According to the folk calendar - Yarilin's day

Until the 15th century, the New Year was celebrated on the first day of spring - March 1 (old style date - February 16) The roots of the holiday come from paganism, when our ancestors rejoiced at the arrival of spring and said goodbye to the winter cold This day is named in honor of Yaril - the Slavic god of the spring sun and fertility, hence the name - Yarilin's day Yaril was popularly considered a positive deity, bringing the strength and power of new life They imagined him as a strong young man on a white horse Yarilo brought warmth to the earth, so powerful that everything around began to awaken from sleep, rapidly leading to fertility On March 1, work was postponed for a day and a day off was given The people celebrated the date in a festive mood, starting from midnight Merry celebrations were held, fairs opened, and there were dances around the fire The owners set the festive tables, displayed beer and wine, and invited guests The peasants tried to make the most of the day, because after the warm weather arrived the snow melted and the time for hard field work began When it snowed on Yaril, mothers sent their offspring outside with a broom They should have placed a path from the house to the well This ritual promised well-being for the family and good health for the children Since Yarilo was the god of fertility, pregnant women especially loved this holiday They waited for the sun to appear in the sky and went out to bask in its rays, gaining strength for the upcoming birth On this day, midwives collected snow and melted it in a bowl They washed their hands and washed themselves with it in order to receive babies cleanly However, March 1 is popularly celebrated as a difficult day, since on it Judas, who betrayed Christ, committed suicide The Church calls suicide a terrible sin, and it is almost impossible to pray for a suicide after death Therefore, the peasants prayed and read conspiracies to eliminate such cases in the family If strong winds were observed on Yarilin day, they prepared for warmth and rain Warm weather foreshadowed more cold weather The descending fog promised a summer with thunderstorms If the water in reservoirs overflowed its banks, an influx of mice, rats and harmful insects was expected in the summer