Holidays of the Slavs - Spiritual Day (beginning of Rusal Week)

The ancient traditions of Slavic holidays have reached our time From time immemorial, many rituals and special dates were considered the basis for the well-being of the entire Family Holidays are strongly connected with the forces of nature, which outline the path of life, let necessary energies into the world, and set the rhythm of existence Wise ancestors believed in the inexhaustible power of nature and gave it a secret, animated meaning Rusalya is considered the week of the beginning of summer With the onset of summer comes Spiritual Day - a holiday that is celebrated for seven days It is believed that at this time the goddess of death Marena releases the souls of the dead from her possessions into the world of the living, into the world of Revealing Descendants living today can meet their long-gone ancestors; all they need to do is invite them to their home Freshly cut birch branches are used as an invitation; in Slavic rituals they symbolize strong family ties, the connection of all family members - living and dead It is customary to place birch twigs in the corners of rooms throughout the home, thereby expressing the desire to spiritually reunite with one’s ancestors The day of the Spirits is also known for its dangers, because restless souls also come to the world of Revealing As a rule, we are talking about suicides Attention is focused on Mermaids and women who drowned themselves without permission The belief warns that souls that have not found peace and quiet after death can be dangerous to the living Returning to the world of Reveal, they strive to penetrate the body and take possession of it completely, subjugating the innocent soul That is why the Slavs wore body amulets using Odolen-grass (water lily, St John's wort, sainfoin, spurge) In different regions you can find different interpretations of the miraculous herb, which is supposed to protect the owner of the amulet from evil spirits During Rusal Week, water acquires unique energetic properties, connecting together pulsating energies from the world of gods, ancestors and the living (Ravi, Silavi and Yavi) Our ancestors firmly believed in the magical power of water, which in the hands of powerful healers could relieve the most terrible ailments; in the hands of sorcerers it opened all the curtains of time, and in the hands of black sorcerers it turned into a deadly poison According to tradition, on the banks of lakes and rivers, residents of nearby villages left offerings for Mermaids and mermaid children It could be clothes or embroidered towels In the old days, Spirits Day was considered a time for communication not only with ancestors, but also with meadow, forest and water spirits of their kind, mermaid spirits They tried to honor them in every possible way and were sure to appease them with offerings and gifts All so that the spirits give a good harvest, promote favorable weather, water the fields, meadows and pastures with the juices of the Earth, so that people and animals are well-fed The Slavs believed that Mermaids perform a special ritual on Spiritual Day to preserve and grow crops Rusalya Week is a period of hope and rest By this time, the peasant must complete all land work It was believed that he had already done everything he could for his field Now he must rely on the dictates of nature, and ask for help from the mermaid spirits of his kind, putting aside all household matters If you forget about mermaids and get to work on a holiday, then angry otherworldly forces will punish the apostates with trampled fields, diseases, bad weather, and crop failure The mermaids, having escaped into the world of Reveal, spin around in a dance They can be found in a meadow, at a crossroads, near a cemetery or in flowering meadows Such a meeting could bring a radically different result for a person In one case - wealth and high position, and in the other - troubles and misfortunes People believed that children and young girls should avoid Mermaids The mermaid round dance could carry them along For living people there was no way out of this dance, only death That is why the children were not allowed to go for a walk in the meadow or to the lake during the special week If during this period a child disappeared or died in the village, they said that the Mermaids called him to them Mermaids were especially feared on Thursday All week it was customary to sing mermaid songs and dance in circles, and on Sunday the Mermaids were escorted (expelled) home It was also a farewell to spring