Christmastide (Holiday week). Yuletide fortune telling
Christmas painting "Kolyada".
Author: Kapitonova Olga Fedorovna. Teacher of MBDOU No. 1 "Rucheyok" GO "Zhatai" Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) city of Yakutsk village "Zhatai".Let me present to your attention a master class on making a Christmas picture for preschool children.
In my work I use mixed techniques of fine art - gouache, pastel.
Purpose: Christmas decoration for a group, New Year's craft, a picture can be hung on the wall, decorated in a corner for parents in the hallway, given as a gift for Christmas, for a competition.
Description: This master class is intended for educators, additional education teachers, methodologists and parents.
According to church tradition, on the night of January 7 (December 25, old style), Jesus Christ was born. The holiday of Christmas is considered the greatest, universal and joyful. Christmas is preceded by a forty-day fast, which ends with Christmas Eve, or Christmas Eve. And since the reign of the Roman Emperor Justinian, winter Christmastide has also been celebrated, which begins a week before Christmas and continues until Epiphany. It has long been customary to call the first week of Christmastide Holy Evenings, and the second evening Scary Evenings or called Kolyada. As soon as the first Christmas day of the Terrible Evenings arrived, little dressed-up girls appeared on the street, teenagers dressed up at dusk, and by nightfall the adults were already dancing, singing and introducing themselves. Girls loved to dress up in men's clothes, and boys in women's. Their faces were painted over with soot, homemade “cow hair” was put on their heads, teeth cut from turnips were inserted into their mouths, and ox horns were attached to their hats, sometimes turning the mummer into a creepy devil.
Kolyada is the god of the ancient Slavs, who brought a calendar to people. The name “calendar” consists of two words: Kolyada Dar. This means that it was a gift to the people of Kolyada himself. Also, the god Kolyada taught people to look at the stars and see their patterns, from which the science of astrology was subsequently formed.
The time of winter holidays and Christmas in our time used to be a time when people glorified Kolyada and sang little songs to him in order to receive other happy gifts from him. At this time, children and adults used to walk around their neighbors' yards and simply sing songs glorifying the onset of a new year, a new life, and songs of thanks to the gods.
During Carols, it was customary to greet carolers with joy, and after singing Carols, give various Christmas gifts and sweets - mainly candies, cookies and other Christmas sweets. Not only poor people went to caroling, but also many rich city and country people loved to sing Christmas songs on these holidays. Some relatives organized a kind of competition to see who would bring the most gifts received for Christmas caroling - this was considered a good sign for the coming year. If a caroler received many gifts in response to his songs, this meant that he would have a rich and prosperous year. It was also considered a good sign to give gifts to carolers at Christmas - in this case, God himself will take care of the giver and give him his gifts, which in all respects are superior to the gifts people gave during Carols. In this case, God will generously return to the donor all the benefits that he will need in difficult times - either health, or a happy occasion, or a necessary meeting.
Target: Drawing the theme of the Christmas holiday "Kolyada" in mixed media.
Tasks:
Educational – teach children to draw figures, distinguishing their characteristic features; draw in different ways of painting; introduce the history of the Russian traditional holiday “The Nativity of Christ”.
Developmental - to develop creativity, imagination, and the ability to embody themes of festive mood in drawings.
Educational - to develop interests in the traditions of the native land, to evoke an emotional response to the plot picture.
For work we will need:
Whatman paper is white, format A-3, A-2 – 2 pieces;
Gouache;
brushes No. 2, No. 3;
oil crayons (pastel);
Simple pencil;
eraser;
black felt-tip pen;
cotton pads;
double sided tape;
stationery knife;
ruler 40 cm;
palette;
scissors.
Painting "Kolyada".
Stages of work1. Preliminary work: Choose a drawing from a children's anthology on a Christmas theme.
2. On whatman paper in A-3 format, using a simple pencil, draw the silhouettes of children on the left side of the whatman paper.
3. On the right side of the Whatman paper we draw a church.
4. After the silhouettes of the children and the church are drawn, outline the drawings with a black felt-tip pen so that the contours of the drawing are clearly visible.
5. Then we paint the silhouettes in different color shades.
6. After the silhouettes are painted, draw stars and paint them with gouache blue.
7. We make a background for our picture, take blue crayons and color the entire drawing.
8. Then rub the entire picture with cotton pads.
9. The result is an almost finished drawing, but in order to make the picture more beautiful, I make a mat.
10. To do this, I take whatman paper in A-2 format and cut out a frame for my picture; on the back side of the whatman paper, make marks according to the dimensions of the future mat. Using a simple pencil and ruler.
11. Using a ruler, draw a square and connect the corners of the square diagonally with straight lines. We make cuts using a knife along the drawn lines.
12. Cut out the inner square. We bend the edge inward so that the edges are even.
13. After our frame is ready, I decorate it in the same way as the background of the picture, but I just select light colors, since the subject of the picture is evening, the frame should be brighter so that it is not too dark. We choose colors according to the picture, I chose bright yellow.
14. The last step remains - to connect the mat, drawing and frame. First, using double-sided tape, stick the image onto a sheet of whatman paper the size of a mat so that it is just inside the “window”. Along the perimeter on the inside of the passe-partout, stick double-sided tape, cutting it into 1 cm pieces. You need to glue the tape strictly in the middle of the passe-partout.
15. Then carefully glue the picture to the mat. It is best to secure the horizontal sides first, then the vertical ones. Carefully bend the paper and remove the protective strips from the tape.
16. After the picture has been glued, we glue tape to the corners of the inner passe-partout, glue a frame around the perimeter of the passe-partout, then add more pieces of tape to the sides.
17. Align the picture. But if the inner light frame of the passe-partout could not be made identical on all sides, take a knife or scissors and very carefully correct these unevenness - trim the inner passe-partout.
Christmas fortune telling. Paintings by Russian artists.
The desire of people to look into the future has its roots deep in antiquity. This is evidenced by archaeological artifacts that have survived to this day from Ancient Egypt, Greece, Chaldea, and Ancient Rome. Even in sacred scripture - the Bible - fortune telling is repeatedly mentioned. Among the Slavic tribes, predicting the future has always been the responsibility of priests, healers, sorcerers, magicians and sorcerers. But according to popular belief, there are days of the year on which anyone who dares to come into contact with otherworldly forces can see their fate in advance.
K. Makovsky. Christmas fortune telling.
In ancient times, in Rus', Christmas fortune-telling especially became widespread during the era of “terem seclusion,” when on long frosty evenings, boyars and hawthorns, hay girls, while passing the time, tried to look into the fateful future. While waiting for marriage, each tried, at least with the help of evil spirits, to find out who fate would send her as a husband, and what kind of life awaited her ahead with this future husband.And no matter how much the church condemned these rituals, insisting that fortune telling was unclean, it was impossible to eradicate this custom.
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K. Makovsky. Christmas fortune telling. (Fragment).
All the sacraments of fortune telling were carried out under the cover of darkness, closer to midnight. And it was considered most prophetic on Christmas Eve, on the night of the New Year and on Epiphany. For thousands of years, girls and women have been telling fortunes about the future, about their betrothed, about the harvest, about the outcome of affairs, using various magical objects and different methods, passing on this ritual custom from generation to generation. Christmas time was the most critical, most dangerous period, when evil spirits were especially strong.
Artist Konstantin Trutovsky. Yuletide festivities.
Yuletide evenings in Rus' began immediately after Christmas and continued until Epiphany, celebrated on January 19 according to the new style. And although they are located between two great Christian holidays, their history of origin goes far back into the pagan past of the Slavic people. During the winter solstice, when the longest night and shortest day of the year begins, it has been celebrated since ancient times by the ancient Slavs as the birthday of the sun.
Kolyada
And the sun has always been considered the luminary that rules God’s day, on which the future harvest, the offspring of livestock, and the fertility of the mother earth, and therefore the well-being of people, completely depended.These days were considered the right time to think about the future - and not only the harvest, but also about your personal life. To attract good luck, traditional festivities, funny pranks, games, dances and gatherings were instituted. Over time, all the Christmas games and songs, which originally had a magical meaning, became just entertainment.
Artist Konstantin Korovin. Yuletide festivities.Scary fortune telling in Rus'
It has long been believed that holy days - Christmastide - are divided into two periods: from January 7 to 13 - holy evenings, and from January 14 to 19 - terrible evenings.The sacrament of fortune telling was considered terrible because the other world was involved in the process, and evil spirits had a real opportunity to take the fortuneteller to the next world. Such fortune telling, rooted in pagan antiquity, was widespread in Russia a century ago. They were held when the old year ended and a new one began, that is, during the “transition period”, where the new had not yet entered and the old had not yet surrendered its powers.
To carry out such rituals, as a rule, appropriate places were selected - this is a crossroads, an ice hole, a bathhouse, and a barn. In a word, where evil spirits accumulated. Based on this, only brave and determined girls participated in such rituals. And when going to such places, they always took metal objects with them - a knife, a poker, a frying pan, which were considered a talisman against evil spirits.
Artist Y. Sergeev. At the fortune teller's. Christmas time.
As a rule, such fortune-telling was carried out under the supervision of an older, experienced woman, who called the evil spirits into contact with the following call: “Give up, angels! Retreat, devils! Gather the devils, big and small, from all the swamps and whirlpools and tell us how the year will live.. .”, - and called the name of the girl who was being bewitched.
Artist Y. Sergeev. Card reading. Christmas time.
In addition, this woman had to look after the girls in order to take timely measures to protect them, as well as bring them in and out of a state of prostration.
Artist A. Novoskoltsev. Svetlana.
Yuletide fortune-telling was considered the most terrible when the image appeared before the eyes of the fortune-telling girl with the help of mirrors, which, according to popular beliefs, have connections with other worlds. Two mirrors placed opposite each other in reflection created a corridor from which the narrowed one should appear. And what’s interesting is that if the girl was not familiar with her future husband, then she saw the face of her betrothed, and if she was familiar with him, then the back of his head
Artist K. Bryullov. Fortune telling Svetlana.
There was also fortune telling based on listening, when a girl at midnight went to an ice hole or to a crossroads and listened to the sounds spreading through the village. The ringing of a bell or festive singing was a harbinger of an imminent marriage. The barking of a dog, which also foreshadows marriage, was also considered in different aspects: what part of the village the groom will be from, what kind of character he will have and what age he will be. But the worst omen was considered to be the sound of an ax and the sound of clapping boards, which meant death.
Artist Y. Sergeev. Fortune telling for the betrothed. Christmas time.
Desperate girls went alone to the bathhouse and, wondering about their betrothed, were supposed to feel someone’s touch. If this happened, it means that the girl will be married this year, but if not, she will have to remain a girl for another year. In addition, if the hand felt smooth, then the groom will be poor, if shaggy, he will be rich.
Artist Y. Sergeev. Night fortune telling. Christmas time.
Sometimes, when fortune telling on mirrors, a rooster was used, the cry of which was supposed to scare away the evil spirits that appeared in the mirror. So, seeing something terrible, the girl squeezed the bird tightly and it let out a scream.
Artist O. Kiprensky. Christmastide.
Christmas and Yuletide fortune-telling before Epiphany remains a popular custom today. Unmarried girls still want to look into the future and find out about their betrothed, using, perhaps, less extreme methods of fortune telling than before. Coffee grounds and tarot cards, wax and rings, matches and shoes, as well as spiritualistic seances are used.
Artist S. Kodin. Christmas fortune telling.
Nativity. The Patriarch greets the sovereign in the Golden Chamber.
Buchholz Fedor (Theodor Alexander Ferdinand) Fedorovich (Gustavovich) (1857-1942).
Illustration for the magazine "Niva". Engraved by Schubler
Christmas tree trade.
Genrikh Matveevich Manizer. Canvas, oil.
Omsk Regional Museum of Fine Arts named after. M. A. Vrubel
Christmas market.
Buchkuri Alexander Alekseevich (1870 -1942). 1906
Preparatory drawing for the painting "Christmas Tree Sale". 1918
Kustodiev Boris Mikhailovich
Christmas tree trade.
Boris Mikhailovich Kustodiev. 1918 Oil on canvas. 98x98.
Krasnodar Regional Art Museum named after. F. Kovalenko, Krasnodar
Canvases on the themes of festive provincial life are distinguished by a special, only for Kustodiev, characteristic brightness, multicolor and life-like authenticity of the smallest details. National holidays and celebrations are reflected in many of the artist’s works over the years. While still a student at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Kustodiev chose a painting with a similar plot as the topic of his diploma work. He traveled to villages, wrote sketches - portraits of peasants, landscape sketches, genre scenes. “Christmas Tree Trading,” a work created by the artist in 1918, also relates to the same theme.
Glorifying the life and customs of the Russian province, Kustodiev amazingly combined painting with verbal and musical folklore - with songs and fairy tales. An attentive, thoughtful viewer not only sees, but also “hears” the artist’s work. Most likely painted from memory, the picture does not have an exact geographical address - this is Rus' in general, and not the Astrakhan or Kostroma Christmas tree market. The action on the canvas seems to take place “in a certain kingdom, in a certain state.” The spacious sky and the gilded domes of the church above the bustling human anthill - who is not among this motley crowd! The real is surprisingly combined with the fantastic: a colorful fairy tale, full of living details, appears before us. And the artist, like a real storyteller, emphasized everything funny and playful that is in this simple narrative, hiding everything serious that might be hidden in it. The Christmas tree market is depicted by the artist as a festive spectacle. The space of the picture resembles a stage. The arrangement of the figures, at first glance, is chaotic: the image can be continued both to the right and to the left. The openness of the composition and its peculiar fluidity further enhance this general impression.
A large place is devoted to the landscape in this genre scene - the church domes seem fabulous against the backdrop of the snowy sky, spruce trees are dressed in elegant winter clothes - the main item of bargaining at the fair. The artist made a brush stroke on the canvas easily, smoothly, even somehow delicately. Kustodiev attached great importance to line, drawing, and the play of color spots. Chiaroscuro in this case does not matter much; the light becomes very conditional. Local color spots form a harmonious decorative whole. The cloud-covered sky has no depth, the domes of the church are intense in color, due to which the difference in plans is reduced to almost nothing.
On the one hand, Kustodiev noted and transferred to the canvas genuine types of the Russian province, conveyed the real atmosphere of the New Year's bustle, and on the other hand, a festive performance, a costume performance with beautiful scenery, is performed in front of us by the artist himself. A joyful, incomparable feeling of fullness with life and movement permeates the canvas. Life in this work is visible everywhere: people are busy, rejoicing and fussing, snowy winter draws its intricate patterns in the sky, and all this action is enveloped in the fresh coniferous aroma of the beautiful spruce.
The world in Kustodiev’s painting is like a magic lantern with constantly changing pictures - you can endlessly watch its varied, so simple, simple and at the same time full of deep meaning life. The blue and soft white colors of the painting pacify, delight, as if they lull, creating a gentle and poetic atmosphere of anticipation of a miracle on the eve of the holiday - timeless, always modern. They remind us, always busy and rushing somewhere, that everything in this world is beautiful, that life is amazing simply because it is life.
From the book: T. Kondratenko, Y. Solodovnikov "Krasnodar Regional Art Museum named after F.A. Kovalenko." White City, 2003.
Behind the Christmas trees
Returning from the Christmas market.
MM. Germashev (Bubello). Postcard
Preparing for Christmas.
Sergei Vasilyevich Dosekin (1869-1916). 1896
Christmas tree.
Korin Alexey Mikhailovich. 1910
Christmas tree.
Nikolai Ivanovich Feshin (1881-1955). 1917
Christmas tree.
Alexander Moravov. 1921
New Year's treat.
Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna Romanova (sister of Emperor Nicholas II). 1935
Christmas day. In the monastery.
Ivan Silych Goryushkin-Sorokopudov. Illustration in the magazine "Niva"
City smelters.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. 1867 Oil on canvas
Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. 1868 Oil on canvas.
State Russian Museum
Slavers.
State Vladimir-Suzdal Historical-Architectural and Art Museum-Reserve
Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. Canvas, oil.
Odessa Art Museum
Slavers.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich. 1872 Oil on canvas. 40.3?51.5.
Ulyanovsk Art Museum
Christoslav policemen.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich (1837-1883). 1872 Oil on canvas.
Perm State Art Gallery
Leonid Ivanovich Solomatkin (1837 - 1883) attended classes at the Imperial Academy of Arts and received a small silver medal for the paintings “Secretary’s Name Day” (1862) and “City Slavers” (1864), which V. V. Stasov welcomed as “a wonderful fresh offspring of Fedotov’s schools." The last plot was subsequently repeated several times; at least 18 author’s replicas are known, although the first version has not survived. Art catalog
In the film “In the Cellar during Christmas Week” Solomatkin portrays his favorite characters - wandering musicians. Is talent a burden or a gift, a blessing or a curse? Talent is destiny. Talent did not make the artist and his heroes happy, but they fulfill their purpose with dignity. The musicians depicted in the painting have seen better days. The cello the old man plays is an instrument of a professional, allowing the musician to claim a certain privilege, testifying to a certain level of life left in the past. The old man is accompanied by a boy who plays along with him on the pipe. Apparently, for the sake of this little boy, carefully covered with a warm scarf, the old man has to wander with a heavy tool from zucchini to zucchini, earning his bread. There is a Christmas tree in the room, decorated with toys, and masks and masquerade costumes hang on a hanger, giving the whole event a phantasmagoric touch. Art Gallery of the Generations Fund of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug of Ugra
With a star.
Reproduction from a painting by M. Germashev, published by the Richard company, printed in the printing house of the partnership “R. Golicke and A. Wilborg”. Petrograd, 1916
Christmas card based on a drawing by Boris Zvorykin
Carols.
Nikolai Kornilovich Pimenko. Deut. floor. 1880s Canvas, oil. 170x130.
Donetsk Regional Art Museum
museum-painting.dp.ua
Riding on Christmastide.
Buchkuri Alexander Alekseevich (1870 -1942). Canvas, oil.
The theme of Christmas carols, which are usually held after Christmas and last almost two weeks, is most likely associated with childhood memories. The two weeks of winter holidays, from Christmas Eve (January 6) to Epiphany (January 19), were in ancient times a time of rest and “visiting,” which is why they organized trips with congratulations at this time, and on long winter evenings they told fortunes about their betrothed.
Nowadays you will no longer meet cheerfully laughing mummers who walk from house to house with an accordion, sing and say rhymed wishes and congratulations to the owners, beg for treats and continue on their way. However, in Russia such a pastime was not particularly accepted; Ukrainians, Belarusians, Poles and Bulgarians were famous for it. These traditions are still preserved there, transformed into new forms - from concerts and street processions to competitions and folk festivals. This is a fine line between Church Christmas and Christmas, as a tribute to the traditions of the people born in paganism.
In the online publication “Orthodoxy and Peace” I found an interesting article by Seraphim Orekhanov, which I gladly quote, since it contains a detailed history of the holiday and customs, and thoughts and reflections that are in tune with mine.
Mikhailo Moroz Carols.
Trutovsky Konstantin Alexandrovich (1826-1893) Carols in Little Russia 1864
Chumakov-Orleansky Vladimir Viktorovich (born 1962) Kolyada.
Origins
The tradition of celebrating Christmastide is rooted in such ancient times that not even oral traditions remain from those times. When Prince Vladimir threw pagan idols into the Dnieper, the custom was already five hundred years old. And even when Rurik founded Novgorod, Christmastide was no longer young.
Employees of the Russian Ethnographic Museum claim that in pre-Christian Rus', Christmastide was associated with the name of the god Svyatovit. What kind of god this is and why he was given a special two-week holiday, scientists are still arguing. It is believed that “Svyatovit” is simply one of the names of the supreme god Perun. Be that as it may, the Slavs tried in every possible way to please this god, first of all, so that he would send a bountiful harvest. On Christmastide, Svyatovit was supposed to leave some festive food, which was thrown into the oven especially for him. The Slavs believed that at the beginning of winter, the spirits of the gods and the souls of ancestors descend to earth, and at this moment you can “beg” from them a bountiful harvest, a handsome husband, money, and in general anything you want.
Pimonenko Nikolai Kornilievich (1862-1912) Carols 1880s
Elena Selivanova Illustration for Olga Pershina’s book “Christmas Outside the Window”.
Marina Yandolenko Carols 2008
Church about Christmastide
The Christian tradition of celebrating Christmastide has also been known since ancient times.
Back in the 4th century, Greek Christians rested, had fun and strictly celebrated two weeks after Christmas (according to one version, the word “Yuletide” comes from the verb “to hallow”, since on Christmastide the people “sanctify”, that is, they glorify Christ and the Birth of Christ) . Particular attention was paid to ensuring that everyone was in a joyful mood: the poor, slaves, prisoners. In Byzantium, it became a custom at Christmas time to bring food and gifts to prisons and hospitals, and to help the poor. Mentions of Christmastide, as a special post-Christmas celebration, can be found in the works of Ambrose of Milan, Gregory of Nyssa and Ephraim the Syrian.
With the advent of Christianity, Christmastide in Rus' began to be filled with new meaning. However, the attitude of the Russian Church towards Christmas festivities has always been ambiguous. Many hierarchs spoke out not only against fortune telling, but also against caroling and the custom of “dressing up” on the basis of the resolution of the VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to wizards or others like that in order to learn something secret from them, are subject to the rule of six years of penance ( that is, they are excluded from Communion for six years)... we reject dances and rituals performed according to ancient and alien to Christian life rites and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women’s clothing that is not characteristic of a husband; don't wear masks."
Then the supporters of Christmastide came up with an ingenious “solution” to the problem: on Epiphany, an ice hole in the shape of a cross was made in the ice of a river or lake, and the entire population of the village plunged into it, washing away the sins committed on Christmastide.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmastide became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. All that remains from the ancient pre-Christian Christmastide is winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun.
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich (1837-1883) City smelters. 1867
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich (1837-1883) City smelters. 1872
Solomatkin Leonid Ivanovich (1837-1883) City smelters.
Christmastide
Alla Goncharuk Kolyada. 2005
Chestnyakov (Samuilov) Efim Vasilievich (1874-1961) Kolyada (fragment).
Zelenchenko Tatyana Borisovna (Ukraine, born 1951) Melanka.
Reference:
Generous Evening (in Ukrainian Shchedriy Vechir, in Belarusian Shchodryk, in Russian Vasilyev Evening) is a folk holiday of Ukrainians, Belarusians and the southern Russian population bordering the Ukrainians. This is the evening on Old New Year's Eve. Its celebration comes from an ancient, probably pre-Christian custom. According to the Christian calendar, this is also the day of St. Melania (Melanka, Malanka, Milanka). Milanka-Water comes to the Generous Evening together with Vasily-Luna to notify the hosts about future celebrations and stay, what is popularly called Melanka’s living room. In Ukrainian folk tradition, both holidays were combined into the Generous Evening, or the Melanka holiday.
Carols
It is extremely difficult to establish where the word “kolyada” itself came from. In different parts of Russia this word has different meanings. In the north it is simply “Christmas Eve”, in the villages of the Novgorod region “kolyada” is gifts received at Christmas. In Belarus, “caroling” means “glorifying Christ.” But ethnographic scientists believe that the ancient Slavs used this word to call the winter solstice holiday.
In our understanding, carols are something like Winnie the Pooh chants, in which the owner of the house is praised and through which treats are begged from this very owner.
Songs were often composed on the spot, but there were traditional rules in this art that came from ancient times. The owner, for example, was called nothing less than “the moon is bright,” the hostess was called the “red sun,” and their children were called “pure stars.”
However, those who knew how came up with more expressive dignifications: “The master of the house is like Adam in heaven; the mistress of the house is like pancakes with honey; The children are small - like red-green grapes...” The carolers promised a rich harvest and a happy life to those who give treats, and all sorts of disasters to the stingy. Sometimes there were even threats in the songs: “Whoever doesn’t give me a pie, we’ll take the cow by the horns; whoever doesn’t give me ham, we’ll split the cast iron...” All this, of course, was in jest. Sometimes they sang absolutely, even deliberately meaningless sentences. The owners received guests and gave whatever they could.
Sychkov Fedot Vasilievich (1870-1958) Christoslavs (Children of the old village). 1935
Customs
In ancient, pre-Petrine times, there was a custom on Christmas Day in every village to light a bonfire, which with its light in the darkness of the winter night symbolized the Star of Bethlehem and burned until baptism.
Another Christmas custom is to get the whole family together in the evenings, invite guests (as many as possible), tell fairy tales and ask riddles (as complex as possible). This tradition, like caroling, lived not only in villages, but also among the urban nobility.
Literary critic Yu. M. Lotman in his comments to “Eugene Onegin” writes that it was customary to separate “holy evenings” and “terrible evenings” (the first and second weeks after Christmas, respectively). On “holy evenings” they held cheerful night gatherings, on “terrible evenings” they told fortunes.
The young people were going to dance, during the day - to ride a sleigh, and play snowballs. By the way, after Christmas there were always a lot of weddings. “In gatherings, fortune telling, games, songs, everything is aimed at one goal - to bring the betrothed closer together. Only on holy days do boys and girls easily sit hand in hand,” wrote folklorist I. Snegirev in the book “Songs of the Russian People.”
Konstantin Prusov Kolyada. 2010
Shvetsova Anastasia Anatolyevna (born 1982) Carols 2010
Hooliganism sanctified by tradition
The most “antisocial” Yuletide tradition is “pampering.” Children and teenagers gathered in large groups at night and played as mischievously as they could. A classic joke was to nail up the outside gate of a house or to stir up a pile of firewood.
Another entertainment is the ritual theft of something. You could steal anything, but always with noise and songs, and not secretly. In Soviet times, despite all the prohibitions, collective farm tractors were often “stolen.” Immediately after the holidays, of course, they were returned to their place. The last days of Christmastide were devoted to preparing for Epiphany. The best village craftsmen cut a cross-shaped hole in frozen reservoirs and decorated it with patterns made of ice.
Gorelov Gavriil Nikitich (1880-1966) Mummers in the village. 1906
Ivan Lysenko Kolyada.
Christmastide traditions in Rus'
The history of state regulation of Christmas celebrations is very diverse. The first legislative acts on this matter were issued under Peter I. “Tsar Peter was very fond of caroling and he himself enjoyed going from house to house in the company of mummers. And those who refused to take part in this fun were ordered to be beaten with whips,” say employees of the Russian Ethnographic Museum. After the death of Peter I, the attitude towards caroling changed dramatically. In the second half of the 18th century, caroling and dressing up were even prohibited: “It is prohibited, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and during Christmastide, to start, according to ancient idolatrous legends, games and, dressing up in idol robes, to perform dances in the streets and sing seductive songs,” read the imperial charter .
Most likely, the authorities were simply afraid of mass drunkenness and hooliganism, and were not worried about the moral character of the mummers. Be that as it may, it was probably one of the most frequently violated laws of the Russian Empire, and it was soon forgotten.
After the revolution, there were no special decrees in this regard, but Christmastide, like other holidays of a religious nature, was constantly persecuted, so they soon left the cities for distant remote villages.
Elena Revutskaya Christmas 2007
New birth of old traditions
What do we do during Christmas time? At best, we go to visit each other. And most Russians generally spend their winter holidays watching TV, listening to New Year's greetings from show business stars. True, some parents try to arrange a home holiday for their children these days. But Christmastide actually doesn’t come down to a children’s matinee - our ancestors celebrated them with the whole family, young and old.
After all, there are a lot of Christmas customs that make this time especially joyful. Why not remember them?
In Kolomna, for example, there were enthusiasts - artists of the folk theater "Pilmgrim" who managed to organize real city Christmas festivities. Since the early 1990s, every year they go caroling along the streets of old Kolomna. First, they were joined by students from Kolomna Sunday schools, then by parishioners of nearby churches. And in 2008, several hundred adults and children already took part in such caroling.
You can meet carolers not only in Kolomna. The author of the article talks about how children get together and, under the guidance of adults, go caroling with a bag on all floors in an ordinary multi-story Moscow building in which he lives.
Elena Revutskaya Christmas song 2005
Elena Revutskaya Christmas song 2010
The author concludes the article with the question: Why don’t you try to organize something similar where you live? Believe me, nothing lifts your spirits more than two dozen cheerful and toothless kids shouting something congratulatory out of tune.
Seraphim Orekhanov
Christmastide is a Slavic folk holiday that falls in the winter. The Holy Week for Orthodox Christians lasts from January 7 to January 19, starting from the Nativity of Christ until the Epiphany. The Catholic holiday falls from December 25 to January 6.
Story
This event began to be celebrated in ancient times. In the 6th century, there was a scripture that spoke about holidays when weddings and bows were not supposed to be celebrated. In 567, the Second Turon Assembly celebrates the days from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany with holidays.
In the Roman Empire, the unspoken law on caroling and fortune telling was often violated during this period, despite the rules of the Ecumenical Council. In Rus' there was even a law prohibiting ancient idolatrous traditions, various superstitious games and dressing up in the outfits of idols to imitate. Also in Rus' during Christmastide it was forbidden to organize grand festivities with songs and dances.
Traditions and customs
Despite the law, people celebrated Christmastide in their own way. On the first day of the holiday, it was customary to visit loved ones and relatives, as well as to pay attention to the poor, deprived and beggars. Many families in Rus' helped the disadvantaged by feeding them. We also visited orphanages, shelters, and hospitals. Even kings, disguised as commoners, visited prisoners in prisons and gave alms to those begging on the street.
There was a tradition of giving gifts that came from paganism - it echoed the offering of gifts to the Gods. People gave gifts to acquaintances and friends, ranging from cheap souvenirs to expensive presents.
The key moment in the celebration of Christmastide was considered a family meal. Women got up early in the morning to cook and clean the house. They prepared various dishes: kutya, sweet pancakes, cookies with nuts, sbiten, makovnik, oatmeal jelly. The table was set for all those present, adding additional cutlery for relatives who had died in the past year.
The end of Christmastide was preparation for Epiphany. Tall men from all over the village gathered together and went to the reservoirs. They cut a hole for the upcoming ablution. This was usually done on the last two days of Christmastide.
Celebration
Fortune telling was an invariable attribute of Christmas time, when young girls gathered and found out their future. The rituals were different; each village had its own rules of fortune-telling and its own attributes necessary for the ritual. They guessed mainly about the grooms, wanting to know the name of the betrothed, his age or appearance. Sometimes they guessed at the date of marriage and the number of children. Adults limited themselves to signs by which they tried to determine the wealth in the family in the new year.
Carols, where young people frolicked, were also an obligatory element. Guys and girls dressed up in new clothes, which they had previously made before the holiday. During the day they walked the streets, bawling carols or singing church hymns. They also looked into neighboring houses, where they received treats from their hospitable hosts for singing songs. During Christmas time in Rus', there was a belief that the well-being of the family in the coming year directly depended on gifts to carolers. Therefore, the owners did not skimp on treats for uninvited guests: they gave sweets, homemade pies, cookies, and pastries. When night fell, they organized gatherings where they told each other stories and played the balalaika or accordion.
There were other activities during Christmas time, such as dressing up. Women sewed beautiful sundresses, men prepared soldiers' uniforms and polished boots. On Christmas Eve, a great dressing-up began - men put on women's clothes, and girls put on uniforms. The action was relevant for a trip to neighboring villages, where it was possible to fool simple-minded guys or lure romantic people. Often, girls in military uniform managed to seduce gullible young ladies from a neighboring village and even persuade them to marry. The jokes ended the next day, but for a whole year the young people then remembered their achievements and successes in dressing up during Christmas time.
Single women often rented out their huts to young boys and ladies who wanted to have fun during the festivities. To prevent teenagers from running amok, older people were sent to such houses, whose task was to keep order. But the youth dodged it, gave the elders something to drink and had fun to the fullest, with songs and dances until the morning.
The Church never approved of such fun, but it was useless to prohibit it. She fought against excessive fun, recalling humility during the period between the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, but she could not completely eradicate folk festivities.
However, there were also “good” traditions - fasting and subbotniks. Fasting took place at the very beginning of Christmastide, then it was customary to pray with the whole family and prepare kutya, grain porridge, as the main Lenten dish for the meal, the grain of which symbolizes eternity. Subbotniks are regular shows for unmarried girls and single boys. All young people not burdened with marriage gathered in one hut. Many people met there, started relationships and even got married after the cleanup.
