тгреадс сва 3 1025 мемберс когаг 4638 тропгыес
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.
All this is sung about in carols, which were known long before the beginning of Christian times in Ukraine, it is also found in ordinary rituals, such as: twelve wormwood, twelve Christmas Eve dishes, calling for a dinner of frost, a wolf, a black storm and evil winds, grandfather on penance, hay on the table. All these movements, actions and words, which at first glance have no meaning in a person's life, blow on the heart of each of us with the charm of the native element and are a living balm for the soul that fills it with powerful strength.
The light that the Sun of Kolyada gives to people every year is the nourishing, all-conquering power of the Creator, which calls from the most ancient times to this hour for the Holy Supper, where the doors are open for everyone, where the tables are set for everyone." (V. Voytovych, Sokil- Reed, 1997) To glorify God the Creator, the people created a huge number of solemn hymns-songs about the creation of the world, honoring the Sun, the Moon, the Goddess Dana and their human descendants - carols and hymns. Let's note that carols are almost never baked, and Christmas cakes are never baked during the day - they celebrate the Feast of Christmas Eve, the Moon and the Stars. This is a holiday of faith in the Light, so that people live better, so that the earth gives birth better than last year, so that the future children and grandchildren of the Family live more cheerfully.