Before the baptism of Rus, the Eastern Slavs worshiped numerous pagan deities. Their religion and mythology left their imprint on everyday life. The Slavs practiced a large number of rites and rituals, one way or another connected with the pantheon of deities or the spirits of their ancestors.
History of Slavic pagan rites
The ancient pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus had religious roots. The Eastern Slavs had their own pantheon. It included many deities, which in general can be described as powerful nature spirits. Rites, rituals and customs of the Slavs corresponded to the cults of these creatures.
Another important measure of folk habits was the calendar. The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Russia most often correlated with a certain date. It could be a holiday or a day of worship of some deity. A similar calendar has been compiled over many generations. Gradually, he began to correspond to the economic cycles in which the peasants of Russia lived.
When in 988, Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich baptized his country, the population gradually began to forget about their former pagan rites. Of course, this process of Christianization did not go smoothly everywhere. Often people defended their old faith with weapons in their hands. Nevertheless, by the XII century, paganism had become the lot of marginals and outcasts. On the other hand, some previous holidays and ceremonies were able to get along with Christianity and take a new form.
First name
What were the pagan rites and rituals and how can they help? The Slavs gave them a deep practical meaning. Rites surrounded every resident of Russia all his life, regardless of which tribal union he belonged to.
Any newborn immediately after its birth passed through the ritual of naming. For the Gentiles, the choice of how to name their child was vital. The fate of the person depended on the name, so the parents could decide on the option for quite some time. This rite had another meaning. The name established a connection between a person and his family. Often it was possible to determine from where the Slav came from.
The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus always had a religious background. Therefore, the adoption of the name of the newborn could not take place without the participation of the magician. These sorcerers, according to the beliefs of the Slavs, could communicate with spirits. It was they who cemented the choice of parents, as if “coordinating” it with the deities of the pagan pantheon. Among other things, the name-making finally made the newborn initiated into the Old Slavic faith.
Disqualification
The name was the first obligatory rite through which each member of the Slavic clan passed. But this ritual was far from the last and not the only one. What other pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus were? In short, since all of them were based on religious beliefs, it means that there was another rite that allowed a person to return to the fold of his native faith. Historians have called this ritual a christening.
Indeed, the Slavs had the opportunity to abandon Christianity and return to the religion of their ancestors. In order to be cleansed of an alien faith, it was necessary to go to the temple. That was the name of the part of the pagan temple intended for the ceremony. These places were hidden in the most remote forests of Russia or small groves in the steppe zone. It was believed that here, far from civilization and large settlements, the connection of the Magi with the deities is especially strong.
A man who wanted to renounce the new Greek foreign faith, had to bring three witnesses with him. This was required by the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Russia. Grade 6 at school, according to the standard program, superficially studies just the realities of that time. The Slav knelt, and the sorcerer casted a spell - an appeal to spirits and deities with a request to cleanse the lost tribesman from filth. At the end of the ceremony, it was necessary to swim in the nearby river (or go to the bathhouse) in order to complete the ritual according to all the rules. Such were the then traditions and rites. Pagan faith, spirits, sacred places - all this was of great importance for every Slav. Therefore, baptism was a frequent occurrence in the X-XI centuries. Then, people expressed their protest against the official state Kiev policy aimed at replacing paganism with Orthodox Christianity.
Wedding
Among the ancient Slavs in Russia, a wedding was considered an event that finally confirmed the entry of a young man or girl into adulthood. Moreover, a childless life was a sign of inferiority, because in this case the man or woman did not continue their race. The elders treated such relatives with overt condemnation.
The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Russia differed from each other in some details depending on the region and the tribal union. Nevertheless, songs were an important wedding attribute everywhere. They were performed right under the windows of the house in which the newlyweds were supposed to start living. On the festive table there must have been kalachi, gingerbread, eggs, beer and wine. The main treat was a wedding loaf, which, among other things, was a symbol of the abundance and wealth of the future family. Therefore, they baked it in a special way. A long wedding ceremony began with the matchmaking. At the end, the groom must have paid a ransom to the father of the bride.
Housewarming
Each young family moved to its own hut. The choice of housing among the ancient Slavs was an important ritual. The then mythology included many evil creatures who knew how to bring damage to the hut. Therefore, the place for the house was chosen with particular care. For this, a magic witchcraft was used. The whole ritual can be called a housewarming ritual, without which it was impossible to imagine the beginning of a full-fledged life of a newly emerged family.
The Christian culture and pagan traditions of Russia over time were closely intertwined with each other. Therefore, we can confidently say that some of the former rituals existed in the outback and the province until the XIX century. There were several ways to determine if a site is suitable for building a hut. On it they could leave a pot with a spider inside for the night. If the arthropod was weaving a web, then the place was suitable. Safety was also tested with cows. This was done as follows. The animal was released on a spacious plot. The place where the cow went to was considered happy for a new hut.
Caroling
The Slavs had a separate group of so-called detour rites. The most famous of them was considered caroling. This ritual was held annually along with the start of a new annual cycle. Some pagan holidays of the Slavs (Slavic holidays in Russia) survived the Christianization of the country. So was caroling. It retained many of the features of the former pagan rite, although it began to coincide with the Orthodox Christmas Eve.
But even the most ancient Slavs had a custom on this day to gather in small groups, which began to bypass their native settlement in search of goodies. As a rule, only young people took part in such gatherings. Among other things, it was also a fun festival. The carollers dressed in modest costumes and went around the neighboring houses, announcing their owners about the upcoming holiday of the new birth of the Sun. This metaphor signaled the end of the old annual cycle. Usually dressed in wild animals or funny costumes.
Kalinov bridge
The key to pagan culture was the burial rite. He completed the earthly life of man, and his relatives, thus, said goodbye to the deceased. Depending on the region, the nature of the funeral among the Slavs changed. Most often, a person was buried in a tomb, in which, in addition to the body, they put the deceased's personal belongings so that they could serve him in the afterlife. However, in tribal unions of Krivichy and Vyatichi, on the contrary, ritual burning of the deceased at the stake was widespread.
The culture of pre-Christian Russia was based on numerous mythological subjects. For example, the funeral was held according to the belief in the Kalinov bridge (or Star Bridge). In Slavic mythology, the way from the world of the living to the world of the dead, which the human soul passed after his death, was called that. The bridge became insurmountable for killers, criminals, deceivers and rapists.
The funeral procession went a long way, which symbolized the journey of the soul of the deceased to the afterlife. Next, the body was laid on the steal. That was the name of the funeral pyre. He was flooded with branches and straw. The deceased was dressed up in white clothes. In addition to him, they also burned various gifts, including funeral foods. The body must necessarily lie with its legs in the direction to the west. Bonfire was set on fire by a priest or an elder of the clan.
Trizna
Enumerating what pagan traditions were in pre-Christian Russia, one cannot but mention trisene. That was the second part of the funeral. It consisted of a funeral feast, accompanied by dancing, games and competitions. Sacrifices and collective prayers to the spirits of their ancestors were also practiced. They helped find solace for the survivors.
Trizna was especially solemn in the event of the funeral of soldiers who defended their homelands from enemies and foreigners. Many pre-Christian Slavic traditions, rites and customs were based on the cult of power. Therefore, the warriors in this pagan society enjoyed special respect as ordinary residents, and the Magi, who knew how to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. During the feast of praise, the exploits and courage of the heroes and heroes were glorified.
Fortunetelling
Numerous and diverse were ancient Slavic fortune-telling. Christian culture and pagan traditions, mixed together in the X-XI centuries., Today left a lot of rites and customs of this kind. But at the same time, many fortune-telling residents of Russia were lost and forgotten. Some of them were saved in popular memory thanks to the careful work of folklorists of the last few decades.
Fortune-telling was based on the veneration of the Slavs of the many-sided natural world - trees, stones, water, fire, rain, sun, wind, etc. Other similar rituals necessary in order to find out their future were carried out as an appeal to the spirits of dead ancestors. Gradually, a unique Slavic calendar was formed, based on natural cycles, according to which we checked when it was best to go to guess.
Magical rites were necessary in order to find out what the relatives ’health would be like, crops, livestock offspring, welfare, etc. Fortune-telling about marriage and the upcoming bride or groom were the most common. In order to carry out such a ritual, the Slavs climbed into the most deaf and unsociable places - abandoned houses, forest groves, cemeteries, etc. This was done because it was there that the spirits lived, from whom they knew the future.
Night on Ivan Kupala
Due to the fragmentary and incomplete historical sources of that time, the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Russia, in short, have been little studied. Moreover, today they have become excellent soil for speculation and low-quality “research” by various writers. But there are exceptions to this rule. One of them is the holiday of the night on Ivan Kupala.
This national celebration had its strictly defined date - June 24. This day (more precisely, night) corresponds to the summer solstice - a short period when daylight hours reach an annual record of its duration. To understand what Ivan Kupala meant for the Slavs, it is important to realize what pagan traditions were in pre-Christian Russia. The description of this holiday is found in several chronicles (for example, in Gustynskaya).
The holiday began with the preparation of funeral dishes, which became sacrifices in memory of the departed ancestors. Another important attribute of the night was mass bathing in a river or lake, in which local youth took part. It was believed that on Midsummer Day the water received magical and healing powers. Often, holy springs were used for bathing. This was due to the fact that, according to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, some sections on ordinary rivers were teeming with mermaids and other evil spirits, ready at any moment to drag a person to the bottom.
The main rite of the Kupala night was a kindling of a ritual bonfire. All rural youth gathered brushwood in the evening in order to have enough fuel until the morning. Round dances led round dances, jumped over it. According to legend, such a fire was not simple, but purifying from evil spirits. All the women were supposed to visit the bonfire. Those who did not come to the feast and did not take part in the rite were considered witches.
It was impossible to imagine a Kupala night without ritual atrocities. With the onset of the holiday, the usual prohibitions were lifted in the community. Celebrating young people could steal things with impunity in other people's yards, drag them around their native village or throw them on roofs. Comic barricades were erected on the streets that interfered with the rest of the inhabitants. Young people turned carts, plugged chimneys, etc. According to the traditions of that time, such ritual behavior symbolized a festive revelry of evil spirits. Bans were lifted only for one night. With the end of the holiday, the community returned to its usual measured life.