Rodogoshch among the Slavs (Tausen)

The ancient Slavs held holidays associated with the solar cycle in special esteem The holiday Tausen (Ovsen) was celebrated on the day of the autumn equinox - September 24 (October 7, new style) The name of this hospitable holiday corresponds to the name of the first autumn month among the pagan Slavs The holiday, symbolizing the arrival of autumn, has another name - Radogoshch Radogoshch was the name of the son of Svarog However, some scientists argue that the son of Svarog (Svarozhich) did not exist in the pagan pantheon of the ancient Slavs In their opinion, the confusion occurred due to the fact that Svarog himself was sometimes called Radogost Svarog is the Creator, the supreme blacksmith god, the lord of the flame, responsible for the warmth in the hearths of people According to some, the name Radogoshch means that on this day the hosts welcome guests and are ready to share the gifts of summer During this period, the day is already waning and the nights are getting longer Tired of bearing fruit, Mother Earth is about to retire People have already prepared for the winter cold by stockpiling supplies On the days of the autumn equinox, the Slavs needed to cleanse themselves of filth, thank the gods for the harvest of this season and tell fortunes about the quality of the new one, remembering deceased relatives On this day, the elder of the clan or the priest hid behind a huge, human-sized pie and asked people if they could see him If they answered in the affirmative, it means that the year was not very productive In this case, the elder should bless the people to receive a richer harvest next year Young people rejoiced at the last warm days: they burned autumn bonfires, played games on the street, and danced in circles, saying goodbye to the summer It was customary not only to jump over huge flames, but also to walk on coals In these ways, people cleansed their souls from bad thoughts and aspirations Scenes about the falling sun and the coming winter were also played out They held a funeral ceremony for a fly in a house made from any root vegetable: this was how they said goodbye to summer People organized fairs where surplus goods were exhibited and cockfights and fist fights were held, guys competed in prowess The women set a rich table covered with a white tablecloth: they baked pies with a wide variety of fillings (with lingonberries, cabbage, honey, cottage cheese, meat), and infused honey drinks The more hospitable the owners are, the richer the next harvests will be The girls wore red scarves and beads Since Svarog is the blacksmith god, on this day blacksmiths and carpenters were especially treated and glorified The Slavs did not forget about their deceased relatives: they always threw a fresh slice of loaf into the flame as a gift to the deceased or separately placed dishes on the table for them It was also necessary to present demands to Rod and the Rozhanitsy It was possible to turn to the gods with innermost desires They also used various methods to guess about the future harvest In some areas, rituals of “renewal of fire” were carried out: they extinguished the old fire and produced a new one through friction