectant mother and the whole family were very interested in the sex of the child. And not out of simple curiosity: the well-being of the family directly depended on this. The birth of a boy meant the appearance of an assistant and future breadwinner, while the girl was perceived as a ruiner, who had already early age need to prepare a dowry. And when she grows up and gets married, she will leave native home and will work for someone else's family. There were many ways to guess the sex of a child. An ancient Russian testimony about fortune-telling of this kind has been preserved: “... and pregnant wives give bread to the bear from their hands, but the maiden will roar, but the boy will be silent.” Having finished weaving, the expectant mother ran out into the street and waited for the first person she met; it was believed that his gender would correspond to the gender of the child. A boy should be expected when the last child in the family does not have a braid of hair on his neck, when the father of the unborn child finds a whip along the way, when a child seated at the wedding table chooses some of the man’s accessories, for example, a pipe rather than a scarf. or a thimble.
The next stage of maternity rituals is rituals accompanying the birth of a child. It should be noted that mainly women participated in these rituals: the midwife, relatives and neighbors. The participation of men was very limited. She acted as a kind of master of ceremonies for childbirth. grandmother-midwife. Not a single peasant family could do without a midwife. She not only dealt with childbirth, but, most importantly, knew how to perform the necessary, from the point of view of the peasants, procedures on the child and the woman in labor, accompanying them with magical actions. The main procedures were: cutting the umbilical cord, handling the afterbirth and bathing the child. All actions of the midwife with
Winter now does not always please with snowy weather, but with the approach of New Year's celebrations, the mood still rises in anticipation of carnivals, noisy feasts, fireworks and gifts. At the end of the year, the calendar pleases us with a whole series of interesting holidays which take several weeks. If we add to them Catholic Christmas and Chinese New Year, and our people love to have fun on any suitable occasion, then you can have fun in clubs and at merry parties until spring. But here we will list traditional Russian winter holidays, which became popular among the Eastern Slavs. Knowing history will help you better prepare for the upcoming fun and will give you the opportunity to show off your erudition in the company if by chance a debate arises on this fascinating topic.
Winter holiday traditions
Many kings and emperors, trying to look like reformers, began to redraw calendars, ban old celebrations and introduce their own in their place. Sometimes such undertakings were forgotten after the death of dictators, but in other cases interesting ideas took root, especially when they fell on fertile soil. The Slavs have always been famous for their ability to party from the heart, so they did not particularly oppose Tsar Peter’s new desire, and since 1699, the tradition of decorating green Christmas trees on New Year’s Eve gradually became nationwide. European innovations in date coincided very well with the Great Winter Christmastide ( January 7 – January 19). The country's new main winter holiday was in many ways reminiscent of Christmas games, when people dressed up as devils, animals and other creatures, collected treats from local residents, and walked through the streets singing carols.
For Christians, Christmas is undoubtedly in first place among the New Year's winter holidays. They begin to meet him back in ( 6th January), when you should remember the deceased at the Lenten table in the circle of your closest people. Jan. 7 it was already allowed to hold colorful processions with a star in carnival outfits. Thus, the old rituals successfully merged with Christian traditions, and the people had the opportunity to noisily spend the winter holidays, following the customs of their ancestors, without violating the new laws.
(13th of January) - a consequence of Lenin's reforms, when the Bolsheviks rigidly transferred the country from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar, moving all winter holidays by as much as 13 days. Naturally, the people accepted such innovations in their own way, beginning to celebrate them both in the old and in the newly introduced style. In the Christian calendar, the Old New Year falls in commemoration of St. Melania and Vasil, which has always been reflected in folk rituals. For example, in Ukrainian villages a guy was dressed up as Melanka, and a beautiful girl was dressed up as Vasil, and they, in the company of mummers, gypsies, a goat, a bear, a grandfather, a woman and other characters, went around the entire village with special songs of generosity.
Epiphany Christmas Eve ( January 18) marked preparation for big holiday- To the Great Blessing of Water. 
One had to fast, eat vegetable pancakes, porridge, kutya, and honey pancakes. On the Epiphany of the Lord Baptism ( January 19) people flocked to the reservoirs where services were held near the cross-shaped hole (Jordan). By the way, bathing in it, even in the cold, was considered beneficial for health, because it completely cleanses the body of sins.
We think that our short review can end here, although there are still many interesting dates after Epiphany. You can describe for a long time what winter holidays are like, mentioning, for example, Tatiana’s cheerful day ( The 25th of January) or Valentine's Day ( The 14th of February), but the format of the article simply does not fit such a large material. We wish you a joyful celebration of New Year's celebrations in the new and old style!