Holidays of the Slavs - Opening of Svarga (invocation of Spring)

The opening of Svarga is a traditional pagan holiday of the ancient Slavs, most often falling on one of the last days of March (3-4 weeks before Easter) This is a holiday when all living things celebrated the triumph of sunlight over the dark world, the victory of a happy life over bitter death This is the time when the ancient Slavs, living according to the laws of the Rule, honoring the customs of their Ancestors and Gods, called out for Spring for the last, third time Svarga in Slavic legends is paradise, the “land of the sun”, the habitat of the souls of deceased ancestors This is a place where, according to legend, outlandish trees grew, where the air was filled with the aroma of the most beautiful flowers, and the ear was captivated by the gentle singing of birds unprecedented on earth, merging into a single melody Svarga opened, and the goddess, called Living Spring, descended from heaven to earth, to people On the opening day of Svarga, people did not work From the very early morning, housewives baked cookies for treats, shaped like larks Cages with live birds were taken outside The cage doors were opened, giving the birds complete freedom with the words: “Larks, fly!” Spring was invoked with songs, chants, and fun games To sing the magical texts - “spring songs”, inviting Zhiva, young girls climbed to elevated places From the rooftops and hillocks, here and there it began to sound: The song “And we sowed millet” called out millet Of the games, the most popular were “Burners” The kids were also involved: stringing cookies on sticks, running around, saying in discordant voices: Laughter, songs, games - everything was mixed, filling people with a positive attitude and goodness for many months to come The peak of the holiday was considered the moment of burning the effigy of Madder-Winter They also burned everything that was no longer useful: old things, utensils Emotions that carried sadness, resentment, and destruction were also given over to the flames When the games ended, the treats were tied to tree branches The remaining crumbs were not thrown away, but mixed with the seeds prepared for sowing The Slavs hoped in this way to displease the God of Fertility, Veles After all, the period of agricultural work soon began, on the result of which the well-being of the entire people depended