Holidays of the Slavs - Veshnee Makoshye (Earth Day)

Spring Makoshye, or Zeminnik, is an ancient pagan holiday of the Slavs It falls on the 9th (22nd) of May According to Slavic beliefs, on this day the Earth awakens from winter sleep and rests before hard work Therefore, you cannot overwork it: harrow, sow, dig For the Earth to succeed, you need to please it: give it boiled eggs and decorate it with festive towels Celebrating the name day of the Earth, people praised Makosh, who helped Rod create the Motherland Mother Earth, being in the arms of Father Sky, protects the Motherland and protects it On this day, the wise men went to the field and laid their heads on the damp earth: they listened carefully to the whisper of the roots, which predicted the quality of the future harvest Then, on the ritual furrow, rituals were performed for good weather Handfuls of holiday soil, being amulets, were kept by the Slavs all year long The boys and men swore before their native land that they would always stand up for its defense Young girls wove wreaths, calling out to spring Adult women, led by a sorcerer, prepared porridge from melted snow water and treated themselves to salting it, then offered it to Mother Earth The youth lit a fire, sat around it, listening to the stories of the sages and wise men about the old days Conversations were interrupted by meals and games A woman who was unfairly slandered was allowed to whitewash herself on this Holy Day She wove a large wreath and stood in its center, inviting those who spoke blasphemy to join her According to legends, anyone who denigrated a woman was immediately punished by Mother Earth From Veshny Makoshye horses are driven out to pasture On this day the blind can speak secret words and be healed Girls can ask the Earth for beauty and female happiness To gain strength and energy, you need to walk barefoot, mentally glorifying Mother Earth, or you can lie down in a field and listen to the voice of nature