In Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery) there are a number of shared holidays throughout the year, when important ritual activities are set according to shared calendars. Generally speaking, ritual activities may be distinguished into "external" (exoteric) and "internal" (esoteric) relatively to the different communities. External ceremonies are mass gatherings, usually held on important holidays dedicated to the worship of common gods, and involving large numbers of people. Internal ceremonies are those restricted to specific groups, and holding special meaning for such groups; they may comprise private rituals and worship of specific ancestors."Native faith: The congress of the 'Circle of Pagan Tradition' (Родная вера: съезд 'Круга языческой традиции')". Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 6 June 2007.
Calendars of holidays
Ivanits and Rybakov's calendar of holidays Linda J. Ivanits reconstructs a basic calendar of the East Slavs' celebrations of Slavic gods, based on Boris Rybakov's studies of ancient agricultural calendars, especially a fourth-century calendar found in the Kyiv region. FestivalDate (Julian or Gregorian)Deity celebratedOverlapped Christian festival or figure Koliada (Korochun) Winter solstice Rod: first halfVeles: last half Christmas,Baptism of the Lord,Epiphany Komoeditsa Spring equinox Veles Easter Day of Young Shoots May 2 — Saints Boris and Gleb Semik June 4 Yarilo — Rusalnaya Week June 17–23 Simargl Trinity Sunday Kupala NightKupalo Summer solstice — Saint John the Baptist Festival of Perun July 20 Rod / Perun Saint Elijah Harvest festivals Autumn equinox Rodzanica / Rodzanicy Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) Birthday of the Mother of God (September 8) Festival of Mokosh October 28 Mokosh Saint Paraskeva's Friday
General Russian Rodnover calendar of holidays According to the Rodnover questions–answers compendium Izvednik (Изведник), almost all Russian Rodnovers rely upon the Gregorian calendar and celebrate the "sunny holidays" (highlighted in yellow in the table below), with the addition of holidays dedicated to Perun, Mokosh and Veles (highlighted in green), the Red Hill ancestral holiday (highlighted in orange), and five further holidays dedicated to ancestors (including Вешние Деды, "Spring Forefathers"; Трояцкие Деды, "Whitsun Forefathers"; Дмитровские Деды, "Demetrius Forefathers"; and Рождественские Деды, "Christmas Forefathers", etc.). The contemporary Rodnover calendar is structured as follows: FestivalEventDate (Gregorian) KoliadaКоляда Winter solstice December 24–25 Days of Veles (Festival of Veles)Velesovy dny (Велесовы дни) Celebration of the god of animals, forests and commerce January 2, 6 / February 17 KomoeditsaКомоедицаOften conflated with Maslenitsa Spring equinox March 24 Krasnaya GorkaКрасная Горка(lit. "Red Hill") Celebration of ancestors April 30–May 1 Kupala NightКупала Summer solstice June 23–24 Day of PerunPerunov den (Перунов день) Celebration of the thunder god August 2 Tausen (also called Bogach, Vtorye Oseniny or Ruyen)Таусень (Богач, Вторые Осенины, Руень) Autumn equinox September 21 Day of MokoshMokoshy den (Мокоши день) Celebration of the great goddess of the Earth November 10
Calendars of months Names of months in local Slavic traditions
In some Slavic languages, such as Russian, the modern names of the months are borrowings from Latin. Otherwise, local traditions and other Slavic languages have preserved Slavic endonyms (endogenous names) for months. Volkhv Aleksey Aleksandrovich Dobroslav has proposed a standardised nomenclature, as reported in the table below. Many Slavic months' names refer to natural phenomena, things and human crafts (for instance, Traven means "Grass"; Bulgarian Sukh means "Dry", etc.). LatinateDobroslav monthsBelarusianBulgarianCroatianCzechUpper SorbianPolishSerbianUkrainian January ProsinecПросинец StudzieńСтудзень Goljam sečkoГолям сечко Siječanj Leden Wulki róžk Styczeń KoložegКоложег Sičen'Січень February Ljuten'Лютень LiutyЛюты Malăk sečkoМалък сечко Veljača Únor Mały róžk Luty SečkoСечко LjutyjЛютий March Berezen'Березень SakavikСакавік SuhСух Ožujak Březen Nalětnik Marzec DerikožaДерикожа Berezen'Березень April Cveten'Цветень KrasavikКрасавік BrjazokБрязок Travanj Duben Jutrownik Kwiecień LažitravaЛажитрава Kviten'Квітень May Traven'Травень TravieńТравень TrevenТревен Svibanj Květen Róžownik Maj CvetanjЦветањ Traven'Травень June Kresen'Кресень ČervieńЧэрвень IzokИзок Lipanj Červen Smažnik Czerwiec TrešnjarТрешњар Červen'Червень July Lipen'Липень LipieńЛіпень ČrăvenăЧръвенъ Srpanj Červenec Pražnik Lipiec ŽetvarЖетвар Lypen'Липень August ZarevЗарев ŽnivieńЖнівень OračОрач Kolovoz Srpen Žnjenc Sierpień GumnikГумник Serpen'Серпень September Ruen'Руен VierasieńВерасень RuenРуен Rujan Září Požnjenc Wrzesień GrozdoberГроздобер Veresen'Вересень October ListopadЛистопад KastryčnikКастрычнік ListopadЛистопад Listopad Říjen Winowc Październik ŠumopadШумопад Žovten'Жовтень November Gruden'Грудень ListapadЛістапад GrudenГруден Studeni Listopad Nazymnik Listopad StudeniСтудени LystopadЛистопад December Studen'Студень SniežańСнежань StudenСтуден Prosinac Prosinec Hodownik Grudzień KoledarКоледар HrudenГрудень
See also Festival of Veles Slavic Native Faith Slavic calendar Wheel of the Year Heathen holidays
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