Slavic Native Faith's calendars and holidays

In Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery) there are a number of shared holidays throughout the year, when important ritual activities are set according to shared calendars. Generally speaking, ritual activities may be distinguished into "external" (exoteric) and "internal" (esoteric) relatively to the different communities. External ceremonies are mass gatherings, usually held on important holidays dedicated to the worship of common gods, and involving large numbers of people. Internal ceremonies are those restricted to specific groups, and holding special meaning for such groups; they may comprise private rituals and worship of specific ancestors.[1]

Calendars of holidays

Ancient Slavic calendar studied by Rybakov.

Ivanits and Rybakov's calendar of holidays

Linda J. Ivanits reconstructs a basic calendar of the East Slavs' celebrations of Slavic gods, based on Boris Rybakov's studies of ancient agricultural calendars, especially a fourth-century calendar found in the Kiev region.[2]

FestivalDate (Julian or Gregorian)Deity celebratedOverlapped Christian festival or figure
KoliadaWinter solsticeRod: first half
Veles: last half
Christmas,
Baptism of the Lord,
Epiphany
KomoeditsaSpring equinoxVelesEaster
Day of Young ShootsMay 2Saints Boris and Gleb
SemikJune 4Yarilo
Rusalnaya WeekJune 17–23SimarglTrinity Sunday
Kupala Night
Kupalo
Summer solsticeSaint John the Baptist
Festival of PerunJuly 20Rod / PerunSaint Elijah
Harvest festivalsAutumn equinoxRodzanica / RodzanicyFeast of the Transfiguration (August 6)
Birthday of the Mother of God (September 8)
Festival of MokoshOctober 28MokoshSaint Paraskeva's Friday

General Russian Rodnover calendar of holidays

According to the Rodnover questions–answers compendium Izvednik (Изведник), almost all Russian Rodnovers rely upon the Gregorian calendar and celebrate the "sunny holidays" (highlighted in yellow in the table herebelow), with the addition of holidays dedicated to Perun, Mokosh and Veles (green herebelow), the Red Hill ancestral holiday (orange herebelow), and five further holidays dedicated to ancestors (including Вешние Деды, "Spring Forefathers"; Трояцкие Деды, "Whitsun Forefathers"; Дмитровские Деды, "Demetrius Forefathers"; and Рождественские Деды, "Christmas Forefathers", etc.). The contemporary Rodnover calendar is structured as follows:[3]

FestivalEventDate (Gregorian)
Koliada
Коляда
Winter solsticeDecember 24–25
Days of Veles
Velesovy dny (Велесовы дни)
Celebration of the god of animals, forests and commerceJanuary 2, 6 / February 17
Komoeditsa
Комоедица
Often conflated with Maslenitsa
Spring equinoxMarch 24
Krasnaya Gorka
Красная Горка
(lit. "Red Hill")
Celebration of ancestorsApril 30–May 1
Kupala Night
Купала
Summer solsticeJune 23–24
Day of Perun
Perunov den (Перунов день)
Celebration of the thunder godAugust 2
Tausen (also called Bogach, Vtorye Oseniny or Ruyen)
Таусень (Богач, Вторые Осенины, Руень)
Autumn equinoxSeptember 21
Day of Mokosh
Mokoshy den (Мокоши день)
Celebration of the great goddess of the EarthNovember 10

Calendars of months

Names of months in local Slavic traditions

In some Slavic languages, such as Russian, the modern names of the months are borrowings from Latin. Otherwise, local traditions and other Slavic languages have preserved Slavic endonyms (endogenous names) for months. Volkhv Aleksey Aleksandrovich Dobroslav has proposed a standardised nomenclature, as reported in the table herebelow. Many Slavic months' names refer to natural phenomena, things and human crafts (for instance, Traven means "Grass"; Bulgarian Sukh means "Dry", etc.).

LatinateDobroslav monthsBelarusianBulgarianCroatianCzechLusatianPolishSerbianUkrainian
JanuaryProsinets
Просинец
Studzień
Студзень
Golyam sechko
Голям сечко
SiječanjLedenWulki rožkStyczeńKoložeg
Коложег
Sichen
Січень
FebruaryLyuten
Лютень
Liuty
Люты
Malŭk sechko
Малък сечко
VeljačaÚnorMaly rožkLutySečko
Сечко
Lyuty
Лютий
MarchBerezen
Березень
Sakavik
Сакавік
Sukh
Сух
OžujakBřezenNaletnikMarzecDerikoža
Дерикожа
Berezen
Березень
AprilTsveten
Цветень
Krasavik
Красавік
Bryazok
Брязок
TravanjDubenJutrownikKwiecieńLažitrava
Лажитрава
Kviten
Квітень
MayTraven
Травень
Travień
Травень
Treven
Тревен
SvibanjKvětenRožownikMajCvetanj
Цветањ
Traven
Травень
JuneKresen
Кресень
Červień
Чэрвень
Izuk
Изок
LipanjČervenSmažnikCzerwiecTrešnjar
Трешњар
Cherven
Червень
JulyLipen
Липень
Lipień
Ліпень
Chrŭvenŭ
Чръвенъ
SrpanjČervenecPražnikLipiecŽetvar
Жетвар
Lypen
Липень
AugustZarev
Зарев
Žnivień
Жнівень
Orach
Орач
KolovozSrpenŽnjencSierpieńGumnik
Гумник
Serpen
Серпень
SeptemberRuyen
Руен
Vierasień
Верасень
Ruen
Руен
RujanZáříPožnjencWrzesieńGrozdober
Гроздобер
Veresen
Вересень
OctoberListopad
Листопад
Kastryčnik
Кастрычнік
Listopad
Листопад
ListopadŘíjenWinowcPaździernikŠumopad
Шумопад
Zhovten
Жовтень
NovemberGruden
Грудень
Listapad
Лістапад
Gruden
Груден
StudeniListopadNazymnikListopadStudeni
Студени
Lystopad
Листопад
DecemberStuden
Студень
Sniežań
Снежань
Studen
Студен
ProsinacProsinecHodownikGrudzieńKoledar
Коледар
Hruden
Грудень

See also

Sources

Citations

  1. "Native faith: The congress of the 'Circle of Pagan Tradition' (Родная вера: съезд 'Круга языческой традиции')". Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 6 June 2007.
  2. Ivanits 1989, p. 17.
  3. Aitamurto 2016, p. 67.

References

  • Ivanits, Linda J. (1989). Russian Folk Belief. M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765630889.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Aitamurto, Kaarina (2016). Paganism, Traditionalism, Nationalism: Narratives of Russian Rodnoverie. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781472460271.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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