The life of the Slavic peoples in ancient times, as, in general, of many other peoples, was accompanied by many different rituals. In their purpose and implementation, they are similar among many peoples. They are interesting and colorful in their content. The Slavs attached a very serious meaning to each of them.
Here are some of them:
- 1. Tonsure.
- 2. Initiation into adulthood.
- 3. Military training.
- 4. Starting a family, marriage.
- 5. Trizna.
Taking the tonsure
At the age of three, it was customary for boys to undergo the so-called “tonsure.” Hair was cut off, which was then offered as a sacrifice to the gods common in those beliefs. After this ritual was completed, the boys were transferred from their mothers to raise the male part of the tribe. The male half of the tribe began to introduce them to the basics and secrets. At the age of about seven years, the time came for them to learn to ride horses. Girls at this age were taught the ability to spin. The first ball made by the girl was to be burned, and the resulting ash was added to the water she drank.
Initiation
More serious actions accompanied the rite of initiation of boys into equal members of their clan. This date occurred approximately when he was between the ages of 9 and 11 years. Initiated boys were sent to special huts in the forest. The teenager was supposed to symbolically die and be born again as an adult, prepared for real life and difficulties. It was thanks to the existence of such unique rituals that the people began to have legends about the old woman Baba Yaga, who steals children and burns them in her own stove.
Martial arts training
Having passed this initiation, the young boys left the settlement. They had to spend several harsh years in the forest, devoting themselves to mastering the intricacies of military skill, periodically practicing in real attacks on neighboring settlements. Women were strictly prohibited from going there. Those who disobeyed this law faced serious punishment. The guys trained as defenders of their tribe from numerous enemy attacks at that time; a little later they became the backbone for the formation of princely squads.
Features of creating a family
Only a young man who had undergone such severe training had the right to marry and start his own family. According to the customs of that time, a bride from another tribe had to be either ransomed or stolen. Often this custom resulted in serious clashes between these tribes. The guys got married early, when they were 16 to 17 years old. Girls even earlier - from 12 to 14 years old. Tribal elders and princes were allowed to have two and three consorts. The marriage itself was a ritual event. It was supposed to include rich drinks and food. All this was accompanied by songs and dances, sacrifices and special rituals aimed at increasing wealth and fertility. The man was recognized as the head of the new cell of the tribe. As a sign of her unquestioning submission, the wife had to take off his shoes at the wedding. The tribal sorcerer was always present.
It is worth dwelling on such a ritual as a feast (funeral). Its holding was associated with the Slavs’ belief in afterlife. The deceased person was seen off with the necessary honor. It was believed that now he would intercede at the right moment for his fellow tribesmen before higher powers. Dishes with food, tools and weapons were placed next to him. Then the one who went to another world was burned in the fire. It was believed that the soul leaves along with puffs of smoke. As a rule, an earthen mound was poured over the funeral pyre. After this, competitions and a feast were held in memory of the deceased tribesman.
These are the main rather interesting and colorful rituals and customs of distant ancestors in ancient times. They accompanied every person throughout his existence.
In the middle of the first millennium AD Slavic tribes, who inhabited the western part of the territory of the European part of Russia, were at the last stage of development of the primitive communal system. In their economic structure, agriculture came first. All their beliefs were based on the worship of deities who personified the forces of nature and ancestors. The ancient Slavs were pagans, and above all they valued the relationship between man and nature.
Picture of the world as imagined by the ancient Slavs and pagan gods
The pagan Slav’s picture of the world was presented in this way: the Earth is motionless, the planets and stars revolve around it, and at night the Sun floats through some kind of underground ocean. Pagan beliefs combined ideas from various stages of primitiveness. The ancient Slavs worshiped various idols, believing that their large number confirmed the safety of a mortal, and human wisdom was knowledge of the names and functions of these patrons. These idols were considered not an image, but the body of the gods whom they animated; people fell on their faces “before a piece of wood or an ingot of ore, expecting salvation and prosperity from them.”
However, the Slavs also had an idea about the only highest Deity, to whom, in their opinion, the heavens “serve as a worthy temple,” who rules the sky, and leaves the management of the earth to other gods. They called him White God and they did not build temples for him, because they believed that mortals could not communicate with him, but must turn to other gods with their requests. The Slavs attributed evil to a special creature they called Chernobog, they made sacrifices to him to appease him, and at meetings they drank from a special cup dedicated to him and the good gods. Chernobog was often depicted as a lion. That is why there is an opinion that the Slavs borrowed the idea of Chernobog from Christians, who likened the devil to this beast. But, most likely, this comes from hatred of the Saxons, who were dangerous enemies of the northern Slavs and were for them the embodiment of evil. Saxon banners featured lions. It was believed that Chernobog terrified people with menacing ghosts called bogeymen, and that only the Magi could tame his anger. These magicians, whom Nestor talks about in his chronicle, made music their weapon, playing the gusli truly masterfully, and therefore in some Slavic lands they were called guslars.
In Russia before Christianization the supreme god was Perun, the god of lightning, whom the Slavs worshiped back in the 6th century, “adoring in him the Supreme Ruler of the World.” The name "Perun" comes from the Slavic verb "peru", which means not only "pru", but also "I hit", "I hit". It’s not for nothing that in the old days the devices used to beat clothes during washing, rollers, were called spinning wheels. The name Perun meant the destroying god. Later Perun began to be called lightning. Karamzin writes: “Starikovsky, Guagnini and the Writer of the Synopsis say that Perun of Kiev stood on iron legs, in his hand he held a stone, like a lightning bolt, decorated with rubies and carbuncles; that Perunov’s clothes were skillfully carved from wood; that an oak fire forever burned in front of the idol, and if the priests, through negligence, allowed the fire to go out, they were punished with death as criminals and enemies of God." The Kiev idol of Perun stood on a hill outside the courtyard of Prince Vladimir, and the Novgorod idol stood above the Volkhov River: it was wooden, with a silver head and a golden mustache.
The chronicles also mention Horse, Evenbog (Dazhdbog), Stribog- god of the winds. In “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign” it is said: “Behold, the Stribozhi in your hearts, are shooting from the sea with arrows at Igor’s brave warriors.” Also known Samargl And Mokosh, but the chronicles do not mention exactly what properties and actions were inherent in them. Oleg's treaty with the Greeks mentions God Volos (Veles), in whose name, as well as in the name of Perun, the Slavs swore allegiance. Volos enjoyed extreme reverence and respect, since he was the patron saint of livestock, and livestock was the main wealth of the Slavs. The patron saint of flocks, St. Blaise, so respected by the Russian peasantry, adopted many of the features of ancient Volos. Even their names are similar. The god of fun, love, harmony, prosperity was called Lado. Young people getting married made sacrifices to him, chanting his name, which is still preserved in ancient choruses. In the old days, such a custom existed in villages. In the spring, young women gathered to play and sing in round dances, repeating “Lado, di-di Lado.” To this day, loved ones are called frets.
Bathing rituals
Sacrifices were made to Kupala, the god of earthly fruits, right before the harvest of bread, on the day of St. Agrippina (June 23), which was popularly called the Bathing Lady. Young people decorated themselves with wreaths made of a special grass - bathing suit - attributing to it various magical and healing properties. For example, it was believed that this grass drives out evil spirits, for which purpose the so-called Ivanovo wreaths woven from it were hung on the roofs of houses and in barns. In the evening they lit a fire, danced around it and sang Kupala.
In the mornings on this day it was necessary to take a steam bath in the baths, and in the afternoon to swim in rivers and ponds. The villagers of the Ryazan province call the bathing grass and this day “fierce roots.” Wise old men, while washing in the bathhouse, steamed themselves with brooms made from fierce roots in the hope of becoming younger. In steppe villages, they put stinging nettles in the oven instead of straw and steamed on it. All this was done with one goal - to cure diseases. Sakharov writes: “Upon leaving the bathhouse, they sat down at the table to have breakfast, where the votive porridge was prepared in advance. ... The bathing votive porridge went with various rituals, ... leaving this task to the red maidens. There they gathered to one of their friends in the evening: pound barley in a mortar. The pounding of barley was accompanied by songs and fun games. Early in the morning they cooked porridge from this barley, which they ate at noon, with butter." Swimming in the rivers began at noon and continued until the evening. While some were swimming, others were singing songs on the shore. Between bathing there were games and feasts.
Kolyada
On December 24, the Slavs celebrated Kolyada, the god of celebrations and peace. Even in our time, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, children and young people gather to carol under the windows of rich people and, pronouncing the name of Kolyada and honoring the owner in carol songs, receive money and treats.
The "unclean" force of the ancient Slavs
In the traditions of the Russian people, especially superstitious ones, as well as in fairy tales, some traces of ancient Slavic worship of God are revealed. Russian goblins are similar to Greek satyrs, “they seem to live in the darkness of forests, match the trees and grass, terrify wanderers, go around them and lead them astray.” There is a lot of mention of mermaids - this is the Slavic version of the nymphs of oak forests, where they run around with their hair flowing on the eve of Trinity Day. Brownies - evil and beneficent - are still especially revered. Small children are frightened by kikimoras and beeches.
Wanting to express the power and formidability of their gods, the Slavs represented them as giants, with terrible faces and many heads. In contrast to the Greeks, the Slavs valued strength, not beauty, in God.
Holy water
Pagan beliefs attributed divinity and holiness to lakes and rivers. If a person suffered, for example, from an eye disease, he was washed with water from special healing springs, and silver was thrown into them. It is common among people to bathe, pour over or wash people who have slept through matins on Easter Day, with the aim of washing away sin. The same applies to the evil eye and damage.
Reserved groves
Many Slavic tribes had protected groves, “where the sound of an ax was never heard, and where the most worst enemies did not dare to engage in battle among themselves." The Slavs also prayed to individual trees, especially hollow ones, tying their branches with ubruses (the so-called ancient women's headdresses), blankets or scarves. The celebration of Semik and the folk custom of curling wreaths in groves on this day is also a remnant ancient beliefs that survived even after the introduction of Christianity, and no attempts to destroy these traditions were successful.An example of this is the unsuccessful enterprise of Bryachislav in 1093, who tried to burn the holy oak forests of his people.
Gods-banners
The Slavs adored banners and believed that in wartime they were holier than any idols. Some sources, for example, the Dietmar Chronicle, mention two famous Slavic banners that were considered female deities. Faith in them was so great that during battles it ignited the fighting spirit in the soldiers.
Temples and their guardians
There is almost no information about the temples (temples) of the ancient Slavs. Nestor, for example, speaks only of idols and altars. But, however, sacrifices had to be made at any time, and respect for the shrine required protection and shelter, especially in northern lands with a harsh climate. Therefore, there is no doubt that on the Kiev hill and on the banks of the Volkhov, where Perun stood, there were temples, of course, not as huge and luxurious as Byzantine or Greek, but “in keeping with the simplicity of the then morals and with the small knowledge of people in the art of architecture.”
Nestor the chronicler does not mention anything about priests, but in any faith there are rituals, the execution of which is entrusted to selected people, virtuous and respected by everyone for their wisdom, therefore, without any doubt, the ancient Slavs had priests. In any temple, at sacred tree, at the healing spring, there were special guardians who constantly lived nearby in tiny huts, feeding on the sacrifice that was brought to their deities. They were respected by all and had some exclusive rights, for example, they could sit during the sacrifice, wear a long beard, or enter the sanctuary. A Slav, and especially a warrior, having successfully completed some task and wishing to thank the gods, had to share his spoils with a servant.
The priests made sacrifices on behalf of the people, and also predicted the future in all sorts of ways, for example, by the movement and color of water. IN ancient times When the Slavs worshiped the invisible White God, they sacrificed oxen and other animals, but later, worshiping idols, they practiced human sacrifices and stained the altars, which were called treasuries, with human blood. The victim was chosen from the captives by lot, or was purchased specifically for this purpose. Such customs were preserved in Rus' even during the time of Prince Vladimir.
Funeral customs of the ancient Slavs
The funeral customs of the ancient Slavs, especially the Vyatichi, Radimichi, Severians, and Krivichi, are described in detail by Nestor. They performed a funeral feast over the deceased - they showed their strength in military games, equestrian competitions, songs, dances in honor of the deceased, they made sacrifices, and the body was burned on a large bonfire - stealing. Among the Krivichi and Vyatichi, the ashes were placed in an urn and placed on a pillar in the vicinity of roads in order to support the warlike spirit of the people - not to be afraid of death and immediately get used to the idea of the perishability of human life.
A pillar is a small funeral house, a log house, a house. Such houses survived in Russia until the beginning of the 20th century. As for the Kyiv and Volyn Slavs, from ancient times they buried the dead in the ground. Special ladders woven from belts were buried along with the body.
An interesting addition about the funeral rite of the Vyatichi can be found in the story of the unknown Traveler, set out in one of Rybakov’s works. “When someone dies among them, they burn his corpse. Women, when they have a deceased person, scratch their hands and faces with a knife. When the deceased is burned, they indulge in noisy fun, expressing joy at the mercy shown to him by God.”
Ibn Rust says that “if the deceased had three wives (and polygamy among some Slavs was not forbidden, and in some tribes, on the contrary, it was encouraged) and one believes that she especially loved her husband, then she brings two pillars to the body, which are driven into the ground upright, and the third pillar is placed across. Then a rope is tied in the middle of this crossbar, which serves as a voluntary noose for the woman. When a faithful wife suffocates and dies, she is thrown into the fire and burned.” The gallows gates of the “steals of the great” are quite often mentioned in various sources. Through these gates, the doomed woman seemed to be looking into the other world. Death in any case was achieved by strangulation, strangulation, but if the Vyatichi widows agreed to such death voluntarily, then among the Rus this terrible procedure was entrusted to special female witches, whose job was to strangle the unfortunate widows. A year after the death, family and relatives came to the burning site, bringing food and honey. This custom of remembering the dead has survived to this day.
Little is mentioned about other pagan customs, but it is known that fire is Svarozhich- was revered by all Slavs, of which funeral burnings are an example. Some Arab travelers also described that the Vyatichi revered the bull. This issue has been the subject of debate among various historians, however, in the land of the ancient Vyatichi, a girl’s headdress with huge rag horns, which was called a turitsa, was preserved until the 19th century. These half-meter horns of Kaluga brides were so pagan that priests refused to let girls dressed up according to this ancient custom into church.
Slavic pagan dance - fun and ritual
Dancing was the favorite pastime of the Slavs. The ancient dance can be judged from some ancient Russian dances. It consists of waving your arms under great tension, squatting, spinning in one place, stamping your feet, which, according to Karamzin, “corresponds to the character of strong, active and tireless people.” Dancing was an integral part of many sacred rites and important events. The most common musical instruments The ancient Slavs had pipes and eight-stringed lutes. The miniature of the Radziwill Chronicle depicts two groups of people and musicians. In the center is the figure of a girl with flowing hair, wearing a wide dress with long sleeves hanging well below her wrists. This is the mermaid dance, which is reflected very widely in Russian applied art and folklore. Rusalia- these are ritual dances associated with prayer for rain (mermaids were also deities of field irrigation). These dances were one of the most important pagan rituals of the Slavs, and even the church for a very long time could not destroy this ancient agricultural custom. During the sacred dance, the girl portrayed a mermaid-bird, and the long sleeves of her clothes depicted both the wings of the deity and water pouring onto the ground. It is interesting that the most popular Russian fairy tale about the frog princess, which quite possibly took shape on the Vyatic or Krivian lands, gives a colorful image of a woman who danced the ritual dance of the mermaids with her sleeves down - and each swing of her sleeve gave birth to birds, lakes and trees.
Marriage customs
Marriage customs among different Slavic peoples were different. For example, near the clearings everything was meek and quiet. Their main virtues were modesty and chastity. Marriage among the Polans was considered a sacred duty. The Drevlyans, on the contrary, did not know marriages based on the mutual consent of the spouses and their parents. They took the girls away by force or kidnapped them. The northerners and Radimichi also knew neither chastity nor marriage. However, everything was decided more diplomatically than with the Drevlyans. Young people of both sexes gathered at games between villages, grooms chose brides and agreed to live with them, without any rituals. Polygamy was common. The Vyatichi had no marriage customs at all. They had remnants of the so-called matrilocal marriage - the future son-in-law came to the bride’s house on the wedding night. Moreover, the chronicler hints at some reprehensible morals within the family - the female half of the family has no “shame” towards the male half and vice versa, which can be understood as remnants of endogamy. These features of primitiveness were reflected in the ancient Kyiv epic about Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber: “If I raise a son, I’ll give him a daughter for him; if I raise a daughter, I’ll give him for a son, so that the Nightingale family will not be transferred.”
Later, the Vyatichi overcame this ancient tradition of endogamy and replaced it with exogamous relationships, that is (and in the chronicles there is an indication of this) the games at which young men confer with their chosen ones no longer took place within one settlement, but between different ones. There was a strict patriarchy within the family. For example, for adultery, a husband could simply kill his wife, without accepting any explanations or apologies. Gender inequality also confirms this fact. Any mother had the right to kill her newborn daughter, when the life of her newborn son was protected in every possible way. The living widow dishonored the family. Most likely, this was a cruel but sure measure to prevent secret murders of husbands, so wives were extremely careful to avoid death. As for polygamy, as already mentioned, this was a common occurrence. It testified to social differences, different wealth - the greater the wealth, the more wives.
All of the above allows us to draw the following conclusion. Most of the pagan Slavic beliefs and rituals did not sink into oblivion without a trace and were not erased from the memory of the Russian people. Sometimes, involuntarily, involuntarily, we turn to a kind of genetic memory in everyday life, celebrating weddings, telling fairy tales. Our pagan past is very persistent, it exists in folk songs, games, divination, in joys and sorrows, it will always remain in the mysterious and beautiful Russian soul.
Introduction
I chose this topic in order to try to identify the features of Slavic traditional culture, trace the process of its formation and development, identify the factors that influenced this process, and also consider the traditional customs and rituals of the Slavic ethnic group, since every Russian person should know the past of his people.
The word “culture” comes from the word “cult” - the faith, customs and traditions of ancestors. National culture- this is what distinguishes a given people from others, allows them to feel the connection of times and generations, receive spiritual support and support in life.
Modern people look at the world through the prism of science. Even the most amazing manifestations of the elements, such as earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, solar and lunar eclipses, do not evoke in us that horror of the unknown that once possessed our ancestors. Modern man sees himself more as the ruler of nature than as its victim. However, in ancient times, people perceived the world completely differently. He was mysterious and enigmatic. And since the reasons for everything that happened to them and around them were inaccessible to their understanding, they unwittingly attributed all these phenomena, events and blows of fate to dark forces: gods, demigods, fairies, elves, devils, demons, ghosts, restless souls who lived in the sky, underground or in the water. People imagined themselves to be prey to these omnipresent spirits, because happiness or misfortune, health or illness, life or death could depend on their mercy or anger. Every religion originates from the fear of the unknown, paganism is no exception.
The topic of Slavic traditions and customs has attracted the attention of researchers for several centuries. They were interested in who the Slavs were? How did the Slavic ethnic group develop? What living conditions and external factors influenced their way of life, way of life, character? What are their traditions, rituals and customs? And others no less important questions. Both Russian and foreign researchers tried to answer these questions.
I. About the Slavs
The ancient history of the Slavs has not yet been fully elucidated by historians; their origin and ancestral home have not been established. The origins of the historical fate of the Slavs go nowhere. It is not even known exactly when the Slavs learned writing. Many researchers associate the emergence of Slavic writing with the adoption of Christianity. All information about the ancient Slavs of the pre-literate era was extracted by historians from the meager lines of historical and geographical works belonging to ancient Roman and Byzantine authors. Archaeological finds have shed light on some events, but how difficult it can be to correctly interpret each of them! Archaeologists often argue among themselves, determining which of the objects they found belonged to the Slavs and which did not.
No exact information has yet been found about where the Slavs came to Europe and from what peoples they come. Scientists believe that in the 1st millennium AD. The Slavs occupied a vast territory: from the Balkans to modern Belarus and from the Dnieper to the regions of Central Europe. In those distant times, there were no Slavic tribes within the modern borders of Russia.
Byzantine historians of the 6th century. The Slavs were called Antes and Sklavins. The Antes were distinguished by their belligerence. Initially they were not a Slavic people, but, for a long time Living side by side with the Slavs, they became Slavic and, in the minds of their neighbors who wrote about them, became the most powerful of the Slavic tribes.
From about the 6th century. from the pan-Slavic unity, the separation of three branches begins: southern, western and Eastern Slavs. South Slavic peoples (Serbs, Montenegrins, etc.) were subsequently formed from those Slavs who settled within Byzantine Empire, gradually merging with its population. The Western Slavs were those who occupied the lands of modern Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and part of Germany. As for the Eastern Slavs, they inherited a huge territory between three seas: the Black, White and Baltic. Their descendants are modern Belarusians, Ukrainians and Russians.
The Slavs cultivated wheat, barley, rye, millet, peas, and buckwheat. We have received evidence of the use by our ancestors of pits - storage facilities that could hold up to 5 tons of grain. If the export of grain to the Roman Empire stimulated the development of agriculture, then the local market contributed to the emergence of a new method of grinding grain in flour mills with millstones. Special bread ovens began to be built. The Slavs raised cattle and pigs, as well as horses, and were engaged in hunting and fishing. In everyday life, the Slavs widely used the so-called ritual calendar, associated with agricultural magic. It marked the days of the spring-summer agricultural season from seed germination to harvest and especially highlighted the days of pagan prayers for rain in four different periods. The indicated four periods of rain were considered optimal for the Kiev region in agronomic manuals of the late 19th century, which indicated that the Slavs had 4th century rainfall. reliable agrotechnical observations.
II . Traditions and customs
Rod and man.
In ancient times, all generations of a family usually lived under one roof. There was also a family cemetery nearby, so that long-dead ancestors invisibly took part in the life of the family. Many more children were born than now. Back in the 19th century, under monogamy, ten or more children were common. And among the pagans, it was not considered shameful for a rich and wealthy man to bring into his house as many wives as he could feed. Four or five brothers usually lived in one house with their wives, children, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, second cousins... that is, all relatives!
Every person who lived in big family, I felt, first of all, that I was not an individual with my own needs and capabilities, as we are now. He viewed himself primarily as a member of the clan. Any Slav could name his ancestors several centuries ago and tell in detail about each of them. Numerous holidays were associated with the ancestors, many of which have survived to this day (Radunitsa, parent's day).
When introducing themselves and identifying themselves, they always added: son of so-and-so, grandson and great-grandson of so-and-so. Without this, the name was not a name: people would consider that a person who did not name his father and grandfather was hiding something. But once they heard what kind of person you were, people immediately knew how to behave with you. Each clan had a very specific reputation. In one, people from ancient times were famous for their honesty and nobility, in the other, there were scammers and bullies: which means that, having met a representative of this kind, one had to keep one’s ears open. The man knew that at the first meeting he would be assessed as his family deserves. On the other hand, he himself felt responsible for the entire large family. The whole clan was responsible for one person who smoked mischief.
In that era, every person's everyday clothing represented his complete "passport". Just like you can see from a military uniform: what rank he has, what awards he has received, where he fought, and so on. In ancient times, every person's clothing contained great amount details that spoke a lot about its owner: what tribe he was from, what kind of family he was, and a lot of other details. Looking at the clothes, one could immediately determine who he was and where he was from. In ancient times, exactly the same orders existed in Rus'. There is still a proverb in the Russian language: “They meet you by their clothes, but they see you off by their intelligence.” Having met a person for the first time, they determined his gender “by his clothes” and decided how to behave with him.
But in any situation, a person had to act in the way that would be best for his family. And only then respect your personal interests. Scientists call such a society, in which the clan reigns supreme, traditional. The foundations of the ancient tradition are clearly aimed at the survival of the family.
The clan, which completely determined the life of each of its members, at times dictated to them its unyielding will in the most delicate matters. For example, if two clans living in the neighborhood decided to join forces, go hunting together or to the sea for fish, or fight off enemies, it seemed most natural to cement the union through family relations. If there was an adult guy in one family and a girl in the other, relatives could simply order them to marry.
A person who found himself in those days “without clan and tribe” - it didn’t matter whether he was expelled or he left on his own - felt very uncomfortable. Individuals inevitably gathered together, and just as inevitably their partnership, initially equal, acquired an internal structure, and according to the same kind of principle.
The genus was also the very first form public organization, and the most tenacious. A man who could not imagine himself otherwise than in his family certainly wanted his father and brothers to still be nearby, ready to help. Therefore, the leader of the squad was considered the father of his people, and warriors of the same rank were considered brothers.
This means that those wishing to join military brotherhoods were appointed probation, and a very serious exam. Moreover, the exam implied a test not only of purely professional qualities - dexterity, strength, possession of weapons, but also a mandatory test of spiritual qualities, as well as mystical Initiation.
The killing of a member of one clan by a member of another usually caused clan enmity. In all eras, both direct atrocities and tragic accidents occurred when a person killed a person. And, naturally, the relatives of the deceased wanted to find and punish the guilty. When something like this happens now, people turn to law enforcement. And a thousand years ago people preferred to rely on themselves. Only the leader, behind whom stood professional warriors - the Slavic squad, could restore order by force. But the leader was usually far away. And his authority as the ruler of the country, the leader of the entire people (and not just warriors) was just being established.
Before Christianity came to Russian soil, paganism reigned there. People believed in many Gods, worshiped them, and came up with a variety of rituals in the hope that the Gods would be more favorable to them. We still use many rituals of the ancient Slavs in holidays, such as weddings.
Why were rituals necessary?
The rituals of the ancient Slavs are part of modern Russian culture. And if now some pagan rituals The ancient Slavs seem strange and meaningless to us, but in those days they often had practical meaning and deep sacred meaning.
Rituals among the ancient Slavs, like among other peoples, are a way of communicating with higher powers. This is a sacred conversation with higher powers, a way to come to an agreement with them. People wanted to believe that with the help of customs and sacred rituals they had power over the world.
If you look at this from a philosophical point of view, then it is difficult for people to accept the idea that everything in the world is very chaotic, that there are no general laws world order. Because such knowledge leads to the next painful knowledge that people are, in principle, powerless before the forces of nature.
Belief in the Gods is an attempt to influence the world order through ritual communication with them. Rus' was distinguished by its rich ritual culture.
The ancient Slavs also needed rituals in order not to figure out how to celebrate a wedding, the birth of a child or a funeral every time, but to turn to a specific ritual each time. Customs are also a way of organizing life and spending time.
Naming ceremony
Among our ancestors, a person could change his name throughout his life. His name changed depending on what abilities and type of activity prevailed in his life at a particular period of time. Such customs of our ancestors served as an energetic support for him. The ancestors had a very strong belief in the power of the name. Therefore, no effort or time was spared on this ritual.
It was believed that when people take on a new name, it is as if they are taking on a new destiny. It happened that over the course of life a person moved from one community to another, and in each community he was also assigned a new sacred name.
The ancient Slavs believed that the name is the key that unlocks the gate ancestral memory. In order for a person to take a new name, the entire community gathered around him, led by a sorcerer, the eldest in the community. A fire necessarily took part in the ritual. The man knelt in the center of the circle, and they read over him magic spell, and then there was a general chant. After this, all members of the community congratulated him on his new birth. The mantras “Rer” and “Resa” were chanted. These were significant Slavic holidays.
They gave themselves enough time to choose a new name. Such a decision could not be made hastily; this issue needed to be carefully considered. It was believed that if a person chooses a name while in a state of worldly vanity, then he will then suffer all his life. And vice versa, if at the same time you are in a state of wisdom and peace, then life with a new name will be holistic, filled with calm joy.
Ritual of baptism
Ritual Traditions of baptism in procedure are very similar to ritual traditions of naming, but these two rituals have completely different purposes. Baptism rituals helped a person move from one faith to another. This happened if he wanted to change the community. It must be said that here people had freedom of choice - they could choose the faith and community where they intuitively felt a connection with the Family.
The whole community did not always gather for this; three witnesses were enough. After this, the traditions sang ritual Slavic songs.
Housewarming rituals
The ancient Slavs were very subject to the forces of nature. In pagan times, they asked heaven for advice on literally everything, even in small things; this was also assumed by tradition. However, such an event as choosing a plot of land for building a house cannot be called a trifle. There are witchcraft traditions that helped determine whether it was good specific place for the family estate.
A cast iron pot with a spider inside was placed on the plot of land where they were going to build a house. They left him like that overnight. The next morning they came and looked into the cast iron. It was believed that if a spider began to weave a web overnight, then this place was glorified by higher powers. The Slavs had great faith in the forces of nature and insects as part of it.
Ants could also decide whether to build a house on a particular piece of land or not. If there was a depression in the ground, then a pot of honey was placed there. The next morning they came and looked in. If ants crawled onto the honey, it means that this part of the earth was glorified by the Gods, this is an ancient tradition.
Tonsured
Paganism implied such an ancient custom as tonsure. It was performed on a child when he was seven years old. Pagan ritual traditions assumed that until the age of seven, the child was completely under the care of the mother. During these years, his father practically did not participate in his upbringing. When a child turned seven years old, his hair was cut in a certain way and a magical spell was recited. It was believed that at this moment the child from the power of the female Goddesses passes into the power of the male Gods.
Such holiday customs among the Slavs took place in the morning. The attributes of the Slavs for this ritual were: a stool, a shirt in which the boy was dressed, scissors on a tray, a fire lit by the elder of the community, a gift for the initiate from the father, more treats, cups for honey.
This was the youth's partial conversion to warriorhood. Because all boys during pagan times were considered to be them. Afterwards there was celebration and revelry.
Gods of the Slavs. Holidays and Rituals!!
Ancient Slavic rituals!!
Funeral rites among the ancient Slavs
Wedding ceremonies
A wedding is a big, magnificent event that our ancestors celebrated with incredible fun. Of course, there are pagan wedding rituals. Many of these rituals are also used at modern weddings, but people do not know what their roots and sacred meanings are:
- Any wedding planning begins with the guy officially wooing the girl. This happens late in the evening, the guy takes with him two matchmakers who help him by persuasion to get the bride’s consent.
- Then the wedding ceremonies of the ancient Slavs include bridesmaids. This time, the bride's family and her go to visit the groom's parents.
- The next stage, which involves both paganism and Christianity, is betrothal. The parents of the bride and groom meet at the bride's house. The young people bandage their hands with towels. After this ritual, it was already considered indecent to refuse marriage. If this did happen, then the refusing party had to pay the other party moral damages in material benefits.
- It was customary among the Slavs to bake a loaf of bread on the eve of a wedding. To do this, all the married women they knew came to the bride’s house. These were also holidays during which women had fun, sang ritual songs, something like a modern bachelorette party.
- Paganism, like Christianity, suggests that Wedding Dresses The bride had it down to the floor, her hands must be hidden up to the palms and her head was covered. Slavic dresses were embroidered with symbols; these are Slavic symbols that protected the young woman from evil spirits.
- On the morning of the wedding day, the groom went to bathe the bride.
- Then comes the posad. When the groom's parents give gifts to the bride and vice versa. This was the last stage of marriage between the young parents.
- Then, during Christianity, a beautiful wedding ceremony took place. Paganism also presupposed a wedding ceremony, but it did not take place in a church, but at a temple, and the elders of the community crowned the young people.
- The last ritual of the wedding day was that the dowry of the young wife was transported to the house of the new husband.
- Slavic weddings lasted for at least three days or a week.
Funeral rites
The transition of a person to another world most important event, which involved the following pagan rituals:
- It is interesting that in those days older people began to independently prepare for their burial. They bought candles, sewed funeral clothes, ordered special shoes that did not have heels. The carpenters ordered a coffin in advance according to their measurements, which was then stored in the attic.
- In pagan times, corpses were buried in the fetal position. It was believed that in what position a human being came into this world, in such a way he should leave.
- A little later, corpse burning was practiced in the rituals of the ancient Slavs. It was believed that with the help of ashes, which easily flies upward, the soul quickly reached heaven.
- Today is the funeral of a relative, rather a family affair. In those days it was a social phenomenon. The entire community took part in the burial ritual.
- During pagan times, a domina was used as a tombstone. It was a tall pillar with a roof on top. Even earlier, it was customary to bury remains in trees. There, too, houses were built where bones were placed after the cremation.
- Funeral rites among the ancient Slavs were special if they buried a noble husband. His servants, who were killed, could have been put in the grave with him. They also sent all the tools to the grave so that he could do his job in another world.
- Both in pagan times and in Christian times, part of the funeral rite is the organization of a wake.
Officially, pagan rituals were actively practiced in the territory of Eastern Europe until 998, when Christianity was adopted. However, it would be naive to believe that with the advent of official religion, paganism in all its manifestations completely disappeared. In particular, many pagan rituals have reached us, albeit in a slightly modified form.
In the article:
Paganism presupposes a whole pantheon of gods, entities of various kinds, forces of nature, and elements.
Since ancient times, people communicated with higher powers in three main ways. Firstly, this is a verbal appeal, which took a variety of forms: from prayers to conspiracies and whisperings. Secondly, a non-verbal appeal to deities, spirits, and forces of nature. Various ritual dances, magical gestures, and rituals became manifestations of this method of contact with divine forces. The third way to establish contact was the use of symbols - fetishes, amulets, talismans...
Krasnov I. P. “Nauzas - Slavic amulets”
At the same time, pagan pantheons do not strictly divide gods into “bad” and “good”.
The Slavs, like any pagans, had many rituals and... In them, they turned to the forces of nature, for example, in conspiracies, directly to any creature if they wanted to appease it, to the gods if they asked for something.
Among the most famous pagan rituals and holidays that have come down to us are Christmastide, Maslenitsa, Rusalia, Ivan Kupala Day, Autumn. The holidays of our ancestors were related to:
- with agricultural work (for example, Yarilo, Lelnik, Zhivin Den);
- with an astronomical calendar (solstice and equinox days);
- with the concept of Family and Family (Chura Day, Radonitsa);
- with the change of seasons.
On these holidays, pagan rituals were held to honor the Family, ancestors and gods, which, as a rule, were carried out by a sorcerer in a special sacred place - a temple. There were similar places near every village or settlement. He greeted, asked for help, asked for protection. Generous gifts were brought and round dances were held.
The most famous Slavic rituals, practiced to this day, are Christmas fortune telling. It is curious that they have hardly changed over so many centuries. First of all, this concerns numerous ways to look into the future and see your betrothed: variations of fortune telling with a mirror, a ring, a rooster, threads, by shadows, with an egg. All these rituals were performed at home. Another, larger group refers to ways to find out about your future spouse by going out. In this case, they asked the name of the first man they met, counted how many times the dog barked, threw their boots on the road to find out the direction from which the betrothed would come, and eavesdropped on the neighbors. There are also a number of conspiracies for invoking a dream about a betrothed.
As in any other magical tradition, Slavic magic had its white and black magicians. White included sorcery, knowledge, protective spells, Christmas fortune-telling, herbal treatment, witchcraft, protective talismans and amulets. Love spells, evil eyes, damage, as well as rituals for appealing to the Dark Gods and various evil entities were considered dark.
It is interesting that for centuries, Slavic magicians did not have a theory as such. All knowledge passed from mouth to mouth, from mother to daughter, from teacher to student.
With the advent of Orthodoxy, many Slavic traditions and the holidays changed their name and began to be tied not to natural phenomena or the agricultural calendar, and to Orthodox holidays. Slavic gods began to be called by the names of saints. The essence of some rituals has been lost. However, the main ones remain, and, albeit in a modified form, are still celebrated.
The texts of many conspiracies were altered under the influence of Orthodoxy. Elements such as holy water appeared in rituals, as well as church candles and earth. However, they continue to be actively used to this day.
Rituals and rituals are only part of the rich Slavic culture, which had a great influence on the subsequent development of the peoples of Eastern Europe. Scientists are still exploring the burials that have survived to this day. In the last twenty years, Slavic paganism has found a second life. In particular, this is due to the numerous reconstruction communities that restore not only the life of our ancestors, but also the cultural component.
You can take advantage of numerous rituals of the ancient Slavs. All of them attract with their lightness, simplicity and high efficiency.
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