Many historians today are concerned about the origin of the Eastern Slavs. Modern science cannot answer the question of when exactly the Slavic nation originated and where its roots come from. Our knowledge of the possible ancestors of the Russian people is limited to 4-5 centuries AD, the time when the Slavs already settled the territory from the Black to the Baltic Sea.
According to the theory of some historians, the ancient Slavic tribes formed their first state in 622 in the territory of modern Czechia, which was called Moravia at that time. By the eighth century, they settled in the Balkans. At the same time, the tribes of the Eastern Slavs went to conquer the land, which later became known as Kievan Rus. By the way, some scholars associate the birth of the Slavic nation directly with Trypillian civilization. Tripoli is considered one of the earliest centers of human development. This state existed at the turn of 3-4 millennia BC. in the territory of modern Ukraine. Therefore, it is quite natural to consider this nation as the ancestor of the Ukrainians. However, this issue is very controversial. The origin of the Slavs from Trypillians at the moment is not proven.
Ancient East Slavic tribes were very numerous. The name of most of them comes from the place of their main residence. Bright representatives of the Eastern Slavs are Vyatichi, Buzhan, Dregovichi, Drevlyane, Krivichi, meadow, northerners, Tivertsi, streets, etc. These peoples were settled from south to north between the two seas (Baltic and Black) and very often fought among themselves.
The first East Slavic tribes settled on the banks of lakes and rivers. So, the Buzhanians occupied the banks of the Bug River, from where, in fact, their name came from, the Volhynians occupied the territories located at the source of Pripyat, the Vyatichi lived on the banks of the Oka and Moscow rivers . The Slavs led a settled lifestyle and initially settled in dugouts - dwellings similar to the burrows of some animals, then began to build wooden houses for their living. In the center of such dwellings, a hearth was built, the smoke from which went outside through a hole made in the roof. Near each house there were necessarily additional wattle-and-frog buildings. For greater security, the Slavs united their houses (5-6 each) and surrounded them along the perimeter with an earthen rampart.
The main occupation, due to which the East Slavic tribes survived, was agriculture. The cultivation of the land allowed them to grow a crop of wheat, rye, barley, turnip, cabbage, which did not allow starvation to die in the cold season. It is also known that the Slavs actively cultivated hemp and flax. Depending on the place of residence, East Slavic tribes were engaged in cattle breeding, animal husbandry, hunting and fishing.
As for the spiritual component of life, our ancestors worshiped the forces of nature. All East Slavic tribes preached paganism as their religion (up to the 10th century). They were especially revered: the god of the Sun - Dazhdbog (among some tribes Khors, Yarilo), the god of thunderstorm - Perun, the god of heaven - Svarog, the god of wind - Stribog. The ancient Slavs believed that the souls of dead people can return and roam in the world of the living, while committing various atrocities. By the way, the heroes of many Russian folk tales came to us precisely from the beliefs of our ancestors. The Slavs believed in the existence of mermaids (drowned women), goblin (forest spirits), water (spirits of swamps and rivers), kikimor (evil spirits of the home). It was believed that it was possible to protect oneself from evil deeds with the help of special amulets and charms, which could be used fangs of animals, figures carved from wood, dried bunches of plants, etc.
The main customs and holidays of the Slavs are also directly related to the cult of nature. Their main holidays were the carols that reached us (Christmas), Shrovetide, Ivan Kupala. Most of the customs and rites of the Eastern Slavic tribes were forgotten after they joined the Russian state and the adoption of Christianity, some of them were preserved in the form of fairy tales and beliefs.