Slavic Native Faith's calendars and holidays

In Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery) there are a number of shared holidays throughout the year, when important ritual activities are set according to shared calendars. Generally speaking, ritual activities may be distinguished into "external" (exoteric) and "internal" (esoteric) relatively to the different communities. External ceremonies are mass gatherings, usually held on important holidays dedicated to the worship of common gods, and involving large numbers of people. Internal ceremonies are those restricted to specific groups, and holding special meaning for such groups; they may comprise private rituals and worship of specific ancestors.^[1]

Calendars of holidays

Ivanits and Rybakov's calendar of holidays

Linda J. Ivanits reconstructs a basic calendar of the East Slavs' celebrations of Slavic gods, based on Boris Rybakov's studies of ancient agricultural calendars, especially a fourth-century calendar found in the Kyiv region.^[2]

Festival	Date (Julian or Gregorian)	Deity celebrated	Overlapped Christian festival or figure
Koliada (Korochun)	Winter solstice	Rod: first half Veles: last half	Christmas, Baptism of the Lord, Epiphany
Komoeditsa	Spring equinox	Veles	Easter
Day of Young Shoots	May 2	—	Saints Boris and Gleb
Semik	June 4	Yarilo	—
Rusalnaya Week	June 17–23	Simargl	Trinity Sunday
Kupala Night Kupalo	Summer solstice	—	Saint John the Baptist
Festival of Perun	July 20	Rod / Perun	Saint Elijah
Harvest festivals	Autumn equinox	Rodzanica / Rodzanicy	Feast of the Transfiguration (August 6) Birthday of the Mother of God (September 8)
Festival of Mokosh	October 28	Mokosh	Saint Paraskeva's Friday

General Russian Rodnover calendar of holidays

According to the Rodnover questions–answers compendium Izvednik (Изведник), almost all Russian Rodnovers rely upon the Gregorian calendar and celebrate the "sunny holidays" (highlighted in yellow in the table herebelow), with the addition of holidays dedicated to Perun, Mokosh and Veles (green herebelow), the Red Hill ancestral holiday (orange herebelow), and five further holidays dedicated to ancestors (including Вешние Деды, "Spring Forefathers"; Трояцкие Деды, "Whitsun Forefathers"; Дмитровские Деды, "Demetrius Forefathers"; and Рождественские Деды, "Christmas Forefathers", etc.). The contemporary Rodnover calendar is structured as follows:^[3]

Festival	Event	Date (Gregorian)
Koliada Коляда	Winter solstice	December 24–25
Days of Veles (Festival of Veles) Velesovy dny (Велесовы дни)	Celebration of the god of animals, forests and commerce	January 2, 6 / February 17
Komoeditsa Комоедица Often conflated with Maslenitsa	Spring equinox	March 24
Krasnaya Gorka Красная Горка (lit. "Red Hill")	Celebration of ancestors	April 30–May 1
Kupala Night Купала	Summer solstice	June 23–24
Day of Perun Perunov den (Перунов день)	Celebration of the thunder god	August 2
Tausen (also called Bogach, Vtorye Oseniny or Ruyen) Таусень (Богач, Вторые Осенины, Руень)	Autumn equinox	September 21
Day of Mokosh Mokoshy den (Мокоши день)	Celebration of the great goddess of the Earth	November 10

Calendars of months

Names of months in local Slavic traditions

In some Slavic languages, such as Russian, the modern names of the months are borrowings from Latin. Otherwise, local traditions and other Slavic languages have preserved Slavic endonyms (endogenous names) for months. Volkhv Aleksey Aleksandrovich Dobroslav has proposed a standardised nomenclature, as reported in the table herebelow. Many Slavic months' names refer to natural phenomena, things and human crafts (for instance, Traven means "Grass"; Bulgarian Sukh means "Dry", etc.).

Latinate	Dobroslav months	Belarusian	Bulgarian	Croatian	Czech	Upper Sorbian	Polish	Serbian	Ukrainian
January	Prosinec Просинец	Studzień Студзень	Goljam sečko Голям сечко	Siječanj	Leden	Wulki róžk	Styczeń	Koložeg Коложег	Sičen' Січень
February	Ljuten' Лютень	Liuty Люты	Malăk sečko Малък сечко	Veljača	Únor	Mały róžk	Luty	Sečko Сечко	Ljutyj Лютий
March	Berezen' Березень	Sakavik Сакавік	Suh Сух	Ožujak	Březen	Nalětnik	Marzec	Derikoža Дерикожа	Berezen' Березень
April	Cveten' Цветень	Krasavik Красавік	Brjazok Брязок	Travanj	Duben	Jutrownik	Kwiecień	Lažitrava Лажитрава	Kviten' Квітень
May	Traven' Травень	Travień Травень	Treven Тревен	Svibanj	Květen	Róžownik	Maj	Cvetanj Цветањ	Traven' Травень
June	Kresen' Кресень	Červień Чэрвень	Izok Изок	Lipanj	Červen	Smažnik	Czerwiec	Trešnjar Трешњар	Červen' Червень
July	Lipen' Липень	Lipień Ліпень	Črăvenă Чръвенъ	Srpanj	Červenec	Pražnik	Lipiec	Žetvar Жетвар	Lypen' Липень
August	Zarev Зарев	Žnivień Жнівень	Orač Орач	Kolovoz	Srpen	Žnjenc	Sierpień	Gumnik Гумник	Serpen' Серпень
September	Ruen' Руен	Vierasień Верасень	Ruen Руен	Rujan	Září	Požnjenc	Wrzesień	Grozdober Гроздобер	Veresen' Вересень
October	Listopad Листопад	Kastryčnik Кастрычнік	Listopad Листопад	Listopad	Říjen	Winowc	Październik	Šumopad Шумопад	Žovten' Жовтень
November	Gruden' Грудень	Listapad Лістапад	Gruden Груден	Studeni	Listopad	Nazymnik	Listopad	Studeni Студени	Lystopad Листопад
December	Studen' Студень	Sniežań Снежань	Studen Студен	Prosinac	Prosinec	Hodownik	Grudzień	Koledar Коледар	Hruden Грудень

Sources

Citations

^ "Native faith: The congress of the 'Circle of Pagan Tradition' (Родная вера: съезд 'Круга языческой традиции')". Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 6 June 2007.
^ Ivanits 1989, p. 17.
^ Aitamurto 2016, p. 67.

References

Ivanits, Linda J. (1989). Russian Folk Belief. M. E. Sharpe. ISBN 9780765630889.
Aitamurto, Kaarina (2016). Paganism, Traditionalism, Nationalism: Narratives of Russian Rodnoverie. London and New York: Routledge. ISBN 9781472460271.

[1] "Native faith: The congress of the 'Circle of Pagan Tradition' (Родная вера: съезд 'Круга языческой традиции')". Nezavisimaya Gazeta, 6 June 2007.

[FOOTNOTEIvanits198917-2] Ivanits 1989, p. 17.

[FOOTNOTEAitamurto201667-3] Aitamurto 2016, p. 67.

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