What is Veles day? How is it celebrated? We will answer these and other questions in the article. If you offer a person who is poorly versed in the mythology of the Slavs to name some god, in any case Veles will be named. Sometimes Makosh, Perun, Yaril are mentioned, but Veles is always mentioned. However, almost no one has heard of the celebration of his day.
Tradition
The great holiday of the Slavs - Veles day - falls on February 11th. This day is considered the middle of Mother Winter, when nature is not yet ready to wake up from winter sleep and is in a sweet half-sleep. It was during this period that the mighty Slavic god Veles walks through the forests, through the mountains, not letting people sleep with nature, tormosh with the promise of the beginning of the Slavic holiday.
He plays his magic pipe, warming the frozen Mother Earth with a wonderful sound.
Veles is revered as a great and wise Slavic god, a sorcerer god and patron of secrets. According to ancient legend, it was he who knew everythingelements and hidden secrets - he visited both dark and bright worlds. He traveled in all dimensions, so he was able to open to people the basic laws of life and the universe, showed that the universe can move forward - this god of the Slavs had no equal. In the traditions of Russian culture, his day is considered special.
Birth
So, you already know that Veles Day is celebrated on February 11th. The book "The Tragedy of God Veles", which was published by the publishing house "Northern Tale", describes the wondrous legend about this God and the Slavic holiday of Veles.
Legend says that Veles was born as a light god and brought up by the dark creators of Navi. In his birth, the secret of fate is hidden, known only to the Family - the ancestor. He is both his own and a stranger among the Slavic gods. Veles is the son of the mysterious Zemun, who in legends is represented by a special creature from another world. Veles is ambiguous, mysterious and one of the most powerful gods of the Slavic pantheon.
Love
What are good Veles days? Veles in nature awakens a feeling of love, a feeling of super-strong, but sweet confusion of the soul. And everything in the world wakes up for this love! No wonder this god is called a sorcerer - whoever experienced his charms could not resist. Not only was his power destructive for those over whom he ruled, but also healing. After all, who, besides Veles, can help with sensible advice and set the right path?
By the way, he has his own love story. This is a story about an eternal feeling, in which there is self-sacrifice, and tenderness, and creative power,connecting for all time. He met his chosen one by chance and immediately called his own. Veles and Yaginya loved each other very much - perhaps in the Slavic epic this is the only story about the eternal power of heart affairs. Those who are patronized by this god find their love passionate, dreamy, romantic, sensual, and achieve it with all their might. Velesova Stretcha is a magical holiday of the Slavs, when winter rages, and spring timidly hides, but gives people exactly this feeling of strength, love, hope.
Holiday
Day of God Veles - a holy day dedicated to Veles Winter (Sivom Yar). At this time, he “knocks down the horn of Winter”, the Cow Festival is celebrated in the villages (since Veles is not only the god of wisdom, but also the cattle god - the lord of any belly), they make charms for the yard and cattle, ask Veles for protection and patronage, and good to everyone and livestock - offspring. Violent buffoons, prophetic sorcerers, inspired storytellers honor their Highest patron, the all-wise God especially: by chanting and sorcery, divination and praise, and moreover, by the higher insights received in zeal…
Ancient festivities
Veles's birthday is a great celebration. During the time of dual faith in Russia, February 11 was the day of the righteous Vlasy (Veles) - the protector of animals, the cow god. People said about this: “Vlasiy has a beard in oil”, “Vlasiy, knock off the horn from Winter”, “Vlasiy day is a cow walk”. After Vlasy, the severe Vlasyevsky frosts immediately began. And on February 15, people celebrated Onisim Zimobor (Onisim Ovchar). People said that this day is winter timeturns back. They called the stars at night so that the sheep would lamb better, and in the morning they “worn yarn.” What does it mean? Women put out the first skein of yarn “at dawn” so that all the threads (as well as the fate that the goddess Makosh “spins”) are white, clean and strong.
Butter, like milk, was included in the requirements given to Veles.
Current Rodnovery
Why do many celebrate Veles Day today? How to celebrate it? Many modern Rodnoverie communities celebrate Big Veles Day on February 11th. This is the most significant holy day, and a lot has already been written about it. Small Veles Day is celebrated on February 3 in narrow circles and mainly by those communities that call the prophetic god their spiritual guardian.
Pre-holiday hours
St. Veles Day is special. According to legend, on this day Veles knocks down one horn for Winter, creates a talisman for cattle - drives away cow death and helps people survive future Vlasyev (Veles) frosts (usually very severe), after which winter begins to recede. People notice during this period: if the thaw comes along with Veles day, then the spring will be warm. If not, then for a long time Morena-Zima will be strong in her right…
By the day of Veles, they begin to prepare in advance - from the evening of the previous day. Skins are spread around the house, on which peeled and dried cow horns are placed, milk is poured into consecrated jugs.
On the temple (or where knowledgeable people indicated) they begin to build an altar, prepare skins in advance, fumigating the territory with bull smokeburning hair. Sometimes cow and bull skulls are exhibited on poles placed along the sacred fence of the temple, embodying a connection with the other world, and also being strong amulets against evil forces.
Magi alone go there at night and perform special services there in order to find out the will of the wise god. The girls at the same time are guessing, combing the bull's hair with combs. Before going to bed, they read a slander-amulet for an upcoming dream.
Dreams sent down on this night by Veles are regarded as prophetic, and, according to legend, are always fulfilled.
Food
On the day of the celebration, the housewives prepare ritual food in every house - porridge richly seasoned with butter. People say about this: “Vlasy (Veles) has a beard in oil!” Women also put pre-brewed honey drinks on the tables. Only veal and beef are forbidden on this day.
Cooked dishes are consecrated on the altar, after which they are placed on the table. Next to the temple, in a specially prepared hut, a joint meal is organized for members of the community.
On Veles' day, a lot of work falls to the share of the Magi. In addition to bringing trebs, performing rituals of praise to God, sacrifices, when consecrated milk flows in a stream along the altar, they have to organize the celebration itself, which opens with the saying of ritual blasphemers.
Fight
On this day, you can also look at Veles' struggle, called the Bear's (because the bear, according tolegends, in the image of the Master of the Forest personifies one of the faces of the cattle god, and is also one of the divine animals intended for Veles). The fight of the wrestlers of the Veles struggle is not like the furious military duels that take place on Perun's Day. It does not abound in a large number of tricks, representing a complacent admiration of the power that Mother Earth gives to a person not for the destruction of his relatives, but for the sake of creative work in an honest field.
As a rule, before the Chur (sacred temple figure) of Veles, two hefty men, naked to the waist, go around the circle, wrap their arms around each other and, with all their might, leaning and groaning, try to fill up the opponent in the snow. At the same time, the Magi pronounce a slander on Volotov's strength: “Veles, God! Bring down to us, give Volotov's strength (name)! Goy!"
Viewers at this time remember the old story about wrestlers, which tells about one peasant who lives in a neighboring village. He was frail in appearance, but before each fight he lay down on the ground, face in the snow, and asked Mother Earth to give him a little strength of her irresistible, after which he defeated any hero. With this, he caused the rejoicing of all the honest people who watched the competition.
The victorious wrestler is honored by the whole world and, treated with beer, they are called the "Veles henchman" - to the glory of the inexhaustible power of the earth, a mighty god and just starting to wake up, still invisible with my own eyes, the sunny spring yari …
Night vigils
The night that follows the Veles day is considered suitable for the conception of babies strong in spirit and body. Before settling onmatrimonial bed made of laid skins, women comb their husbands' hair with charmed combs. This action should protect men from various ailments during the year and endow them with the wisdom and strength of Veles himself. The wise men go alone into the night, staring at them with bright stars - the eyes of their ancestors, into the thicket of the forest, where they set up a pole with bull horns hoisted on it, and until the morning they rejoice, beat sonorous tambourines, singing the prophetic god.
At this time in the den, the Forest Master turns to the other side, Spring-Virgo on the border zone of Myrokolitsy meets with Winter-Old Woman and gives her the first battle.
Rites
On the Veles holiday, women drink strong honey and beat their husbands with a flax spinning board. This foreshadowed that the cows would be affectionate and obedient.
One of the festive rituals is to scare away the Death of a Cow. For this, people choose a hanger. She should go from house to house and report: “It’s time to calm the cow’s dashing!” The hanger carries a towel with him. All girls wash their hands and wipe them with this towel. For men, the hanger says: “Do not leave the hut for the sake of a great misfortune.” After that, all the women leave the village.
The messenger beats the frying pan and shouts loudly: “Ai, ai, ai!”, followed by girls with clubs, grips and axes. Women must wear only shirts and have loose hair. Next, the hanger reads the oath for Cow Death. After that, a real collar is put on it, a plow and harnessed. People light torches, and the hanger needs to plow the temple and the village three times.
This riteinteresting in that the procession cannot be caught on the way. If one is met, then he will be ruthlessly beaten with sticks, whether it be a beast or a man. It is believed that he personifies the Cow Death, which they are trying to drive away.
After the ceremony, a performance was organized - the fight between Marena and Veles. To the exclamations of "Veles, knock off the horn from Winter!" disguised as Veles, he was supposed to knock down the horn from the goddess of death and winter Marena.
Dates
Our ancestors celebrated Veles Day on February 28th. Many communities today celebrate it on February 11 without explaining their position in any way. In fact, both options have the right to exist, but many experts say that the first date is correct. They draw this conclusion based on the fact that the textual sources that mention this figure are much older than the research works that indicate February 11.
It was a bright, positive holiday, extremely spectacular and spectacular. On this day, the Magi performed sacred ceremonies, unknown to many people and unattainable at other times. Veles was always called the "trustee of Midgard" (along with other gods of the Great Race), and therefore in the calendar of the ancient Slavs his day was one of the key ones.
Sheaf Day
What is Veles Sheaf Day? From this day, July 12, they begin to harvest hay: "Mow the scythe until the dew - down with the dew, and we are home!" Veles taught our ancestors to plow the land, sow cereals, reap straw in the suffering fields, put a sheaf in the dwelling and worship him as the Father of God.
On this dayidolized the sheaf that was tied last. Mowers believed that the spirit of the field settled in it during mowing, which means that the essence of Veles. There was such a proverb: "Plow before Veles day, harrow before Perun's day, sow - before the Savior." Veles patronized all agricultural work.
On the day of the Sheaf, the divine stone Alatyr was also honored (or two stones - God and God: the stones of Buri Yaga and Veles). Under Alatyr there is an entrance to hell. The firemen recalled that only Veles could roll off Alatyr from the entrance, and therefore the deceased cannot get into Nav, bypassing Veles.
Autumn
After the autumn Veles day ends, the night begins. For the ancient Slavs, this is Marina (Velesova) night - a magical night from October 31 to November 1, when Belobog irrevocably passes Kolo Goda to Chernobog, and the Gates of Navi are wide open in Yav to the first roosters. The coming day (November 1) is often called Marina Day.
In accordance with folk beliefs, on this night the souls of the ancestors visit their grandchildren, great-grandchildren living in Yavi, the last time of the year. After that, they fly to bright Iriy until next spring.
