What is Veles day? How is it celebrated? We will answer these and other questions in the article. If you propose to a person who is poorly versed in the mythology of the Slavs, to name some god, in any case Veles will be called. Sometimes they mention Makosh, Perun, Yaril, but Veles always. Nevertheless, almost no one had heard of the celebration of his day.
Tradition
The great festival of the Slavs - Veles Day - falls on February 11th. This day is considered the middle of Mother’s Winter, when nature is not yet ready to wake up from winter sleep and is in a sweet half asleep. It was during this period that the mighty Slavic god Veles walked through the forests and mountains, not letting people sleep with nature, slowing down with the promise of the beginning of the Slavic holiday.
He plays his magic pipe, warming with a wonderful sound the frozen mother Earth.
They honor Veles as the great and wise Slavic god, the wizard god and patron of secrets. According to an ancient legend, it was he who knew all the elements and hidden secrets - he visited both the dark and bright worlds. He traveled in all dimensions, so he was able to discover the basic laws of life and the universe, showed that the universe can move forward - there were no equal Slavs to this god. In the traditions of Russian culture, his day is considered special.
Birth
So, you already know that Veles Day is celebrated on February 11th. In the book “The Tragedy of God Veles”, which was published by the publishing house “Northern Tale”, a wonderful legend about this God and the Slavic holiday Veles are described.
Legend has it that Veles was born as a bright god and raised by the dark creators of Navi. In his birth the secret of fate is known, known only to Rod - the ancestor. He is both his own and a stranger among the Slavic gods. Veles is the son of the mysterious Zemun, who in legends is represented by a special creature from another world. Veles is ambiguous, mysterious and one of the most powerful gods of the Slavic pantheon.
Love
Why are Veles days good? Veles in nature wakes up a feeling of love, a feeling of super-strong, but sweet confusion of the soul. And in the world everything wakes up for this love! No wonder this god is called a sorcerer - who tested his spell on himself, could not resist. Not only was his power destructive for those over whom he ruled, but also healing. After all, who, except Veles, can help with sensible advice and set the right path?
By the way, he has his own love story. This is a legend about an eternal feeling, in which there is self-sacrifice, and tenderness, and a creative force that unites for all time. He met his chosen one by accident and immediately called his. Veles and Yagin loved each other very much - perhaps, in the Slavic epos, this is the only story about the eternal power of heart affairs. Those who are patronized by this god find their love passionate, dreamy, romantic, sensual, and achieve it with all their might. Velesova Strecha is a magical holiday of the Slavs when winter is rampant and spring is timidly hiding, but it gives people just this feeling of strength, love, hope.
Holiday
The Day of God Veles is a holy day dedicated to Veles Winter (Sivy Yar). At this time, he “knocks down the Horn of Winter”, celebrates the Cow Feast in the villages (since Veles is not only the god of wisdom, but also the bestial god - the lord of any stomach), they make charms on the yard and cattle, ask Veles for protection and patronage, and to all good and to cattle - offspring. Violent buffoons, prophetic magi, inspired storytellers honor their Highest patron, wise god especially: chanting and sorcery, divination and praise, and even more - received in rejoicing higher insights ...
Ancient festivities
Veles's birthday is a great celebration. During the days of dual faith in Russia , February 11 marked the day of the righteous Vlasius (Veles) - the protector of animals, the cow god. People said about this: “Blasius has a beard in oil”, “Blasius, knock down the horn from the Winter”, “Fold the day - cow walking.” After Blasius, the cruel Vlasyevsky frosts immediately began. And on February 15, people celebrated Onisim Zimobor (Onisim Ovchar). People said that on this day, winter turns back. They called stars at night to make the lambs better laminate, and in the morning they “yarned yarn”. What does it mean? The women put the first skein of yarn “at dawn” so that all the threads (like the fate that the goddess Makosh “spins”) were white, clean and strong.
Butter, like milk, was part of the requirements given to Veles.
Current Rodnoverie
Why do many today celebrate Veles' day? How to celebrate it? Many modern Rodnoverie communities celebrate Greater Veles Day on February 11th. This is the most significant holy day, and much has already been written about it. Small Veles Day is celebrated on February 3 in narrow circles and mainly by those communities that the prophetic god call their spiritual guardian.
Holiday hours
St. Veles day is special. According to legend, on this day Veles knocks down one horn to Winter, protects cattle - drives death with a cow and helps people survive future Vlasyevsky (Velesov) frosts (usually very severe), after which winter begins to recede. The people during this period notice: if the thaw comes along with Veles Day, then the spring will be warm. If not, then for a long time Morena-Winter will be strong in her right ...
They begin to prepare for Veles day in advance - from the evening of the previous day. The skins are spread around the house, on which peeled and dried cow horns are laid, milk is poured onto consecrated jugs.
On the temple (or where informed people indicated) they begin to build an altar, prepare skins in advance, fumigating the territory with smoke of bovine burning hair. Sometimes on poles placed along the sacred fence of the temple, cow and bull skulls are exhibited, embodying a connection with the other world, as well as being strong amulets from evil forces.
The Magi alone go there at night and perform special services there in order to find out the will of the wise god. Girls at the same time wondering, combing bull hair with scallops. Before going to bed, read the hex amulet for the upcoming dream.
Dreams sent down by Veles that night are considered prophetic and, according to legend, are always fulfilled.
Food
On the day of the celebration, the housewives in each house prepare ceremonial food - porridge, richly seasoned with oil. People say about this: “Vlasia (Veles) has a beard in oil!” And the women put pre-brewed honey drinks on the tables. Only veal and beef are prohibited on this day.
Cooked dishes are consecrated on the altar, after which they are placed on the table. Next to the shrine, in a specially prepared hut, a joint meal is organized for members of the community.
On Velesov day, a lot of works fall on the lot of magicians. In addition to bringing demands, performing rituals of praising God, sacrifices, when the consecrated milk flows by stream along the altar, they have to organize the celebration itself, which opens with the saying of ritual sacrilege.
Fight
On this day, you can also look at the Velesova fight, called the Bear fight (since the bear, according to legend, in the form of the Master of the Forest represents one of the faces of the cattle god, and is also one of the divine animals destined for Veles). The battle of the fighters of the Velesova struggle is not like the fierce military fights that are going on in Perunov day. She does not abound in a large number of tricks, representing a benign admiration for the power that Mother Earth gives a person not for the destruction of her relatives, but for the sake of creative work in an honest field.
As a rule, in front of Chur (a sacred shrine figure) Veles, two hefty men, naked to the waist, circle each other with their hands and, struggling and grunting, try to flood the opponent in the snow. The Magi at the same time pronounce a slander on Volotov’s strength: “Veles, God! Come down to us, give power to Volotov (name)! Goy! ”
Spectators at this time recall old-time tales of wrestlers, which tells of a peasant living in a neighboring village. He was frail in appearance, but before each fight he lay down on the ground, covered with snow, and asked Mother Earth to give him a little bit of her irresistible strength, after which he won any hero. This is what he caused the glee of all honest people who watched the contest.
The victorious fighter is honored by the whole world and, treated to beer, is called the “Veles protégé” - to the glory of the inexhaustible power of the earth, a mighty god and just beginning to wake up, still invisible personally from the spring sun ...
Night vigil
The night that follows Veles Day is considered suitable for conceiving the strong in spirit and body of babies. Before settling down on a matrimonial bed from fitted hides, women comb their hair with tanned scallops to their husbands. This action should protect men from various ailments during the year and endow them with the wisdom and strength of Veles himself. The Magi go alone into the night, staring at them with bright stars - the eyes of ancestors, into the thicket of the forest, where they install a pole with bull horns, hoisted on it, and until the morning they cry, beat in voiced tambourines, singing the prophetic god.
At this time, the Forest Owner turns to the other side in the den, Vesna-Virgo meets with Zima-the Old Woman at the Myrokolitsy border zone and gives her the first battle.
Ceremonies
In Veles, women drink strong honey and beat husbands with a board for spinning flax. This portended that the cows would be affectionate and obedient.
One of the festive rites is the scaring away of Death by the Cow. For this, people choose a dresser. She should go home and say: “It’s time to calm the cow!” The bearer carries a towel. All the girls wash their hands and wipe them with this towel. For men, the bearer says: “You cannot go out of the hut for the sake of greatness.” After that, all women leave the village.
The bearer hits the pan and shouts loudly: “Ay, ah, ah!”, And girls with clubs, grabs and axes follow her. Women should be dressed in shirts and have loose hair. Further, the bearer reads the oath to the Cow Death. After that, they put on a real clamp, a plow and harness. People light the torches, and the bearer needs three times to plow the temple and village.
This rite is interesting in that processions cannot be caught in the path. If he met one, then they will mercilessly beat him with sticks, whether it be a beast or a man. It is believed that he personifies the Cow Death, which they are trying to drive away.
After the ceremony, a production was organized - the battle of Marena and Veles. To the cries of “Veles, knock down the horn from Winter!”, Disguised as Veles, he was to dump the horn from the goddess of death and winter Marena.
Dates
Our ancestors Veles celebrated the day on February 28. Many communities today celebrate it on February 11, without explaining their position. In fact, both options have a right to exist, but many experts say that the first date is correct. They make such a conclusion, based on the fact that the text sources in which this figure is mentioned are much older than the survey works in which February 11 is indicated.
It was a bright, positive holiday, extremely spectacular and spectacular. On this day, the Magi held sacred ceremonies unknown to many people and unattainable at other times. Veles has always been called the “guardian of Midgard” (along with other gods of the Great Race), and therefore in the calendar of the ancient Slavs his day was one of the key.
Sheaf Day
What is Velez Sheaf Day? From this day, July 12, they begin to harvest hay: “Mow the scythe, while the dew is down, dew down, and we go home!” Veles taught our ancestors to plow the land, sow cereals, to harvest straw in the fields of the poor, to plant and worship the sheaf like To the Father of God.
On this day they worshiped a sheaf, which was the last connected. Kosari believed that the spirit of the field settled in him during mowing, which means the essence of Veles. There was such a proverb: "Plow till Veles' day, put on till Perunov's day, sow - before the Savior." Veles patronized all agricultural work.
On the day of the Sheaf, the divine stone Alatyr was also honored (or two stones - God's and God: the stones of the Storm Yaga and Veles). Under Alatyr is the entrance to the hell. They remembered that only Veles could roll Alatyr from the entrance, and therefore the deceased could not get into Nav, bypassing Veles.
Autumn
After the autumn Veles day ends, the night begins. The ancient Slavs - this is Marina (Velesova) night - a magical night from October 31 to November 1, when Belobog irrevocably passes the Colo God of the Year to Chernobog, and the Gates of Navi are wide open to Yav until the first roosters. The coming day (November 1) is very often called Marina Day.
In accordance with popular beliefs, on this night the souls of ancestors visit their great-grandchildren who live in Yavi, the last time a year. After that, they fly away into the bright Iry until next spring.