A holiday when snakes go to bed. Serpentine secrets of Russian forests. Slavic autumn holidays: Shift, Rozhanitsy, Semargl, Svetovid and Ovsen Why you can’t go to the forest on July 12

Uplift or Move., as this holiday is officially called, is a purely church celebration. The main festive ceremony is performed in the church. With the return from the temple, the believers continue their usual troublesome day, filled with hard work.

Exaltation throughout Rus' was considered a "cabbage day". Exaltation is a fasting holiday. Whoever fasts on Exaltation, seven sins will be forgiven.

On the Exaltation of a good fellow - cabbage at the porch. Dare, woman, about cabbage - Exaltation has come. Three days before the Exaltation, cabbage was harvested from all gardens. And from that time on, the peasant women united in "help" no longer dispersed until the complete "tidying up" of cabbage.

The cutting and salting of cabbage began with the Exaltation. It was, before the spread of the potato, the second, after bread, food product in every peasant family.

On Vozdvizhenie it is impossible to start important and significant affairs - everything will go to dust. There were parties - skits. The "Indian summer" was ending and the real autumn was coming. You can’t go to the forest on this day, because there the bear arranges a lair for himself, and the goblin conducts a review of his forest kingdom, and it’s not worth disturbing them.

Exaltation. The caftan with the fur coat will move, the last cart from the field, the birds will fly away, and the cold will come. All animals and insects lay down for the winter, including the bear lies in the den. At this time, one of the most important autumn works begins - cutting cabbage and harvesting it for the winter.
On this day, there are often small morning frosts.
The west wind blows for several days in a row - to bad weather.
A reddish circle near the moon at sunrise, soon disappearing - to clear and dry weather.
Cranes fly high, slowly, cooing - to a warm autumn.

Tales of the Russian people collected by I.P. Sakharov.

Signs and customs.

The settlers of the Ryazan, Tambov and Tula provinces have kept their observations in sayings: A fur coat stretches for a caftan. - The reptile and the snake does not move, but the bread will move from the field. - Vzdvizhensky winters are not a problem for a peasant. - Dare the woman about the cabbage on the Day of Vozdvizhenev. - A good man has a cabbage pie on Vzdvizhenev's Day.

From this day in the cities begin girl parties- cabbages. This folk celebration, sent by the townspeople, is known in many places. In Aleksin, a county town in the Tula province, girls in rich dresses go from house to house with songs to chop cabbage. In houses where cabbage is cooked for guests, a special table with snacks is removed. Behind the maidens, young people come with their gifts to look for brides. In the evening round dances are played all over the city. In Siberia, neighbors were invited to Kapusten evenings. There, cabbage girls, entering the house, congratulated the owners on the cabbage, as on a holiday. Beer was brewed for good guests, lunch and dinner were prepared, where the entire celebration of the hostess was a bread pie. The day ended with dancing and games. Kapustnitsy in Rus' lasted two weeks.

Orthodox Christians are preparing for the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy and Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. Why on this day you can’t go to the forest, why the snakes are woven into a ball, the clergy explain.

Exaltation (popular name - Shift) is one of the twelfth holidays of the Orthodox Church, celebrated in 2018 on September 27. This holiday is associated with the ongoing struggle between good and evil, when all evil spirits are activated.

The ban on hiking in the forest

Exaltation is one of the days of the year when it is strictly forbidden to enter the forest. It is believed that forest goblin, angry at the imminent onset of winter, inspect their possessions and drive to one place all the creatures that obey them. At the same time, they themselves can take on any appearance in order to mislead those who at that moment were in their possession: a person who went into the forest may not return from it or go crazy.

Visiting the forest is also dangerous because animals begin to actively prepare for the coming cold weather. Animals burrow into holes, and snakes crawl into one place under the ground and intertwine into balls. At this time, they are especially active and can pounce on uninvited guests.

Residents of villages and villages on this day try to firmly close all doors and gates so that not a single random “reptile” can crawl into their house. However, it is also believed that if a snake bites a person on this day, it will seriously pay for it: it will not be able to find a wintering place for its relatives and join their ball, and therefore is doomed to death.

Customs for Exaltation

In villages in Rus', with the Exaltation, the time for girls' gatherings began: the girls gathered for parties, brought various treats and invited guys who were to choose a bride for themselves. The girls, in turn, put on their best outfits, and prepared gifts for future suitors - embroidered belts. If the guy accepted the gift, then it was believed that an engagement was concluded between the young people.

The girls' gatherings lasted two weeks. These days, even the church did not prohibit conspiracies and love spells to help you get married faster. No important matters were planned for the Exaltation, so as not to offend the resting nature. In addition, everything that is started on this day, according to popular belief, will not bring success.

When a snake hibernates and how snakes prepare for winter, you will learn from this article.

When do snakes hibernate?

The period when snakes gather into balls to hibernate depends on the weather conditions of the environment. If autumn is cold and early, then reptiles fall into suspended animation in September. If the weather is warm, then in October. According to popular beliefs, these animals fall into a dormant state on September 27 - on great holiday Exaltation.

Where do snakes sleep?

To survive the cold, long winters, heat-loving snakes gather together and fall asleep. They especially carefully look for a warm place and fall asleep. Such a place where snakes go in winter can be a deep hole or a hole with a bedding of leaves, as well as a hollow of stumps. Reptiles can sleep both in small groups and alone. They wake up when the air warms up enough after winter. To keep their body warm, snakes try to accumulate more subcutaneous fat over the summer.

When do snakes wake up after winter?

It is impossible to answer exactly in which month the snakes wake up. After all, wintering reptiles do not have a clearly defined expiration date. We can say with confidence that the animals will be in a sleeping state until the onset of heat. And as soon as the sun warms the earth enough with its rays, they will wake up and crawl out of their winter shelters. But according to folk signs, the day when snakes crawl out to bask in the sun is March 22.

Today is what. At the exits, we are increasingly meeting these amazing creatures of nature - Snakes. This is what happened this time:

The sun was hot and, walking along the dirt road, we met vipers every now and then, which languidly warmed themselves and were not going to leave, despite our approach! This impudence surprised us a little - it had never happened before. Especially one, rather large viper, did not pay attention to us at all, having mellowed under the sun and did not want to crawl away. We didn't need to hurt her. We had provisions, thank Heavens, so this subject was not considered as food. And yet, it was necessary to pass, but she did not crawl away !! Only after we began to throw cones at her, the beauty reluctantly crawled out of the way, so I want to note, comrades: now you need to walk very carefully even along the road, and look under your feet, since the vipers merge very well with the road and it is difficult to notice them peripheral vision. I even had to jump over one, instantly reacting to my husband's warning when I gape, admiring the nature around ..

in this regard, it is good to know

1. HOW IT LOOKS AND WHERE IT GOES

2. CALENDAR OF ACTIVITY OF THE VIPER BY THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR.

3. HELP WITH A VIPER BITE. ANTI-SHOCK KIT.

SO, LET'S BEGIN...

1. VIPER ORDINARY.

In the forests of the middle zone, it is quite common to find a small, colorfully colored snake - the common viper.

Usually its length is about 50 centimeters, but there are specimens that even reach 90 centimeters.

As a rule, vipers have a characteristic zigzag pattern on their backs. The general color background can be gray (light and dark shades), brown, red, cherry red.

The zigzag pattern on the viper's back is very similar to the broken shadow from fern leaves and various small bushes. This coloration allows the snake to blend in with the pattern of sun highlights and shadows.

Neither man nor animal notices the viper lying motionless, and approach it at too close a distance. A frightened snake resorts to self-defense - it bites an unexpected guest.

In what other cases can a viper bite?

Unless, of course, she is suddenly pressed by hand or foot.

In general, the behavior of snakes when meeting with a person depends largely on the degree of heating.

In cool, cloudy or rainy weather, when the vipers are cool, their movements are sluggish, slow, uncertain.

They do not pose a serious danger, because they are easy to dodge.

Another thing in dry and hot weather. However, even an active snake, upon noticing a person, usually tries to crawl away to the nearest shelter. Soon she reappears and, having looked around, fits into her original place.

When an active snake is pursued, and there is nowhere for it to hide, it begins to defend itself: huddled into a ball, with a hiss throws its head towards the pursuer. But even in this case, she tends to approach any shelter and slip into it.

With persistent pursuit, the viper becomes ferocious and becomes quite dangerous. Quickly shrinking into a ball and immediately straightening out at full length, as if jumping above the ground, she tries to get closer to the person. Her movements are so fast that it is difficult to follow them.

To avoid an unwanted meeting, when walking through the forest and through dense thickets, have a stick in your hands with which you can push them apart in front of you. the snake will crawl away and the meeting will not happen. anyway, unexpected.

It so happened a long time ago that everyone who sees a viper passes her a merciless death sentence. But does he have the right to do so? Of course not!

First, wonderful medicines are made from viper venom.

In addition, this snake is a natural regulator of the number of rodents: forest and field mice - carriers and keepers of a dangerous disease - tularemia.

In our country, a law has been passed prohibiting the aimless extermination of poisonous snakes, including the common viper.

In order to avoid unpleasant clashes, you need to know where they settle, where they crawl to feed, in what places they like to bask in the sun - in a word, know the calendar of their life. Here he is.

2. VIPER CALENDAR:

JANUARY FEBRUARY. Vipers are found in shelters located in moss hummocks of raised bogs, rotten stumps and trunks of long-fallen trees, burrows of mouse-like rodents, rotten roots, heaps of rotten hay, crevices of rocks ... Usually snakes choose places where the soil cannot freeze and where spring waters are terrible. For wintering, vipers hide both one at a time and in whole groups.

MARCH. In the last decade of the month, the first snakes appear in the thawed areas of forest glades and clearings, on moss swamps, on the slopes of hills, near heaps of stones, in areas heated by the sun and sheltered from the wind. They are inactive, sometimes lying in groups.

APRIL. Snakes lie on tussocks, dry leaves and dry grass, along forest roads and clearings, in glades, moss swamps, clearings, along the edge of the forest, along the banks of rivers and lakes. On clear sunny days, snakes get out to bask in the morning, before about 10 o'clock, and in the evening, after 18 o'clock.

In the second decade, snakes begin mating time. Vipers gather in dry clearings among willow bushes, open raised moss swamps with rare small pine forests, clearings in the forest, heaps of stones on the slopes of ravines, hills and mountains.

MAY. Vipers crawl into feeding areas. Near the summer stay of snakes, there is always a source of water, a convenient place for warming up, a reliable shelter - heaps of rotten hay, dry branches, a high dry tussock, a stump.

JUNE. All snakes are in feeding places. At this time, you can stumble upon a "snake path" that runs along the manes on the banks of a river or lake, along a clearing in the forest, the edge of a swamp or a clearing in a damp forest. On such "paths" vipers appear daily.

The snakes come out to warm up early in the morning before the dew dries and in the evening before sunset. After rain, they lie in the sun for 15-20 minutes, crawling out for this on bumps, heaps of dry branches, stumps, hillocks.

They even love dirt roads, where there is rarely traffic. if the sun is hot and the snake is exhausted, it reluctantly leaves the road .. On cloudy days and before rain, vipers bask in open places for a long time. There is a massive molt of snakes and creeps are common.

JULY. The snakes are still in their summer habitats. In meadows during haymaking, they often use windrows and haystacks as temporary shelters, so if you decide to rest in such places, be careful. You must also be careful when picking strawberries: vipers often lay in strawberry clearings and hillocks.

AUGUST. As raspberries, blueberries and gonobobel ripen, some of the snakes move to the berries. Here, vipers prey on grass frogs, which in turn are attracted by the abundance of insects that flock to the aroma of ripe berries. Berries are usually heavily overgrown with grass, and before picking a berry, feel the grass with a stick.

In the second half of the month, offspring begin to appear in vipers. On average, one female gives birth to 8-10 vipers, but it happens that large females bring more than 20 of them. Usually, births occur on the ground, but sometimes vipers crawl into low bushes.

SEPTEMBER. The bulk of the snakes gradually move to the wintering grounds. Young animals go first for wintering, then adult snakes. If wintering places are located in moss tussocks on a raised bog, then you can stumble upon groups of snakes. In autumn, vipers have the same clusters as in spring during the mating season.

IN first day of september in the Slavic lands it was customary to honor one of the incarnations of the god Semargl - earthly, domestic fire. People saw in him a power akin to heavenly fire, which could both drive away evil spirits, bestow food, and punish the guilty with fires. The Slavs represented the fiery god in the form of a winged wolf or a dog and believed that on his holiday he descends to earth to accept worship and sacrifices from people.

Earthly fire performed many functions in the economy of our ancestors. He worked in the forge, providing peaceful peasants with a variety of tools, and warriors with weapons. He cleansed all the old things from the accumulated negative energy. People who jumped over the fire and pets held next to it got rid of spoilage, evil eye or common diseases with its help. The fire of the funeral pyre with smoke carried the souls of the dead to Iriy, and the flames on the altars sent human offerings and requests for help to the gods in heaven.

On the day of the holiday, the Magi kindled a new earthly fire from a spark of heaven, which, according to legend, Semargl brought to earth on his wings. To appease the flame, it was supposed to be fed and watered with sacrificial offerings. After the ceremony, a common table was laid on a meadow near the village, on which each family brought different dishes. After the meal, women and children carried away a piece of the new fire to their homes, and the men traditionally stayed at the council, where the community's pressing problems were solved. In the meantime, the ritual part of the celebration continued in the houses. The housewives with a broom from the branches of wormwood drove insects that had bothered over the summer into the street, saying: Shy, flies, to Selukha, and fleas to Yavdokha. The broom was then put outside the threshold so that the flies and fleas could not come back.

From the day of Semargl, according to signs, the complete extinction of various midges and the cleansing of the house began. From the light brought from the temple, candles were lit, which were supposed to protect the economy from misfortune, and the flame in the hearth, which had to be kindled without taking your eyes off, so as not to miss the luck. The fire in the hearth was considered one of the family gods who regularly guarded the happiness and peace of the house and its inhabitants, gave them well-being and helped in difficult times.

Holiday Rozhanitsa - the beginning of Indian summer

8 September the holiday of women in childbirth came to the Slavs, and with it the beginning of the Indian summer - warm sunny days, reminiscent of the past summer and dedicated to female strength. It was believed that the goddesses of childbirth not only founded the heavenly race, but also the earthly foremothers descended from them. In a patriarchal society, Slavic women were given their own place of honor: it never occurred to our ancestors to claim that they were second-class creatures. The man was the main one in solving the problems of the community and in the war, his mother or wife - in the family and household. Even ritual and magical practices often had a male or female focus, and each was irreplaceable in its own way.

At dawn on the day of women in childbirth, all the women of the community went to the temple, to the idols of the goddesses, who were portrayed as mother and daughter or moose cows. Interestingly, depending on the age of the Slavs, they chose different festive outfits. The girls relied on white dresses, they loosened their braids and decorated their hair with wreaths. Women of childbearing age dressed brightly, complemented their headdresses and clothes with decorations - beads, pendants, embroidered belts. And the elderly, in order to emphasize their proximity to the transition to the other world, put on dark-colored clothes, without embroidery and decorations. And the gifts brought to the goddesses were different: the girls carried wreaths and bouquets of wild flowers, married Slavs - drinks, fruits and vegetables, and old women a variety of pastries - breads and pies.

It was not the priest who was trusted to kindle the sacrificial fire on this day, but the eldest woman in the village - the big woman. At the same time, it was supposed to sing ritual songs dedicated to women in labor and Slavic foremothers. One specially baked sacrificial loaf was sent to the flame of a kindled fire, and the other was divided into slices and distributed to all participants in the ritual. A special role in the holiday was assigned to pregnant women: it was believed that on this day and beyond, the entire period of Indian summer, they can heal women's diseases and infertility, perform small household miracles and predict the future.

After the rites at the temple, the women of the community proceeded to a funny ceremony, which speaks of how much the various midges have annoyed them all the past summer - the burial of a fly. The caught insect with songs was placed in a coffin made of carrots, carried outside the outskirts in a long procession and solemnly buried in the grave. And while their relatives performed all the necessary rituals, the men were engaged in household chores. They took over the whole economy in their hands to pay respect to female deities and mothers, wives and sisters.

Holiday Shift - from summer to winter

September 14 nature turned to winter, and the Slavs celebrated the Shift - the day when the earth shifted from the hot summer season to the cold. At this time, the birds flew to warmer climes, and our ancestors believed that some of them fly directly to Iriy and can convey the news to their ancestors. The cuckoo flew first, because, according to legend, it was she who kept the keys to the gates of heaven. On the day of the holiday, it was customary to turn to the ancestors, commemorate them, ask their advice. Mothers who lost their babies early believed that the birds would take greetings to the departed and maternal love. And whoever wanted to continue the race, they asked the storks to bring them a child's soul on their wings in the spring, which would be embodied in a newborn baby.

Since the Shift, all snakes have been crawling into the forests and laying there in deep burrows to hibernate. Therefore, at this time, any trips to the forest were forbidden so as not to meet reptiles, and the housewives firmly locked the doors of all household buildings so that the snake would not crawl into the house or barn and settle down to sleep there until spring. Simultaneously with the snakes, bears also wandered around the dens, and they threatened the mushroom picker who wandered into the forest with much more trouble than snakes. In addition, on the same day, the goblin arranged an inspection of his household, and it was considered impermissible to interfere with him.

On the Shift, according to beliefs, it was impossible to start any new business - they were expected to fail. It was only possible to continue or complete what had been started earlier. By the day of the celebration, each family finished harvesting apples and nuts, and everything harvested was hidden in the cellars for the winter. The weather was getting colder, and it is not for nothing that the proverb has survived to this day: Take off your retinue for the Shift, and put on your sheepskin coat.

Svetovid and Ovsen - Christmas of the autumn sun

In the end of the month, September 25, the Slavs honored two deities at once. One of them was the autumn incarnation of the sun - Svetovid. He was depicted as a four-faced man, whose different faces looked into the past and the future, to heaven and earth. This stern god made sure that the laws of the Rule were observed in all worlds and that the order of universal existence was not violated. If somewhere the harmony of the world was violated, he came to the aid of the offended and severely punished those who disobeyed the will of heaven.

Svetovid was considered one of the patrons of warriors, and he helped them not only in battle, but also in peacetime. According to legend, he came to earth on a white horse along with the dawn and tirelessly fought with the enemies of the day. Therefore, in the temple near the idol of Svetovid, they constantly kept the best white horse, and next to him - a saddle and harness. Only the Magi had the right to take care of the horse, feed it and take it for a walk, so that it would not stagnate and be always ready to serve its heavenly rider. A rooster was considered a bird dedicated to Svetovid, and on the day of the holiday at the temple it was sacrificed to the god of the autumn sun.

Another deity who was honored on this day was Ovsen, the distributor of material wealth and the organizer of the unity of the Slavic clans. Ovsen was revered as a kind of bridge from summer to summer, its celebration was associated with the end of agricultural work, the beginning of communal holidays and the wedding season. God was depicted as a richly dressed horseman, carrying the rich fruits of the harvest in his right hand, and dry grass and branches in his left.

Hardworking and honest Ovsen generously endowed with wealth, and punished the dishonest and sloths with poverty and trouble. A rich feast was certainly arranged for Ovsen, the main decoration of which was a huge, specially baked kalach. It symbolized the wealth of the Slavic community and, at the same time, the strong and wise autumn sun that brings harvest to people. According to signs, after Ovsen, clear days became less and less, lingering rains began, and autumn finally came into its own.