н75682 25 м02859 RU к02189 гтмл
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":
"Carols" were baked on Vasiliev's Eve, addressed to the owners of the house, as well as separately to the housewife and her daughter, or the father of the family and his son, etc. The most ancient, pagan carol songs are connected with the theme of the magical growth of nature and living things, the later ones also absorbed religious themes:
How beautifully our carols combine the remnants of this still pagan time and the majestic light of Christ's faith on our purely folk, national soil! Carols are, of course, a purely folk work, both in terms of content and singing, but along with the development of folk life, various influences were exerted on the content of carols, and most of all, of course, from the side of spiritual science. During the development of our Ukrainian fraternities and fraternal schools, the bursakas of these schools and their teachers, who at that time made a living by singing cantos and carols on holidays, contributed a lot of school science to carols...