Holidays of the Slavs - Generous Evening (Shchedrets)

The evening of January 13 (according to the old style - December 31) among the Eastern Slavs was called Shchedrinki, or Rich Kutia This national holiday coincides with the Christian day of remembrance of St Melania Melania is a saint who patronized all Orthodox women, helping to bear and raise healthy children Christian and folk traditions of celebrating this day are intertwined, forming the most beloved and long-awaited festival by all family members - Shchedrets It is interesting that the rituals of celebrating this day were slightly different among the Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian peoples For example, in the morning Ukrainian children went with good wishes to their neighbors’ yards, receiving treats in return; in the evening, the same route was taken by young people dressed up in disguise Among the riotous crowd of mummers, there was always Malanka, a young man dressed as a girl Such a procession through the village was called generosity Before going to bed, unmarried girls wondered about their betrothed Russian traditions of celebrating Shchedrinki included visiting and re-enacting Malanya's wedding In Belarus, they also caroled and told fortunes by throwing porridge into a well and shouting “Koo-gu-gu” The most important thing on this day, regardless of the territory of celebration, is to set a rich, generous table to which friends, relatives and people in need were invited The owners cleaned the houses and took out the most beautiful clothes The guests sang schedrovki - songs with wishes for well-being and health According to tradition, the owners should give gifts to the carolers in return If the receiving party turned out to be tight-fisted, then the carolers had the right to sing carols with comic threats and curses It is interesting that on Shchedrinki it was customary to feed the spirits of ancestors by setting out separate dishes and cutlery for them A symbol of prosperity was always present on the table - pork They also often feasted on sausage: it was not without reason that they said: “Malanya is intestines, you need to eat sausage” Thus, Shchedrinki is a traditional family holiday of the Eastern Slavs, reminiscent of the modern New Year in terms of the scope of the celebration