“A sad time, charm eyes ...”, - so Alexander Pushkin wrote about the autumn. When did this time come for different nations? Dates of the arrival of autumn according to ancient calendars are indicated different. The thing is that the "autumn" - the so-called arrival of autumn - was celebrated several times.
Autumn
The first autumn was celebrated after the harvest, September 14: festivities dedicated to mother earth were held, thanked her for a good harvest, which provided the family with food for the whole year. Also in the fall, it was customary to renew the fire: the old ones were extinguished and a new one was mined using flint. The dates of the arrival of autumn according to ancient calendars coincide with the holidays of the solar calendar among the Slavs.
The second autumn was celebrated on September 21, later they began to coincide with the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The autumnal equinox came .
It was customary to meet Osenins on the banks of a river or lake. In the mornings, women went ashore with oat bread to treat Osenina. In her honor, they sang songs, danced, danced around, after the celebration they broke the bread into pieces and gave it to livestock.
September 27 marked the third fall, later this day coincided with the Exaltation. It was also called snake day. It was believed that on this day all animals and birds went for the winter to Iriy. According to the beliefs of the Slavs, this country is in the seventh heaven; after death, the souls of animals and people go there.
Dates of the arrival of autumn according to the ancient calendars of the peoples of the Urals
In the Perm Territory, it was believed that the Maryin root plant could be saved from a snake’s bite on this day, it was customary to wear it around the neck, and later they began to wear it with a pectoral cross. There is such a mention in M. Vlasova’s dictionary “Russian Superstitions”: if you meet a snake, shake its tail, then it will not touch you and will not creep away. The dates of the arrival of autumn according to the ancient calendars of the peoples of the Urals are also confined to harvest festivals and depend on the agricultural calendar.
In 325 AD, the First Ecumenical Council on September 14 was the beginning of the year. According to some legends, it was in September that the creation of the world took place.
Dates of the arrival of autumn according to ancient calendars in Russia and significant autumn holidays
September 21 was the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. And in the old days, and today people believe that the Blessed Virgin relieves from pain, misery and sorrow. She is also considered the patroness of children, the assistant to women in childbirth.
Semenov’s day is usually celebrated on September 14, according to the national calendar, this is the day of Simeon Stolpnik. Until the 17th century, the day marked the beginning of a new year.
The exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated on September 27th. At this time, it was customary to establish crosses on churches and temples under construction, it was also customary to establish roadside crosses.
The Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary fell on October 14th. According to the church calendar, this day is associated with the appearance of the Virgin Mary to believers. It happened in the 10th century in one of the churches of Constantinople. And according to folk traditions, this day was associated with the completion of work in the fields and the arrival of winter, the appearance of the first snow cover. There is another interpretation regarding the appearance of this holiday. It was believed that in one village they did not let the wandering Virgin Mary overnight. Then the angry Ilya the prophet sent thunder, rain, hail and fire arrows on them, but the Virgin took pity on people and saved the village from death with her cover.
On November 14, Kuzminki was celebrated - the day of Demyan and Kuzma. He was considered a girl's day. It was on this date that bridesmaids were appointed, the girls arranged evening gatherings, prepared holiday dishes. On this day, the girl was considered a full-fledged mistress in the house.
Church and folk calendars
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the arrival dates of autumn according to ancient calendars coincide with church holidays. The Nativity of the Virgin, which is celebrated for six days, falls on the Slavic festival of Autumn, which is celebrated for a whole week.
The calendar among the Slavs was rather agricultural, this is reflected in the name of the months, customs, signs. The latter are often associated with the seasons, terrain and climate. So there was some disagreement about the date of the fall. According to ancient calendars, the same months were called differently by different peoples: for example, both November and October were called deciduous.
Autumn holidays in Tatarstan
The dates of autumn according to the ancient calendars of the peoples of Tatarstan do not have clear boundaries, as they are not tied to the national agricultural calendar. But nevertheless, several holidays associated with the arrival of autumn can be distinguished.
Sembele is a holiday of labor among the Tatars, rooted in antiquity. On this day, harvesting from the fields was celebrated, people rested after hard work. Boys and girls looked closely at each other - it was believed that Sambela was preceded by a wedding time. On this day, tables were laid, dances were performed and songs were sung.
The Salamat festival is very similar to it, it was also timed to the harvest. Unlike Sembele, on this day they did not hold festivities, but celebrated in the family circle. The main dish is pastries made from wheat flour, fried in milk - salamat, which may be the name of the holiday.