Carols and Christmas carols were extremely popular ritual songs among the people. Carols are sung from December 25 to January 7. They were timed to Christmas. And donations - before the New Year (according to the old style - January 14).
Christmas carols are the oldest folklore genre. They preserve the memory of the old tribal era and are associated with the winter turning of the sun into summer, which was called the holiday of Kolyada. It was celebrated on December 25 (old style), when the night was the longest. Nature seemed to freeze at this time. It was believed that the sun was eaten by the evil Korochun - a dark Slavic deity. The goddess of the sky Kolyada was giving birth to a new sun, a little Bozhich.
Currently, winter in Ukraine is primarily associated with carols, which are sung on the holiday of Christmas (January 6-8 according to the new style). But carols were once pagan songs, against which the Orthodox Church initially waged an unsuccessful struggle and banned them. However, Kolyada rites proved to be very stable in Ukraine, marked in many ways by the features of pagan beliefs, reminiscent of both honoring the newborn sun and the cult of ancestors.
When Zorya came down, the celebration began. At this time, they first brought Didukh into the house. Under the table, under the tablecloth, under the dish - kutyu - they put straw, this straw woman, which in the current interpretation already symbolizes the manger in which Christ was born. And originally, it was probably a symbol of grain, a rich harvest. Garlic cloves were placed on the corners of the table - amulets against evil spirits. It all started with Didukh. No one sat down at the table until the father brought this Grandfather into the house.
.svg){kind=small}
