Holidays of the Slavs - Gromnitsa

Since ancient times, on February 15, our ancestors celebrated Gromnitsa, the meeting of harsh winter with spring. According to legends, the Goddess of Winter Morena entered into a difficult battle with spring-Lelya, causing thunder to be heard throughout the area and lightning to be visible, which is not at all typical for the month of February. The ancestors sometimes glorified Perun himself and the Thunder Goddess during the holiday. They believed that the face of Veles in the form of a bear divided winter in half, turning over in a warm den. And when the beast wakes up, spring has come! A number of rituals that took place on Gromnitsa are associated with fire (candles) and water. In ancient times, people believed that Epiphany water was a powerful amulet. Having plunged into an ice hole on a holiday, a person will be endowed with strength and health. A simple wash can take away not only physical ailments, but also mental ones. Even today extreme sports enthusiasts can experience the miraculous power of festive water. The rituals and gifts performed were presented to Perun the Thunderer, as well as Veles, who was responsible for fertility. All folk customs were mainly aimed at asking for the benefit of higher powers for the next year, protecting households from dark forces, any magical influence and diseases. Some Slavic peoples consider Gromnitsa a day of remembrance of their ancestors, so they put extra tableware on the table and remembered the dead. The days of February were considered borderline and very dangerous. In Gromnitsa, people tried not to work, not to enter into new contracts, fearing the turning point, because evil spirits could penetrate through it. Often the people accumulated strength for upcoming transactions and found advantages that they used with the victory of spring. All evil spirits are afraid of a thunder candle: female brownies, Swampwomen, demons, devils and other evil spirits. Thus, people place “crosses” with a festive candle on their doors, reliably protecting their homes. They walk clockwise with lit candles over all corners, driving out evil spirits. The owner of the house drew a cross with a festive candle over the heads of all household members to protect his relatives in the coming year. Typically, thunder candles are kept all year round and are lit during difficult and dangerous periods or sometimes illness. Prepare three thin candles, heat them slightly over the fire so that they become flexible. Weave it into a “braid”, make the upper part of the candle in the form of a small Triad, which personifies the unity of the Slavic worlds - Reality, Nav and Rule. Then light them and cleanse your home. You can prepare several amulet candles for the whole year. Their strength lies precisely in their production on this holiday. Gromnitsa is a great day to make a wish, to ask the Higher powers and ancestors for help in treatment, patronage and protection from all evil. In the midst of winter, the holiday reminds people that even the worst disasters can be a ray of light - like lightning in the middle of winter. There is always hope.