Holidays of the Slavs - Komoeditsy (Maslenitsa according to the Old Slavic calendar)

In spring, not only flowers, birds and buds wake up A bear emerges from hibernation, hungry, emaciated and therefore angry In the old days, the bear was called almost the same as now, highlighting the characteristic features of the animal Clubfoot, shaggy, toptygin There was another name, "Com" And it was the comas, that is, the bears, who were given the first pancakes for the Old Slavic Komoeditsa, an analogue of the current Maslenitsa Our ancestors cajoled the hungry trampler with symbols of the growing strength of the sun This is where the saying “give the first pancake to the comas” comes from Afterwards the verb “give” fell out, leaving the current form And it doesn’t mean lumps at all, that is, unsuccessful baking And the message is to donate pancakes to the bears If every housewife gives the first pancake to the comas, then the emaciated and hungry bears will not be so fierce when they leave their dens In the morning, before breakfast, people went out into the forest and laid out treats on the stumps with songs and jokes Komoy ate, people celebrated Komoeditsa This was done on March 20, the day dedicated to the spring equinox It was from this date that it was generally accepted that Morena, the winter deity, began to give rights to spring, Yarila The festivities were accompanied by abundant food to gain strength before going out on grueling field work A festive mood was also needed, giving a surge of strength and energy The invigorating festivities were traditionally accompanied by jumping over a fire, laying siege to a snowy town, sliding down slides, driving round dances and climbing poles to get gifts The central action was considered to be the burning of an effigy of Morena, as a ritual of the retreat of winter and the entry of spring into its legal rights Old amulets, “nauzs” that had served their purpose during the long winter, were attached to the doll Old rags, straw, and other flammable debris were thrown around The scarecrow took on an outlandish, colorful and slightly frightening appearance It was all the more fun to solemnly set it on fire Which symbolized farewell to the obsolete, renewal and rebirth Celebrations on Komoeditsa (Komoeditsa) lasted two weeks They began seven days before the equinox and lasted another week after In the last days of the holiday, a bathhouse was certainly visited in order to wash away all the misfortunes of the past year and begin the new year with a pure soul, body and thoughts In addition to the fun of waiting for spring and welcoming warmth, the holiday was functional in nature The time of hard agricultural work had begun, lasting throughout the short northern summer without days off After Komoeditsa, people did not have time for rest and long celebrations; it was impossible to waste a short season, during which it was necessary to stock up as many supplies as possible for the long and cold winter Therefore, joy and fun were the basis for the beginning of effective work The more active the festivities, the more bright memories and cheerfulness you will have during grueling and routine activities