Karachun - Winter Solstice

Created thousands of years ago, natural calendars helped our ancestors start agricultural work on time, and also provided them with successful fishing or hunting The villagers have about one and a half hundred holidays that coincide with the life cycle of the Earth But one of them, the Day of Pagan Worship of Karachun (Korochun) is one of the four most important for the Slavic pagan tribes Our ancestors revered Karachun, who is the deity of death, in whose power is frost, on the shortest day of the year - from December 19 to 22 (depending on the specific year), that is, on the eve of the winter solstice Slavic pagans believed that by honoring this underground deity and erecting his “idols” from the snow, they thereby increased daylight hours and reduced the severity of frosts While honoring Karachun as the deity of death, the Slavic tribes did not forget about his minions and faithful servants - connecting rod bears and wolves Our pagan ancestors believed that winter snowstorms turn into connecting rod bears, and snowstorms turn into wolves Remembering them, our ancestors remembered that half of the cold season lasts until the sleeping bear turns over on the other side in his den Having put together the saying: “At Solstice, a bear in a den turns from one side to the other,” the Slavs noted a revolution in the life cycle of Nature, an increase in daylight hours and the waning power of frost and snow Since Karachun was the deity of death, until then his name was popularly associated with the death of someone or the destruction of something Modern people use such expressions as “ask karachun”, “wait for karachun”, “karachun came to him” or “enough karachun”, without knowing the root cause of the formation of these phrases However, the name of the underground evil spirit “participates” in the designation of other concepts For example, the word “karachit” means moving backwards or crawling, and the word “skorachilo” indicates convulsions According to linguists, the use of the name of the deity of death in word formation was due to the fact that the daylight hours “gave” their time to the evening and night Changes in the worldview of the Slavic tribes and their social and economic life led to the transformation of the Day of Veneration of Karachun Karachun, who was the formidable and inexorable God of frost, “changed” his “destination” by becoming Father Frost, whom adults and children are waiting for today with gifts, and former idols “turned” into the snowmen known to everyone Santa Claus began to symbolize not death, but only the sleep into which Nature plunges in winter The icicles and frost formed on frosty days became the tears or words of Santa Claus, and the snow clouds became his hair The “new” deity became more “fair” It “freezes” those who complain about the frosty cold and shiver even more, and those who are cheerful, healthy and cheerful it gives a hot blush and gives even more bodily strength Honoring Karachun, who later became Father Frost, pagan tribes associated his name with various events and signs For example, if he hits the corner of the hut, the log will certainly crack, and the breath of Karachun or Santa Claus leads to severe and prolonged frosts