Christmastide origin. Christmastide in Rus': history and traditions, how they celebrate. Fortune telling and sub-songs
Christmastide is the most fun and noisy winter holiday. What date is Christmastide in 2019, let’s find out the traditions and history of the holiday together. During the Yuletide week, many can find out their destiny or attract good luck and prosperity to their home. For this there are 12 days filled with magic and magic. After all, the most accurate and accurate fortune-telling at home is during the holiday week.
In addition, it is on these holidays, in the interval from Christmas to Epiphany, that you can have a lot of fun and go for a walk. Let's find out how to do this from our article.
Christmastide: what kind of holiday is it?
Orthodox holidays The Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord are connected by a series of days called Christmastide. To be precise, Christmastide begins on the evening of Christmas Eve and ends on the morning of the day of Epiphany.
This is the most joyful of winter holidays - as in pre-Christian Rus'(celebrations dedicated to the god Svyatovit), and in Orthodox Rus'. The fortune-telling that accompanied the pagan Christmastide has survived to this day (previously, spells were cast for the year ahead, plus fortune-telling was carried out, the purpose of the most important ones was to find out about the future harvest).
Surely you have had to deal with the fact that your parents told you that during the holidays you should not take on any work - this belief also came from antiquity (people were afraid of bringing misfortune to their work, since on these days the rampant evil spirits were stronger than ever ).
History of the holiday
The first mention of Christmastide dates back to the 4th century. During this period, Greek Christians staged folk festivals for two weeks after Christmas.
In Rus', after the adoption of Christianity during the Yuletide period, the pagan rituals of mumming, fortune-telling, and dancing were preserved. Orthodox Church At first she did not support Slavic pagan rituals.
Then representatives of the clergy came up with a “solution to the problem” - the tradition of dipping into an ice hole on a river or lake in the form of a cross on Epiphany. This ritual helped to wash away the sins that were committed during Christmas time.
How old are Christmastide?
The tradition of celebrating Christmastide is rooted in such ancient times that not even oral traditions remain from those times. When Prince Vladimir threw pagan idols into the Dnieper, the custom was already five hundred years old. And even when Rurik founded Novgorod, Christmastide was no longer young.
Employees of the Russian Ethnographic Museum claim that in pre-Christian Rus', Christmastide was associated with the name of the god Svyatovit. What kind of god this is and why he was given a special two-week holiday, scientists are still arguing. It is believed that “Svyatovit” is simply one of the names of the supreme god Perun.
Be that as it may, the Slavs tried in every possible way to please this god, primarily so that he would send a bountiful harvest. On Christmastide Svyatovit was supposed to leave a little holiday food, which was thrown into the oven especially for him.
The Slavs believed that at the beginning of winter, the spirits of the gods and the souls of ancestors descend to earth, and at this moment you can “beg” from them a bountiful harvest, a handsome husband, money, and in general anything you want.
The Christian tradition of celebrating Christmastide has also been known since ancient times. Back in the 4th century, Greek Christians relaxed, had fun and strictly celebrated for two weeks after Christmas(according to one version, the word “Yuletide” comes from the verb “to hallow”, since on Christmastide the people “sanctify”, that is, they glorify Christ and the Birth of Christ).
Particular attention was paid to ensuring that everyone was in a joyful mood: the poor, slaves, prisoners.
In Byzantium, it became a custom at Christmas time to bring food and gifts to prisons and hospitals, and to help the poor. We find mention of Christmastide as a special post-Christmas celebration in Ambrose of Milan, Gregory of Nyssa and Ephraim the Syrian.
With the advent of Christianity, Christmastide in Rus' also began to be filled with new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church towards Christmas festivities has always been ambiguous.
Many hierarchs spoke out not only against fortune-telling, but also against caroling and the custom of “dressing up” on the basis of the resolution of the VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to wizards or others like that in order to learn something secret from them, should be subject to the rule of six years of penance ( that is, they are excluded from Communion for six years)... we reject dances and rituals performed according to ancient and alien to Christian life rites and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women’s clothing that is not characteristic of a husband; don't wear masks."
Then the supporters of Christmastide came up with an ingenious “solution” to the problem: on Epiphany, an ice hole in the shape of a cross was made in the ice of a river or lake, and the entire population of the village plunged into it, washing away the sins committed on Christmastide.
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Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmastide became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. All that remains from the ancient pre-Christian Christmastide is winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun.
When does Christmastide start in 2019?
Christmastide will traditionally begin immediately after the end of the Nativity Fast, that is, on the evening of January 6, 2019, and it will last for twelve whole days until January 19.
It is believed that the fast ends with the appearance of the first star in the sky, which once indicated to the Magi the birth of the Savior. The first thing people do at this moment is to begin to break their fast.
Another name for the holiday before Christmas is Christmas Eve, which it received precisely thanks to this dish. Otherwise, this day can be called the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, and it is a breaking point and one of the four key periods that replace each other during Christmastide.
Traditions and rituals of Christmastide for the Russian people
In the first days of the holiday, it is customary to pay visits to all your relatives, friends and acquaintances. On Christmastide, you need to prepare gifts for everyone, just as the Magi did before Christmas.
We must not forget about lonely people, the poor and the needy. During this period, it is customary to visit hospitals, shelters, boarding schools and orphanages; believers and prisons are not bypassed, congratulating all the lost and sinners. Even in ancient times, the main tradition of giving alms on holidays appeared.
Another, no less important, is the tradition of a common family meal, to which all relatives were invited. It was very important to prepare an odd number of treats, among which there must be: kutia, sbiten, pancakes and oatmeal jelly. The housewives set the table taking into account the relatives who passed away last year; separate cutlery was specially placed for them.
Over the past few days, Christians have been preparing to celebrate an important holiday - Epiphany: better than the master their business, they cut a hole in the shape of a cross and decorated it with ribbons, wooden and ice patterns.
During Christmas time, people do not forget about more ancient pagan traditions, when the period of the winter solstice was dedicated to Belbog. In those days they were called the triumph of Svyatovit (one of the names of the supreme god of heaven). Folk rituals of spells and fortune telling are associated with this holiday, which are recommended to be carried out only during this period.
Christmas carols for children and adults
Starting from the evening before Christmas in Rus', Carols began - processions of mummers. Everyone who wanted to participate in the ritual of caroling dressed up in a variety of costumes: among the carolers were gypsies and goblins, robbers and bears, evil spirits and heroes of fairy tales.
Costumes were often prepared long before Christmas, and songs and jokes were usually learned in advance. The mummers entered the hut in a noisy crowd, congratulated all the household members, staged a small performance, receiving in return small money and refreshments.
The songs performed by the mummers were called kudes, hence the second name for Christmastide - Kudes. By the way, it was believed that the more generous the hosts prepared for the carolers, the more prosperous the family would live in the coming year.
Children's carols
You will give us -
we will praise
and you won’t give -
we will reproach!
Kolyada, Kolyada!
Serve the pie!
Little guy
Sat down on a sheaf
plays the pipe,
Kolyada is amusing.
Avsen, avsen,
Tomorrow is a new day!
Don't stand at the gate
Tomorrow New Year!
To your new summer,
Have a great summer!
Where does the horse's tail go?
It's full of bushes there.
Where does the goat go with its horn?
There's a stack of hay there.
How many aspens,
So many pigs for you;
How many Christmas trees
So many cows;
How many candles
So many sheep.
Good luck to you,
master and hostess
Great health,
Happy New Year
With all the family!
Kolyada, Kolyada!
Yuletide fortune telling
Of course, what would Christmastide be without fortune telling! After all, only in these less than two weeks can you find out the future - the first letters of the groom’s name, his appearance, prospects family life, the number of children or the level of future wealth.
Christmas time is a time for girls' fortune-telling, and what, besides grooms, might interest young girls? And most rituals are connected precisely with fortune telling for the betrothed.
In some regions, girls gathered big company, bought a house for the evening from some woman living alone, for example, a childless widow, placed the necessary items in the hut and devoted the entire evening to all kinds of fortune-telling.
Lily wax in cold water, scattered grain, threaded hair into a ring, wove dolls from straw, went to a dark barn or bathhouse, built a well from splinters and matches, pulled threads from rags... and all this was accompanied by songs, jokes, and cheerful laughter. After all, the main thing that Christmas time gives is fun and a charge of joy for the whole year.
Watch a video about the history and traditions of Christmastide:
Who are the mummers for caroling?
Let's start with the fact that mummery is ancient (it was mentioned in the 12th century) Slavic rite, characterized by dressing up, face painting (such as soot), and other means of changing one's appearance. Most often, people tried on the following images:
- saints (angels, for example);
- evil spirits (witches, mermaids, etc.);
- very often animals: (bear, crane and others);
- various creatures: (babu, death, deceased);
- as well as the image of a master, a Jew, a gypsy and others.
The general meaning of the ritual was to look unusual, funny, in one word “wonderful”. It is worth noting that, as a rule, men tried on the images of evil spirits (and not always of their own free will. Since the ritual of dressing up is considered unclean, sinful, and even more so such images, no one wanted to get into trouble once again.
As for the behavior of the mummers: in ancient times, they tried to scare them with their appearance, behaved noisily, sometimes even violently, chased passers-by, sometimes they could steal something. They also checked whether the owners of the house were ready for the holiday. Later, the mummers stopped rioting so much, and mostly sang songs, made faces and joked.
Depending on the territory, the mummers were called differently, but one name is very “telling” - difficult guests.
Why are they difficult? Everything is very simple, it was believed that mummers were a kind of representatives of another world, the souls of their ancestors. That is why, when they walked around the courtyards, the mummers had to be greeted well and treated well. Otherwise, they could cause trouble for their greedy owners.
Folk signs and beliefs of Christmastide
- During the Yuletide period, hunters should refrain from hunting, otherwise disaster may occur.
- From Christmas Eve (January 6) to the Old New Year (January 14), housewives are not allowed to sweep dirty linen in public. Then you need to sweep up all the garbage, take it out into the yard and burn it so that the year passes in peace and prosperity.
- At dinner on Christmas Eve (January 6), you need to taste all the dishes that are on the table so that there is prosperity and satiety in the house.
- If the weather is warm on Christmas Day (January 7), spring will be cold.
- If on Vasiliev's evening (January 13) the hostess managed to prepare crumbly and tasty kutya, then the family will be accompanied by good luck and happiness all year.
During Christmas time, an atmosphere of magic reigns on earth. During this period, dreams and magical rituals take on a special meaning. People try to have fun every Christmastide. On these holidays, they sled and skate, visit holiday fairs, and visit each other.
What to do on Christmastide
Believers were instructed to glorify Christmas and the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth, to attend divine services - after all, not only to spend holy days at a set table. During the Christmas holidays, a respectable Christian was obliged to attend at least one service in the church. On these days, more often than usual, they distributed alms to the poor, gave gifts to children, and helped the infirm old people.
By Christmas time, January 6, the Nativity Fast ends. On this day, in the evening, on Christmas Eve, they prepare for the holiday of the Nativity of Christ, which is celebrated on January 7th.
On Christmas Eve, a Lenten table of 12 dishes is served at dusk until the first star. According to tradition, even in non-religious families, they fasted on Christmas Eve. On January 7, Christmas is celebrated and included in the feast meat dishes.
In the first days of Holy Week, according to tradition, it is customary to visit acquaintances, relatives, friends, and give gifts - in memory of the gifts brought to the Infant by the Magi.
Particular care was taken to ensure that no one was neglected on these holy days.
On the first day we visited our parents and relatives, we still had to pray for the deceased, because at this time their souls are next to us, hold services in churches, order memorial services for the dead.
There is a belief that on the night of January 8, all the dead come to the temple and the deceased priests preside over the service. And for festive table They usually installed extra appliances based on the number of relatives who died in the past year.
The second day of Christmastide should be dedicated to visiting the sick, the third to orphans, and the fourth to prisoners. It was believed that Christmas joy should touch everyone, even criminals.
They always carried special Christmas treats with them: sbiten, nut cookies, makovnik, balls of sweet crumbs, kutya with milk and butter. It is said that in ancient times, on Christmastide, even kings, dressed as commoners, visited prisons and gave alms to prisoners.
Only after all honors had been paid to the ancestors and other people in need did the general fun begin.
Holiday winter Christmastide has on Russian soil centuries-old traditions, which are associated with the mysticism and pagan roots of our ancestors. It is worth saying that Christmastide has a long history of origin and development, overgrown with traditions and rituals. Christmastide has long been the main and most cheerful winter holiday in Rus', and the festivities lasted for half a month.
“Svyatki” or “holy days” start with Christmas Eve, which falls on the sixth of January, and end on the coming of the nineteenth of January. On Christmastide, according to tradition, it was a sin to work so as not to cause trouble for yourself and your loved ones. But this was already in the times of developed Christianity, and before that, during the times of paganism in Rus', there was a similar winter holiday dedicated to the supreme heavenly god Belbog, who also had the name “Svyatovit”, from the root of the Old Slavonic word “sviatki”, that is, “soul” ancestors." These days, according to folk beliefs, from another world the souls of the departed returned to earth, but in addition to them all kinds of evil spirits came, and witches on these days organized their own Sabbaths to amuse the infernal patrons.
On Christmastide, it was customary to guess about the future, perform magical rituals, recite spells for the year ahead, and use Christmas signs to find out the fate of the harvest, family, and home. Of course, the opportunity to peek at their future could not but arouse keen interest among girls, so they, traditionally, told fortunes about their betrothed. Until now, many young people are not averse to telling fortunes the night before Epiphany.
On Yuletide winter period It was believed that Kolyada, the embodiment of the birth of the sun, passed through Rus'. On the night of the Kolyada holiday, the Slavs lit huge bonfires, and, moreover, from sacred fire, extracted by an ancient secret method, and they had to burn for exactly twelve days. The fires were surrounded by smartly dressed young people, they danced around them, told fairy tales, asked each other riddles, sang and had fun, jumped over the flames, and rolled a set fire wheel down the mountain. But most importantly, the youth “dressed up” - they dressed up in sheepskin coats turned upside down, hiding their faces behind masks, which was symbolic and was perceived as a renewal of Mother Nature. In the evenings, dressed up, they went from house to house singing carols, they quoted jokes, amusing the owners, wished them prosperity, health and wealth, and they had to treat them with ritual food. It was believed that to the extent that the owners of the house where the mummers came with carols were generous to their guests, then they would have such prosperity in the coming year. This was the most striking ritual event in Rus'. The holy days began with it. Caroling is an exciting theatrical spectacle that takes place to the accompaniment of special themed songs and wishes to the owners of the house. It was customary to carol at Christmastime on the night before Christmas, on New Year’s Day, or as it was called “Vasil’s Day” in those days, as well as on Christmas Eve before Epiphany. Christ was glorified, mainly by children and youth, and sometimes by adult men, walking around the village from house to house, carrying a Christmas star in their hands.
The main holidays during Christmas time were Christmas, New Year, Epiphany, as noted above. It is clear that these days, against the backdrop of ongoing public festivities, were celebrated more solemnly. In the evening, ritual meals were held in every house, during which people ate ritual food, and what was left on the table from dinner was placed on the threshold or window so that the souls of their deceased parents could be treated to it. This ritual was called “feeding the ancestors.” Christmastide days were divided into “holy” and “terrible” evenings. In the first week after Christmas, they had fun at Christmas time, because these were “holy” evenings, when they could have fun at night - dancing, sleigh rides, playing snowballs, and on the “scary” evenings in the second week after Christmas they told fortunes.
Christmastide was replete with rites and rituals, thanks to which our ancestors wanted to appease the souls of the dead so that they would bring prosperity to everyone. Of course, many rituals had purely everyday overtones. To increase the fertility of livestock, on the eve of Christmas they baked “kozulki” - small livers in the form of figures of animals and birds. To make life happy next year, the sheaf was placed in the red corner - under the icons, for this purpose straw was poured on the floor of the hut, the remains of the kutya from Christmas Eve were given to chickens, and trees in the gardens were tied with multi-colored ribbons. On the morning of Christmas and New Year, the boys had to perform a sowing ceremony in every house in the settlement. The child came into the house and scattered grains, accompanied by a song congratulating the owners on the New Year holiday. The performance of such a ritual, according to our Slavic ancestors, guaranteed a rich harvest next year.
As with any other folk holidays in Rus', many signs were associated with Christmastide. They said that if the day on Christmas day is warm without frost, then a cold spring should be expected. It was believed that God would punish those who sin by working on Christmastide: those who weave bast shoes - with sick cattle, those who sew clothes - with blind cattle, those who make rocker arms and runners for sleighs - with barren cattle. Of course, people did the main housework, but within the framework of what was permitted by Christmas traditions.
But young people were completely freed from work during Christmas time and were only busy having fun and looking for a mate. Every evening during the holy days, with the exception of Christmas Eve, young people organized games, so boys and girls could notice each other, and even prepare for marriage. At gatherings, they dressed up in outfits and masks and played games.
Yuletide fortune-telling has become distinctive feature winter holidays in Rus'. Fortune telling was performed in every family: adults told fortunes about the harvest, young people told fortunes about marriage. The girls gathered in the evenings in one house and arranged fortune-telling, trying to find out: will they get married this year, who will be the groom, what will their fate be like? The guys also wondered about their betrothed.
When Christianity was established in Rus', the holiday of Christmastide changed its sacred meaning. The Russian Church condemned folk festivals; it spoke especially harshly about fortune-telling, caroling, and mummery. But the Russian people loved the winter holidays so much that they were unable to give up this fun, so they decided to veil the pagan roots of the holiday under the morality of Christianity. The holiday of Kolyada, revered by the people, was transformed into the Nativity of Christ. The Church was able to convince people that carrying out many traditional rituals of Christmastide and fortune-telling is a sin for an Orthodox Christian, but still a trick was found here: the time from Christmas Day to Epiphany was considered possible for fortune-telling, because sins could be washed away in the ice hole, which On the feast of Epiphany, they cut down rivers in a cruciform shape, and they plunged there to wash away the sins of amusements and fortune telling during Christmas time. And, in general, fortune telling is no longer called an unclean act; it has become ordinary pampering.
Time has passed, and the meaning of the ancient pagan traditions of the holiday of Christmastide has finally been erased from people’s memory, since now the Russian people glorify the Nativity of Christ, the mercy of the Lord, who showed the miracle of Epiphany to the world. Of the traditions and rituals of the Christmastide days of pre-Christian Rus', in our time only carol songs, fun and fortune-telling remain, but they are perceived only as winter folk entertainment accompanying the ancient folk holiday of Christmastide.
What is Christmas time? What date are they in 2019? How were Christmastide celebrated in Rus'? What were the traditions? Read about it in our article!
Christmas time in 2019
Christmastide begins immediately after the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
- Dates in 2019: from 7 to 17 January.
- Dates in 2020: from 7 to 17 January.
- Dates in 2021: January 7 to 17.
- Dates in 2022: from 7 to 17 January.
What are Christmastide?
What do we associate with Christmastide? With laughing, rosy faces, sleigh rides, gifts and other simple, joyful and cheerful things. With only one caveat: as a rule, all these pictures are not painted for us. personal experience, but literary classics of past centuries. Heroes of Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy take part in the Christmas games, and they come from completely different walks of life. Our ancestors knew how to rejoice. Maybe we should learn from them?
How old are Christmastide?
The tradition of celebrating Christmastide is rooted in such ancient times that not even oral traditions remain from those times. When Prince Vladimir threw pagan idols into the Dnieper, the custom was already five hundred years old. And even when Rurik founded Novgorod, Christmastide was no longer young.
Employees of the Russian Ethnographic Museum claim that in pre-Christian Rus', Christmastide was associated with the name of the god Svyatovit. What kind of god this is and why he was given a special two-week holiday, scientists are still arguing. It is believed that “Svyatovit” is simply one of the names of the supreme god Perun. Be that as it may, the Slavs tried in every possible way to please this god, primarily so that he would send a bountiful harvest. On Christmastide, Svyatovit was supposed to leave some festive food, which was thrown into the oven especially for him. The Slavs believed that at the beginning of winter, the spirits of the gods and the souls of ancestors descend to earth, and at this moment you can “beg” from them a bountiful harvest, a handsome husband, money, and in general anything you want.
The Christian tradition of celebrating Christmastide has also been known since ancient times. Back in the 4th century, Greek Christians rested, had fun and celebrated strictly for two weeks after (according to one version, the word “Yuletide” comes from the verb “to hallow”, since on Christmastide the people “sanctify”, that is, they glorify Christ and the Birth of Christ). Particular attention was paid to ensuring that everyone was in a joyful mood: the poor, slaves, prisoners. In Byzantium, it became a custom at Christmas time to bring food and gifts to prisons and hospitals, and to help the poor. We find mention of Christmastide as a special post-Christmas celebration in Ambrose of Milan, Gregory of Nyssa and Ephraim the Syrian.
With the advent of Christianity, Christmastide in Rus' also began to be filled with new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church towards Christmas festivities has always been ambiguous. Many hierarchs spoke out not only against fortune-telling, but also against caroling and the custom of “dressing up” on the basis of the resolution of the VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to wizards or others like that in order to learn something secret from them, should be subject to the rule of six years of penance ( that is, they are excluded from Communion for six years)... we reject dances and rituals performed according to ancient and alien to Christian life rites and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women’s clothing that is not characteristic of a husband; don't wear masks." Then the supporters of Christmastide came up with an ingenious “solution” to the problem: on Epiphany, an ice hole in the shape of a cross was made in the ice of a river or lake, and the entire population of the village plunged into it, washing away the sins committed on Christmastide.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmastide became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. All that remains from the ancient pre-Christian Christmastide is winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun.
Christmastide in Rus'. About the tradition of celebrating Christmastide
Hooliganism sanctified by tradition
Christmastide has always been a national holiday, at this time class boundaries seemed to disappear, everyone was united by a common joy. According to the number of customs and folk signs Perhaps only Maslenitsa can compare with this period of the year.
In ancient, pre-Petrine times there was a custom on Christmas day in every village to light a fire, which with its light in the darkness of the winter night symbolized the Star of Bethlehem and burned until baptism.
The people's favorite pastime during Christmas time is dressing up and caroling. In Rus', and then in Russian Empire On Christmas Eve, young people gathered together, dressed up as animals or mythological characters like Ivan the Fool, and went caroling around the village or city. By the way, this is one of the few Yuletide traditions that survived in the post-Petrine era, despite the fact that most of the population moved to the cities. The main character among carolers has always been a bear. They tried to dress the fattest guy in the village or neighborhood with it. The mummers entered one by one each hut where the light was on. Teenagers and children sang Christmas troparion, spiritual songs, carols... Carols are something like Winnie the Pooh chants, in which the owner of the house is praised and through which treats are begged from this very owner. Songs were often composed on the spot, but there were traditional rules in this art that came from ancient times. The owner, for example, was called nothing less than “the bright moon,” the hostess — “the red sun,” and their children — “pure stars.” However, those who knew how came up with more expressive dignifications: “The master of the house is like Adam in heaven; the mistress of the house is like pancakes with honey; little children - that the grapes are red and green... "The carolers promised a rich harvest and happy life to those who give refreshments, and all kinds of misfortune to the stingy. Sometimes there were even threats in the songs: “Whoever doesn’t give me a pie, we’ll lead the cow by the horns, and if he doesn’t give me ham, we’ll split the cast iron...” All this, of course, was in jest. Sometimes they sang absolutely, even deliberately meaningless sentences. The owners received guests and gave whatever they could.
It is extremely difficult to establish where the word “kolyada” itself came from. IN different parts In Russia this word has different meanings. In the north it is simply “Christmas Eve”, in the villages of the Novgorod region “kolyada” is gifts received at Christmas. In Belarus, “caroling” means “glorifying Christ.” But ethnographic scientists believe that the ancient Slavs used this word to call the winter solstice holiday.
Another Christmas custom is to get the whole family together in the evenings, invite guests (as many as possible), tell fairy tales and ask riddles (as complex as possible). This tradition, like caroling, lived not only in villages, but also among the urban nobility. Literary critic Yu. M. Lotman in his comments to “Eugene Onegin” writes that it was customary to separate “holy evenings” and “terrible evenings” (the first and second weeks after Christmas respectively). On “holy evenings” they held cheerful night gatherings, on “terrible evenings” they told fortunes. The young people were going to dance, during the day - to ride a sleigh, and play snowballs. By the way, after Christmas there were always a lot of weddings. “In gatherings, fortune-telling, games, songs, everything is aimed at one goal - to bring the betrothed closer together. Only on holy days do boys and girls easily sit hand in hand,” wrote folklorist I. Snegirev in the book “Songs of the Russian People.”
The most “antisocial” Yuletide tradition is “pampering.” Children and teenagers gathered in large groups at night and played as mischievously as they could. A classic joke was to nail up the outside gate of a house or to tear up a woodpile. Another entertainment is the ritual theft of something. You could steal anything, but always with noise and songs, and not secretly. IN Soviet times, despite all the prohibitions, collective farm tractors were often “stolen.” Immediately after the holidays, of course, they were returned to their place.
The last days of Christmastide were devoted to preparing for Epiphany. The best village craftsmen cut a cross-shaped hole in frozen reservoirs and decorated it with patterns made of ice.
What is Christmas time? What date are they in 2019? How were Christmastide celebrated in Rus'? What were the traditions? Read about it in our article!
Christmas time in 2019
Christmastide begins immediately after the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
- Dates in 2019: from 7 to 17 January.
- Dates in 2020: from 7 to 17 January.
- Dates in 2021: January 7 to 17.
- Dates in 2022: from 7 to 17 January.
What are Christmastide?
What do we associate with Christmastide? With laughing, rosy faces, sleigh rides, gifts and other simple, joyful and cheerful things. With only one caveat: all these pictures are drawn to us, as a rule, not by personal experience, but by the literary classics of past centuries. Heroes of Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy take part in the Christmas games, and they come from completely different walks of life. Our ancestors knew how to rejoice. Maybe we should learn from them?
How old are Christmastide?
The tradition of celebrating Christmastide is rooted in such ancient times that not even oral traditions remain from those times. When Prince Vladimir threw pagan idols into the Dnieper, the custom was already five hundred years old. And even when Rurik founded Novgorod, Christmastide was no longer young.
Employees of the Russian Ethnographic Museum claim that in pre-Christian Rus', Christmastide was associated with the name of the god Svyatovit. What kind of god this is and why he was given a special two-week holiday, scientists are still arguing. It is believed that “Svyatovit” is simply one of the names of the supreme god Perun. Be that as it may, the Slavs tried in every possible way to please this god, primarily so that he would send a bountiful harvest. On Christmastide, Svyatovit was supposed to leave some festive food, which was thrown into the oven especially for him. The Slavs believed that at the beginning of winter, the spirits of the gods and the souls of ancestors descend to earth, and at this moment you can “beg” from them a bountiful harvest, a handsome husband, money, and in general anything you want.
The Christian tradition of celebrating Christmastide has also been known since ancient times. Back in the 4th century, Greek Christians rested, had fun and celebrated strictly for two weeks after (according to one version, the word “Yuletide” comes from the verb “to hallow”, since on Christmastide the people “sanctify”, that is, they glorify Christ and the Birth of Christ). Particular attention was paid to ensuring that everyone was in a joyful mood: the poor, slaves, prisoners. In Byzantium, it became a custom at Christmas time to bring food and gifts to prisons and hospitals, and to help the poor. We find mention of Christmastide as a special post-Christmas celebration in Ambrose of Milan, Gregory of Nyssa and Ephraim the Syrian.
With the advent of Christianity, Christmastide in Rus' also began to be filled with new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church towards Christmas festivities has always been ambiguous. Many hierarchs spoke out not only against fortune-telling, but also against caroling and the custom of “dressing up” on the basis of the resolution of the VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to wizards or others like that in order to learn something secret from them, should be subject to the rule of six years of penance ( that is, they are excluded from Communion for six years)... we reject dances and rituals performed according to ancient and alien to Christian life rites and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women’s clothing that is not characteristic of a husband; don't wear masks." Then the supporters of Christmastide came up with an ingenious “solution” to the problem: on Epiphany, an ice hole in the shape of a cross was made in the ice of a river or lake, and the entire population of the village plunged into it, washing away the sins committed on Christmastide.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmastide became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. All that remains from the ancient pre-Christian Christmastide is winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun.
Christmastide in Rus'. About the tradition of celebrating Christmastide
Hooliganism sanctified by tradition
Christmastide has always been a national holiday, at this time class boundaries seemed to disappear, everyone was united by a common joy. In terms of the number of customs and folk signs, perhaps only Maslenitsa can be compared with this period of the year.
In ancient, pre-Petrine times there was a custom on Christmas day in every village to light a fire, which with its light in the darkness of the winter night symbolized the Star of Bethlehem and burned until baptism.
The people's favorite pastime during Christmas time is dressing up and caroling. In Rus', and then in the Russian Empire, young people gathered together on Christmas Eve, dressed up as animals or mythological characters like Ivan the Fool, and went caroling around the village or city. By the way, this is one of the few Yuletide traditions that survived in the post-Petrine era, despite the fact that most of the population moved to the cities. The main character among carolers has always been a bear. They tried to dress the fattest guy in the village or neighborhood with it. The mummers entered one by one each hut where the light was on. Teenagers and children sang Christmas troparion, spiritual songs, carols... Carols are something like Winnie the Pooh chants, in which the owner of the house is praised and through which treats are begged from this very owner. Songs were often composed on the spot, but there were traditional rules in this art that came from ancient times. The owner, for example, was called nothing less than “the bright moon,” the hostess — “the red sun,” and their children — “pure stars.” However, those who knew how came up with more expressive dignifications: “The master of the house is like Adam in heaven; the mistress of the house is like pancakes with honey; The children are small, like red-green grapes...” The carolers promised a rich harvest and a happy life to those who give treats, and all sorts of disasters to the stingy. Sometimes there were even threats in the songs: “Whoever doesn’t give me a pie, we’ll lead the cow by the horns, and if he doesn’t give me ham, we’ll split the cast iron...” All this, of course, was in jest. Sometimes they sang absolutely, even deliberately meaningless sentences. The owners received guests and gave whatever they could.
It is extremely difficult to establish where the word “kolyada” itself came from. In different parts of Russia this word has different meanings. In the north it is simply “Christmas Eve”, in the villages of the Novgorod region “kolyada” is gifts received at Christmas. In Belarus, “caroling” means “glorifying Christ.” But ethnographic scientists believe that the ancient Slavs used this word to call the winter solstice holiday.
Another Christmas custom is to get the whole family together in the evenings, invite guests (as many as possible), tell fairy tales and ask riddles (as complex as possible). This tradition, like caroling, lived not only in villages, but also among the urban nobility. Literary critic Yu. M. Lotman in his comments to “Eugene Onegin” writes that it was customary to separate “holy evenings” and “terrible evenings” (the first and second weeks after Christmas respectively). On “holy evenings” they held cheerful night gatherings, on “terrible evenings” they told fortunes. The young people were going to dance, during the day - to ride a sleigh, and play snowballs. By the way, after Christmas there were always a lot of weddings. “In gatherings, fortune-telling, games, songs, everything is aimed at one goal - to bring the betrothed closer together. Only on holy days do boys and girls easily sit hand in hand,” wrote folklorist I. Snegirev in the book “Songs of the Russian People.”
The most “antisocial” Yuletide tradition is “pampering.” Children and teenagers gathered in large groups at night and played as mischievously as they could. A classic joke was to nail up the outside gate of a house or to tear up a woodpile. Another entertainment is the ritual theft of something. You could steal anything, but always with noise and songs, and not secretly. In Soviet times, despite all the prohibitions, collective farm tractors were often “stolen.” Immediately after the holidays, of course, they were returned to their place.
The last days of Christmastide were devoted to preparing for Epiphany. The best village craftsmen cut a cross-shaped hole in frozen reservoirs and decorated it with patterns made of ice.
The twelve-day period from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany is a time of games and festivities, popularly called winter or Christmas time.
In the first week Christmastide strict adherence to prohibitions and regulations is necessary, this is the most significant time. During this period, the church does not conduct wedding ceremonies. It’s good to devote these days to communicating with your loved ones and family. Devote time to acts of mercy and help people who find themselves lonely or frail. It was believed that at this time the souls of the dead came to earth, and therefore a place was left at the Christmas table for deceased relatives. You can't work on Christmas evenings.
On Christmas Eve, youth and children dressed up as various animals or fairy-tale characters, painted their faces or put on masks, they were called mummers. Entering every house, in this guise, they sang carols or Christmas songs. The owners made sure to prepare for the arrival of the carolers; it was believed that the better you give to those who came, the richer, happier and more joyful the coming year would be. These trips around the yards were always noisy and joyful, with funny performances and skits.
Christmastide- this is a time of special transition, when it came to an end old year, and a new one is just beginning, daylight hours begin their countdown and become longer. There was a belief that on these holidays God opened the gates of hell so that demons and devils could enjoy Christmas. This is a time of holiness and magic, most suitable for rituals and fortune telling.
The pagans believed that this was the time of the birth of the sun and therefore you can see your future, which is hidden at other times. It was believed that during Christmas time nothing would prevent one from seeing the future, so a considerable share of fortune-telling was dedicated to these days. Christianity did not welcome fortune telling and considered it a sin. But the desire to know their future was too great and therefore the people found an excuse: Jesus was born on Christmas, but was not baptized before Baptism, therefore fortune telling during Christmas time not sinful.
For fortune telling, non-living premises were chosen: a bathhouse, an attic or an abandoned house. It was necessary to prepare for fortune telling: remove pectoral cross and belt, let down your hair, remove home amulets and jewelry. The day before, it is advisable not to quarrel with anyone or use foul language. The ceremony took place at midnight, when most people had already gone to bed. The main desire of girls, at all times, is to see their betrothed, to find out about the possibility of marriage.
The eternal questions of health, material well-being and prospects for the future have interested people at all times. The most accurate predictions are considered to be on Christmas and Epiphany nights, but rituals can be performed on any of the nights of Christmastide. Depending on the type of fortune telling, the necessary attributes were chosen; candles, water, rings and mirrors were usually used.
Having placed a saucer of water on the porch overnight, in the morning they determined by the shape of the ice that had formed what kind of year it would be: calm and joyful, or difficult and sorrowful. Girls who wanted to find out the name of their betrothed put leaves of paper under their pillow at night. male names, and one piece of paper was left blank. Waking up in the morning, without looking, they pulled out the treasured piece of paper with the name of the future husband. If a blank sheet was pulled out, it means that marriage must wait at least another year. These days Christmas fortune telling have lost their relevance and are treated as entertainment.
Christmas Holidays They were especially loved by the people, because there were not many holidays, and even such long ones. Irrepressible fun, burning bonfires, sleigh rides and evening gatherings, all this made Christmastide a national holiday, beloved and long-awaited. We tried to spend each Christmas day correctly and in a special way, using every minute of these magical days. Particular attention was paid to cleansing the house; for this purpose, the house and all outbuildings were smoked with incense and sprinkled with holy water, driving out evil spirits from all corners. All these rituals were accompanied by Christmas songs and prayers.
