1. The most significant folk holidays of the autumn cycle

Nativity of the Virgin (8/21 September)

The popular name of the twelfth feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary in memory of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In folk tradition, the Mother of God delivered from sorrows and misfortunes, relieved pain, patronized women in childbirth, was the intercessor of children and girls of marriageable age.

Semyonov day (September 1/14)

The popular name of the day of memory of St. Simeon the Stylite, the founder of asceticism, called pilgrimage (IV-V centuries). In Rus', he was called a "pioneer" and for 400 years on this day they celebrated the beginning of a new summer (year), as in Russia until 1700 New Year started on September 1st. The peasants on Semyonov's day performed the rite of autumn - the first meeting of autumn and the onset of Indian summer.

Exaltation (September 14/27)

The popular name of the great twelfth feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, established in honor of the acquisition of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Elena of the Precious Cross of Christ. On this day, crosses were raised on churches under construction and roadside crosses were placed.

Protection of the Mother of God (October 1/14)

The popular name of the church holiday of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in memory of the appearance of the Virgin in the church in Constantinople in the middle of the 10th century. In folk tradition, the holiday is associated with the completion of field work and the beginning of winter, with the first snow cover of the earth. It was considered a girl's holiday and the patron saint of weddings. From that day on, youth festivities were transferred from the street to the hut, cattle were put in the yard, hunters went to winter crafts.

Paraskeva (March 20 / April 2 (Roman Great Martyr Paraskeva, who suffered under Neuron), July 26 / August 8 (Martyr Paraskeva, born near Rome in 138), October 14/27 (Reverend Paraskeva of Serbia, who became famous in the middle of the 11th century), October 28 / November 10 (Great Martyr Paraskeva Pyatnitsa).

The popular name of the days of memory of Saints Paraskev, of which there are four in the Orthodox tradition. Among the Eastern Slavs, Paraskeva Pyatnitsa, the patroness of the eponymous day of the week, was especially revered. Girls and women considered her their intercessor: she helped with childbirth, patronized marriage, home, women's activities, especially spinning. Paraskeva healed from mental and bodily ailments, patronized land, livestock and water, and was an intercessor of trade.

Kuzminki (November 1/14)

A girl's holiday celebrated on the day of memory of Cosmas and Damian (Kuzma and Demyan). On this day, girls - brides became complete mistresses of the house. Girlish "Kuzma parties" were arranged, special ritual dishes were prepared, and brides were held.

2. a brief description of events of holidays (pagan and Orthodox meaning of holidays)

Nativity of the Mother of God (Theotokos Day, Second Most Pure, Lesser Most Pure, Mrs. Second, Lady Rich, Spozha, Spozhka, Big Spozhka, Asposov / Aspasov / day, Sposov day, Pasikov day, Autumn, Second Autumn, Lukov day, Present day) - folk the name of the great twelfth feast of the Theotokos of the Orthodox Church - the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on September 8 (21). Established in memory of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Lord God Jesus Christ.

Information about the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin goes back to the 4th - 5th centuries. The first indication of this holiday, according to Palestinian tradition, is the fact of the construction of St. Helena of the temple in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin. This feast is mentioned by St. John Chrysostom, St. Curse and blessing. Augustine. In the VI - IX centuries. the event of the Nativity of the Virgin was described by St. Stefan Svyatogradets, in the 7th century. Sts. Andrew of Crete and Sergius, Patriarch of Constantinople, in the 8th century. Sts. John of Damascus and Germanus of Constantinople.

The day of the Nativity of the Virgin is celebrated with a solemn prayer service; singing magnification at Matins: "We magnify Thee, Most Holy Virgin, and honor Your holy parents and all-glorious glorify Your Nativity." Church hymns: stichera, troparia and canons in honor of the Mother of God are called "Theotokos", they are part of all daily services. In liturgical books, the Mother of God feasts in honor of the Mother of God stand out. Each Mother of God holiday has its own Mother of God.

Among the people, the Mother of God was especially revered. The image of the Mother of God was clearer, more accessible and closer to the people's consciousness than the image of Jesus Christ. On the one hand, "ascended to the divine world", on the other hand, she remained connected with ordinary people, motherly worrying and interceding for them.

The Mother of God was considered the patroness of women in childbirth, which follows from the maternal principle in her image, which is confirmed by the iconography of the Mother of God, as well as the etymological proximity of the words "Virgin Mary" and "childbirth". Therefore, requests were sent to the Mother of God for help in difficult childbirth. The Mother of God was seen not only as the Mother of God, but as the Mother in general, the mother of every person. In this sense, the Mother of God is often called Mother, Matushka. Hence the view of the people on swearing: it offends the three mothers of man - the Mother of God, Mother Earth and mother.

In the Russian folk tradition, the image of the Mother of God became close to the image of Mother Earth, which led to the formation of the cult of the Mother of God-earth. The Mother of God was equated, and sometimes identified with the birth and fruit-bearing land-nurse.

In special honor was the Mother of God and the girls of marriageable age. They turned to her with requests for suitors.

In the folklore tradition, the Mother of God is a favorite character in spiritual verses - epic songs on religious subjects, which were performed by wandering singers at fairs, market squares or at the gates of monastery churches.

According to northern Russian legends, the Mother of God "walks the earth" on Easter. Legends about birds and animals are also associated with the Mother of God. The folk legend of the Russian population of the Surgut region tells of the Mother of God, who was frightened by a hazel grouse in the forest, angry, she turned him into a "small bird with a big rustle" so that any hunter could find him sooner, and divided the tender white meat ("grouse inheritance") between all birds and animals.

Osenins were timed to the Nativity of the Virgin or to Asposov's day - the second meeting of autumn - Autumn (the first took place on the Transfiguration of the Lord or on Semyonov's day). Women gathered early in the morning and went out to the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds to meet Mother Osenina. For this meeting, oat bread was specially baked, which was held by the eldest of the women, and the young ones sang songs, standing around her. Then the bread was broken into pieces according to the number of those gathered and fed to livestock.

The Osenins coped for a whole week (in the church tradition, 6 days were allotted for the celebration of the Nativity of the Virgin, since this holiday had the day of the forefeast - September 7 (20) and four days after the feast).

Exaltation (Shift, Exaltation, Exaltation Day, Stavrov Day, Cabbage / Cabbage /) - the popular name of the great twelfth holiday of the Orthodox Church of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, which is celebrated on September 14/27. Established in the first half of the 4th century. in honor of finding the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Empress Elena of the Holy Cross of Christ.

A feature of the service of this holiday was the transfer of the cross from the altar to the throne during Vespers and then taking it out at Matins, after the great doxology, to the middle of the temple for worship. In the church, the celebration continues for seven days; the celebration of the holiday takes place on September 21 / October 4.

In the folk tale dedicated to the day of the Exaltation, the meaning of the holiday is revealed in its own way. The legend speaks of Constantine's attack on the "Jewish land" and the capture of the "king of the Jews", who refused to say where the "honest crosses" were and was killed. The Jewish queen reported about the discovery of the crosses, unable to bear the torture of her child, placed between two "living fires". She sent Tsar Constantine to Odubar-mountain, where the "honest crosses" that the apostles spoke of were discovered.

Since the cross is a symbol of suffering, the day of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord was considered fast among the people: "Although on a Sunday, come the Exaltation, and everything on it is Friday-Wednesday, Lenten food"; "Whoever does not fast with the Exaltation - the Cross of Christ - seven sins will be raised on him"; "Whoever has a slaughter on the table about the Exaltation - he kills all his prayers."

In the annals, this day was called "Stavrov's day" (Greek cross). For a long time, processions around the villages were made on Vozdvizhenye to protect them from troubles for a year. Molebens were served, icons were raised, and the fields went around with a prayer for the future harvest. They also prayed for the sick: "Pray with faith on the Exaltation Day, so the Life-Giving Cross will raise from the deathbed." It was customary to raise crosses on temples under construction; install roadside crosses; build votive chapels (ordinaries) and small churches - according to the promise, in honor of the holiday.

In folk ideas, the Exaltation is associated with the consonant word "movement", with the help of which many peasants explained the meaning of the holiday. This is the basis of signs and sayings dedicated to this day. They talked about the end of the harvest: "On Vozdvizhenie, the last mop from the field is moving, the last cart is in a hurry to the threshing floor"; "Uplift - the bread has moved from the field."

By the time of the Exaltation, Indian summer was ending, the third meeting of autumn took place: “Summer closes the Ascension, the gray checkmark carries the keys with it across the sea” (Smolensk). The approach of winter was noted: "The exaltation of autumn moves towards winter"; "On the Vozdvizhenie winters - it does not matter to the peasant"; "On Vozdvizhenie, winter is white - the nest is removed, she is going to visit a Russian peasant, - here I am (says), winter-winter, I will stay in Holy Rus', I will visit a gray peasant." They prepared in advance for the onset of winter cold, so they said: "The exaltation of the caftan will move from the reach, the sheepskin coat will move"; "Exaltation will push the zipun, move the fur coat."

Important things were not started on the Exaltation, as there was a belief that everything started on this day would be unsuccessful and useless.

By the Exaltation, the harvesting of vegetables, flax, and hemp was coming to an end; there was a processing of flax ("crumpled tow"). They began to chop cabbage and harvest it for the winter, so the Exaltation was called a cabbage holiday: "On the Exaltation - someone's holiday, and cabbage has more than everyone!"; "On the Exaltation, the first lady is cabbage"; "Sneak, baba, about cabbage: Exaltation has come!". Cabbage felling was accompanied by songs and treats in the evenings. "A good peasant has a cabbage pie on Exaltation Day"; "On the Exaltation of a good fellow - cabbage at the porch."

With the Exaltation, a series of autumn girls' parties began, called "kapustniks", "kapustki", "kapustenskie", "cabbage evenings". Kapustniki took place not only in the villages, but also in the cities, and lasted for two weeks. The girls, dressed in elegant clothes, went from house to house with songs - to chop cabbage. A special table with appetizers was being prepared. Guys-grooms came with gifts and looked out for brides - "kapustnitsy".

The Intercession of the Mother of God (Protection day) is the popular name of the Mother of God holiday of the Orthodox Church - the Intercession of the Most Holy Lady of Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary, which is celebrated on October 1 (14). Installed in memory of the appearance of the Virgin in the Blachernae Church in Constantinople. This event took place in the middle of the tenth century. during the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Leo VI the Wise.

In Rus', the holiday was established under Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky around 1164.

On this day, a special “magnification” was assigned to the church service: “We magnify Thee, Blessed Virgin, and honor Your honorable Protection.” In honor of the Protection of the Mother of God there is an akathist.

In folk comprehension, the church holiday of the Intercession of the Mother of God appears far removed from the Christian legend. The people create their own legend about the wandering Mother of God, who was denied lodging for the night in one of the villages, for which the inhabitants were punished by Ilya, the prophet who sent "thunder and lightning", "fiery and stone arrows", "hail the size of a human head", "shower-rain". Taking pity on the people, the Mother of God saved them by unfolding a veil over the village, after which they became kind and hospitable.

The cover of the Virgin takes on a symbolic meaning and is seen as a fabulous veil of the Virgin - the Sun, which personifies the morning and evening dawn. This veil covers all the destitute and is spun from gold and silver threads descending from the sky.

For a peasant, Pokrov Day is one of the most important autumn holidays, associated in folk tradition with the completion of agricultural work and the beginning of winter.

The boundary position of the feast of the Intercession of the Virgin between autumn and winter marked it as the day by which the weather for the coming winter was determined, since for the peasants it was always important whether the approaching winter would be severe. Accordingly, they noted: "What is the weather on Pokrov - such is the winter"; "Where the wind to Pokrov comes from, the frosts will start accordingly" (Voronezh); "If a leaf from an oak and a birch falls cleanly on Pokrov - by an easy year, and not cleanly - by a severe winter"; "The Cranes Fly to Pokrov - an Early Cold Winter"; "If the squirrel is clean (faded) to the Pokrov, then autumn (winter) will be good" (Perm.); "If the hare does not run out before the Pokrov, then the autumn will be long"; the dual nature of the weather on that day was characterized: "The cover is the first winter"; "On the Pokrov before lunch, autumn, and after lunch, winter-winter"; "From the Pokrov, winter begins, from the winter Matryona - on November 6 (19) and 9 (22) winter rises to its feet, frosts come"; "The cover is not summer - the Presentation (Annunciation) is not winter"; "The cover covers the earth, now with a leaf, now with snow."

The first snow fell near the Intercession, covering everything around, therefore, in the popular consciousness, the Intercession of the Virgin was associated with the snow cover of the earth during the onset of winter: "On the Intercession, the earth is covered with snow, dressed in frost." But the snow that fell on Pokrov often melted quickly, and for the peasant, a serious problem was the end of the autumn thaw and the establishment of a sledge track, so they followed: "If snow fell on Pokrov, then on Dmitriev Day (November 26/8) it will certainly be the same "; "The cover is naked, then Catherine (November 24 / December 7) is naked"; "From the first snow to the sleigh journey six weeks" (Pinezhie).

But the day of the Intercession of the Virgin was connected not only with the snow cover in the popular consciousness. The cover (veil) of the Most Holy Theotokos was associated with a veil, veil, head scarf, which covered the bride during the wedding ceremony. The day of the Intercession of the Virgin was considered the "patron saint of weddings" and a girl's holiday: "The Intercession will come, the girl will cover her head"; "If it's windy on Pokrov, there will be a great demand for brides"; "If snow falls on Pokrov, then this portends many weddings"; "If snow falls on Pokrov - happiness to the young"; "The cover will cover the earth and the girl (the earth with snow, and the girl with a scarf)"; "Come fly to the Pokrov (they talked about brides)."

The girls especially believed in the power of the Feast of the Intercession, so various actions were timed to coincide with it, helping them find their betrothed and get married. On the eve of this day, the girls used to tell fortunes in a barn: to perform fortune-telling, they baked small rye bread, and also crushed and ruffled a bunch of flax. In the evening, bread and flax were taken to the barn and placed on the grate - horizontally laid poles on which sheaves of bread were placed to dry, while they said: “My betrothed, my dear, come to Riga today, look at work, show yourself from the window” (Yaroslavsk .). At the same time, the girl had to silently wait for the appearance of her betrothed, standing in the middle of the threshing floor and looking out the window through which sheaves are thrown into the barn. Most often, the girls were afraid to stay alone in the barn at night and, putting bread and flax on the grate, they went to sleep, and in the morning, when the good news for matins was heard, they took bread and flax from the barn, which had the miraculous power to bewitch hearts. If a girl secretly lets you eat a piece of bread and puts a thread of "enchanted" flax in your pocket, then the guy she likes will love her.

After the feast of the Intercession of the Mother of God, youth festivities were transferred from the street to the hut ("Pokrov - the end of round dances, the beginning of gatherings"), while on Sundays festive evenings were held, and on weekdays, after finishing chores around the house, the girls gathered in turn to each other to gatherings, mainly with spinning or sewing: "The winter has come - the sitting has led"; "From the Pokrov, spinners sit up at night."

Pokrov was the day by which the term of hiring and transactions was calculated - usually workers were hired for a year - from Pokrov to Pokrov; in Pokrov, shepherds and urgent workers were calculated, new ones were hired for the next year. Various terms were established: "From the Intercession to Evdokey"; "From the Intercession to Epiphany"; "From Intercession to Yegorye". After Pokrov, having completed agricultural work, many peasants went to otkhodniks, especially if they owned some kind of craft, and some, on the contrary, returned home.

By Pokrov, the harvesting of bread was over - the last sheaves were taken away and folded in a barn or barn; the harvesting of vegetables from the gardens was completed: "The Blessed Mother (Assumption of the Virgin) sows, and the Veil gathers"; "On Pokrov the last collection of fruits." In many places the Intercession fairs began: "Hurry up, comrade, to the Intercession, I'll rent it at the Intercession Fair"; "Wait until the Intercession: I'll pay off the entire debt."

Kuzminki (Kuzmodemyanki) is a girl's holiday celebrated all over Russia by girls on the autumn day of memory of Kuzma and Demyan - November 1/14.

On this day, the bride-maiden became the mistress of the house. She prepared meals for the family and treated everyone; the main dish served at the table was chicken noodles. In the evening (less often - for three days) the girls arranged a "Kuzma party" ("spypchina", brotherhood). Why they rented a hut in advance, collected food from the village - potatoes, butter, eggs, cereals, flour, etc., prepared ritual food, among the obligatory dishes was porridge, brewed Kozmodemyansk beer. Often, girls sold porridge to guys for a few kopecks, putting cups in different sizes, and the money they received was divided among themselves. Teenage girls boiled porridge in several pots; after which they ate in a certain order: first they ate a dish of porridge with vegetable oil, then with short butter, and at the end - a dish of porridge with lard. (Novgorod).

After the treat, youth games began, among the indispensable ones, the so-called "kissing". So, playing "Spinning Spinner", the players stood in a circle, and during the performance of the song: "My spinning wheel, I'll throw you out of the mountain into the street ..." the guy and the girl circled in different directions, kissed and gave way to another couple (Pechorsk.) .

Kuzma's party could go on all night. When the treat ended, the guys went "to fish" - they stole neighbor's chickens to make new dishes (such thefts were not condemned by peasants); after which the fun resumed.

The girl's holiday, celebrated on the day of Cosmas and Damian, logically fit into the autumn wedding period, when the bride's bridesmaids take place (they said: "The girl got the guy!"), youth acquaintances (in popular terminology - "groom"), joint games and courtship, creating a prototype of a wedding game (for example, among the main treats of kuzminkas are wedding ritual dishes: chicken noodles and porridge), which fit into the image of saints created by the people as patrons of marriage and "wedding blacksmiths".

3. Ritualism of the autumn holidays and the main elements of the holidays of the autumn cycle

Modern holiday rituals are in the process of formation and development. New holidays are approved and along with them, while changing, some traditional ones continue to be protected. Individual elements ancient festivities are organically woven into new ones. Traditional features are more clearly seen in modern calendar and labor holidays that are directly related to agricultural activities.

The calendar rites, having arisen in ancient times, reflected the worldview of the people, it changed in accordance with the development of society. The enduring value of agricultural production for the life of people has contributed to the preservation of calendar rituals to this day. At present, we should not talk about rituals, but about holidays dedicated to certain moments of the agricultural year. Only a part of them developed on the basis of traditional rituals and absorbed individual ritual actions that had already lost their former religious and magical significance. At the same time, various forms of celebrations taking place on a national scale, in the public sphere or in family life, have been outlined.

The folk calendar was an agricultural calendar, which was reflected in the names of the months, folk signs, rituals and customs. Even the determination of the timing and duration of the seasons is associated with real climatic conditions. Hence the discrepancy between the names of the months in different areas. For example, both October and November can be called leaf fall. Moreover, in the book by A.F. Nekrylova " All year round"We read:" Autumn in the peasant understanding was limited to the period of harvesting - approximately from Ilyin's day (July 20 / August 2) to Pokrov (October 1/14) "

The Slavs did not create their own fortune-telling systems, but “a holy place is never empty”: they had their own way of foreseeing the future. The ancient Slavs were engaged in prognostication, that is, the prediction of events according to signs and signs observed in the surrounding nature. Signs were always closely connected with the time of year. In addition, each sign was linked with the peculiarities of the climate, the nature of a particular area. It is known that in each region there are thousands of folk signs that are characteristic only for this place. But over time, our ancestors developed a coherent unified system of signs and predictions for natural phenomena.

4. The problem of reviving the traditions of celebrating folk calendar rituals of the autumn cycle

After the establishment of Soviet power, rituals for new public and civil holidays began to be created; many religious rites began to quickly disappear from life; the population indicates which of them celebrated “before the communes”, “before the collective farms”, which survived until the Patriotic War. The difficult years of the war and the post-war reconstruction period further reduced the traditional festivities.

But already in the 50-60 years, the revival and development of a new ritual began. At the same time, many local public and industrial organizations, cultural institutions, heads of rural state and collective farms showed great initiative. Instructions, guides, articles giving recommendations and reflecting local experience were published. The creation of rituals of new rituals and scenarios of the festival became a public affair, in which local activists, party and Soviet bodies, journalists and scientists took part.

Ethnographers pay much attention to the study of rituals as one of the elements of modern folk culture: in recent years, a significant number of works have been published on the rituals and holidays of the Russian population in various regions of the country. L. A. Tultseva examined the formation and adoption of new holidays and rituals in everyday life among the peoples of our country. Emphasizing the social significance of this task. She drew attention to the significant role of the state and the public in its solution, as well as the importance of research by scientists.

Modern public holidays The Russian urban population was studied by M. N. Shmeleva and O. A. Budina, who noted the heterogeneity of their implementation in the public sphere and in the family life of citizens.

Soviet researchers observed modern holidays and rituals primarily among Russian Siberians in the European part of the country. The rituals of Russian Siberians have been studied very poorly. It was mainly subjected to retrospective analysis in order to reconstruct and identify its place in the system of folk labor culture.

At present, practical needs have put forward the task of developing modern Russian calendar holidays, taking into account the features that have appeared in the new region. In this regard, it became necessary to compare the previous traditional calendar holidays and those existing at the present time.

At present, most of the customs and traditional activities associated with the autumn rituals are a thing of the past. Only a few of them have survived. In Soviet times, clubs and palaces of culture tried to become new centers where evenings were organized. Old traditions were often carried over into newly invented holidays.

To some extent, the former ritual actions are retained in the games of the children of those families where the older generation tells the young about it.

Ritual food is now a mass phenomenon. Traditional dishes are prepared not only by older women, but also by young people. Family recipes are carefully preserved and passed down from generation to generation.

Bibliography

1. Almazov S., St. Petersburg P. Holidays of the Orthodox Church. - M., 1962.

2. Gromyko M.M. The world of the Russian village. - M.: Young Guard, 1991.

3. Klimishin I.A. Calendar and chronology. - M.: Nauka, 1990.

4. Kostanyan N.N. Russian folk literature. - M.: Enlightenment, 1994.

5. Kravtsov, Lazutin. Russian oral folk art. - M., 1983.

6. Mints S.I., Pomerantseva E.V. Russian folklore: Reader. - M., 1971.

7. Nekrylova A.F. All year round. Russian agricultural calendar. - M.: Pravda, 1989.

8. Pankeev I.A. Complete encyclopedia of the life of the Russian people. T. 1, 2. - M.: OLMA-Press, 1998.

9. Ranovich A. The origin of the Christian sacraments. - M.-L., 1931.

10. Stepanov N.P. Folk holidays in Holy Rus'. - M.: Russian rarity, 1992.

September 14, according to the old calendar, is the first day of the beginning of autumn, in ancient times it was called the Osenins or the Day of the Pilot's Seeds and was celebrated as a harvest festival. It was on this day that Thanksgiving was given to Mother Earth. At the beginning of autumn, all work on the harvest was completed, in addition, they met autumn with a renewal of fire: the old fire was extinguished, and a new one was lit, extracting it from sparks that appeared when flint was struck.

From that day on, all work in the field ended, and began in the garden: they harvested onions for the winter. Usually on this day they laid a large festive table and invited all relatives to it. For this holiday, beer was brewed, a sheep was slaughtered. They baked a pie from the flour of the new harvest, glorified mother earth, who gave a good harvest.

This day was considered a great holiday, and what fun without a game song:

“Veysya we, hops, move,

To our side

As on our side, there is a lot of freedom!

And the freedom is big, the men are rich!

That the men are rich, stone chambers!

What stone chambers, golden doors,

What poppies are cast!

But the Osenins are not one holiday, but a series of three celebrations. The first Osenins fall on September 14, the second on September 21, which coincide with the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the third fall on September 27.

Autumn - this holiday came to us from distant times and means farewell to the summer and the meeting of autumn. It is celebrated three times:

• September 14 - The first Autumns or the day of the Pilot's Seeds. On this day, work began in the huts by candlelight or sitting.
• September 21 is the Second Osenins or Ospozhinki, the celebration of the harvest. It is believed that on this day the summer has already passed and autumn takes the rights into its own hands.
• September 27 is the Third Osenins or Exaltation. All signs and traditions on this day are associated with movement. The rise of autumn towards winter moves towards, "bread moves from the field to the threshing floor," "the bird has moved away," and even "the caftan with the fur coat has moved, and the hat has moved."

In ancient times, Osenins were celebrated on the day of the autumn equinox, when the day is equal to the night and it fell on September 21st. By this time, the peasants were harvesting the entire crop from the fields and gardens. This day was celebrated by visiting guests with wide hospitality. On this day, they always visited their parents and commemorated their ancestors.

Osenins is the second meeting of autumn, otherwise this day is also called Pasekin. Bees are harvested for the winter, onions are harvested, which is why the peasants also call it the day of the onion teardrop. There are such beliefs on this day:

• the earth is preparing for snow-white matinees;
• if on this day the weather is good, then autumn will be like that;
• Indian summer quiet scared.

The Feast of Osenin or the Seeds of the Pilot is advised to meet by the water. The day begins with the fact that all women go to the banks of a river, lake or reservoir to meet and greet Mother Osenina with oatmeal bread. The older woman holds the bread while the young girls sing songs. After that, the bread is broken into pieces and fed to livestock. In ancient times, it was believed that on this day, women conceived strong and healthy boys.

Osenins - Semyon Letoprovodets: signs

On this day, wedding weeks began in Rus', which lasted until the end of November - November 20 - Guria. On this day, boys aged 4-5 were put on a horse for the first time.

On this day, they moved to a new day and celebrated housewarming, inviting all relatives and friends to it. But in order to live well in the new house, they did not forget about the rite of transferring the brownie. A pot of coals from the old house, the brownie moved into it, was transferred to a new hut, only after that they sat down at the table, not fearing that the brownie would get angry and not let them live in the new house.

There are also other signs on the Osenins - September 14:

• if not all the ears were removed for Seeds, then they were gone;
• if wild geese flew to Seeds, then winter will be early;
• on the Seeds day it is a great sin to sow winter bread;
• Indian summer is dry - autumn is wet.

Autumn is ancient holiday farewell to summer and welcome to autumn. What is Osenins - this is a meeting of autumn in Rus'.

It was celebrated three times: on September 14, 21 and 27.

September 14 is the day of Semyon the pilot. With Seeds, meetings began, i.e. work in huts by fire.

September 21 - celebrated Ospozhinki - harvest festival. It was believed that from that day the summer ended and autumn comes into its own.

September 27 - Exaltation. All signs, characteristics and recommendations of this day were somehow connected among the peasants with the word "move". The exaltation of autumn moves towards winter, “bread moves from the field to the threshing floor”, “the bird has moved away”, and even “the caftan with a fur coat has moved, and the hat has moved”.

In the old days in Rus', our ancestors celebrated Osenins on September 21, on the day of the autumn equinox, when day is equal to night. By this time, the entire crop had already been harvested. The holiday is celebrated by going to visit, wide hospitality. They certainly visit their parents and commemorate their ancestors.

September 8/21 - Nativity of the Virgin. Among the people - the Lesser Most Pure (Big Most Pure - Assumption, August 15/28).

Osenins - the second meeting of autumn. Easter day. Bees are harvested, onions are harvested. Onion Tear Day. The earth tends to white matinees. "Amen to every summer (end)." "If the weather is good, autumn will be good." "Indian summer quiet scared."

Autumn meet by the water. On this day, early in the morning, women go to the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds to meet Mother Osenina with oatmeal bread. The older woman stands with bread, and the young people around her sing songs. Then they break the bread into pieces according to the number of people and feed livestock with it.

The Aztecs celebrated the day of male fertility on this day. erection holiday. September 21 was considered to be a favorable day for the conception of strong and healthy boys. It is interesting to note that the day of the Aztec mother goddess, Atlatonin, was not this day at all, but 06/18, which is about 9 months after this holiday.

In the old days, there was a custom of treating the newlyweds to their relatives, which is why September 8 was also called “Offering Day”. All relatives and friends came to the newlyweds. The caller invited such guests: “To visit the young, look at their life and life and teach them the mind-reason.” After a hearty dinner, the young hostess showed her entire household in the house. Guests, as usual, had to praise and teach the mind. The owner took the guests to the yard, showed them rye in the barns, summer and winter harness in the sheds, and treated them to beer from a cask in the garden.

September 27 - the third Osenins, "Snake Holiday"

According to popular belief, on this day, snakes and other reptiles, along with birds, moved to an unknown blissful country called iriy (the Christian word took on the sound of "paradise"). Therefore, they were sent off with requests to convey messages to those who had gone to another world.

“Exaltation is a holiday of snakes. Snakes move to one place. They go into the ground, move there.” On September 27, they try not to go into the forest, which is completely at the disposal of the snakes. Whoever goes into the forest can be dragged underground by snakes. Fleeing from snakes, you can read a poem. Step with your right foot and stop when you go into the forest. Make three bows to the earth and say: "Save me, Lord, from the beast running, from the creeping reptile." And spit three times over the left shoulder.
In the Perm province, it was believed that wearing the Maryin root plant on a pectoral cross protects against a snake.
“If you see a snake, shake it by the tail, then it won’t bite and won’t crawl away anywhere.” (Vlasova M. Russian superstitions. Encyclopedic Dictionary. - St. Petersburg, 2001. - S. 202.)

The snake is depicted on medical emblems: above the bowl, the staff of the god of healing Asclepius (among the Romans - Aesculapius), entwined with snakes. A snake in the hands of the sorceress Medea, who could restore youth.
Every year, thousands of snakes are removed from nature to obtain poison. Gyurza and cobra became rare.

OSENINS

folklore holiday

LEADING. Hello guys! Today we have a holiday called Autumn. What is Oseniny - this is a meeting of autumn. In the old days in Rus', our ancestors celebrated Osenins on September 21, on the day of the autumn equinox, when day is equal to night. By this time, the entire crop had already been harvested. And what kind of harvest could the peasants collect? Let's remember what grows in the garden?

CHILDREN: Carrots, beets, cabbage, potatoes ...

HOST: Right! And so, having harvested, the peasants arranged a holiday, sometimes for a whole week, they went to visit each other, put all the most delicious on the table, the grandchildren stayed with their grandparents for several days. And we will also invite Autumn to visit today. Only you and I are used to representing Autumn in the form of a beauty in a multi-colored outfit, with a bunch of yellow leaves, but in Rus' Autumn was depicted as a little dry peasant. His face is stern, with three eyes and shaggy hair. After harvesting, he walked through the fields - he checked whether everything was harvested properly. And today Autumn will appear in the form of a girl. So, let's say a cry together: Autumn, Autumn, you are welcome!

Includes Autumn and 3 autumn months.

AUTUMN: Good afternoon, my friends!

Waiting for, come on, me?

Summer was red

For a long time, power did not yield.

But everything comes to a time -

I arrived at the threshold.

I came, guys, not alone, but with my brothers. And what are their names, you now guess.

SEPTEMBER: Our school garden is empty,

Spider webs fly into the distance,

And on southern edge land

Cranes stretched out.

School doors opened.

What month has come to us?

OCTOBER: All the darker face of nature -

Blackened vegetable gardens, bare forests,

The bear went into hibernation.

What month has come to us?

NOVEMBER: Black field - it became white,

It rains, then it snows.

And it got colder

Ice bound the waters of the rivers.

The winter rye freezes in the field.

What month, please?

AUTUMN: Do you guys know that the people called these months differently?

SEPTEMBER: They called me frowning, howler, zarevnik.

AUTUMN: September - howler, from the roar of autumn winds and animals, especially deer.

OCTOBER: They called me winter, leaf fall, dirt.

AUTUMN: September smells like apples, and October smells like cabbage.

NOVEMBER: They called me half-winter, chest.

AUTUMN: November - September grandson, October son, winter dear father. Do you guys know any folk signs, proverbs, sayings?

And now guess Russian folk riddles:

A girl is sitting in a dungeon, and a scythe is on the street (Carrot)

SEPTEMBER: They threw off Yegorushka's golden feathers, made Yegorushka cry without grief. (onion)

OCTOBER: Alena dressed up in her green sarafan, curled the frills thickly. Do you recognize her? (cabbage)

NOVEMBER: There is a cake on one leg. Whoever passes by, everyone will bow. (mushroom)

SEPTEMBER: Sits - turns green, falls - turns yellow, lies - turns black. (sheet)

OCTOBER: Under the ground, the bird made a nest, laid eggs. (potato)

NOVEMBER: Round like a moon, leaves like a spruce, and a tail like a mouse. (turnip)

LEADING: And you know, guys, the turnip was a very important vegetable (remember the tale about the Turnip?). The fact is that our favorite potato appeared in Rus' only in the 18th century, and before that, turnips were the main vegetable. Turnips were eaten fresh, steamed, dried. They baked pies with turnips, made turnip kvass, cooked porridge.

AUTUMN: And the last riddle: It is bitter in haymaking, and sweet in frost. What is a berry? (Rowan)

LEADING: Rowan, guys, was very famous in Rus'. All the berries have long been harvested, even in the summer, and the mountain ash turns red only by autumn, its berries burn brightly. Rowan kvass was prepared from mountain ash, laxative and refreshing. There was even a special day, September 23, when rowan berries were plucked and hung with tassels under the roof. But some of the berries were always left on the tree - thrushes, fieldfare, bullfinches, red-breasted ..

This is how they met Autumn in Rus'.

Well, we meet Autumn with our traditional exhibition of gifts of nature, unusual vegetables grown in your country house, autumn crafts.

Autumn, we invite you to watch the children's exhibitions and help select the best exhibits for the school-wide exhibition.

AUTUMN: With pleasure! Wait for me, guys, by class. I’ll go to everyone, I won’t miss anyone, and I’ll even bring a treat!

When in the classroom Autumn says goodbye

AUTUMN: Well done guys, nice work! And now taste my treat - autumn apples! Autumn distributes apples from a basket. Goodbye!

September 21 - the second Osenins

September 21 - the second Osenins, the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Early in the morning, women and girls went out to the banks of rivers, lakes and ponds to meet Mother Osenina with oatmeal and jelly. In the minds of a Russian person, her image merged with the image of the Mother of God, therefore they turned to her: "The Most Pure Mother of God, deliver me from maety, harassment, take away from others, illuminate my life-being!" According to custom, on this day, all relatives and friends went to visit the newlyweds in order to "teach them the mind." The young mistress was preparing a special round cake: "For our bread - salt, you are welcome!" After a hearty dinner, the young hostess shows the house, and the young owner shows the yard, barn, barn, garden. The guests were treated to beer of their own production. All together the cathedral honored the Sun.

From September 21, it was believed that every summer - Amen. Autumn has come into its own. In fact, this is a religious holiday of the astronomical autumn equinox.

The second Osenins connect, as it were, two holidays: earthly and spiritual. In its earthly essence, it is a harvest festival, accompanied by games and songs, and in its spiritual, heavenly nature, it is the birthday of the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ.

9th of September

In the agricultural calendar of the Slavs, this day was called "autumn" or "ospozhinki" and was celebrated as a harvest festival. On this day, Thanksgiving was given to Mother Earth.

At the beginning of September, the harvest was completed, which was supposed to ensure the well-being of the family for the next year. In addition, the meeting of autumn was marked by the renewal of fire: the old fire was extinguished and a new one was lit, which was mined with blows of flint.

From autumn, the main economic activity was transferred from the field to the garden or to the house: the collection of vegetables began (first of all, onions were harvested). Usually in Oseniny (in Orthodoxy - the day of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin) a treat was arranged for which the whole family gathered. For the holiday, beer was brewed and a sheep (ram) was slaughtered. A pie was baked from the flour of the new harvest. They praised Mother Earth for giving birth to bread and other supplies.

Since the harvest of hops began from that day, the corresponding game songs were sung at the festive festivities:

We weave, hops, weave,
To our side
As on our side, there is a lot of freedom!
And the freedom is big, the men are rich!
That the men are rich, stone chambers!
What stone chambers, golden doors,
What poppies are cast!

September 27 - Third Osenins

The third Osenins are timed to coincide with the church holiday of the Exaltation of the Holy Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, this is the third meeting of autumn. "Exaltation - autumn moves towards winter."

According to folk tradition, cabbage parties began, girls' parties, when young people went from house to house to chop cabbage. These parties lasted two weeks. This is a kind of sacred action: cabbage was considered the sacred food of the Gods. On this day, a very ancient rite was carried out - the cross. The sign of the cross has been a symbol of the sun since prehistoric times. It was believed that on the Exaltation, he radiates protective power. The peasants carved crosses from wood, crossed rowan branches, painted crosses in places that they wanted to protect from evil spirits: in bins, barns.

On the third Osenins, according to popular belief, snakes and other reptiles, together with birds, moved to an unknown blissful country called iriy (in Christianity, this word took on the sound of "paradise"). Therefore, they were sent off with a request to convey a message to those who had gone to another world.

In the villages, the peasants brewed beer. They carried out a ritual plowing of the village, driving out of it Kukhoma (fever, shaking), then shared the beer at home and rested after the labors of the righteous. In the evening, baths were heated and steamed, expelling evil spirits from themselves. In the forests, before the long winter, the goblin joked with people for the last time, arranging a review of animals and birds - are they ready for a harsh winter.

According to the old calendar, the beginning of autumn fell on September 14th. The First Ecumenical Council (325) established this day as the beginning of the year. According to Orthodox tradition, the world was created in September.

Osenina the first meeting of autumn. On this day, it was supposed to “wipe out” the “new” fire with the help of two planks, and with this pure fire to start sittings, or gatherings. From that day on, in Rus', they began to celebrate autumn weddings (until November 15), moved to new homes, carried out the rite of “monastic vows” (initiation) of boys who had reached the age of seven, into youth, marking their new role in the community.

On the festive day of the first Osenins, an ancient amusing rite of burial of flies and cockroaches, annoying inhabitants of the Russian summer, was timed. September 14 - the beginning of the Indian summer, which lasts up to three weeks in some areas. They noticed: if Semyon is a clear day, then the whole Indian summer will be warm, and a warm winter must be expected.

September 14 - the day of the Pilot's Seeds. Simeon the Stylite (5th century) became famous as a man of a selfless lifestyle. In the history of mankind, he discovered a new kind of asceticism. Wanting to test his spiritual strength, faith in God, he built a 4-meter-high pillar on the mountain with a platform on top, surrounded it with a wall, and read sermons to numerous pilgrims from this “mountainous” place. Then Simeon settled on a pillar in a small cell, indulging in intense prayer and fasting. Gradually, he increased the height of the pillar on which he stood. His last pillar was 40 cubits (16 meters) high. He spent 80 years in enhanced monastic deeds, of which 47 stood on a pillar. His life was well known in Rus', they learned from him to endure in the name of a holy cause the numerous difficulties of human existence. According to an ancient tradition, it was believed that on this day it is necessary to do charitable deeds, to be merciful. In Muscovite Rus', not a single beggar was left without abundant alms on this day, even prisoners in dungeons were presented with gifts.

It flies like this on ...

Work program subject literary reading Teacher Babikova N. K. Class 2 2013 2014 academic year explanatory note

Working programm

... on themes "Old books Ancient Rus' ... on summer... in the house, on street, theater on holiday; ... Nature in music. Osenins; Autumn: poet - artist ..., meetings with... apologies, farewell, culture... 7 24.09 What such weather? Practical... shaping on this basis...

In Rus', the calendar of farmers singled out the end of field work in particular. This time is called "autumn". At the beginning of the month, the harvest ended and the fire was renewed. The old was extinguished, the new was mined with the help of flint. Osenins were celebrated on September 14, 21 and 27.

Autumn + in Rus'

The main activity from that time was transferred to the house. The whole family would gather and have a meal. Be sure to prepare kutya from different cereals and honey of the new harvest, put on the window for offering to the souls of the ancestors. A bull was necessarily slaughtered, dishes were prepared from it for those gathered. Beer was brewed, fish pies, jelly, cheese were prepared. They baked pies from the new harvest flour and thanked Mother Earth Cheese for bread and other supplies. It was time for sit-downs, work in the house on fire.

Since that time, hop harvesting began, so songs about it were sung at festive festivities. Sometimes the holiday lasted for a week. The longer it lasted, the more fruitful the summer was.

On September 21, the second autumn began. They coincided with the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. From that day on, autumn came into its own, and summer ended. On the day of the autumn equinox, visits begin, parents visit, commemorate their ancestors.

The second name of this day is Osporinki, Pasekin Day, Onion Tear Day. Bees are harvested for the winter, onions are harvested. It is customary to meet autumn next to the water. Women come ashore with oatmeal bread to regale Mother Osenina. Then the treat is divided according to the number of people and livestock are fed with bread. In the southern provinces, a meal was arranged, the main dishes of which were oatmeal bread and jelly, songs were sung, games and dances were held.

According to custom, it is customary to visit the newlyweds on September 21 in order to "teach them the mind." After the treat, the young hostess showed the guests her possessions, and they had to praise her and give teachings. The owner showed barns full of grain, winter and summer harness and regaled them with beer from the new harvest.

Autumn days are holidays of honoring a woman as a successor to the family. The childless dedicated their prayers to the Mother of God, ordered a service in the church, and after it invited everyone to dinner.

Autumn + in Rus'

In many places, a protective rite was held: a circle-amulet was drawn around the yard clockwise for the time of winter keeping of livestock.

In the days of autumn, young people wondered, determining the prospects for the future.

September 27 - Exaltation, Third Osenins or Serpentine holiday. According to legend, from that day on, all snakes and birds moved to an amazing secret country, iriy (paradise). They were sent off, messages were sent to those who had gone to another world. On September 27, they tried not to go into the forest, fearing that the snakes might drag them underground.

In some areas, a fly burial ceremony was held. A caught insect was placed in a carrot domina, solemnly transferred to a wasteland, where it was buried in the ground. This rite signifies the stupor of insects and the whole earth during the winter. It was believed that the flies would no longer bite and bother the one who caught one of them for the ceremony.

The life of a peasant in Rus' since ancient times has been subject to the repeated change of time. This is the winter and summer solstices, the autumn and spring equinoxes, the natural change of seasons. This calendar ritual was opened with great calendar holidays: winter - Christmas time, spring and summer - Shrovetide, Semitsko - Trinity week, Ivano - Kupala holiday, autumn - a holiday in the name of the Savior and the Virgin, etc.
Some calendar rituals, due to the importance of the celebrated holiday, the nature of the situation and the changing socio-economic conditions, have retained their pagan roots, while others have undergone significant changes.

Autumn in Rus' was accompanied by a large number of different ritual actions, ranging from harvesting, preserving the productivity of the land, thanking higher powers for the harvest, to striving to restore the strength of the peasant.

Slavic farmers considered September to be the beginning of the year - the month when they harvested. In the pagan calendar, September was called spring or ryuen, and among the people it was called "frown" and "leaf fall". Several important folk holidays were celebrated during the month.

The first week of September from 1 to 7 was dedicated to the goddess Makosh, on September 8 and 9 they honored the most important pagan gods, Rod and Rozhanitsy. These days people celebrated ospozhinka and autumn holidays. The peasants performed a ceremony of glorifying the Family and Rozhanitsy, made sacrifices to their ancestors and glorified family well-being.

Osenins- harvest festival. The whole family gathered together at the table, a feast was arranged. On the table there must have been oatmeal, eggs, cottage cheese, honey, wine from berries, venison or beef. A bowl of wine was passed around, praising the gods. Then they played games and round dances, sang songs about hops (from these days, the collection of hops began). In each family, oatmeal bread was consecrated, which was subsequently used to treat sick people and animals.

The Osenina holiday in Rus' was celebrated several times: in addition to 9 - another 14, 21 and 27 September. Autumn on September 14 in the pagan calendar was called the Autumn Serpentine - it's time for snake weddings. This day was dedicated to the god Veles. On this day it was impossible to go to the forest, because it was believed that all the forest spirits run through the forest, checking how it is ready for winter. At night, the goblin went to bed until spring, the spirits calmed down, and people could start harvesting mushrooms. And in the villages, cabbage evenings (cabbages) were held, when women gathered in turn at each other's, salted cabbage together, joked, sang appropriate songs.

The holiday itself was filled with rituals. For example, it was necessary to strike a fire with the help of two dry planks. This fire burned the earth. It was also supposed to give thanks to the earth for the harvest. And from the flour of the new crop they baked a festive cake. Grooms on this day went out into the street to look after their brides.

Children also had their obligatory rituals. One of them was a solemn rite of burial of summer pests - flies and cockroaches - in specially constructed miniature coffins made of wood chips and turnips. And the boys were supposed to be put on a horse that day.

There were also signs - if the weather on this holiday is clear, then both "Indian summer" and the coming winter will be warm. Well, if the weather was bad, it was believed that autumn would be rainy.

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