Holidays of the Slavs - Great Veles Day

On February 24, Slavic pagans celebrate the Great Veles Day (Cow Festival). The Lord of Animals is a very powerful and mysterious God. He appears as the "cattle god", the god of wealth, happiness, agriculture and animal husbandry. In ancient times, the holiday fell on the month of Luten. At this time, nature is still in an icy sleep, but the cruel winter is coming to an end. And only Veles remains with people during this difficult period, not allowing playful spirits to play tricks on people and animals. And Marena, the goddess of winter, is angry with him, trying to spread a fever to people and livestock. Nature is in an icy slumber, and only the god of Wisdom goes around towns and villages so that people do not get upset. This day is the turning point of the winter period, when people feel the inevitable approach of spring. You can often hear the expression that Veles himself “broke the horns” of the cold season. On this day, the Lord of every life protects livestock, drives away diseases, and gives strength to live in cold weather. People begin to prepare for the holiday the day before. They pour the milk into special jugs, spread out carpets or animal skins, on which they place dried cow horns. At night, the Magi go to the altar to find out the will of the Wise God. The dreams that come this night are prophetic. This day is considered good for treating diseases, for making various amulets (amulets) that symbolize the Power of Life and creative power. For the holiday, they prepare ritual food: porridge with a lot of butter and drink honey. Eating beef on the holiday is strictly prohibited, because God himself was born at the dawn of the world from a heavenly cow. The food is blessed at the altar and then placed on the table for a communal feast. In ancient times, after the procession, a ritual battle between Veles and Maren took place. Amid general rejoicing, the God of Animals (dressed in the skin of a bull with a spear) “broke his horn” about Madder. And then the games began and people went to feast. At night, women, the guardians of the hearth, performed the ritual of plowing. They made a furrow with a wooden plow around the village to protect it. The oldest woman walked from door to door, informing about the ritual, asking people not to leave their houses or look out the window in order to avoid great trouble. The women washed and dried their hands and let their hair down. The men remained in their homes, looking at the fire, which symbolized the hearth and honest living. After the sacrifice was made for Veles, a large cup of mead was passed from one person to another. Another important moment of the holiday is the fight of Veles with the sacred Bear. Unlike the warlike competitions held on Perun Day, the fights on Veles Day are good-natured. Mother Earth advises people not to kill each other, but to work honestly. The night after the Great Veles Day is good for conceiving children who will be strong in spirit and body. Before going to bed, women comb their husbands' hair with special combs to protect them from various diseases and fill them with the strength and wisdom of Veles. At the end of the holiday, the Magi went deep into the forest, beat ritual tambourines and sang praise to the Wise God.