Одну секунду
Что-то случилось. Попробуйте еще раз.
A week after Christmas Eve, on December 31 (January 13), the Generous Evening was celebrated (the day of the Christian saint Reverend Melania). This day was also called Melanka. According to tradition, the celebration was accompanied by going round the houses to wish people happiness, health and well-being in the New Year. They were also generous with theatrical groups: "Melanka" and "Vasyl" and "Ryazheni". If you compare Christmas carols and Christmas carols ("Chedryk, Chedryk, Chedryvochka, a swallow has flown in"), then the swallows, spring, sowing of rye are mentioned in the carols. This indicates that the ancient Slavs celebrated the beginning of the New Year in the spring.
One of the beliefs leads us to the cult of ancestors, which is prominently featured in Christmas rituals. On "Holy Eve" (Christmas Eve), the evening dinner, consisting, in the Lubensk district, mainly of kuti and uzvar (dried fruit decoction), has a family and, in particular, memorial character: kuti is left for the night for deceased relatives; according to popular belief, vague reflections of small, doll-like people descending to the table can be seen on the wall. The ancient Slavs met the New Year with songs, dances, jokes of the dressed-up people, funny pranks. This cycle of rites received the general name - carols. Caroled in Russia since December 25. They dressed up in leather, put on scary masks, went from house to house, sang songs. It was still dark, on the early New Year's morning, there was a knock on the door or window. The owners already guessed who was knocking and opened the door hospitably. Guests entered the house, scattering bread grains around the house and chanting:
"At a time when there was neither land nor sky, only one blue sea - in the middle of this sea there were two oaks, and two doves sat on the oaks; the doves went down to the bottom of the sea, got sand and stone, from which the earth was created, the sky and heavenly bodies". The mythological plot reflected in this ancient carol existed even in the days of the Scythians: on the bronze relief from the Scythian mound there is a tree with birds, and the sun and the moon. Similar subjects can be found on Ukrainian embroidered towels up to the beginning of the 20th century. Investigate
.svg){kind=small}
