Russian folk holiday: calendar, scenarios, traditions and rituals

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

In the past, holidays in Russia were an important part of family and social life. For many centuries, the people sacredly kept and honored their traditions, which were passed down from one generation to another.

Meaning of holidays

On weekdays, a person went about his daily business and got his daily bread. Something opposite to this was a holiday. On such a day, there was a merger with the history and sacred values of the community, revered by all, which was perceived as a sacred event.

Main Traditions

At the everyday level, there were a number of rules that allowed on a holiday to get a psycho-physiological feeling of the fullness of life.

Russian folk holidays for children, old people and old maids simply did not exist. It was believed that the former had not yet reached the age when they could realize the sacred value, the latter were already on the verge of the living and the dead world, and the third, marked by celibacy, had not fulfilled their destiny on this earth.

Russian folk holidays and rituals have always meant freedom from any work. Ban insuch days were imposed on plowing and mowing, chopping firewood and sewing, weaving and cleaning the hut, that is, on any daily activity. On holidays, people had to dress smartly and choose only joyful and pleasant topics for conversation. If someone violated the accepted rules, then a fine could be imposed on him. One of the measures of influence was whipping.

Chronology of holidays

In the old days, all days free from work were connected in a single multi-stage sequence. The Russian folk calendar of holidays placed them in a certain order, which did not change from century to century.

It was believed that the holy day of Easter had the greatest sacred power. Russian folk holiday, classified as great, is Christmas. Equally important was the Trinity, Maslenitsa, as well as Petrov and Ivanov days. Special periods were singled out, which were associated with the initiative of various peasant works. It could be harvesting cabbage for the winter or sowing grain. Such days were considered semi-holidays or minor holidays.

Orthodox doctrine established Easter with the Twelfth. These are twelve holidays proclaimed in honor of the Mother of God and Jesus Christ. There were also temple days. They were local holidays dedicated to significant events that took place in the lives of the saints, in whose honor temples were erected.

Days that have no connection with church traditions are allocated to a special group. These include Shrovetide and Christmas. There were also sacred holidays,commemorating a tragic event. They were held in the hope of gaining the favor of a deity or nature. Numerous women's and men's, as well as youth holidays were celebrated.

Rites held in winter

For a long time, the Russian people assigned a certain role to each of the seasons. Any Russian folk holiday celebrated in the winter was famous for festivities, fun and games. This quiet time was the best suited for the farmer for entertainment and reflection.

In Russia, the New Year was considered the milestone date for a large list of rituals associated with arable farming. It was accompanied by Sviatki and Kolyadas. It was colorful festivities.

Christmas time was the period from New Year's Eve, lasting twelve days. The previous day was Christmas Eve. By this holiday, the hut was thoroughly cleaned, went to the bathhouse and changed linen.

After Christmas, on January 19, they celebrated Epiphany, or the Epiphany of the Lord. This is one of the great twelfth holidays.

The Presentation of the Lord is celebrated on February 15th. It is also one of the twelfth Orthodox holidays. It is celebrated in memory of the meeting of the baby Jesus, brought to the Temple in Jerusalem, with the holy prophetess Anna and the elder Simeon.

Spring holidays

Winter is over. The forces of heat and light conquered the cold. At this time, a Russian folk holiday is celebrated, which is known for its spacious fun - Maslenitsa. During this period, which lasts a whole week before Great Lent, there was a farewell towinter.

Scenarios of Russian folk holidays, which have come to us since ancient times, dictated visiting Maslenitsa and baking pancakes, sledding and sleigh rides, burning and then burying an effigy of winter, dressing up and having feasts. March 22 Magpies were celebrated, when the day was equal in duration to the night. Traditionally, young people danced and sang songs. The gatherings ended with Maslenitsa.

April 7 - Annunciation. The sixth week of Great Lent is Palm Sunday. Folk traditions of this holiday are associated with willow. Its branches are consecrated in the church. The great holiday of all Christians living on our planet is Easter. On this day, the Resurrection is celebrated, that is, the completion of the transition of Jesus Christ from death to life.

Krasnaya Gorka is a Russian folk holiday. It is timed to coincide with the first Sunday after Easter and is a symbol of the full arrival of spring. With this holiday, the ancient Slavs met the time of the revival of nature.

On the fortieth day after Easter, Ascension was celebrated. This is the last spring holiday.

Rites and traditions in the summertime

Fiftieth day after Easter is considered the Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost). This is one of the greatest Orthodox twelfth holidays. In the Bible, this day is described by events that endowed the Apostles with the Holy Spirit and allowed them to engage in preaching the teachings of Christ among all nations. Pentecost is considered the birthday of the Church itself.

Russian folk holidays in the summer began with the Trinity. This day was associated with the final farewell to spring. The main tradition for the celebration of the Trinity was the decoration of the dwelling and the temple with various branches, flowers and fragrant grass. This was done in order for the Holy Spirit to descend. As in Easter week, eggs were painted again.

Significant Russian folk holiday of July - Ivan Kupala. It has an ethnic origin and is celebrated from the sixth to the seventh, when the summer solstice is observed. Traditionally, bonfires are lit on this day and people jump over them, weave wreaths and dance. The holiday is called in honor of John the Baptist. The main thing that distinguishes this day from other festivities is jumping over bonfires, which help cleanse a person from the evil spirits inside him.

Notable summer Russian folk holidays in August. They begin on the second day, when Ilyin's day is celebrated. After it, there is a decline in the summer heat with the establishment of moderate heat. Traditionally, for Ilyin's Day, donuts and kolobas were baked from the flour of the new harvest.

Already on August 14, together with the first Savior, the farewell to summer began. On this day, beekeepers broke out honeycombs in beehives. That is why the holiday is called honey. The Second Spas is celebrated on August 19. They called it apple, as at this time the time for harvesting the ripened fruit crop comes.

August 28 is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a big event. It belongs to the twelfth Orthodox holidays. This is the day of honoring the memory of the great Prayer Book - the Mother of God. According to folk traditions, this holiday is called Lord's Day. He is surrounded not by sadness, but by joy.

The day after the Dormition, the third Savior is celebrated. This day is marked both in the Orthodox and in the Slavic calendar. It marks the dozhinki and the last departure of the swallows, as well as the beginning of the Indian summer, which lasts until the eleventh of September.

Autumn Holidays

On September 14, the Eastern Slavs celebrate a holiday named after Semyon the Pilot. Its essence is the holding of celebrations that mark the approaching autumn. This is the day of rituals, which include the following: housewarming and sit-downs, trimming and lighting a fire, and burial of flies.

Exactly one month later, on October 14, the Protection Day is celebrated. It marks the final onset of the autumn period. In the old days, bast shoes and straw beds worn out over the summer were burned on this day. It was believed that autumn meets winter on Pokrov.

Russian folk holidays in modern life

Since ancient times, the days when people traditionally did not work and performed certain rituals awakened a sense of beauty in a person, allowed them to feel free and relax.

Currently in Russia, some old holidays are not forgotten. They are celebrated, as before, with the preservation of ancient traditions. As in the old days, the Russian people have a reason to arrange fun feasts, dances, games and festivities.

Religious holidays are also celebrated in Russia. They are also popular, because the Orthodox faith cannot be separated from the values that are rich in the culture of the country.