Egoriy Veshniy

Russian St. George's Day, St. George the Victorious, St. George, St. George, the brave ^[8] , St. George the Brave ^[9] , warm Yuri ^[10] , St. George the Brave, hungry St. ^{[ 5]} , St. George the cattle ^[11] , St. George - lazy plow ^[5] , Yuri Vodonos ^[12] , Locking the Earth, Egoriy - frisky plow , Rus. Vyat . Menilniki horses (birthday men) ^[13] , Rus. biryuch . Horse Festival ^[14] , Russian Voronezh . Bestial Day ^[15] , Rus. tamb . Egoriev day. Egoriy ^[16] ; Belor. Yurai, Yagory, Yury spring, Yur'ya , Yur'e-Yagor'e Private Forests ^{[17] [18]} ; woodland. Egoriy, Yuri Vesnyany, Yuri the Hungry, Yagory ^[19] ; Ukrainian Yury, Svyato Yurya ^[17] ; bulg. Georgovden, Gergevden, Dzhurzhovdn, Zelen Giorgi, Tsveten Gorgi ^{[20] [4]} ; Maced. Gurgevden, Gurgovden ^[17] ; Serb. Ђurђevdan ^[21] ; Horv. Đurđevo ^[17] ; Slovene. Jurjevo, Sveti Jurij ^[17] ; polish św. Jerzy ^[17] ; Czech Svatý Jiří ^[17] , Slovak. Jurij, D'uro, Svätý Júr, Svätý Júraj ^[17] .

The Yuryev day among the Eastern Slavs is the main cattle-breeding holiday of the year, the day of the first pasture of cattle in the pasture, the South Slavs and the Carpathians - the day of the ritual milking of sheep, the first measurement of milk, etc. The South Slavs had a lot of magical actions in Yuryev day associated with a sheep , intended for the first milking: it was decorated with a wreath of herbs and flowers, a separate wreath was hung on the boiler in which it was milked. On St. George's Day, numerous ceremonies and magical (primarily apotropic) actions were performed aimed at ensuring the well-being of cattle during the summer grazing, promoting its fertility, protecting cattle from witches and evil spirits , from wolves, and from snakebites. In a number of places in Yuryev shepherds were honored. In the east of the Balkans, one of the main episodes of St. George's Day was the sacrifice of a lamb ^[22] .

On this day, the first furrow plowed ^[23] .

In Ukraine and Belarus , as well as in the east of the Balkans (especially in Bulgaria ), ritual exits to the field took place on St. George's Day to inspect the crops. During these excursions, liturgies with blessing of water were sometimes performed, but often the exit took place without the participation of clergy. In the morning, the owners themselves went around all the land belonging to the family and sowed with cereal crops , arranged meals on the field, at the end of which they buried food leftovers (eggshell, piglet bones) in the ground. To increase the yield of crops, to protect them from hail or drought, the owners rode (somersaulted) along the crops. Sometimes cattle pasture and crop bypass were combined in one rite: cattle were briefly driven to green crops of cereals: it was believed that cows would have more milk and at the same time this would favorably influence the growth of bread . During the rounds, various actions were taken to protect the crops from hail and bad weather. The branches consecrated in the church on Palm Sunday were stuck into the fields, crosses specially made from these branches, consecrated candles, spun from the St. George's lamb; they prayed on the field, sprinkled crops with holy water , kissed the earth ^[22] .

In Black Russia that day there were horse lists , accompanied by songs and feasts ^[24] .

For Russians on Yegoriev’s day (or one of Easter days ), youth groups went around the houses of those who had married less than a year ago and “called out” to them by their first and middle names, singing great songs in their honor; for such a “hail” they received gifts and refreshments (see Vyunishnik ) ^[25] .

On the Russian-Belarusian borderlands, in the east of Belarus and in the western Russian territories, large community fires are lit in Yegoriev’s day ^[26] .

Belarusians (in the Grodno region) had a legend as St. Yuri became the guardian of horses. The shepherds consider it a great sin not to visit St. George in the church, and the peasants not to cook oatmeal on this day. The peasants tried to drive the cattle to graze on St. George's Day, whipping it willow, quietly consecrated before Easter . But the "St. George's Dew" was popularly considered healing, helping not only livestock, but also people. The dew was healing because Yuri unlocked the earth taken from the Lord with the keys, and released life-giving juices into the world. Dew smeared sore spots, especially the eyes. In Vitebsk district, cows were washed with dew.

The Russian Prikamye on Egoriev’s day “drove the wolves” so that they did not approach the cattle and the village, for which they went around the forest edges on the outskirts of the village with noise and rattles. The Mari of the Perm Territory carried out a similar rite of expelling the shaitan from the village - sӱrem uho ^[27] .

In the Russian North and at the Komi-Permyaks in Yegoryev a water sanctuary was held with sprinkling and bathing horses. The Komi-Permyaks, in addition, washed the icons in the river and arranged "standing" in the water to get rid of the mouse - a disease sent by the dead or saints ^[28] .

Spring Yuryev’s day was considered the beginning of the six-month period, which the Serbs called “Djurdzhevsky” (Yuryev’s) and lasted until Dmitriev’s day on October 26 (November 8) , which opened the second, “Mitrovsky” (Dmitrievsky), half-year ^[7] .

In Slovenia , in the north-west of Croatia , as well as in Slavonia , the rite “ Green Yuri ” is known. On Yuryev’s day, a procession walked around the village, led by a man covered from green from head to toe. On the night of St. George’s Day, on the night before St. George’s Day, men weaved a huge basket of greenery, covered it entirely with greenery, wreaths and, turning it upside down, put it on the head and shoulders of the person who carried the basket around the village like that. The procession consisted of foot and horse men, decorated with flowers, some of them blowing trumpets and playing other musical instruments. They stopped in front of each house, where they performed Yuryev’s songs, in which the arrival of “Green Yuri” was reported, and the owners in return awarded them and poured water from the milker. Among Croats , a character dressed in green was usually called “Yuri” or “Green Yuri”. The Slovenes guys led "Green Yuri" to the river and threw him into the water; according to other sources, a basket mask was thrown into the water or doused with water and mummers ^[29] .

On St. George's Day ( Serb. Ђ urђevdan ; Bulgarian. Gergyovden ) numerous food taboos were canceled. Until that day, only old vegetables could be eaten, and all young greens were forbidden even to be brought into the house. On Yuryev’s day, bans on young meat and dairy products ^[30] (which had not been eaten since the beginning of Great Lent or since March 1) also lost their force: on this day for the first time they ate poultry and lamb , drank milk, cooked cheese and treated them guests, etc. The restrictions on milk were especially severe. If lambs died in any sheep, they did not drink their milk anyway, but poured it into the river, after which they washed their hands so as not to become defiled with milk that had not yet been consecrated. The first baked milk, like any other first products, was intended for ancestors (milk was handed out to neighbors for a trace of the soul, poured into water, etc.). It was believed that a violation of this rule threatened the death of offspring and the disease of the whole herd. The most consistent ban on drinking milk before St. George's Day was observed by women whose babies died. According to South Slavic beliefs, in the “other world” such children sit on a dairy tree and drink milk. If the mother of the deceased child violates the ban, he leaves the tree, remains hungry and curses her ^[31] .

In many Slavic traditions, St. George’s Day is associated with protection from hail: Bulgarians and Slovaks on that day refrained from works associated with “beating” and other noise production: they didn’t beat clothes with rollers, they didn’t use hand mills, they didn’t weave and they didn’t stand outside the house, milk was not consumed in the street dairy products. At Serbs and Bulgarians, a group of guys walked around the village or field at night, carrying with them the skin of a lamb slaughtered on St. George’s Day, a valve from the mill dam, a shovel, live chicken, and at the end of the tour, buried all this in the ground at the place from where the detour began, thereby symbolically locking the circle and protecting the village or field from hail ^[32] .

Until recently, among the Serbs in some areas on that day, a ritual procession of girls (“ kralitsa ”) went around at home with wishes of health and happiness to all households ^[33] .

Orthodox Gagauzians , who have adopted many Slavic traditions, celebrate Hederlez on May 6 on the day of St. George the Victorious - a holiday that goes far back to paganism with its origins ^{[34] [ page not specified 1098 days ]} .

George the Victorious is one of the most revered saints among the Slavs, is considered the patron saint of Moscow and the Russian state ^[35] . Usually called Egoriy or Yuri. In the popular view, it acts as a defender of cattle, the “wolf shepherd” ^[36] , and in the spring it unlocks the Earth and releases dew ^[37] . The South Slavs St. George’s Day - the main calendar line of the first half of the year, together with Dmitriev’s day, he divides the year into two half-year - "Dmitrovsky" and "St. George's" ^[17] .

In the popular consciousness two images of the saint coexist: one of them is close to the church cult of St. George - the serpent-borer and the Christ-loving warrior, the other, very different from the first, to the cult of the cattle breeder and plowman, land owner, patron of cattle, opening spring field work ^[38] . Thus, in folk legends and spiritual verses, the exploits of the holy warrior Egorii (George) are praised, who resisted the torture and promises of “the Tsarist Demianishche (Diocletian)” and struck “the cruel serpent, the cruel fiery”. The motive for the victory of St. George is known in the oral poetry of the Eastern and Western Slavs. The Poles of St. Jerzy fights with the “Wawel Smokey” (a serpent from the Krakow castle). The Russian spiritual verse, also following the icon-painting canon, ranks Theodore Tyrone (see The Legend of the Feats of Fyodor Tirinin ), which the East and South Slavic traditions also represent as a horseman and protector of cattle ^[39] .

Another popular image of the saint is associated with the beginning of spring, agriculture and cattle breeding, with the first cattle pasture, which is often on St. George’s Day in eastern and part of the southern Slavs, as well as in eastern Poland. In Russian (bonfire, Tver.) Bypass Yuryev songs refer to St. Egoria and St. Macarius :

Egoriy you are our brave
Macarius the reverend!
You save our beast
In and out of the field
In the forest and beyond the forest
Under the bright month
Under the red sun
From a predatory wolf
From a fierce bear
From the evil beast

In Croatian songs of the same day and the appointment of St. George arrives in "green", that is, gray in apples, a horse:

Original Dobro jutro dobri gospodari! Evo Zelenog Djure Na zelenom konju, Zelen ko travica, Roaan ko rosica. Nosi zitni klas I od Boga dobar glas

Transfer Good morning, dear owners! Here came to you green Yuri On a green horse Green like a grass Dewy, like dew. He brought the spike And good news from God

Some Croatian St. George's texts are close to the texts of the Vucars :

Original Dajte juri slanine, Da vam tjera vuka s planine!

Transfer Give Yuri fat So that he will drive the wolf from the mountains!

Among Croats and Slovenes, bypassing yards with Yuryev’s songs, the main figure is “ Zeleni Juraj ” - a boy covered with green branches from head to toe, depicting St. George (compare woodland bush ). In the same Croatian songs on Yuryev’s day, there is sometimes a motive for snaking and kidnapping a girl with a snake. Slovenes in Pomurie drove “Green Yuri” or “Vesnik” ( Zeleni Jurij, Vésnik - from the Slovenian dialect vésna “spring”) and sang:

Original Zelenega Jurja vodimo, Maslo in jajca prosimo, Ježi-babo zganjamo, Mladoletje trosimo!

Transfer We drive Green Yuri, We ask for butter and eggs, Banish Babu Yaga Sprinkle spring!

In Styria, the guys sang:

Original Sveti Jurij, to mas kljuc, Odpri nam nebesko luč!

Transfer Saint Yuri, you have a key, Open to us the heavenly light!

and at the same time picking the earth with a wooden key. In central Belarus, St. George’s lineman “woke up” St. Yuri:

Jura, ў get a wound, Admykayu zamlyu, Let the race out In the summer On the buoy lives At the core, In the classroom!

and the Easter textbooks addressed the saint:

Holy Yury, from heaven Iduchi, 3 heaven idols, vazmі keys, Adamkni zamlyu syrusenyenko, Pusci race tsyaplyusenku, Pustsі race to ўsyu clear, In яс I understand, in the summer of summer, In the summer season, the core is alive, On geta light, on цветsyakі color.

- near Borisov

In East Moravia, on Mortal Sunday (the penultimate before Easter), the youth sang:

Original Smrtna nedele, Kdes klič poděla? Dala sem ho, dala Svatěmu Juři, Aby nam otevřel do raja dveři, Aby juři vstal Pole odmykal, Aby tráva rustla, Tráva zelená.

Transfer Mortal Sunday Where are you the key? - I gave it, gave St. Yuri So that he reveals to us Doors of Paradise To Yuri I opened the field For the grass to grow The grass is green.

Bulgarian and East Serbian Yuryev’s songs are characterized by the motive of horse-shoeing and driving around the fields: “Sveti Giorgi horse is from silver and gold ...” (St. George horseshoe silver and gold ...),

Original Tragne mi e sveti Georgi Early morning on Gergowden Yes, the offense of green niva, Greens nyva, dew showers.

Transfer St. George headed Early in the morning on St. George's Day Going around the green fields Green fields, dewy meadows.

In the Angara region, Egoriy the Brave was revered as the patron saint of horses; on his day, they did not work on horses. In Pirin Macedonia ( Petrich ) believed that St. George is the lord of spring rain and thunder: together with the prophet Elijah, he rode a horse across the sky, and from this he heard thunder. In the villages near Plovdiv, the saint was perceived as the master and “holder” of all waters: he killed a snake to give people water ^[40] .

• Two Egoria: one cold , the other hungry ^[41] .
• On this day spring descends to the earth ( Ukrainian. On this day spring descends to the earth ) ^[42] .
• St. George begins the red spring on the red hill , the prophet Elijah finishes the summer, lively reigns ^[5] .
• St. George's dew from seven ailments ^[43] .
• Today horses are menilniki (birthday) ^[44] .
• With Yuri - round dances, with Dmitry - evening parties ( Ukrainian: Z Yuriya round dance, z Dmitriy Vespers ) ^[45] .

• Yur'ya in Belarus
• Green Yuri
• Arrow driving
• Hederlez
• Vinalia
• Dionysus
• Egoriy Osenny

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• Kostroma Egorievsky rite and its music (culture.ru)
• Pastoral ritual in the Murom district of Vladimir region (culture.ru)
• Kostroma shepherd's drum (culture.ru)
• Egorievskaya song "Macarius" performed by Sergey Starostin (youtube.com)
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