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

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Ivanits and Rybakov's calendar of holidays

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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 Kyiv region.[2]

Festival Date (Julian or Gregorian) Deity celebrated Overlapped Christian festival or figure
Koliada (Korochun) Winter solstice Rod: first half
Veles: last half
Christmas,
Baptism of the Lord,
Epiphany
Komoeditsa Spring equinox Veles Easter
Day of Young Shoots May 2 Saints Boris and Gleb
Semik June 4 Yarilo
Rusalnaya Week June 17–23 Simargl Trinity Sunday
Kupala Night
Kupalo
Summer solstice Saint John the Baptist
Festival of Perun July 20 Rod / Perun Saint Elijah
Harvest festivals Autumn equinox Rodzanica / Rodzanicy Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6)
Birthday of the Mother of God (September 8)
Festival of Mokosh October 28 Mokosh Saint Paraskeva's Friday

General Russian Rodnover calendar of holidays

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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]

Festival Event Date (Gregorian)
Koliada
Коляда
Winter solstice December 24–25
Days of Veles (Festival of Veles)
Velesovy dny (Велесовы дни)
Celebration of the god of animals, forests and commerce January 2, 6 / February 17
Komoeditsa
Комоедица
Often conflated with Maslenitsa
Spring equinox March 24
Krasnaya Gorka
Красная Горка
(lit. "Red Hill")
Celebration of ancestors April 30–May 1
Kupala Night
Купала
Summer solstice June 23–24
Day of Perun
Perunov den (Перунов день)
Celebration of the thunder god August 2
Tausen (also called Bogach, Vtorye Oseniny or Ruyen)
Таусень (Богач, Вторые Осенины, Руень)
Autumn equinox September 21
Day of Mokosh
Mokoshy den (Мокоши день)
Celebration of the great goddess of the Earth November 10

Calendars of months

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Names of months in local Slavic traditions

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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.).

Latinate Dobroslav months Belarusian Bulgarian Croatian Czech Upper Sorbian Polish Serbian Ukrainian
January Prosinec
Просинец
Studzień
Студзень
Goljam sečko
Голям сечко
Siječanj Leden Wulki róžk Styczeń Koložeg
Коложег
Sičen'
Січень
February Ljuten'
Лютень
Liuty
Люты
Malăk sečko
Малък сечко
Veljača Únor Mały róžk Luty Sečko
Сечко
Ljutyj
Лютий
March Berezen'
Березень
Sakavik
Сакавік
Suh
Сух
Ožujak Březen Nalětnik Marzec Derikoža
Дерикожа
Berezen'
Березень
April Cveten'
Цветень
Krasavik
Красавік
Brjazok
Брязок
Travanj Duben Jutrownik Kwiecień Lažitrava
Лажитрава
Kviten'
Квітень
May Traven'
Травень
Travień
Травень
Treven
Тревен
Svibanj Květen Róžownik Maj Cvetanj
Цветањ
Traven'
Травень
June Kresen'
Кресень
Červień
Чэрвень
Izok
Изок
Lipanj Červen Smažnik Czerwiec Trešnjar
Трешњар
Červen'
Червень
July Lipen'
Липень
Lipień
Ліпень
Črăvenă
Чръвенъ
Srpanj Červenec Pražnik Lipiec Žetvar
Жетвар
Lypen'
Липень
August Zarev
Зарев
Žnivień
Жнівень
Orač
Орач
Kolovoz Srpen Žnjenc Sierpień Gumnik
Гумник
Serpen'
Серпень
September Ruen'
Руен
Vierasień
Верасень
Ruen
Руен
Rujan Září Požnjenc Wrzesień Grozdober
Гроздобер
Veresen'
Вересень
October Listopad
Листопад
Kastryčnik
Кастрычнік
Listopad
Листопад
Listopad Říjen Winowc Październik Šumopad
Шумопад
Žovten'
Жовтень
November Gruden'
Грудень
Listapad
Лістапад
Gruden
Груден
Studeni Listopad Nazymnik Listopad Studeni
Студени
Lystopad
Листопад
December Studen'
Студень
Sniežań
Снежань
Studen
Студен
Prosinac Prosinec Hodownik Grudzień Koledar
Коледар
Hruden
Грудень

See also

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Sources

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Citations

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  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

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