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A week after Kolyada (Christmas) on December 31 (according to the Russian Orthodox Church) or January 13 (according to the Russian Orthodox Church), the Generous Evening was celebrated, timed to meet the New Year.
As soon as Zorya rose in the sky, carolers went from house to house to inform people about the birth of the new Sun, and the image of this sun was carried with them ("Christmas star"). This tradition has survived to this day. They went into the yard, woke up the owner and sang majestic songs about the sun, moon, and stars to his family. These songs came to be called carols or carols.
Subsequently, with the introduction of the Christian religion as a state religion in Russia (the so-called "baptism of Russia"), the rite of caroling was adapted to the celebration of Christmas. Priests and monks created new religious carols with biblical images, which also gained great popularity among the people. Prominent composers undertook the processing and restoration of carols: Mykola Lysenko, Stanislav Lyudkevich, and others. In carols, according to tradition, all members of the family were honored: the master, the mistress, the boyfriend, the girlfriend. The caroling was combined with a corresponding theatrical performance, dances, and music. They caroled in groups, having previously distributed responsibilities: chieftain "birch", "star", "mihonosha" and "ryajeni". Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivskyi described Christmas carols as follows in his Christmas sermon "The Meaning of Christmas Carols":