The Slavic Christmas -Gods birth celebration
The celebration known as Generous Gody originated with our Slovinian forefathers' ancient customs. The triumph of light over darkness was celebrated throughout the long and chilly winter solstice, which was marked by the lengthening days and the gradual transition of nature into spring.
Various places are called Generous Gody by various names. The Winter Sunrise Festival, Szczodrushka, and the Mating Festival are the most well-liked. Known as Kruczun in what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Generous Gody was. Among the tribes of the east, another term for this momentous occasion was a carol.
On the day of the winter solstice, daylight started to increase, signaling the arrival of gladness, joy, optimism, and wealth. This is how the generous wedding celebration appeared to be; everyone was really happy.
Regretfully, there are no surviving direct descriptions of the old Slavic heritage since they never invented their own alphabet, except for the runes, whose usage was prohibited and strictly punished by the Christian Church. We are limited in our ability to analyze such customs now to that which has endured in folk memory.
There was no set date for the Mating Festival; instead, local custom dictated the timing. In the East, it fell on January 6, but it usually falls on December 24. Bountiful Evening was the precursor to the major festival, similar to what Christmas Eve is now. Little presents known as generous gifts were given to youngsters on the Generous Evening. These were often honey cakes cooked into the shapes of humans or animals, along with apples or nuts.
Burning bonfires in graves and even hosting feasts there to show respect for the spirits of departed ancestors was another significant tradition observed on this day.
Generous Gody was a day of gratitude when the ancient gods were praised for their guardianship and beseeched for continued assistance. Veles was the most significant god, and he was given extra attention throughout the festivities. He was revered as the deity of prosperity, knowledge, good magic, and animals. Weles was a kind and decent person in many places, but not in others. It was the equivalent of eastern Chernobog (Black GOD)in the modern Czech Republic.
In addition to a plethora of demons, other gods were also present at the Bountiful Wedding customs. Among them was Siema, also known as Rgieł at times. The hay that was laid beneath the tablecloth during dinner was sacrificed to a demon who lived among humans.
Carol Songs
Ancestors tribute
An additional tradition was to place an empty bowl on the table for departed ancestors during the feast. It was meant to represent their grief and remembrance of their deceased loved one. A dish of food was typically set outside the gate after the feast to pacify the spirits that no one could recall.
In cemeteries, fires were frequently lit on the Winter Solstice when people remembered the deceased and prayed for their souls. In certain areas, dinner tables were put up in graves, and meals were consumed there as a way to guarantee the departed's favor and serve as a continual reminder of them.
DIDUCH AND PODŁAŹNICZKA SYMBOLS OF A GENEROUS MDAY AND A SUCCESSFUL HARVEST
It was traditional in certain areas to put the diduch, or first harvested sheaf of rye, in the main room's corner. It was typically adorned with dried flowers, fruit, nuts, or mushrooms. The dough was stored with great regard until spring, after the festivities. Grain was then taken from its ears and planted in the spring.
Fruit, dried flowers, and trinkets were used to adorn the branches of fir, spruce, or pine in Podhale, Kraków, and Silesia. A podłaźniczka was the name of this ornament that was hung from the ceiling or above the window. Mistletoe took the place of mistletoe in other areas. Over time, the popular Christmas tree—which originated in Germany—took the place of this nearly extinct institution.
A GREAT FEAST DURING A GENEROUS WEDDING
The great feast (Szczodry Wieczór - Generous Evening) was the beginning of a whole series of holiday rituals. There were twelve dishes on the table, symbolizing the twelve months of the year. According to tradition, you had to taste each dish; this was the only way to ensure prosperity and happiness in the coming year.
Sharing bread as a sign of gratitude to the gods for the previous harvests used to make it was a ritual that preceded the feast. There were also more private desires expressed, with hopes that this enchanted evening would help bring them true.
Slavic forefathers amused themselves by telling fortunes throughout the feast and in the intervals between meals. Although there were other methods for divining the future, the most conventional one was placing hay beneath a tablecloth. Some were asking questions, while others were attempting to discover the answer by sorting straws according to their quality and condition.
What was consumed on Chodre Gody at the Great Feast? The staples of the Slavic diet were meat, fruit, vegetables, and all other agricultural products. It is hard to determine precisely what was served during the feast, but we do know that Christianity altered the Slavic cuisine by enforcing a fasting diet that consisted primarily of fish.
SLAVIC TRADITIONS DURING THE GENEROUS WEDDING AND CHRISTIANITY
It is evident that the majority of the ancient Slavic customs were absorbed by Christianity and merged into one religious celebration, Christmas. While certain practices were altered to conform to the new worship of one god, others were nearly fully incorporated.
The ceremonies associated with the religion of nature were nearly entirely superseded by the Catholic Church. Those that were too ingrained in the collective consciousness to be completely eliminated were renamed and given new interpretations. Easter is one example; it used to be a festival honoring the return of spring and the natural world.
The Great Feast was replaced with the twelve-course Christmas Eve feast; the birth of Jesus was substituted for the birth of the son of the sun god, Swarożyc; and the sharing of bread was replaced with a wafer, symbolizing the body of Christ. Christianity also brought with it the extra dish on the table and the tradition of singing songs.
A tinsel-decked Christmas tree is one of the few emblems of modern Christmas that has nothing to do with religion. It is more akin to the symbolism of an elderly philanderer or douche.
It should be kept in mind that the Slavs frequently used force to enforce changes to their beliefs, customs, and rituals. The Church navigated our forefathers' rich and exquisite culture with the cross, fire, and sword. The once joyful holidays, filled with pleasure, hope, and joy, have been replaced with dread of retribution and the idea of suffering that lasts forever after death.
OTHER INFORMATION
· The Winter Solstice marked the start of the Generous Wedding, which lasted for around twelve days.
Generous Gody also marked the start of a new solar and ceremonial year for the Slavs. But the official celebration of the New Year took place in the spring.
· Generous Gody was known as Kraczun in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and Kolęda in Russia.
· Around the winter solstice, Germanic tribes celebrated Rauhnacht, which was equated with the Generous Wedding celebration. It was also similar to the Saturaria celebration in ancient Rome.
· The Slavs thought that at the Generous Wedding, paid labor should be avoided.
· When the Bountiful Wedding (Generous Gody, other name) was taking place, Veles was regarded as the most significant god.
Resources:
https://www.national-geographic.pl/artykul/slowianskie-boze-narodzenie-czym-byly-szczodre-gody
https://ciekawostkihistoryczne.pl/2022/12/21/szczodre-gody-a-boze-narodzenie/
https://www.naszeszlaki.pl/archives/62391#Szczodre_Gody_w_czasach_przedchrzescijanskich
https://www.slawoslaw.pl/weles/
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weles
https://isap.info.pl/2021/12/23/koledy-szczodre-gody/
