The forces of nature are perhaps the only thing that man has still not been able to fully cope with. The world has learned to treat complex diseases, clone living organisms, conquer space and the vast depths of the ocean, but it still remains defenseless against droughts and tsunamis, earthquakes and glaciers.
The ancient rite, dedicated to the forces of nature, gave man a certain unity with the nature of the world, the ability to curb him. The amazing, inexplicable power of nature has always interested mankind - it tried to comprehend this mystery, to join it, to make it a part of its own life. And so there were ancient rites, the rudiments of which are preserved today.
Megalopolis man
If you approach a modern person and say: “Name the ancient rites dedicated to the forces of nature,” he is unlikely to be able to recall at least one name, describe at least some sacrament that was sacred to distant ancestors. Of course, the world has changed significantly, objects have lost their magical properties in a world where there is practically no place for secrecy among skyscrapers, airplanes, the Internet and commonplace hand dryers. However, this was not always the case.
The power of the ancients
In almost every culture there is a place for people who can come into contact with natural phenomena: magicians, shamans, warlocks, clairvoyants, priests and simply elders. Ancient rites dedicated to the forces of nature were not far from rarity before. There was more faith in people then, and the world itself, as they say in old traditions, was much more willing to respond to human requests.
Paganism is common to almost all cultures of the world. Of course, there were significant differences between the beliefs of representatives of different races and territories, which is naturally due to the difference in the environments in which they were immersed. However, the key aspects were almost identical. For example, in all cultures there was a cult of worship of the sun.
Why nature
In fact, why did people worship the forces of earth, water, air or fire ? Ancient rites dedicated to the forces of nature did not arise from scratch. Logically, in ancient times, a person was directly dependent on the crop, weather conditions, and climate whims. Naturally, he did his best to appease the elements, make friends with the rains, and tame the winds and blizzards.
Winter rites
For our ancestors, perhaps the most long-awaited season was spring, on which the future harvest directly depended. The ancient rites dedicated to the forces of nature were in this case especially important - it was necessary to appease the beautiful beauty. And this process began with a holiday called the comedian, which later became the Pancake week that we knew. On this day, our ancestors dressed in bear skins, sang songs, performed ritual dances. The awakening of the clubfoot resident of the forest marked the arrival of spring for our ancestors.
Another traditional winter ritual was the burning of a moss tree, a ritual log burning on Christmas Eve. Sentencing ritual formulas during the knocking out of sparks guaranteed the ancestors not only a successful change of seasons, but also an increase in livestock, which was no less important. By the way, there is a similar rite in the Indo-European culture, where the deity Aga Buhnya acted as a bad man.
Slavic rites
In order to find out how the ancient Slavs used magic, one should turn to history. First of all, a distinctive feature of Slavic culture can be called the fact that human sacrifice was unacceptable here since ancient times. But animal sacrifices still were. For example, in order to appease the water element, our ancestors threw a rooster to the bottom of the cock, which was supposed to entertain the marine master, leading him to a good mood.
In order to appease Yarila, the god of the sun, light and fertility, the Slavs held another ancient rite dedicated to the forces of nature - noisy festivities with jumping over a fire. These actions had the function of a rite - the fun of the people in honor of the meeting of Yarila promised people a rich harvest, an affectionate sun and an early reproduction.
The rituals and rituals of the ancient Slavs cannot but admire their beauty and purity. Together with Yarila, in the spring, for example, Svarog and Dazhdbog were honored, in honor of which the girls dressed up in the best clothes led round dances.
Seeing off the sun during the celebration of Ivan Kupal Day , was accompanied by a ritual rolling into a pure field of a burning wheel. The ritual attribute symbolized the transition of the sun to a decrease, a reduction in the circle.
At the same time, on Kupala night, young girls preparing to become brides addressed to the water element in a rite. After performing round dances and songs in honor of Rod, Makosha, Mother Earth, Water, Rozhanitsy, the girls were naked, spread their braids and entered the water, referring to it as an element that takes away their old life and gives a new one.
Rites of the earth
Of course, our ancestors could not not turn to Mother Earth. Characteristic in this regard is the ceremony of sowing and harvesting fields. Only a man was supposed to fill the grain in a field - in this case, the parallel with procreation, the granting of seed is clearly considered.
To care for the fields and harvest should have been originally naked women who personified in this case the maternal origin of the earth. From them, force was to be transferred to the fields for continuers of the clan. Harvesting, thus, turned into the birth of the earth a new life.
In fact, the ancient rites dedicated to the forces of nature, have remained rudimentary to this day. Bonfires are still lit on Kupala holidays, the New Year's celebration is still fraught with sparkling lights, and the scarecrow of Maslenitsa and the subsequent eating of pancakes is still considered to be almost the most favorite winter holiday.