Holidays of the Slavs - The Birth of Vyshnya-Perun

In the Slavic-pagan tradition, all the forces of nature are reflected in the deities worshiped by their ancestors. Perun, born from the main deity, the great creator of the Family, turns the wheel of life, thereby reflecting the eternity of everything that exists. It is not surprising that it was on the day of the summer solstice that his birth took place. The event is depicted in a beautiful legend, when the bright hypostasis of Rod - the god Svarog, the creator of the Earth, united with Lada, and as a result of their union Perun appeared. The birth is accompanied by thunder, a thunderstorm, and the appearance of heavenly fire, which was revered by the Slavs as the source of life. What is good about Slavic legends is that they are close to real life. People in epics conveyed all the laws of life, which were the same for both ordinary people and deities. Newborn Perun slept soundly only when the sky was rocked by thunder. Perun, according to legend, inherited from his father the blacksmith's craft, mastery of all types of weapons common at that time. The superhuman strength and natural power that Perun demonstrates by sending lightning to the earth quite logically made him not only the patron of the elements. The difficult life of the Slavs, suffering from endless wars for a place in the sun, the fight against invaders and foreigners, forced them to ask for protection and support from such a strong god. Its significance in the pantheon (the totality of all Slavic deities) gradually becomes dominant, bringing it to the forefront among other deities. He became the patron of warriors, thereby demonstrating another law of life: whoever has strength has power. The ancestors asked him for protection from the invasion of enemies, help in protecting their native land and at the same time favorable weather conditions. All this is reflected in the rituals and traditions of this holiday. This happened at special temples, where oak trees necessarily grew. These trees have always been filled with sacred meaning. An oak tree struck by lightning was considered to be marked by the god, and the weapons resulting from it were endowed with special powers. Bulls and roosters were often sacrificed. The distinctive features of Perun's appearance reflected his qualities, while at the same time inspiring honor and respect. He had gray hair (thundercloud), a golden mustache and beard (lightning). His formidable attribute in the form of a chariot, on which he moved across the sky, frightened mortals. Thunder arrows are silicon fragments that people found in the ground; ancient people endowed them with powerful properties and considered them real artifacts. After the adoption of Christianity, many of the qualities of pagan deities were transferred to the new saints. Perun transformed into Elijah the Prophet. Many religions, so different at first glance, have a lot in common: the Scandinavian Thor is an analogue of Perun. Even for modern man, the elements often turn out to be beyond his control. The power of lightning, its action, and sometimes absolutely mystical manifestations of this natural phenomenon give an understanding that it was not in vain that the ancestors asked for mercy from their powerful gods, especially such a formidable but bright deity as Perun. And such an interesting fact as the summer solstice is a reason to celebrate this day by adding it to the collection of holidays.