Holidays of the Slavs - Lelnik (Red Hill)

Lelya, or Lyalya, is the daughter of the Slavic goddess Lada. Forever young Lelya was a gentle patroness of children and nulliparous women. It is enough to remember the Russian words with the same root for this name (lyalya, cherish) to understand how the Slavs treated this goddess. On May 5 a holiday is celebrated in her honor. It is called Lelnik (Lyalnik), sometimes - Krasnaya Gorka. In the morning, dressed up girls and young women went to meet the dawn on the hill behind the village. With the first rays of the sun, the most beautiful girl was chosen to portray Lelya; she was decorated with a wreath and multi-colored ribbons. She stood in the center of the round dance and recited a spell for love. The rest repeated after her, wanting to meet their betrothed, to find female happiness. After the bachelorette party, the boys joined the round dance. The girl, depicting the goddess of spring and women in labor, was seated on a bench made of turf and presented with treats, ribbons, and bells to appease her. She put a wreath on everyone who approached. Sometimes they dressed up another girl, considering her to be Lada, the goddess of love. A straw effigy was placed on the pole. Below him, the adults were setting the festive table. The youth led round dances and played “streams”. Many wrote their wishes on birch bark, burned it in a fire and scattered the ashes to the wind. In the evening, boys and men left the holiday, all female representatives dressed in white clothes, formed a round dance around the fire and sang a wedding song in honor of Lelya. Houses were decorated with images of birds, because they were considered Lelya’s servants. It was customary to bake lalemye - a loaf or cookies: this treat symbolized a woman's share. Married women suffering from infertility went to the field at dawn and performed a special ceremony glorifying the Bereginya of pregnancy. Men could give cut flowers to their lovers. Children played with painted eggs. On this day, girls and boys were not allowed to sit at home, as this symbolized an unhappy future married life.