Ancient rituals in Rus'. Old Russian traditions

Centuries-old rituals in Rus' have their roots deep in the era of paganism, which, even after the adoption of Christianity, could not completely disappear and continued to exist behind the scenes for a long time. An amazing fact: many of those pagan rituals are still alive today, as one of the integral parts of the rich Russian culture and history.

From the time of paganism

What spiritual traditions have reached our times and continue to be passed on from generation to generation?

What is the reason for the appearance of the very first rituals in Rus'?

How rituals appeared

The most important and most ancient Russian rituals are inextricably linked with the forces of nature, with mythological personifications of the elements and powerful natural forces. We should not forget that the basis of the life of a simple mortal peasant was the hard work of a farmer, and, consequently, most of the Old Russian rituals, first of all, were associated with the propitiation of nature and the forces existing in it.

For each season there was its own set of rites and rituals aimed at obtaining a generous harvest, at attracting rain or heavy snow, at taming evil spirits, at protecting livestock or obtaining healthy offspring from them, etc. From here, by the way, it begins to be traced the relationship of the first rites with the then existing calendar. This unspoken calendar began in December, when the sun “turned to summer,” and ended in late autumn - with the end of agricultural work and harvesting.

Rituals in Rus' and their relationship with the Church

The ancient Russian rituals that have reached our time are associated not only with deeply rooted paganism, but also with Christianity, which was accepted at that time. For example, among the most important sacraments recognized by all religions are baptism and communion to this day.

Turning to the church calendar, one can notice that almost all Orthodox holidays are associated with certain ritual acts. Examples here include the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany and the Ascension of the Lord, which are still accompanied by symbolic ceremonies.

Pagan rituals and their relationship with calendar holidays

Caroling

Calendar holidays

Caroling is a kind of ritual dedicated to Christmastide (i.e., the period of twelve holidays among the Slavs, called “from the star to the water”), during which the participants of the ritual went around the houses, sang songs, “carols” and all kinds of sentences addressed to their owners, for which they received a special treat from them.

At that time, it was generally believed that during the Christmas season the sun gained energy in order to soon awaken the earth and revive Mother Nature. In particular, ancient Russian farmers were convinced that by participating in Christmas games, accompanied by various amusements and tasty treats, people doubled the awakening energy of fertility and, thereby, contributed to a generous harvest.

To this day, caroling is part of Ukrainian and Belarusian rituals, which are inextricably linked with Slavic culture and history. In addition to caroling, a mandatory component of Christmas rituals also included fortune-telling, which in Russian times allowed people to lift the secret veil of the future in order to find out how fruitful the coming year would be and what events it would be accompanied by.

Maslenitsa

This holiday has been celebrated since ancient times by the Slavic peoples at the end of the March days, during the spring equinox. The traditional dish of this ancient holiday was pancakes, personifying the golden disk of the heavenly body.

In addition, an indispensable attribute of Maslenitsa festivities was an effigy of Maslenitsa itself, which was burned, buried, or, torn into pieces, scattered across arable land. This effigy, dressed in women's clothing, symbolized the end of winter days and the onset of the long-awaited spring. After ritual burial or burning, Maslenitsa was supposed to transfer its powerful energy to the fields, giving them fertility and protecting them from the treachery of the elements.

Spring rites

With the arrival of spring, a new time of ritual acts began, also aimed at appeasing the forces of nature and protection from the destructive elements and the wrath of pagan deities. Many spring rituals of ancient Rus' have survived to this day. For example, a clear confirmation of this is the tradition of painting chicken eggs, without which such an important religious holiday as Easter is now impossible.

Initially, the painted egg itself was an independent attribute of many ancient rituals (from approximately the 10th century). Many centuries ago it was believed that it had miraculous properties - for example, it could heal a sick person and even extinguish a flame that flared up after a lightning strike.

Also, in the spring, all sorts of agricultural rituals were certainly carried out related to the taming of the evil spirits that were thought in local reservoirs. At that time, the first shoots were already appearing on the arable land, and all that the farmers feared during this period of time was the treachery of mermaids and kikimoras, capable of awakening the water, flooding the crops and leaving the population without a harvest. To lure evil spirits out of the pools, round dances, noisy celebrations and dances were held on the river banks, bonfires were lit and songs were sung.

Yarilin's day

In anticipation of a bountiful harvest, it was necessary not only to protect the first crops from flooding, but also to provide them with sufficient sunlight. For this purpose, the Slavs turned to Yaril, the god of the rising (spring) sun. He was considered the deity who patronized animals and plants, the god of love, courage and strength.

On Yarilin’s day, a very important rite was performed - “Unlocking the Earth” (or, as it was also called zaROD, i.e. a rite associated with birth). An indispensable part of the Yarila rituals was washing, and, more precisely, bathing in the morning dew. It has long been believed that the dew that fell on Yarilin's day has miraculous, healing properties.

Ivan Kupala

When describing the most famous ancient Russian rituals and customs, one cannot ignore the well-known holiday - Ivan Kupala Day. Under this name, in the mythology of the Slavs, a powerful deity appears, closely associated with the worship of the Sun. It is curious that initially this holiday was tied to the summer solstice, but as Christianity took root, it began to be associated with the birthday of John the Baptist.

In terms of ritual content, the night of Ivan Kupala surpasses the day, since all festivities and ritual acts were carried out mainly in the dark. To this day, this day is a national and church holiday in many countries around the world.

The symbol of this holiday at all times was the Ivan-da-Marya flowers, from which wreaths were woven and used for fortune-telling. Unmarried girls floated wreaths with lighted candles on the water to use them to determine their future married life. It was considered a bad omen if the wreath sank - this spoke of betrayal in the relationship between an unmarried girl and her chosen one (“The wreath drowned - the darling deceived”).

According to ancient beliefs, on the night of Ivan Kupala, fern flowers bloom, indicating the right direction to ancient treasures and countless treasures, but finding them, as well as discovering the location of wealth, was considered an almost impossible task for a mere mortal.

An indispensable part of the rituals on the night of this holiday were round dances and jumping over a burning fire, which, according to beliefs, contributed to the purification of the soul and protected against diseases, witchcraft and the evil eye.

Other rituals

Other, less well-known Old Russian rituals occurred at the time of harvest and the beginning of its processing. During this period, the most important holidays were considered:

• the ritual period of “first fruits,” which occurred in the first weeks of August when the first harvest was reaped;
• the Indian summer season, during which the harvested crops were poured into bins;
• flax spinning time, which was in October.

The history and culture of the Russian people goes back many centuries. All these years it was continuously enriched with new phenomena and traditions, but continued to preserve the memory of the experience and customs of its ancestors. Often Russian national rituals form a rather bizarre combination of actions based on ancient pagan beliefs, which, nevertheless, harmoniously correlate with Christian Orthodox canons.

Most rituals in Rus' are, in one way or another, connected with religion, and more ancient, pre-Christian traditions with the mythological personification of the elements and natural phenomena.

The most famous and important pagan rituals that survived even after the baptism of Rus' include:

1. Maslenitsa.
2. Ivan Kupala Day.
3. Caroling.
4. Yarilin's day.

All of them, one way or another, were associated with the archaic ideas of the Slavs about the forces of nature and most often were tied to some events, calendar or seasons.

Maslenitsa

Since ancient times, the event that occurred on the day of the vernal equinox was celebrated widely and on a grand scale. People rejoiced at the arrival of spring: it is no coincidence that the symbol of this holiday was a pancake - a miniature symbolic sun. Maslenitsa itself symbolized winter. It was believed that after the burning ritual, she would transfer all her powerful energy to the earth, thereby ensuring a rich harvest and protecting her from natural disasters.

Ivan Kupala Day

Initially, the holiday was tied to the day of the summer solstice, but the name itself, which has survived to this day, was received already in the Christian era by the name of John the Baptist. This epithet in Greek sounds like “bather”, “immerser”, which is quite consistent with the essence of the celebration - ritual ablution in an open reservoir. This holiday very clearly demonstrates the bizarre combination of Christian religious traditions with pagan, archaic beliefs and rituals.

One of the main traditions of Ivan Kupala is jumping over the fire. It was believed that this promotes cleansing, protects against illnesses and allows protection from evil spirits. It was very important to swim in a river or lake on the night of Ivan Kupala, since the water was considered purified from all evil spirits and acquiring certain magical properties.

Yarilin's day

Again, in the initially pagan holiday dedicated to the sun god - Yaril, with the adoption of Christianity, certain motifs were added about the struggle of the saints with the pagan deity.

On this day, the ancient Slavs turned to Yarila for help, so that he would provide the crops with sunlight and protect them from flooding. An important ritual that took place on this day was called “Unlocking the Earth.” It was absolutely necessary to bathe in the dew, because... It was believed that on this day it has healing and miraculous properties.

Caroling

This ritual, as a rule, was timed to coincide with Christmastide and consisted of a group of young men and girls going around all the houses in the village, who sang comic songs or good wishes addressed to the owners, receiving a ritual reward for this. Old Russian farmers were confident that participation in Christmas rituals doubled the energy of fertility and contributed to an increase in crop yields, offspring of livestock, and ensured general well-being in the farmstead.

With the adoption of Orthodoxy, a significant number of religious rituals appeared, associated with the onset of certain important stages in a person’s life. Among the main ones are:

1. Baptism.
2. Wedding ceremonies.
3. Funeral rites.

Baptism

The rite of baptism signified the spiritual birth of a person and his belonging to the Christian religion. The child had to be baptized in the first year of life. For each baby, godparents were appointed, who presented the child with an icon of his patron and an Orthodox pectoral cross. The newborn was named in accordance with the name of the saint mentioned in the calendar.

The choice of godparents was treated very responsibly: it was believed that they were responsible for the child and should set a worthy example for him to the same extent as biological parents. After the ceremony was performed in the church, a festive and generous feast was held with the presence of all the people close to the newly baptized baby.

Wedding ceremonies

In Rus', they tried to set aside certain periods in the calendar year for weddings. It was impossible to get married during major fasts. In addition, weddings rarely took place during the period of the most intensive agricultural work.
The main wedding rituals included:

• Matchmaking.
• Looks and glances.
• Collusion.
• Wedding train.
• Wedding.

Not a single wedding was complete without matchmaking. This was the most important stage at which the groom’s family decided whether to persuade the girl they liked to marry their son. Moreover, very often at this stage, they were not even interested in the opinions of the potential newlyweds themselves, and the bride and groom could see each other only at the bride’s party.

If both parties were satisfied with everything, a wedding agreement took place, during which the heads of families literally beat each other’s hands, thereby symbolically indicating the achievement of a fundamental agreement on marriage between their children. During the conspiracy, the wedding date, invited guests, as well as other organizational issues were discussed.

To refuse to marry after an agreement meant disgracing yourself and your potential spouse. In case of refusal, the “injured” party had the right to demand compensation for all losses associated with this action.

On the wedding day, a wedding train was assembled, which consisted of elegant chaises, carts or sleighs, at the head of which was the groom's groomsman, who was in charge of the route.

Finally, the most important wedding ceremony was the wedding. After the sacrament was completed, the parents of the newlyweds were waiting at the groom's house, greeted them with bread and salt and threw a generous and cheerful wedding feast.

Funeral rites

The main meaning of all rituals associated with the burial of the deceased was the desire to facilitate his transition from this world to the kingdom of God. The funeral service could not be performed if the person was not baptized, committed the sin of suicide, or did not confess or receive communion during the year before death. The deceased was put on a pectoral cross, dressed in clean clothes and covered with a funeral blanket. Music was considered inappropriate, as were flowers.

It was believed that the main thing on this day was prayer for the forgiveness of the sins of the deceased. After the burial of the deceased, relatives organized a memorial meal, which was accompanied by appropriate prayers. Bringing food to the churchyard was considered unacceptable. According to tradition, food was brought to the church and treated to parishioners. On the 3rd, 9th and 40th days a funeral service was ordered in the church. All this time, the relatives mourned the deceased, dressed in dresses of dark shades

Old Slavic holidays and customs have their origins in mythology and beliefs that are largely common to all Indo-European peoples.
However, in the process of historical development, the customs and traditions of the Slavs also acquire special features that are more inherent only to them.
These traits manifest themselves in their mentality, which is formed in the process of various everyday practices. The ordering of life through holidays, rituals, customs, and traditions in ancient societies acquires the character of a universal norm, an unwritten law, which is followed by both an individual and the entire community.

In accordance with the circle of human life and society, holidays, traditions, rites and customs of the ancient Slavs are divided into:

• calendar,
• wedding
• ,funeral.

Information about all these groups has been preserved in many sources. Partially Slavic traditions and customs have survived to this day precisely as folk customs, and not religious ones. They were partially adopted by Christianity during the baptism of Rus', and today they are perceived as completely Christian. But many of the holidays, traditions, rituals and customs of the ancient Slavs have not survived to this day.
This applies to all the groups listed above.

Calendar holidays, traditions, rites and customs of the ancient Slavs

Associated with agricultural cycles, they corresponded to the change of main jobs throughout the year.

The customs of the Eastern Slavs were preserved in the most ancient evidence from the Ante period. This refers to the famous list of rituals of the 4th century. n. e. on a vessel for water (sacred?), found in the Kiev region, in the zone of settlement in the future of the Polyans. Old Slavic holidays and customs on this unique calendar are associated with the worship of gods, one way or another associated in folk beliefs with the forces of nature. For the most part, they are rain spells, distributed in time in accordance with the sowing, ripening and harvesting of grain.

• On the second of May, the ceremonies of the holiday of the first shoots were performed;
• in the third ten days of May, spells for rain were performed;
• Yarilin's day fell on June 4;
• the entire second ten days of June were spent in prayers for rain, so necessary for the grain filling in the ears;
• June 24th was the holiday of Kupala, retained by folk tradition to this day as the holiday of Ivan Kupala (artistic reproduction;
• from the fourth to the sixth of July, prayers and rituals for rain were again performed;
• on the twelfth of July, preparations were made for sacrifices to honor Perun (the choice of sacrifice for Perun in Kyiv: http://slavya.ru/trad/folk/gk/perun.jpg);
• in mid-July, prayers for rain were made again; the origins of this ritual may actually go back to the Trypillian culture, as evidenced by the images on the vessels
• on the twentieth of July, sacrifices were made to Perun (later on this day Elijah will be celebrated); reconstruction of the sanctuary of Perun near Novgorod;
• with the beginning of the harvest, on July 24, prayers are made for the rain to stop;
• At the beginning of August, ceremonies and harvest festivals were performed: on the sixth of August - the holiday of “first fruits”, and on the seventh - “zazhinka”.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' will retain the main rituals and holidays of this calendar for many centuries. In honor of Yaril, games were played - with dancing, singing, shouting and even, perhaps, with some exaltation. Much evidence of this has been preserved in the folklore of the East Slavic peoples (we are not talking about “Herborod” and other sources considered by many to be later hoaxes). The spell of rain, prayers, celebrations of the first shoots, the appearance of the first leaves, harvest festivals - all this was preserved by the rituals and customs of the Rus' for many centuries.

Wedding holidays, traditions, rites and customs of the ancient Slavs

A wedding, the rituals and customs that accompany it are always a bright spectacle. This is how it appears in ancient Russian customs. Before the baptism of Rus', they combined in themselves, as usually happened in traditional societies, survival, relict behavioral models.
Today, questions about the relationship between patriarchy and matriarchy of the family in ancient Russian society are still being debated. The fact, however, is that ancient Russian customs and traditions testify to this quite definitely.

This custom was especially widespread among the Drevlyans, who, according to Nestor the Chronicler, did not have any marriage, and “they kidnapped girls near the water.” He also condemns the Radimichi, Northerners, and Vyatichi. The entire wedding ceremony, according to the chronicler, boiled down to “games between neighboring villages,” “to demonic songs and dances,” during which men simply chose girls for themselves and simply, without any ceremony, began to live with them. And they had two and three wives,” the Tale of Bygone Years says condemningly.

Old Russian traditions and customs also retain traces of the phallic cult, widespread in ancient societies. The wedding ceremony, among other things, involved a whole ceremony with a made model of a male penis. Sacrifices are made to the “Shameful Udas,” and during the wedding, the Slovenian woman was immersed—if, again, later evidence is to be believed—a model of the phallus and garlic in buckets and bowls, they drank from them, and when they took them out, they licked and kissed her. In the same connection Some other ritual actions that accompanied weddings in pre-Christian Rus' are also associated with phallic and generally sexual symbolism. Among them are obscene words that punctuate the matchmaking ritual, shameful ditties with very explicit vocabulary.

The world-famous Russian swearing also obviously originates from ritual practices aimed at ensuring soil fertility, livestock fertility and, as during a wedding ceremony, the birth of children by newlyweds. But much more common in ancient Russian customs were wedding ceremonies in which respect and love of the newlyweds and all participants in the ceremony for each other.

Among the Polans, whom the chronicler contrasts with their northeastern relatives, the family is based on the modesty of fathers and children, husbands and wives, mothers-in-law and brothers-in-law. They also have a wedding ritual, according to which no one steals the bride, but brings her to the house on the eve of the wedding. The ritual does not provide for a dowry at all - on the next day they bring whatever they want for it.

Funeral holidays, traditions, rites and customs of the ancient Slavs

Death and the repose of loved ones is one of the biggest shocks in a person’s life. Understanding this mystery became one of the incentives for his religiosity. What is death and what will happen after death - these are the existential questions that were followed by religious answers.

Old Russian customs and rituals are also closely connected with funeral rituals, the cult of the dead, and their veneration.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' contain many features compared to later centuries. The funeral rite itself differed significantly. From the chronicle we can highlight some of its features among the Vyatichi:

• the beginning of the ritual is the funeral feast
• after the funeral feast the body of the deceased is consigned to fire
• the remaining bones and ashes are collected in vessels
• vessels with ashes are placed on roadside poles.

By the way...

Ethnographic research allows us to fill this ritual with individual details and make it more understandable to modern people.

Thus, the funeral feast here should be understood as competitions in honor of the deceased (as the noble Achilles once organized them in memory of the deceased Patroclus) and actions of a purely ritual nature. Roadside pillars (among the ancient Slavs, often with a kind of “roof” and, for the convenience of souls gathering around them, edges) are proposed to be interpreted as a symbol of the World Tree. They connect the heavenly, otherworldly world with the earthly world. Through them, souls move to another world.

More common, however, was the funeral rite, which the chronicler talks about in connection with the burial of Prince Oleg. Instead of burning there is a burial, instead of pillars there is a high mound. The funeral feast, organized by Princess Olga, is accompanied by the crying of the widow, loved ones, and in the case of the prince, the entire people, a dinner accompanied by the drinking of honey by the Drevlyans.

The ancient Russian customs, which have not survived to this day, have left their mark in chronicles, numerous archaeological finds, folklore and in modern ritual practices. We cannot always correctly unravel their deep, sometimes incomprehensible, meaning. Sometimes they seem like prejudices to us.

"Prejudice! he's a wreck
An old truth. The temple fell;
And his ruins, descendant
I didn’t understand the language.”

Sometimes it happens. But “the ancient truth becomes closer to us and more understandable if we take into account the thickness of centuries and the darkness of centuries separating us from it.

The rituals, customs and traditions of the Russian people go back to ancient times. Many of them have changed significantly over time and have lost their sacred meaning. But there are also those that still exist. Let's look at some of them.

The calendar rituals of the Russian people go back to the times of the ancient Slavs. At that time, people cultivated the land and raised livestock, and worshiped pagan idols.

Here are some of the rituals:

1. Sacrificial rituals to the god Veles. He patronized cattle breeders and farmers. Before sowing the crops, people went out into the field, wearing clean clothes. They decorated their heads with wreaths and held flowers in their hands. The oldest resident of the village began to sow and threw the first grain into the ground
2. The harvest was also timed to coincide with the festival. Absolutely all the villagers gathered near the field and sacrificed the largest animal to Veles. The men began to plow the first strip of land, while the women at this time collected grain and gathered it into sheaves. At the end of the harvest, the table was set with generous food and decorated with flowers and ribbons.
3. Maslenitsa is a calendar ritual that has survived to this day. The ancient Slavs turned to the sun god Yaril with a request to send a rich harvest. They baked pancakes, danced in circles, burned the famous Maslenitsa effigy
4. Forgiveness Sunday is the most important day of Maslenitsa. On this day, people asked for forgiveness from loved ones and relatives, and also forgave all insults themselves. After this day, Lent began.

Despite the fact that Maslenitsa has lost its religious meaning, people still happily take part in mass celebrations, bake pancakes and rejoice in the coming spring.

Yuletide Traditions

It is impossible not to talk about Christmas rituals, which remain relevant to this day. They are traditionally held from January 7 to January 19 during the period from Christmas to Epiphany.

Christmas rituals are as follows:

1. Kolyada. Young people and children go from house to house dressed as mummers, and residents treat them with sweets. Nowadays caroling is rare, but the tradition has not yet become obsolete
2. Christmas fortune telling. Young girls and women gather in groups and perform fortune telling. Most often, these are rituals that allow you to find out who will become the betrothed, how many children will be born in the marriage, etc.
3. And on January 6, before Christmas, in Rus' they cooked compote with rice, cooked delicious pastries and slaughtered cattle. It was believed that this tradition helps to attract a rich harvest in the spring and provide the family with material well-being

Nowadays, Christmas rituals have lost their magical mystery and are used mainly for entertainment. Another reason to have fun in the company of girlfriends and friends is to arrange a group fortune-telling for your betrothed, dress up and sing carols on holidays.

Family rituals in Rus'

Family rituals were given great importance. For matchmaking, weddings or baptism of newborns, special rituals were used that were sacredly revered and observed.

Weddings were usually scheduled for a time after a successful harvest or baptism. The week coming after the bright holiday of Easter was also considered a favorable time for the ritual. The newlyweds were married in several stages:

• Matchmaking. In order to match the bride to the groom, all close relatives on both sides gathered together. They discussed the dowry, where the young couple would live, and agreed on wedding gifts.
• After the parents' blessing was received, preparations for the celebration began. The bride and her bridesmaids gathered every evening and prepared the dowry: they sewed, knitted and wove clothes, bed linen, tablecloths and other home textiles. Sang sad songs
• On the first day of the wedding, the bride said goodbye to her girlhood. The girlfriends sang sad ritual songs of the Russian people, farewell laments - after all, from that moment on, the girl found herself completely subordinate to her husband, no one knew how her family life would turn out
• According to custom, on the second day of the wedding, the newly-made husband and his friends went to his mother-in-law for pancakes. We had a wild feast and visited all our new relatives

When a child appeared in a new family, he had to be baptized. The baptism ceremony was performed immediately after birth. It was necessary to choose a reliable godfather - this person bore great responsibility, almost on an equal basis with the parents, for the fate of the baby.

And when the baby turned one year old, a cross was cut on his crown. It was believed that this ritual gives the child protection from evil spirits and the evil eye.

When the child grew up, he was obliged to visit his godparents every year on Christmas Eve with a treat. And they, in turn, gave him gifts and treated him to sweets.

Watch a video about the rituals and customs of the Russian people:

Mixed rites

It is worth mentioning separately such interesting rituals:

• Celebration of Ivan Kupala. It was believed that only from this day onwards it was possible to swim. Also on this day, the fern bloomed - the one who finds the flowering plant will reveal all the hidden secrets. People made fires and jumped over them: it was believed that a couple who jumped over the fire holding hands would be together until death
• The custom of commemorating the dead has also come down from pagan times. There had to be rich food and wine at the funeral table.

Whether to follow ancient traditions or not is everyone’s business. But you can not elevate them to a cult, but pay tribute to your ancestors, their culture, and the history of your country. This applies to religious customs. As for entertainment events, such as Maslenitsa or the celebration of Ivan Kupala, this is another reason to have fun in the company of friends and your significant other.

Before the baptism of Rus', the Eastern Slavs worshiped numerous pagan deities. Their religion and mythology left their mark on everyday life. The Slavs practiced a large number of rites and rituals, one way or another connected with the pantheon of deities or the spirits of their ancestors.

History of Slavic pagan rituals

The ancient pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' had religious roots. The Eastern Slavs had their own pantheon. It included many deities who could generally be described as powerful nature spirits. and the customs of the Slavs corresponded to the cults of these creatures.

Another important measure of people's habits was the calendar. The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' were most often correlated with a specific date. It could be a holiday or a day of worship of some deity. A similar calendar has been compiled over many generations. Gradually, it began to correspond to the economic cycles according to which the peasants of Rus' lived.

When Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich baptized his country in 988, the population began to gradually forget about their former pagan rituals. Of course, this process of Christianization did not go smoothly everywhere. Often people defended their former faith with weapons in their hands. Nevertheless, by the 12th century, paganism had become the lot of marginalized people and outcasts. On the other hand, some former holidays and rituals were able to coexist with Christianity and take on a new form.

Naming

What were pagan rites and rituals and how could they help? The Slavs gave them a deep practical meaning. Rituals surrounded every resident of Rus' throughout his life, regardless of which tribal union he belonged to.

Any newborn, immediately after his birth, went through a naming ritual. For pagans, the choice of what to name their child was vital. The future fate of a person depended on the name, so parents could decide on an option for quite a long time. This ritual also had another meaning. The name established a person's connection with his family. Often it was possible to determine where the Slav came from.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' always had a religious background. Therefore, the adoption of a name for a newborn could not take place without the participation of a sorcerer. These sorcerers, according to Slavic beliefs, could communicate with spirits. It was they who consolidated the choice of parents, as if “coordinating” it with the deities of the pagan pantheon. Among other things, naming finally made the newborn initiated into the ancient Slavic faith.

Disbaptism

Naming was the first obligatory rite that every member of the Slavic family went through. But this ritual was far from the last and not the only one. What other pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' were there? Briefly speaking, since they were all based on religious beliefs, it means that there was another ritual that allowed a person to return to the bosom of his native faith. Historians called this ritual debaptism.

Indeed, the Slavs had the opportunity to abandon Christianity and return to the religion of their ancestors. In order to be cleansed of alien faith, it was necessary to go to the temple. This was the name of the part of the pagan temple intended for the ceremony. These places were hidden in the deepest forests of Rus' or small groves in the steppe zone. It was believed that here, far from civilization and large settlements, the connection between the Magi and the deities was especially strong.

A person who wanted to renounce the new Greek foreign faith had to bring with him three witnesses. This was required by the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus'. The 6th grade at school, according to the standard curriculum, superficially studies the realities of that time. The Slav knelt down, and the sorcerer read a spell - an appeal to the spirits and deities with a request to cleanse the lost fellow tribesman from filth. At the end of the ritual, it was necessary to swim in a nearby river (or go to the bathhouse) in order to complete the ritual according to all the rules. These were the traditions and rituals of that time. Pagan faith, spirits, sacred places - all this was of great importance for every Slav. Therefore, baptism was a frequent occurrence in the 10th-11th centuries. Then people expressed their protest against the official Kyiv state policy aimed at replacing paganism with Orthodox Christianity.

Wedding

Among the ancient Slavs in Rus', a wedding was considered an event that finally confirmed the entry of a young man or girl into adulthood. Moreover, a childless life was a sign of inferiority, because in this case the man or woman did not continue their family line. The elders treated such relatives with open condemnation.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' differed from each other in some details depending on the region and tribal alliance. Nevertheless, songs were an important wedding attribute everywhere. They were performed right under the windows of the house in which the newlyweds were to begin living. The festive table always included rolls, gingerbread, eggs, beer and wine. The main treat was the wedding loaf, which, among other things, was a symbol of the abundance and wealth of the future family. Therefore, they baked it on a special scale. The long wedding ceremony began with matchmaking. At the end, the groom had to pay the bride's father a ransom.

Housewarming

Each young family moved to their own hut. The choice of housing among the ancient Slavs was an important ritual. The mythology of that time included many evil creatures who knew how to damage the hut. Therefore, the location for the house was chosen with special care. For this, magical divination was used. The whole ritual can be called a housewarming ritual, without which it was impossible to imagine the beginning of a full life for a newly born family.

Christian culture and pagan traditions of Rus' became closely intertwined with each other over time. Therefore, we can say with confidence that some former rituals existed in the outback and provinces until the 19th century. There were several ways to determine whether a site was suitable for building a hut. A pot with a spider inside could have been left on it overnight. If the arthropod weaved a web, then the place was suitable. Safety was also tested using cows. This was done as follows. The animal was released into a spacious area. The place where the cow lay down was considered lucky for a new hut.

Caroling

The Slavs had a separate group of so-called bypass rituals. The most famous of them was caroling. This ritual was performed annually along with the beginning of a new annual cycle. Some pagan holidays (holidays in Rus') survived the Christianization of the country. This is how caroling was. It retained many of the features of the previous pagan ritual, although it began to coincide with Orthodox Christmas Eve.

But even the most ancient Slavs had the custom on this day to gather in small groups, which began to walk around their native settlement in search of gifts. As a rule, only young people took part in such gatherings. Besides everything else, it was also a fun festival. Carolers dressed up in buffoon costumes and went around neighboring houses, announcing to their owners about the upcoming holiday of the new birth of the Sun. This metaphor meant the end of the old annual cycle. They usually dressed up in wild animals or funny costumes.

Kalinov Bridge

The key thing in pagan culture was the burial ritual. He ended a person’s earthly life, and his relatives thus said goodbye to the deceased. Depending on the region, the essence of funerals among the Slavs changed. Most often, a person was buried in a coffin, in which, in addition to the body, the personal belongings of the deceased were placed so that they could serve him in the afterlife. However, among the Krivichi and Vyatichi tribal unions, on the contrary, ritual burning of the deceased at the stake was common.

The culture of pre-Christian Rus' was based on numerous mythological subjects. For example, the funeral was held according to the belief about the Kalinov Bridge (or Star Bridge). In Slavic mythology, this was the name of the path from the world of the living to the world of the dead, which the human soul passed after his death. The bridge became insurmountable for murderers, criminals, deceivers and rapists.

The funeral procession passed a long way, which symbolized the journey of the soul of the deceased to the afterlife. Next, the body was placed on the fence. This was the name of the funeral pyre. It was filled with branches and straw. The deceased was dressed in white clothes. In addition to him, various gifts were also burned, including funeral dishes. The body had to lie with its feet facing west. The fire was lit by the priest or the elder of the clan.

Trizna

When listing what pagan traditions there were in pre-Christian Rus', one cannot fail to mention the funeral feast. This was the name of the second part of the funeral. It consisted of a funeral feast, accompanied by dancing, games and competitions. Sacrifices were also practiced to the spirits of ancestors. They helped find comfort for the survivors.

The funeral feast was especially solemn in the case of the funeral of soldiers who defended their native lands from enemies and foreigners. Many pre-Christian Slavic traditions, rites and customs were based on the cult of power. Therefore, warriors enjoyed special respect in this pagan society both from ordinary residents and from the wise men who knew how to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. During the funeral feast, the exploits and courage of heroes and knights were glorified.

Fortune telling

Old Slavic fortune-telling was numerous and varied. Christian culture and pagan traditions, having mixed with each other in the 10th-11th centuries, have left many rituals and customs of this kind today. But at the same time, many of the fortune telling of the inhabitants of Rus' were lost and forgotten. Some of them were saved in people's memory thanks to the careful work of folklorists over the past few decades.

Fortune telling was based on the Slavs’ reverence for the many faces of the natural world - trees, stones, water, fire, rain, sun, wind, etc. Other similar rituals, necessary in order to find out their future, were carried out as an appeal to the spirits of deceased ancestors. Gradually, a unique one, based on natural cycles, developed, which was used to check when it was best to go and tell fortunes.

Magic rituals were necessary in order to find out what the health of relatives, harvest, offspring of livestock, welfare, etc. would be like. The most common were fortune telling about marriage and the upcoming bride or groom. In order to carry out such a ritual, the Slavs climbed into the most remote and uninhabited places - abandoned houses, forest groves, cemeteries, etc. This was done because it was there that the spirits lived, from whom they learned the future.

Night on Ivan Kupala

Due to the fragmentary and incompleteness of historical sources of that time, the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus', in short, have been little studied. Moreover, today they have become excellent ground for speculation and low-quality “research” by various writers. But there are exceptions to this rule. One of them is the celebration of the night of Ivan Kupala.

This national celebration had its strictly defined date - June 24. This day (more precisely, night) corresponds to the summer solstice - a short period when daylight reaches an annual record of its duration. It is important to understand what Ivan Kupala meant to the Slavs in order to understand what pagan traditions were in pre-Christian Rus'. A description of this holiday is found in several chronicles (for example, in Gustynskaya).

The holiday began with the preparation of funeral dishes, which became sacrifices in memory of departed ancestors. Another important attribute of the night was mass swimming in a river or lake, in which local youth took part. It was believed that on Midsummer's Day the water received magical and healing powers. Holy springs were often used for bathing. This was due to the fact that, according to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, some areas on ordinary rivers were swarming with mermaids and other evil spirits, ready at any moment to drag a person to the bottom.

The main rite of the Kupala night was the lighting of a ritual fire. All the rural youth collected brushwood in the evening so that there would be enough fuel until the morning. They danced around the fire and jumped over it. According to beliefs, such a fire was not simple, but cleansing from evil spirits. All women had to be around the fire. Those who did not come to the holiday and did not take part in the ritual were considered witches.

It was impossible to imagine the Kupala night without ritual outrages. With the onset of the holiday, the usual prohibitions were lifted in the community. Celebrating young people could steal things with impunity from other people's yards, take them around their native village, or throw them on roofs. Prank barricades were erected on the streets, which disturbed other residents. Young people overturned carts, plugged chimneys, etc. According to the traditions of that time, such ritual behavior symbolized the festive revelry of evil spirits. The bans were lifted for one night only. With the end of the holiday, the community returned to its usual measured life.