Autumn is an ancient folk festival of farewell to summer and welcome to autumn. Autumn is a meeting of autumn in Rus'. In the Slavic calendar, this day was called “Oseniny” or “Ospozhinki” and was celebrated as a harvest festival. On this day we thanked Mother Earth.At the beginning of September, the grain harvest ended, which was supposed to ensure the well-being of the family for the next year. Also, the meeting of autumn had its own special meaning - on this day, rituals to renew the fire took place: the old fire was extinguished and a new one was lit, which was mined by blows of flint.
From “Osenin” the main economic activity was transferred from the field to the garden or to the house: the collection of vegetables began (onions were first of all harvested). Usually in Oseniny they made a large and beautiful table, around which the whole family gathered. For the holiday, they made fruit drinks and kvass from berries and baked loaves from the flour of the new harvest. These dishes were used to glorify Mother Earth for giving birth to bread and other products.
September 14 is the day of Semyon the Summer Guide. The sit-ins began with Semyon, i.e. work in huts under fire.
September 21 - Ospozhinki was celebrated - the harvest festival. It was believed that from this day autumn firmly came into its own.
September 27 - Exaltation. All signs and rituals of this day were associated with the word “move”.
The rise of autumn moves towards winter, “the grain moves from the field to the threshing floor,” “the bird moved to take flight,” and even “the caftan and fur coat moved, and the hat pulled down.”
In the old days in Rus', the second Osenins were also important on September 21, on the day of the autumnal equinox, when day is equal to night. By this time, the entire harvest had already been harvested. The holiday was celebrated with great hospitality and widespread hospitality. They certainly visited their parents and commemorated their ancestors. In the Christian church calendar the second
Autumn fell on September 21 - the Nativity of the Virgin Mary.
Also called Pasekin Day. On this day, bees were removed and onions were collected. Onion teardrop day. Signs said that “Every summer is over.” “If the weather is good, autumn will be good.” “Indian summer has scared away the quiet.”
It is customary to meet autumn people near the water. On this day, early in the morning, women go to the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds to meet Mother Osenina with oatmeal bread. The older woman stands with bread, and the young people around her sing songs. After which they break the bread into pieces for all those gathered, and also feed this bread to livestock for their offspring.
Interestingly, the Aztec Indians celebrated male fertility day on this day. And September 21 was considered a favorable day for conceiving strong and healthy boys.
In Russia, in Oseniny, there was a custom of treating newlyweds who had recently had a wedding to all their relatives. Relatives and friends came to visit the newlyweds. After a hearty dinner, the young housewife showed off her entire household in the house. The guests were supposed to praise the Hostess and teach her wisdom. And the Owner showed the guests the yard, the tools for the harvest, the summer and winter harness of the horses.
The Second Autumn was celebrated on September 21, it coincided with the Christmas holiday Holy Mother of God. The third Autumn fell on September 27th.
Rituals and customs are part of the culture of every people, be it a huge nation or a small community. They accompany us throughout our lives. Some of them go back centuries, and we forget them or don’t know about them at all. Others continue to exist. We invite you to get acquainted with autumn rituals, the history of their origin and essence. Traditions associated with the onset of autumn different countries interesting and varied.
Autumn is a time of holidays
Since ancient times, autumn has been the time for various celebrations. For example, ceremonies and rituals on the day of the autumn equinox are varied and numerous. Why did this happen? The fact is that the time for farming was ending, everyone was harvesting and preparing for winter. The majority of the population in those days were peasants, so seasonality had a significant impact on their way of life. Full bins and free time gave people the opportunity to relax.
Harvest Festival in Israel
Mostly people celebrated the Harvest Festival. So, in Israel, Sukkot takes place on September 19th. On this day, Jews perform the ritual of raising the lulav. Lulava consists of four plants - myrtle, willow, date palm leaf, etrog. Each of these plants symbolizes a person. Thus, the etrog symbolizes people who do good deeds, and the willow symbolizes people who do not know how to do good. The combination of these plants suggests that everyone should help the other, teach him right life. The holiday lasts seven days. On the eighth day they read a prayer for the granting of the harvest for the next year.
Korean autumn traditions
The harvest is called Chuseok. It lasts three days. An interesting point: all people try to go to their native places for these three days. On Chuseok, every family worships their ancestors, and after this ritual they are treated to festive dishes from the sacrificial table. Then everyone goes to the graves of relatives to honor their memory.
Wine harvest
In Europe, grape harvest holidays are considered traditional. Thus, in Switzerland in mid-September there is a festival of young wine. About one hundred and fifty varieties of wines are sent here from all over the country. Various shows, dances, and concerts take place these days.
Autumn holidays among the Slavs
Autumn holidays Slavs often have pagan and Orthodox roots. The most famous were Obzhinki or Dozhinki (among Belarusians). In the nineteenth century, this holiday was celebrated everywhere among the Slavs, only at different times, mainly depending on the climate. Thus, among the Eastern Slavs, the mentioned holiday coincided with the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, and in Siberia - with the holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
On this day, people performed several autumn rituals. For example, the last sheaf was reaped in silence, and then the women rolled through the stubble with certain words-songs. Several ears of corn, twisted into a beard, were left on the field. This ritual was called “beard curling.”
Traditions and rituals of autumn in Rus'
The first of September in Rus' was called Indian summer; in some areas the countdown was from September 8th. Already somewhere from Ilyin's day, and somewhere from Uspenev, autumn round dances began in many settlements. It is worth noting that the round dance is the most ancient of the dances of the Russian people, and is rooted in the rites of worship of the Sun God. Round dance in Rus' was of great importance. This dance reflected the three eras of the year: spring, summer, autumn.
One of the Russian autumn rituals is a round dance called “brew beer.” Young women went out into the street and treated everyone to home brew, then stood up in a round dance and pretended to be drunk. At the end, all the girls were treated to home brew.
On Semenov Day - the first of September - they mounted a horse. In each family, the first-born was seated on a horse. In addition, on this same day, for 400 years, they celebrated New Year. It was abolished only in 1700 by decree of Peter 1.
And on September 14, Osenins began to be celebrated in Rus'. People thanked Mother Earth for the rich harvest. They renewed the fire, extinguished the old one, and started a new one. From that time on, all activities in the field ended and work began in the house, in the yard, and in the garden. In the houses on the First Autumn they covered festive table, brewed beer and slaughtered a sheep. A cake was baked from the new flour.
September 21 - Second Autumns. On the same day they celebrated the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. September 23 - Peter and Pavel Ryabinnik. On this day, rowan berries were collected for compote and kvass. The windows were decorated with bunches of rowan berries; it was believed that they would protect the house from all evil spirits.
Third Autumn - September 27. In another way, this day was called the snake holiday. According to legends, all birds and snakes moved to another country on this day. They conveyed requests to the deceased. On this day we did not go into the forest, because it was believed that a snake could drag us away.
Autumn traditions among Belarusians
Autumn holidays among Belarusians are similar to autumn rituals and holidays among other Slavic peoples. For a long time in Belarus they celebrated the end of the harvest. This holiday was called dozhinki. One of the main autumn rituals was held on Dozhinki. The last sheaf was entwined with flowers and dressed in women's dress, after which they were taken to the village and left until the next harvest. Now Dozhinki is a holiday of national significance.
Similarly, the Osenins in Belarus celebrated the harvest festival - the rich man. The symbol of the holiday was a popular print with grain and a candle inside. The “rich man” was in one of the houses of the village, where a priest was invited to conduct a prayer service. Afterwards, the popular print with a lit candle was carried through the entire village.
No less famous ritual holiday late autumn in Belarus - Dziady. This holiday of remembrance of ancestors falls on November 1-2. Dziady means “grandfathers”, “ancestors”. Before Dzyady they washed in the bathhouse and cleaned the house. A bucket of water was left in the bathhouse clean water and a broom for the souls of ancestors. The whole family gathered for dinner that day. Various dishes were prepared, and before dinner the doors were opened in the house so that the souls of the dead could enter.
At dinner they did not say unnecessary words, behaved humbly, remembered only good things about their ancestors, and remembered the dead. Dziady was given to the beggars who walked around the villages.
Autumn equinox. Rituals and rituals in different countries of the world
The autumnal equinox falls on September 22, sometimes 23. Day and night at this time become equal. Many peoples attached mystical significance to this day. Traditions, celebrations and rituals on the Autumn Equinox Day are commonplace.
In some countries this Public Holiday, for example, in Japan. Here, according to tradition, ancestors are remembered on this day. An ancient ritual of the Buddhist holiday Higan is being performed. On this day, the Japanese prepare food only from plant ingredients: beans, vegetables. They make pilgrimages to the graves of their ancestors and worship them.
In Mexico, on the day of the autumn equinox, people go to the The object is designed so that on the days of the equinox, the sun's rays create triangles of light and shadow on the pyramid. The lower the sun, the more distinct the contours of the shadow; they resemble a snake in shape. This illusion lasts a little more than three hours, during which time you need to make a wish.
Autumn equinox among the Slavs
The autumn equinox was one of the main holidays among the Slavs. It had different names: Tausen, Ovsen, Radogoshch. Rituals and rituals were also performed in different places.
Ovsen is the name of a deity in mythology who was responsible for the change of seasons, so in the fall he was thanked for fruits and harvests. They celebrated the day of the autumn equinox (with ceremonies and rituals) for two weeks. The main holiday drink was honey, made from fresh hops. Pies with meat, cabbage, and lingonberries are the main delicacy on the table.
The ritual for the autumn equinox was the farewell of the goddess Zhiva to Svarga - the heavenly kingdom, which closed in winter period. On the day of the equinox, the Slavs also revered the goddess Lada. She was the patroness of weddings. And weddings were most often celebrated after the completion of field work.
On the day of the autumn equinox, special autumn events were held folk rituals. To attract good luck and happiness, they baked pies with cabbage and apples round shape. If the dough rose quickly, it means that the financial situation should improve next year.
On this day, all old things were taken out into the yard and burned.
Special rituals for the autumn equinox were performed with water. She was believed to have special powers. We washed ourselves morning and evening with the belief that water would keep children healthy and women attractive.
Our ancestors often used trees in autumn rituals and holidays. So, they protected the house and themselves with rowan branches. It was believed that rowan, picked on this day, has enormous energy and will not let evil into the house. The girls used walnut branches. They put a second pillow on the bed in order to get married faster, they burned the branches of the nut, and the ashes were scattered on the street. The clusters of rowan trees were used to judge winter. The more berries, the harsher the winter.
A special autumn ritual in Rus' was sacrifice. In gratitude for a good harvest in pagan times, the Slavs sacrificed the largest animal to Veles. This was done before the harvest. After the sacrifice, the sheaves were tied up and the “grandmothers” were placed. Afterwards a rich table was set.
Orthodox autumn holidays, traditions, rituals
The biggest holiday is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 21). The holiday coincided with the second autumn.
September 27 - Exaltation of the Holy Cross. In the 4th century, the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great found the Cross and the Holy Sepulcher. Many then wanted to see this miracle. This is how the Feast of the Exaltation was established. From this day we began harvesting cabbage for the winter. And young boys and girls gathered for cabbage parties. The table was set, the guys looked after the brides.
October 14 - Intercession of the Virgin Mary. The holiday was established by Andrei Bogolyubsky. In Rus' they believed that the Mother of God took Rus' under her protection, so they always relied on her protection and mercy. At this time, they were finishing work in the field and collecting the last fruits. In Pokrov, women made ten-handed dolls, which, it was believed, were supposed to help around the house, since the woman did not have time to do everything.
On the third day of November they celebrated "Kazanskaya". This is the Mother of God.
Autumn signs in Rus'
September 11 - Ivan Poletny, Poletovshchik. A day later they began to pull out root crops and dig up potatoes.
September 24 - Fedora-Ripped off. Two Fedoras up the mountain - one autumn, one winter, one with mud, the other with cold.
October 1 is crane summer. It was believed that if the cranes flew on this day, then there would be the first frost on Pokrov. If not, you should not expect frosts before November 1st.
November 14 - Kuzminki. On Kuzminki they celebrated the rooster's name day. The girls had a feast-conversation and invited the guys.
On this day, a ritual called “the wedding and funeral of Kuzma-Demyan” was performed. The girls made a stuffed animal out of straw, dressed it up as a guy and held a comic wedding. They sat this scarecrow in the middle of the hut and “married” it to some girl, then they took it into the forest, burned it and danced on it. We made dolls Kuzma and Demyan. They were considered guardians of the family hearth and patrons of women's handicrafts.
August - dawn, stubble, pickle, thick-eater, Little Russians, Poles, Czechs and Slovaks: serpen Folk name: zornik(ripening of cornfields, zornik from zornit = to ripen). Work: harvesting bread, mowing, plowing, sowing winter crops, breaking up honeycombs in hives, finishing barns, cleaning threshing floors.
Ilyin's day July 20 /August 2 The Prophet Elijah in the popular imagination was associated with Perun, the Thunderer, riding across the sky in a fiery chariot. Rains, thunderstorms and droughts are at His will. Perun's Day in paganism is a holiday of warriors and farmers. Then, for the holiday, which included two components - military and agricultural, they baked a huge pie for the whole village, prepared a large piece of cottage cheese, and brewed ritual beer. At the beginning of the festival, “living fire” was produced by friction, and a fire of oak logs was lit from it.
Elijah is the initiator of the harvest. The haymaking must end and the harvest begin. After Ilya, the water is not suitable for swimming. The sun turns to autumn. (boundary: summer-autumn) A sacrifice in the form of a general meal with the slaughter of a bull or ram.. People said: “Before Elijah, clouds walk with the wind, and from Elijah they begin to walk against the wind,” “On Elijah, before lunch it’s summer, and after lunch - autumn", "Ilya the Prophet - mowing time" Ilya's Day - "angry day". They didn’t work that day. “They don’t throw sheaves on Elijah’s Day: they’ll burn with a thunderstorm.” They distinguished between Ilya Wet and Ilya Sukhoi: He was called Wet during prayers for the sending of rain to the fields, and Dry - during prayers for the cessation of prolonged rains. If there was no rain at all on Perunov (Ilyin) Day, they were afraid of imminent forest fires.
Autumn – noted in different terms, depending on the climate - from the first rescue to Semenov’s day (September 14). Songs “farewell to the sun” in the evening dawn. (they were also sung at the Assumption of the Virgin Mary). A feast was being arranged. Treats are the magic of well-being.
The holiday is associated with the baptism of Rus' in 988. The church performed the rite of the small blessing of water, St. All wells and reservoirs were blessed with water, and people washed away their sins in the Jordan. This same honey Savior - the first honeycombs with honey were “trimmed”. And the poppy Savior - pre-Christian ritual food contained poppy seeds, which ripened by this time. Poppy and honey were blessed in the church. Sowing winter crops.
Harvesting vegetables and fruits. The holiday of blessing the fruits of the earth, incl. apples Until this day they were not supposed to be eaten. This day - first meeting of autumn . Donations for the poor (meal)
Assumption 15/ August 28 . Dozhinki, dozhinki, dozhinki. Assumption. Celebration of the end of summer, harvest and the beginning of autumn. Feasts, fraternal beer, donations to mark the end of the harvest season, glorification of hard peasant labor. Obzhinki- the last day of the grain harvest. Pickling of cucumbers and mushrooms begins. Remembrance of the dead. Autumn round dances began. The beginning of the young Indian summer (before Ivan Lent)
Third Spas 16 /August 29 – walnut, bread(they consecrate the bread of the new harvest, bake bread from the flour of the new harvest), canvas or Spas on the canvas. From this day on, it was allowed to collect and eat hazelnuts from the new harvest. A favorable day for trade in paintings and canvases, on this day they organized textile fairs.
Autumn folk festival
“It’s nice in autumn in Russia!”
Target: enrich children's understanding of the socio-cultural values of the people, national traditions and holidays.
Tasks:
Enrichment of musical and auditory experience through familiarization with domestic folklore;
Development musical abilities(sense of rhythm, memory, hearing of intonation) in musical games and musical-didactic games with movement specially modeled by the teacher;
Development of emotional responsiveness to music, formation of musical taste.
Children enter the hall singing “My Motherland”
music A. Polyachek, lyrics. F. Savinova,
stop in random order.
1 child:
I see wonderful freedom,
I see fields and fields -
This is Russian expanse,
This is Russian land.
2nd child: I see mountains and valleys
I see rivers and fields -
These are Russian paintings
This is my homeland!
Presenter: Russia, Russia, our country,
She is very, very big
Russia is the Motherland, our home.
Where we live together with you!
3rd child: Everything is beautiful: earth and sky,
And fields, and forests, and meadows,
Golden seas of bread -
No, Russia is more valuable than you!
The song by G. Struve “My Russia” is played.
(group of children singing)
4th child: Majestic and beautiful
At any time our Russia!
But in the fall it is especially good -
This is how the soul sings in Russia!
Presenter: You need to celebrate the autumn holiday
Fun, cheerful, perky and friendly.
Children: Autumn, autumn, we invite you to visit us!
Autumn enters to the music.
Autumn: Hello good people! Have fun and joy!
I am Autumn! The very time of year about which it is customary to say “wet”, “rainy”. But there are other words about me: golden, crimson.
But autumn is the time to collect bread and vegetables, the time to prepare for the long winter. So this time of year is the most generous and fruitful.
The round dance “Gifts of Autumn” sounds muses Shestakova
(all the children sing, at the end of the song the children run to their chairs, and Autumn catches them with rain)
Autumn: Do you know what sayings people have about the autumn months?
1 child: September sends off the red summer,
Meets the golden autumn.
2nd child: September is cold, father, but there is plenty to feed.
3 child: In October, say goodbye to the sun, get closer to the stove.
4th child: In November there will be snow - bread will arrive!
Autumn: These months are not only hard workers, but also fun ones:
“Worked well, had good fun.”
Yes, now they will tell about themselves.
Music sounds, the months enter.
Autumn: Hello, hello, brothers, autumn months!
What did you come with?
September: With soft rain!
October: With crispy mushroom!
November: Happy first ice cream!
Autumn: What gifts did you bring us?
September: Vegetables and berries.
October: The last honey.
November: Festive mood.
Presenter: Please come and stay with us for the holiday.
Thanks for the treat!
Autumn: Each month has its own wonderful holidays associated with the ancient agricultural calendar. Let each month tell about these holidays.
September: I have another name - Veresen.
In September, the heather bloomed, from which they made a delicious drink, jam.
They say about me: “In September, one berry is a rowan, and even that one is bitter.”
Autumn: Beautiful girls
Get into the circle quickly.
Round dance "Rowanushka"
Start it smoothly.
Girls perform the round dance "Rowanushka"
(Russian folk music).
September: Your round dance is so good -
You just can't take your eyes off it!
They bring out the table with cabbage.
Autumn: The lady sat down in the garden bed,
Dressed in noisy silks.
We are preparing tubs for her
And half a bag of coarse salt!
1 child: Our harvest is good, it is abundant!
Oh yes, white cabbage is good!
2nd child: On Vozdvizhenie the first lady is cabbage.
3rd child: After all, without cabbage, cabbage soup will not be thick!
4th child: Bread and cabbage will not allow dashing.
Autumn: Help me chop the cabbage,
Help me console her!
September: On the Feast of the Exaltation they began to chop cabbage
And salt it for the winter.
Chopping cabbage served as an occasion for public parties.
5th child: Cabbage evenings came to us:
On horses, on foxes, sables.
Round dance “Capustka” (Russian folk melody).
Autumn: Who is with me, who will play “pegs” with me?
Children: You and I, you and I will play Pegs!
The game “Peg Pegs” is being played (Russian folk melody)
girls choose boys (“pegs”). Girls stand, boys crouch, the “driver” is outside the circle.
I'm walking around
I'm building a fence.
I'm looking for some pegs.
(Selects a “peg” and approaches the Mistress):
Kuma (kum), godmother (kum), give me the peg!
Buy it!
What's it worth?
A head of cabbage, a broom, and a ruble of money.
Well, then shake hands and go to the bathhouse.
All children: One, two, three - run!
(Whoever comes running first becomes the “Master”.)
At the end of the game, they take their places on the chairs.
Autumn: September has just left the yard -
His brother came to us - October!
October (coming out):
In October there will be a holiday of the Intercession.
Know that winter in Rus' is cold and harsh.
Repair the hut so as not to freeze until the Intercession.
And put the beehives in the cellar -
According to ancient custom, celebrate the holiday of honey.
The round dance “As on the Day of Intercession” is performed
(Russian folk melody).
Girls (singing): Like on the day of Intercession
They wove many carpets.
Oh, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,
They wove many carpets.
The first is herbal,
Summer is hot.
Oh, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,
Summer is hot.
And the second carpet -
Dry leaves.
Oh, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,
Dry leaves.
The third carpet is snow,
And he won't last forever either.
Oh, lyuli, lyuli, lyuli,
And he won't last forever either.
Boy: The songs were sung well
Dear girlfriends,
Just for the get-togethers
Without our ditty!
Ditties
Children (play ditties one by one):
Oh, laughing girls,
Start singing ditties.
Start quickly
To please the guys.
All the Dubrava girls,
We are breaking beauty records.
Beauty recipes
We take it from the garden.
Why, like a little man,
Is the cucumber all covered in goosebumps?
He's lying in the sun
Why is he trembling?
My darling sent me
A note for the holiday,
That he adores me
Like a salad with radishes.
There are a hundred suitors now
Under my window
Everyone wants to receive
Pie with potatoes.
I caught a mouse in a cage
And he locked it there tightly.
After all, you can’t assemble without a mouse
There's a turnip in the garden.
Together: If there were no wheat,
There would be no cheesecake,
They sang as best they could
We are ditties for everyone!
Autumn: Now the time has come,
It's November outside.
1 child: In November, winter and autumn are fought.
2nd child: November is capricious - sometimes it cries, sometimes it laughs.
November: And November laughs on its main holidays,
Inviting you to sing majestic songs to the feast,
To celebrate people's glorious works.
All children: Finished the job - go for a walk!
Held music game“Don’t be late” (Russian folk melody):
Autumn: This is how it goes in Rus',
What talented people
He is both a reaper and a Swiss,
And there is a player on the pipe.
Well, how will he go dancing?
No one can resist!
Russian folk dance “Heels”
Autumn: Which fun party we succeeded.
And you guys probably realized that autumn is a wonderful time of year.
And I brought you an autumn treat - ruddy and sweet apples.
Treat.
Presenter: And when the whole year has passed, we will meet you again
And let’s say together: “It’s good in autumn in Russia!”
All children: Autumn, autumn, mercy is visiting again.
Autumn says goodbye and leaves.
AUTUMN HOLIDAYS OF THE SLAVS
Autumn is approaching or Mother Autumn, as our ancestors affectionately called her.
In September, a new natural cycle begins, a new round of life, which was celebrated with special festivities and rituals. They helped a person adjust to a new rhythm, enter a new state corresponding to autumn nature.
The Russian Slav has a lot to do in the fall.
A villager's daily chores alone are overwhelming. Collect the harvest, prepare the land for winter crops, dry the grain, thresh it, prepare food for the cattle for the winter, insulate the house for the cold... and much more.
And it’s also necessary to celebrate the harvest festival with the birthing brothers, honor the gods of fertility, bow to Mother Earth for the earth’s fruits, meet Mother Osenina, see off the sun for winter rest, and get some strength from the earth for the winter.
Make protective protection against autumn colds and fevers, and make other amulets for your home and family before the onset of the dark time.
August 29 Even at the beginning of the 20th century, in some villages they carried out burial ceremony of the “red fly”: young people gathered at the outskirts, and a clay doll prepared by old people the day before was brought there. She was molded to human size and dressed in a canvas shroud. Two girls, in reverent silence, lifted the doll into their arms and carried it to the river. The rest of the people followed them. On the steepest bank, everyone stopped and laid their burden on the ground. Then those present began to lament over the doll. Having mourned her as if she were dead, they picked her up and threw her into the water with all their might. This doll was the personification of the “red fly”, which was seen off and buried according to ancient rituals.
IN Orthodox tradition this day was dedicated to John the Baptist, people called him Ivan-poletkom. In this Ivan one cannot help but recognize the face of summer Ivan Kupala. If medicinal herbs were collected on Summer Kupala, then medicinal roots were collected on Autumn Ivan. " On Ivan Lenten, collect tall roots" From this day migratory birds begin to prepare to fly south. And according to legend, Kupala is carried away to Nav - the other world by geese-swans.
August 30 on the fields curled the left uncompressed stems and they spoke of the future harvest.
First Osenins- the first calls of autumn were carried out first day of September. In the 19th century, on this day, women and girls in festive clothes came out to the river bank in the morning. They brought with them the required oatmeal bread and oatmeal jelly on an embroidered towel, and with bows they called Mother Autumn, the Mother of the Harvest, in a drawn-out manner. Makosh and asked to accept a treat.
Autumn, autumn,
We invite you to visit!
With abundant bread,
With high sheaves,
Autumn, autumn,
We invite you to visit!
With falling leaves and rain,
With the migrating crane!
Autumn, autumn,
Guests for eight weeks:
With strong thunders,
With rain, with downpours.
Autumn, autumn,
Guests for eight weeks:
With a threshed sheaf
And a rosy pie.
They brought the treat required by Autumn-Makoshi, carefully lowering it into the water with respect, leaving it on the river bank. Migratory birds were seen off with a song:
Autumn queen,
Goldsmith:
With a spinning wheel, with a bottom,
With a comb, with a spindle,
With a tall spikelet,
With a wide sheaf;
The cranes are overseas!
Autumn - to the fields!
Then they divided the bread blessed by Mother Osenina into equal parts according to the number of women gathered, treated themselves to it, and praised Lada, Makosh and Rozhanits and sang songs.
It started on the same day Indian summer, which lasted two weeks. " With Ivan Postnik the man welcomes autumn, the woman begins her summer. Indian summer is a holiday dedicated to female deities, who also patronized women's autumn work. The faces were honored these days Mother Goddesses: Mother of cheese earth, Mokosh, Lada, Mara, Rozhanitsy.
Perhaps a vestige of commemoration Mary- the dark face of the Goddess of Autumn, was a game held by girls in the 19th century. The girls arranged "funeral" of flies and cockroaches. And together with them, they ritually and symbolically “buried” everything that they wanted to get rid of in themselves: bad, boring, outdated.
By this day they tried to move to new house. Having a housewarming party on the first day of the new year means a happy, rich life! After all, on this day myself goddess Makosh, the patroness of fertility, abundance and prosperity, descended to earth.
Fire Week marked the beginning of autumn. " In September there is fire in the field and in the house" - says a Russian proverb. On the day of the first meeting of autumn, they always extinguished the old fire in the houses and lit a new living fire in the ancient way, using friction. For a whole week people celebrated the Tsar-Father - Fire. They brought him demands, tried to appease him so that he would not burn houses or burn barns. For example, when making a Svarozhich fire under a barn to dry the sheaves, they put an unthreshed sheaf of rye in it as a sacrifice, so that the fire would eat, be fed and not burn the barn.
It didn't take long to wait for the arrival of winter, with cold weather and snowstorms. People cannot survive in this harsh time without Father Fire, so they bowed to him ahead of time Svarozhich, thanked for the light and warmth. Fire was especially celebrated by artisans: blacksmiths, potters...
Many rituals were associated with the stove, with the barn and with the light.
In September, evening work and gatherings began in huts illuminated by fire. On the border of Ukraine and Belarus there was September 1 interesting ritual associated with the first lighting of the light, he called " Comyn's marriage". "Komin" was whitewashed, decorated with ripe hops and flowers. When the torches were lit, they sprinkled nuts, melon seeds, pieces of corned beef and lumps of butter on them. In Kyiv they arranged " wedding candles": they put up a felled tree, hung with fruits, melons and decorated with wax candles.
In the folk month book of the 19th century, this day was called as Oseniny, Shchaniny, and in the Orthodox calendar, on the day of a certain saint Semyon, who was popularly called Semyon the Summer Guide. And if, in fact, this day was dedicated Mokoshi-Osenine, That September 2 accordingly was once dedicated Veles. After the baptism of Rus', he was replaced by a certain saint Mamontius, popularly nicknamed Mamontius the Shepherd. Saint Mamontius took on the responsibilities of Veles - he patronized livestock, sheep and goats. On this day, honoring Veles Autumn, they didn’t drive the cattle out of the yard, they believed: if you drive them out, you’ll bring trouble!
September 3 in the Orthodox calendar it was dedicated to the virgin Domna, artificially blocking the day of veneration of the Slavic goddess, the patroness of the home and hearth. On this day, at the beginning of the 20th century, in villages, women took all sorts of junk out of the house, believing that this action ensured well-being for the fall. This is a forgotten rudiment home protection ritual. These days myself Makosh-Osenina helped every woman clean and protect her home. Throwing away and burning old things on the days of the beginning of a new year, a new time ( year, godina - time in Old Church Slavonic.) made room for new things to come into their lives. Other junk in the form of worn-out bast shoes and broken pots was hung on the fence around the house. This an ancient, proven amulet to ward off the evil, envious eye. An evil person will stare at the junk, and will scatter his attention, and with it his witchcraft power.
4 September in the Orthodox calendar it was dedicated to a certain Babyla and... the burning bush. " On Vavila the pitchforks celebrate - they lie in vain!" Hay in the stacks, bread in the stacks - rest for the peasants. And it appears again face of Veles. Taking a break from field work, no matter how you praise him, dignify him with songs and musical playing. And besides, let us remember Vavila the epic buffoon-magician.
Well, there’s nothing to say about the burning bush. Let us remember: “bush” is a bush that burns and cannot be burned from the Old Testament, in which the Lord appeared to Moses. It was a week of fire veneration - fiery week. The pagans praised the fire, treated it and conjured it, and the Orthodox held prayer services for fire protection on this day.
September 5 in the Orthodox calendar it was dedicated to the Old Testament Zechariah and Elizabeth. What kind of holidays did the churchmen come up with just to block folk memory veneration of native gods. And again we turn to the native witch tradition and learn that this day was happy for predictions and fortune-telling. And therefore to whom was it dedicated? The Volkhov hypostasis of Veles Osenniy and his wife Makosha Osenina.
September 5 sorcerers and healers drove out from the villages the unclean, dark force embodied in autumn ailments and fevers. People called her Kumokha. In order to protect the house and family from her, in the morning on this day the women read the following conspiracy:
I will girdle you with a wolf's bast,
I will touch the crow with a feather,
Go to the backyard
Without looking around - a cow pen!
Petrov batog I bet on you,
Fire noise!
It’s just like in your tracks
The fire will start
Let the owl rush
You can't escape, kumoha, beyond the ravine,
Don't become a bump
swamp bog,
Go home, kumoha,
Don't bend the aspen trees,
Don't push my insides, fever,
Don't spoil my life, you bastard!
On this day, women made a talisman called “ winter fever" These are protective dolls against evil spirits in the house, which is the cause of illness and disorder in the house. There are twelve winter fevers or Shakers, each had its own name and was associated with a specific disease (an evil spirit). They were represented in the guise of female sisters, evil, ugly, stunted, starved, feeling constant hunger, sometimes even blind and armless. The elder sister named Kumoha rules over the fever sisters.
According to Slavic mythology, Chernobog created Fever from mud, swamp slurry and burdock thorns. In the summer, the hero Perun drives evil fevers into the fiery depths of the underground, because at this time they are not dangerous to people. And with the beginning of winter, when Perun, along with other bright gods, goes to the heavenly Iriy, Chernobog sends them again to the human race. As the day begins to be shorter than the night, you need to start taking care of them. According to legend, fever demons fly into a house through a chimney at night and take possession of people, begin to shake them, relax their joints and break bones. Having exhausted one, the fever spreads to the other.
So they made protective protective dolls. Women rolled them from chips of dead wood and shreds from necessarily worn-out clothes, which were collected on the day of Domna. The dolls were placed on a stove or tied with a cord and hung near the chimney. It was believed that the fever, having flown into the house through the chimney at night, would begin to look around in search of a victim, see a doll, recognize itself in it, and move into it instead of one of the household members. The dolls that had served their time were burned in the spring, freeing the house from negativity.
While making fevers, they read the plot, calling each one by name. The skill was to knit the dolls in the rhythm of the hex, the last knot tied coincided with the last word. They dressed the feverish ones in brighter, brighter colors so that the doll would definitely please the disease-demon.
The next day 6 September We were expecting the first frost of the morning. The day in the Orthodox monthly was dedicated to St. Michael. " Mikhail grabbed the ground with frost" But as we know, the feasts of St. Michael overlapped the days of veneration Perun. Finally, before leaving for the bright heavenly Svarga, Perun struck with frost and drove away the evil spirits.
8 September- the second meeting of autumn, the second Autumn. And also an ancient festival in honor of Roda and Rozhanits. The veneration of these ancient gods, which originated in the times of matriarchy, survived among the people until the 17th century! Rod and Rozhanitsy were the most hated, most cursed “pagan idols” by the churchmen. Ordinary people honored them as they did not honor any of their other gods, neither earthly nor heavenly. Their images were embroidered on women's clothing, towels, on bed decorations, carved on household utensils, shutters, etc.
Rod and Rozhanitsy- a great life-giving force, thanks to which the earth produces crops, children are born, and the life of the human race continues.
Women in labor- the mother of all life on earth. They reigned in the sky in the forms of two star deer, giving birth to all life on earth. They also patronized the human race.
Lada and her daughter Lelya were also revered as mothers in labor.- goddesses of fertility, vegetative natural forces, patroness of love and marriage.
Rod is the Father-Progenitor, that balancing component, without which there is no harmony in the universe. If Women in labor- this is the feminine, maternal, giving birth principle, then Genus- this is the masculine, paternal, fertilizing principle.
TO 8 September the harvest had already been harvested. On this day, the whole world held a brotherhood feast, baked a pie from the flour of the new harvest, slaughtered a bull that had been fattened by the whole world, sang, danced, staged funny fights, good men competed with a strongman, glorified the ancient gods and ancestors.
According to a legend that goes back thousands of years, once upon a time, on this day, a magical deer with a fawn came running to people from the forest. The gods themselves sent it to people for a solemn feast. She left her cub for the people, which became a ritual treat, and she returned to the forest. The deer meat had magical properties, it strengthened people, helped them survive the harsh winter, made them stronger and healthier. But over time, the human tribe multiplied, and there were less and less undeveloped forest land, food and water supplies. People became embittered and became greedier and greedier. And one day it seemed to them that they would not have enough meat from a small deer, and they killed not only the child, but also the mother. From then on, the gods no longer sent a magical deer to people. But in memory of the past, people began to slaughter a bull from their own herd on this day.
This myth dates back to the times of change of eras, the transition from a hunting way of life to a pastoral one. People lost contact with wild nature and switched to their own subsistence farming.
But sacrificial meat on this day was still, according to legend, sanctified and blessed by the gods of fertility. And whoever ate it acquired the strength and health of the sacrificial animal. The best part of the sacrificial bull was given to the gods. And what is sincerely sacrificed to the gods is always returned a hundredfold. Therefore, magically, the soul of the sacrificial bull will definitely “return” next year, of course, in the form of a newborn calf.
On the same day the women created their ancient secret rites. Addressing Women in labor and their strength, the pullets prayed to them for the conception of healthy children, for a successful birth, mothers asked to give their children a happy destiny. Women in labor revered and how Share and Nedolya, endowing with the benefits of life.
On holiday Roda and Rozhanits Special rituals, with the help of sorceresses, were performed by women who, due to some illness, could not have children; they asked Rozhanitsa for healing and for the speedy conception of children.
For example, they cast a spell on water:
« Mother Theotokos, intercessor of mothers, come out of the heavenly doors, strengthen the daughter of God (name), the fruit of the womb and the womb of the fetus ».
Later, when the feast of women in labor was replaced by the church on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, women on this day began to turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary:
«… Delighted by God..., Glorified Mother of generosity and love for mankind, All-merciful Intercessor for the whole world, we diligently pray to Your Divine and most wonderful image with tenderness... Oh, my Most Holy Lady Theotokos, my indestructible hope, accept these prayers with great hope and faith in Your immeasurable mercy ... and grant me healing from my barrenness and the opportunity to conceive a child from my husband ».
Women also contacted To the heavenly race:
«… Just as You gave people the Sun and the Moon, frequent stars and light clouds, so that I, daughter (name), would carry and give birth to a child. Just as you, the month, were born in the sky today, so would my child be born in my womb …».
On this day, people prayed to Rozhanits not only for more offspring, but also for the multiplication of their herds and for a bountiful harvest next year. Why did they bring them bloodless gifts as gifts: milk, cottage cheese, eggs, various fruits?
On the days of the celebration of the Family and women in labor, villages organized a ritual treat of porridge from the grains of the first harvest for the entire area. The porridge was cooked in cauldrons - right on the street. And from a small part of the grain of the new harvest, women made a ritual doll, Zernovushka. They sewed a small bag, filled it with selected grain from the new harvest and dressed it up as a doll. This doll also had other names: Zernushka, Krupenichka, Pea. And it could look different, depending on the area where it was made. But it has a common basis - there is grain inside the doll. When creating a talisman doll, women always sang a song or read a spell or prayer. An apron with a magical incantatory ornament was tied to the body-bag: water, earth, grain, sun. Such a grain was made and given as a gift with the wish of a good harvest next year. Cereals were usually poured with the meaning:
Buckwheat - satiety and wealth.
Rice is the most expensive grain for the holiday.
Barley - for abundance
Oats - for strength.
The grain was carefully kept in a visible place in the red corner of the hut. She preserved the power of grain until the new harvest. To increase its harvest power, the doll was given to children to play with in winter. The children were filled with youthful vitality, and as they played they filled the grain with it. Also, a community doll, made from grain, was passed on one by one during the winter from hut to hut, so that it would bring happiness and prosperity to each family from the community, and each family would give it a piece of their warmth and love. After all, in the spring the first handful of it will be sown in the ground.
Also on the day of Birth, such a ritual doll was made from new grain by a woman with a special spell if she wanted children.
Excerpt from the book of Rada (Julia Gultz) “Slavic Kologod: rituals for every day.”
