Ancient Rus': paganism, funeral rites, cult of ancestors - Funeral home in Almaty and Kazakhstan. Pagan funeral feast

The week following Easter week, which is popularly called Radonitsa, is dedicated to the remembrance of the departed. Actually, the deceased are remembered on Tuesday after Bright Week, but the tradition has developed in such a way that our deceased relatives are remembered throughout the week.

Unfortunately, this commemoration turns into some kind of funeral feast. The tradition of bringing some kind of food to the cemetery is quite old; it has roots dating back to pagan times, but Christians have churched it.

Bishop Jonah of Obukhov

IN Soviet time this tradition was forgotten. There was a return to paganism in such a rather crude form - the commemoration of the dead turned into pagan funeral feasts. We should strive to avoid such things. If you come to the cemetery, take with you a prayer book with prayers for the deceased.

There are akathists for the dead, there are canons for the dead, there are prayers. Take with you what you find from the liturgical heritage of the Orthodox Church, what you as a believer can read in the cemetery. If you see a priest performing a funeral service in a cemetery on this day, invite him to pray for your loved ones.

In my opinion, you need to come to the cemetery without any food at all, with the exception of the food you need to strengthen yourself. It is better to give those foods that are traditionally brought to the cemetery to a person in need who is actually known to you. This could be a lonely old woman in your house, it could be a pensioner, it could be a large family. It will be the best gift for our departed.

On the Tuesday following Happy Week, commemoration of the dead is performed in the temple. On the eve of Monday evening, parastas is performed in the temple. This is an evening service dedicated to the remembrance of our dead.

In the morning, at the end of the liturgy, a memorial service is performed for our deceased relatives. If possible, it would be very good to attend the divine service, because we know the words of Christ: “Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”

Prayer with Christ, next to Christ is very important for our deceased, very important for our relatives. After all, we know that with God there are no dead, with God everyone is alive. And they will stand next to us in the temple, praying together to the risen Lord.

I think that such prayers in church by the entire church community, and a community that includes both the living and the deceased, are especially pleasing to God and especially needed by our deceased relatives.

Radonitsa is a reminder of eternal life

Orthodox Church established several days on which the deceased are especially remembered. These are the first four Saturdays of Great Lent, this is Dmitrievskaya parental Saturday, these are other days that are especially dedicated to our deceased.

But Radonitsa stands apart; on this day, even people of little faith and little church come to the cemetery, so that, as far as they understand how mature they are spiritually, they remember their relatives and friends.

After all, we know that the human soul is Christian by nature. She strives for something that is connected with the heavenly world, that is connected with eternity.

Easter is a joyful period not only for churchgoers, but also for people, the majority in our society, who have been baptized but have not yet come to church.

The Church considers these days special because we all also expect the resurrection of the dead. We all know that we will be resurrected. But some will be resurrected to eternal torment, and others to eternal life.

These days are important for every Christian, as a constant reminder of what awaits us in the future. These days are important as days in which a person must look into himself and think about what awaits him in eternity, what his life is like, whether it corresponds to the Gospel commandments.

These days it is very important to remember the words: “Remember your last and you will never sin.” We strive to go to the cemetery to remember eternal life.

During the period of Radonitsa, on the days of remembrance of the dead, we must try to do what the Orthodox Church calls us to do: be at the memorial service on Tuesday on the day of remembrance of the dead. It is advisable to be at the parastas the night before on Monday evening. This is an evening service in which we especially pray for the repose of our neighbors. During the week, we need to come to the cemetery and take care of the grave, but not just sit and sigh, remembering our relatives, but also offer a prayer to the cemetery for the repose of our deceased.

These days it is very important to give alms to those people who need this alms. My opinion is that not everyone in need needs to give.

We know how mafia-like structures associated with beggars flourish in cities. If you want your alms to be pleasing to God, so that your alms do not contribute to aggravating the passions of our neighbor, it is better to give to those who really need this alms.

It's more complicated. You need to work hard. We need to find these people. But this is important to your soul, it is important to those people for whom this alms is given, and even more important to those people to whom it is given.

After all, you can always find a lonely old woman, you can find a pensioner, you can find a large family or a disabled person. Make sure that your alms are pleasing to God and important to those who receive it.

Recorded by Larisa Boytsun

Video: Vyacheslav Grabenko

Autumn came with a quiet tread, covering the house with a shawl of sorrow. Vlasta finds no place for herself, it seems like she needs to cry, but her eyes are dry - there are no tears left. She no longer has a father, although she is completely grown up, but she remains an orphan. Tomorrow a ritual fire will be lit in the village, the father’s body will be burned, and the ashes will be scattered over the river and in a clean field. And then the funeral feast will begin, all the good fellows will fight, they will come together in an equal and fair battle to give honor to her father, Dobromir. He was a noble hunter, a protector of all the weak and disadvantaged. Vlasta remembers how his father returned from hunting and, first of all, brought game to orphans and widows. Their family was not rich, but guests were always welcome, there was food for everyone. Everyone in the village loved and respected Dobromir, and his children were spoiled, and various children’s dirty tricks were forgiven. Vlasta and her brother, Gordey, grew up as obedient, kind and diligent children. Their father took them hunting, taught them various wisdoms, and to go on a boat and catch fish. Even though women shook their heads in the village, Vlasta loved to follow her father’s tail and compete with her brother in archery. And she was a wonderful housewife, and her father and brother praised her cooking, and they certainly wouldn’t lie. And Vlasta knew how to sew and embroider all sorts of patterns. Look, I embroidered my father and Gordey white shirts with red amulets with my own hands to protect them from any kind of illness, but apparently the embroidery was poorly done. The shirt did not protect the priest; he lies pale and cold in the upper room. Tomorrow there will be a funeral feast and Proud will go to fight and show off his skills. Vlasta is jealous of him, she also wants to honor the memory of her father, but she will only have to stand on the sidelines and watch. It’s not a woman’s thing to swing a sword and shoot a bow. The authorities are both offended and bitter. She only consoles herself with the hope that someday, when she holds her son in her arms, she will name him Dobromir. She will teach him everything that her father taught her and her brother. And her son will certainly grow up to be as kind and strong as his grandfather was.

The ancient Slavs had a clear idea that the human soul is immortal, and after death it passes to the world of Navi, and then, traveling along the Golden Bridge, finds its abode in a new place. In order for the soul to continue maturing, it was necessary to live correctly and follow all the laws of the gods during life. Naturally, the ancient Slavs had special rituals associated with the burial and funeral service of the deceased. In this article we will talk about exactly this.

Previously, during the heyday of pagan beliefs, the body of the deceased was simply burned, and then the ashes were scattered in the wind. In particular, they did this on the bank of a river, or in an open field, but the point is not even that, but the fact that for our ancestors, fire was a kind of portal to the afterlife. After burning the body, rituals were performed in honor of the memory of the deceased. The totality of these rituals was called Trizna.

Trizna is that part of the funeral rituals that were carried out at the burial site after the body had already been burned. Such rituals included songs, dances, fights and many other competitions. They were held in honor of a deceased person, and not only his relatives, but also all residents of the village took part in them. Trizna was typical for the tribes Eastern Slavs.

Etymology of the word.

Naturally, our ancestors would not just name such an important part of their life out of thin air. The etymology of the word funeral, alas, is not completely clear to scientists; they still cannot come to the same denominator. Many theories have been put forward about the origin of this word. Let's look at a couple of them. So, the famous Slavist Mark Vasmer expressed his opinion regarding the fact that the word funeral feast came from the Proto-Slavic “tryzna”. He argued that there was an alternation of vowels, and the original form and source was the word “to poison”, which meant a funeral treat. That is, we were talking about a memorial feast, which is still held today. The second Slavist, Izmail Sreznevsky, assumed that the name of the rite means some kind of ritual struggle, competition, reward, feat in honor of the deceased. Some researchers, for example, such as Fortunatov and Meie, believed that the original word was “trizna”. This word was related to the Old Icelandic word “strið”, which translated means war and dispute. Russian linguist Oleg Trubachev looked for the roots of the name trizna in the numeral “tri”. In his opinion, the name of the ritual came from the tradition of sacrificing exclusively a three-year-old animal. Vladimir Toporov assumed that the funeral feast meant three types of competition, such as, for example, triathlon. He also emphasized that three different animals could be sacrificed, which could act as a symbol of all three worlds: heavenly, earthly and underground. Another interesting theory belongs to Rala Tseitlin, who proposed breaking the name of the funeral ritual into two words “three” and “izna”. In the first case, three is three, that is, a numeral, and the word “izn” can be interpreted as “reward.” That is, according to this theory, a funeral feast is a triple reward. As they said in the famous TV series “The X-Files,” the truth is out there.

Historical summaries and references.

So that the reader does not get the feeling that a ritual with such a name was invented only recently by neo-pagans, and is now being replicated as an original Slavic ritual, the author of the article hastens to provide historical summaries. So, my dears, such a ritual as Trizna is mentioned in the historical monument “The Tale of Bygone Years”. The first mention of this holiday is in the undated part of this manuscript, which tells about the way of life and way of life of the Slavs.

The second mention of this ritual dates back to approximately 945, and tells about the funeral rituals that were performed by Princess Olga over the body of her late husband. It also describes the revenge that was committed against the Drevlyan family, exactly how they killed the prince. The last mention of the ritual dates back to 969, when the funeral of Princess Olga herself is described.

Description of the ritual.

First of all, the funeral feast was held in order to protect the living from the encroachments of dark forces. This makes sense, especially considering that during a bereavement loved one, people become emotionally very vulnerable. And in order for the demons to not be able to seize dominion over the souls of people, it was necessary to hold a Trizna. Moreover, this set of rituals made it easier for the soul to transition to another world. In modern language, the word funeral feast is interpreted as a synonym for funeral feasts.

In addition to memorial feasts, the Trizna rituals included: the process of washing the body of the deceased, dressing him in ceremonial clothes, a ritual vigil, and then the burning of the body. By the way, they burned the body on a special platform, which was called a steal. Then games and various competitions were held to honor the memory of the deceased and to amuse others. Similar traditions existed among other peoples, for example, the Greeks.

We have already talked a lot about the Trizna, about how approximately it could be held, and where this holiday actually originates. But let's now take a look at the funeral processions of the ancient Slavs from the other side. Let us think about why the bodies of the deceased were burned and what sacred meaning our ancestors invested in this action.

Fire occupied a central place in the lives of our ancestors. The ancient Slavs were fire worshipers. Fire was a life-giving and creative energy that cleanses the soul from all filth. All rituals, all worship of gods in different temples did not take place without fire. For the ancient Slavs, the universe was created in the forge of Forefather Svarog, but what is in our forge? That's right - fire. The first gods appeared from sparks - this is also fire. Everything that surrounded the Slavs in the old days was a manifestation of the primordial elements. Even love for our ancestors was a manifestation of fire. However, fire could be different in their understanding: warming, burning, gentle, and fierce. The element was dualistic in the minds of the Slavs. She could create, but she could also destroy, but she could also. The death of a person was interpreted not as the end of life itself, but as the transition of the soul to another dimension. Therefore, in order to help the soul leave the abode of the mortal world, the body was burned. The fire was built simply huge, as in the old days the Slavs believed that along the pillar of fire that rushed into the sky, the soul went to another world. Moreover, fire served not only as a kind of teleport between worlds, but also as a purifier. The soul had to get rid of the sins created by mortal flesh with the help of the sacred flame. Without this, the soul could not move to the afterlife, since it would simply be unworthy of it. After the body was burned, the ashes fluttered in the wind, this symbolized the return of flesh to flesh, just as the human body is part of the world of reality, and the soul belongs to heavenly matter.

In the funeral rituals of the ancient Slavs important attribute a boat or rook also served. According to legend, in order to end up in the world of the dead, the soul had to swim across the Smorodina River. After this, the soul of the deceased ended up in the place that was prepared for it. According to some beliefs, the soul crossed the river by crossing the Kalinov Bridge. But still, some Slavic tribes burned their dead in boats. But all this may seem unproven to the reader. The author will try to provide historical reports and a description of the funeral rituals of the Slavs, which were captured by foreign travelers and scientists in his works.

The ancient Slavs had a custom back in the eighth century when, when a man’s body was burned at the stake, his wife willingly accepted death in order to be burned along with her husband. This custom was based on the belief that a woman could enter the so-called pagan paradise only together with her husband. Such an act evoked approval and respect from everyone. A similar ritual was widespread among the Baltic Slavs, as well as among the northwestern peoples.

Masudi, an Arab author who lived in the tenth century, writes that in Rus', among the Slovenians and Serbs it was customary to burn their dead, but the Danube Bulgarians, according to his description, could at their discretion both burn and bury the body in the ground. Leo Deacon from Byzantium, describes how the soldiers of Prince Svyatoslav burned the bodies of their fallen comrades. There is historical evidence of a similar ritual in Poland during the reign of Prince Mieczyslaw. According to the Tale of Bygone Years, the tribes of the Krivichi, Northerners and Radimichi, back in the tenth century, burned their dead, while the tribes of the Drevlyans and Polyans buried them.

Such historical reports allow us to assert that the original Slavs nevertheless burned the bodies of the dead. After burning, the remains were usually buried in shallow graves. With the beginning of the great settlement of the Slavic peoples, which dates back to the sixth century, numerous differences in funeral rituals appeared. For example, in the central part of the Slavic lands, the practice of burying remains in mounds began to be practiced. They represented a single space where everyone was buried; a separate hole was simply dug for each deceased. In the southeastern part of Slavia, burial mounds did not take root, but the custom of simply burying unburnt bodies in the ground spread there. According to researchers, such a combination of such different burial methods has its roots in the Roman era, and it was borrowed from the beliefs of the Iranian peoples. The symbiosis of cultures took place at the turn of the second and fourth centuries, on the territory of the Northern Black Sea region. There is nothing strange in this, since when two cultures exist next to each other, it is impossible to avoid the interaction of languages, culture, traditions and religious ideas. So, for example, the prefix “god” passed to the Slavs, from the Iranian peoples. This is where Stribog and Dazhdbog appeared. Thus, to judge that the tradition of burying the dead among the Slavs is the result of Christian influence is fundamentally wrong, since this ritual existed long before the arrival of Orthodoxy in the land of the Slavs. Gradually, the ritual of burning the dead faded away. This action dates back to the eleventh century, and here, of course, it could not have happened without the intervention of a new religion - Christianity.

Ibn Dosta, an Arab author who lived in the ninth century, wrote in his work “The Book of Precious Jewels” that it was customary among the Slavs to burn the bodies of the dead. But when describing the Russian burial ritual, this author describes that when a wealthy Russian died, he was buried in a grave that looked like a house. Clothes, jewelry and other valuables were buried there along with the body. Supplies with food and drinks were also placed in the grave. Together with the deceased, the wife of the deceased was located in this grave, while she was still alive. The grave was closed, and the woman died in captivity. This author also emphasizes that this phenomenon was based on the voluntary decision of the wives themselves.

Very interesting description about the burial ritual of the Rus, the Arab traveler Ahmed Ibn Fadlan gives us. He visited the coast of the Volga River. This action dates back to approximately 921 (possible inaccuracy of one year). During his journey, Fadlan met Russian merchants, and he witnessed a funeral. The author clarifies that the funeral he described belonged to a wealthy and very rich man. The funerals of the rich were distinguished by their multi-stage rituals, while for the funeral of the poor they made a boat and simply burned the body in it.

The rich man's funeral procession began in the following way: to begin with, the body was placed in a grave with a covering for ten days. Food supplies and intoxicating drinks were also placed there. Over the course of ten days, the wealth acquired by the deceased was divided. A third of the property went to the family of the deceased, a third of the funds were used to sew a rich funeral outfit, and the remaining third was spent on making an intoxicating drink, which was used to remember the deceased. During this period, music, drunkenness and sexual freedom were considered accompanying elements of preparation for a funeral.

The male and female slaves belonging to the deceased were asked which of them was ready to follow their master. Usually, girls agreed to this. The voluntary victim was assigned to serve two girls who were supposed to be with her everywhere. An Arab traveler even describes that these girls washed the victim's feet with their own hands. Before the funeral ceremony, the victim could fully enjoy all the joys of life: sing, dance, eat and drink the best and indulge in carnal pleasures.

The burial of the Rus, which was described by Fadlan, most likely took place in hiking conditions. That is why he was buried in his ship, where a hut was built. The ship itself was pulled out of the water onto the ground and secured on a kind of platform. Various animals were brought there: dogs, roosters, horses and cows. They were all cut into two parts, and their meat was thrown into the hut. The closest relatives of the deceased placed their tents around the ship. On the day of the funeral, the girl chosen as a victim walked from tent to tent, where each man had sexual intercourse with her. And this was done supposedly out of love and respect for her deceased master. Then the girl was lifted by the legs three times by the same men, and she uttered ritual phrases, where she talked about how she saw her father and mother, her master in a magnificent garden, who called her to him. Then the girl was given two cups of intoxicating drinks to drink. Drinking the first cup, the victim said goodbye to her friends, and the second cup served rather as a farewell to life, as after drinking it, the girl was taken to a hut by six men. The entire procession was led by an old woman, who was called the angel of death. Outside, the remaining men began to beat on their shields so that no one could hear the screams of the girl being killed. Inside the hut, all six men first had sexual intercourse with the victim, and then she was laid next to the body of her master. Two men held her hands, two men held her legs, and the old woman gave the others a rope with which they strangled the girl while the old woman poked a knife under the victim’s ribs. Afterwards, the ship itself was burned, and in its place a kind of hill was then built, where a wooden monument was erected in the form of a pillar, and the name of the deceased was written on it.

Of course, the above story from the story of an Arab traveler dates back to the beginning of the tenth century, but it is still part of our culture and history. It shows how rituals and ideas about funeral ceremonies among the ancient Slavs changed over several centuries. Something may seem very frightening and simply terrible to the reader, but do not forget that each action was characteristic of its era, and each era has its own thinking and ideas. In any case, death was not something frightening for our ancestors. Songs, dances, drinking intoxicating drinks and free sexual intercourse indicate a completely opposite reaction. Not a single reliably known historical report mentions the ritual of crying over the deceased. This already came with Christianity.

Trizna f. Trinitsa Wed. old remembrance of the dead, and feasts with this, folk games and ristania. On this day he held a funeral feast for his godfather, Krylov. Funeral, funeral, related to the funeral. The triznik, who presides over the funeral, generally participates in it. Tribute to the old man. valid according to verb. To hold a funeral feast, to rule, to celebrate a funeral feast, to celebrate a wake.

Trizna consists of:

From games, dances and competitions in honor of the deceased;
- from mourning the deceased;
- from the funeral feast.

Trizna, part of the funeral rite of the ancient Slavs. Initially, T. consisted of an extensive ritual complex of sacrifices, war games, songs, dances, competitions in honor of the deceased, mourning for the deceased, and a memorial feast both before and after the burning. With the adoption of Christianity among the Slavs for a long time T. was preserved in the form of funeral songs, feasts, etc. The term “T.” later it was used to mean “wake.”

The sacrifices included game or domestic poultry and livestock, grain, honey, milk, nuts, wax, flowers, fabric (towels, etc.), other household items, weapons - in other words, what served the deceased during his lifetime. This is confirmed by archaeological excavations (see below - Black Tomb mound).

There was an inaccuracy in the TSB: after the advent of Christianity, the funeral ritual has been preserved to this day, incl. in the form of funeral songs and feasts. Despite the obvious disapproval of the church and attempts to consign to oblivion everything that was associated with the primordial faith of the Slavic peoples, such an ancient ritual as the commemoration of the Ancestors is preserved everywhere in the everyday life of our contemporaries. In some cases, the church itself takes direct part in such rituals, and the action itself simultaneously combines elements of the rituals of the primordial faith and Christianity:

As reported by Yuri Orlov, a member of the Melitopol kuren of the Zaporozhye Lower Troops, on June 7 in Zaporozhye on the island of Khortytsia... an annual funeral feast took place - the day of remembrance of all the fallen Cossacks.

A prayer service for the dead Cossacks was served by the Archbishop of Zaporozhye and Melitopol, confessor of the Zaporozhye army Vasily. As a sign of memory of all the Cossacks, a symbolic cross with a mourning wreath was lowered onto the waters of the Dnieper-Slavuta.

Brothers from the Kuban, Don and even the Yamalo-Nenets Cossack districts of Russia arrived on the Khortitsa land, sacred to the Cossacks, and took part in the funeral feast. They presented the Cossacks with awards for their services in supporting historical traditions and ties between our Cossacks.

The funeral feast ended, as it should be according to ancient Slavic tradition, with a feast and songs.

From the above example we see the following: the fact that a priest served a prayer service is directly related to the late Orthodox Christian tradition. The custom of floating wreaths on water goes back to ancient times. And it relates not only to girls’ fortune-telling - for example, during the Kupala holiday, a girl floated a wreath on the water with a hidden thought about her future betrothed, sometimes inserting a lit candle into the middle of the wreath. “The direction of movement of the wreath indicated to the girl where she would marry; a drowned wreath or an extinguished candle foreshadowed her death, etc. By floating her wreath on the water, the girl seemed to be entrusting her fate to the flow of time, the symbol of which was the river, which is in perpetual motion.” In fact, the sacred meaning of the action itself of “letting one go on water” includes a broader meaning. “Floating on water” is a ritual action correlated with the mythological opposition of “this” and “this” light. In other words, ancient peoples (not only the Slavs) had ideas about water, a river, a stream, as a kind of border separating “this” and “that world.” Therefore, objects floated on water were more often intended for the dead, as an offering, a “sacrifice” - a kind of tribute to the memory of the departed.

The mention of the FRIZNA ritual was voiced by Academician B.A. Rybakov:

Black Tomb, ancient Russian mound of the late 10th century. in Chernigov. Height 11 m, circumference 125 m. Excavated in 1872-73 by D.Ya. Samokvasov. Contained the cremation of corpses, probably of two noble warriors with slaves, sacrificial animals, dishes, weapons, tools, jewelry, etc. After cremation, a primary mound (7 m high) was erected to perform the funeral feast, on top of which chain mail and helmets (removed from the fire) were placed ), a cauldron with ram bones, 2 sacrificial knives, 2 gold Byzantine coins, a bronze idol and 2 turk horns. The silver frames of the horns are decorated with embossed floral patterns; on the large horn there are depictions of a man and a woman with bows shooting at a bird, fantastic animals, etc. At the end of the funeral feast, the mound was topped up and a stele was installed on top. Ch. M. belonged to representatives of the druzhina elite Kievan Rus(analogy - the large Gnezdovo mounds).

A similar visual description of the ritual is also present in Russian fine art: in the works of the artist V.M. Vasnetsov’s “Trezna for Oleg” and “Trezna” depict both the mound, and the mourning of the departed from this world and the funeral feast.

Among the Slavic peoples, commemoration of ancestors occurs on separate days. For example, a day of honoring ancestors is held, which is called “Grandfathers” on the 22nd of October (October).

Grandfathers is a folk memorial rite in memory of deceased relatives. By Grandfathers - ancestors in whom the people saw their physical and spiritual roots, everyone was understood dead relatives and their souls, regardless of gender and age. The day on which the ceremony took place was also called grandfathers. Ancestors are usually remembered only by their family. Every family celebrates them several times a year. In many regions of Belarus, the day immediately before Grandfathers was called “Baba”. In ancient times, veneration of ancestors was carried out over two days, depending on the gender of the deceased.

There was a lot in common in the celebration of Winter, Summer, and Autumn Grandfathers. The veneration of the dead, the diligent preparation and the precise execution of the ceremony - all this was done with the aim of pleasing the souls of the ancestors. People asked their grandfathers for support in hard times. Grandfathers themselves come to the aid of their descendants at the right time. On all memorial days, it was forbidden to perform any type of household work, except for feeding domestic animals and cooking.

The table on Grandfathers covered almost the entire national cuisine Belarusians.

As we see, we are essentially talking about a funeral feast - a funeral feast. The funeral ritual, like many Slavic rituals, is included in the rituals of Christianity, which did not have its own original ritual.

Etymology

The etymology of the word “trizna” is not entirely clear. Trizna is found in Slavic languages. In I. I. Sreznevsky, funeral feast means “struggle, competition; suffering, feat; reward; wake." M. Vasmer assumed that in the Proto-Slavic language the original form was *tryzna. Some researchers (A. Meie, P. Persson, F. F. Fortunatov) considered the original *trizna and brought it closer to the Old Icelandic word strið, meaning “dispute, war, anxiety, torment.” O. N. Trubachev built fame. * trizna by the way * trizь“three-year-old (about an animal)”, associated with the numeral *tri. The word "trizna", thus, originally meant the sacrifice of a three-year-old animal. Based on this assumption, V.N. Toporov gave a wide range of comparisons of the word with the Indo-European tradition within the framework of the idea of ​​trinity. In particular, he put forward the idea that the funeral feast meant three types of competition, like triathlon, or the sacrifice of three types of animals, symbolizing the three worlds - underground, earthly and heavenly. R. M. Tseitlin proposed, when accepting the opinion that the basis of the noun “trizna” is the numeral “three”, as well as special meaning concepts of triple in Slavic mythology, the assumption that in the Old Slavonic “trizna” there is a formant “izna” and the meaning “triple reward”.

Mentioned in "The Tale of Bygone Years"

The scant information about the funeral feast in written sources does not make it possible to accurately determine all the actions that were carried out during this ritual. V.N. Toporov noted this problem, saying that there are either descriptions of rituals without denoting them with the term “funeral,” or the word “funeral” is present in the text, but without explaining the essence of the concept. These are the data from The Tale of Bygone Years. There are not many mentions of funeral feasts, but the descriptions are typical of the funeral rites of the Slavs.

The first mention of the funeral feast is in the description of the Slavic peoples and their life in the undated part of the PVL:

“And if anyone dies, I perform a funeral feast over him, and I create a great treasure in seven, and I blaspheme and burn the dead man on the treasure, and I gather the bones and put them in a small vessel, and set them on a pillar on the way, which is what Vyatichi is doing even now.”

In various chronicles, both “I treasure” and “I steal” are mentioned. In the Chronicler of Pereslavl of Suzdal, this word is replaced by “a pile of firewood”. B.A. Rybakov meant by this name “a bonfire, a burning altar,” and “pillar” meant a wooden house for an urn.

The following mention when describing the funeral actions of Princess Olga over her deceased husband, Prince Igor, and at the same time carrying out revenge on the Drevlyans for his murder (945):

“And he sent an envoy to the wooden people, bawling at his chest: “Behold, I am already coming to you, so that you can build a lot of honey in the city, so that when you kill my husband, I will cry over his grave, and I will punish my husband.” They, having heard that, brought the honey many were sick, and boiled. Olga, having taken a small squad, came lightly to his tomb, and wept for her husband. And he commanded his people to dig into the great grave, and as if with haste, and commanded them to do thrice."

The last time the funeral feast is mentioned in the PVL is when the death of Princess Olga is mentioned (969):

“And Olga commanded not to do abuses against yourself, for if you have a priest, bury blessed Olga.”

Description

The purpose of the funeral feast was to drive away evil forces from the living. In modern Russian the word funeral feast mainly used as part of phraseology perform a funeral feast and is understood mainly as a feast in honor of the deceased, a wake.

In addition to the wake, the feast included the ritual of washing the deceased, dressing (dressing in best clothes, decorations), ritual vigil at the body of the deceased, which could be accompanied by ritual fun, and burning of the corpse on a special platform called krada. Among the pagan Slavs, ordinary burial, without burning, was often found, but it became overwhelming only after the spread of Christianity.

Similar traditions of funeral rites existed among other peoples. In particular, the ancient Greeks organized games (sports competitions) in honor of the deceased.

Notes

Literature

• Anichkov E.V. Folk poetry and ancient beliefs of the Slavs // History of Russian literature. - M.: Type. T-va I.D. Sytin, 1908. - T. I. - 428 p.
• Anichkov E.V. Paganism and Ancient Rus'. - St. Petersburg: Type. MM. Stasyulevich, 1914. - 424 p.
• Veletskaya N.N. On some ritual phenomena of pagan funeral rites (to the analysis of Ibn Fadlan’s message about the funeral of the “Russ”) // History, culture, folklore and ethnography of the Slavic peoples: VI International Congress of Slavists (Prague, 1968). Reports of the Soviet delegation. - M.: Nauka, 1968. - P. 192-212.
• Gindin L.A. The burial rite of Attila (Iord. XLIX, 256-258) and Olga’s “funeral funeral” for Igor (PVL, 6453) // Soviet Slavonic Studies. - 1990. - No. 2. - P. 65-67.
• Gindin L.A. The burial rite of Attila and Olga’s funeral feast for Igor // Balto-Slavic ethnocultural and archaeological antiquities. Funeral rite: Abstracts of conference reports. - M.: Institute of Slavic and Balkan Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1985. - P. 30-33.
• Dudko D.M. Funeral rite of noble Rus: ethnohistorical and mythological roots // Khazar almanac. - 2005. - T. 4. - P. 158-167.
• Kotlyarevsky A.A. About the funeral customs of the pagan Slavs. - M.: Synodal Printing House, 1868. - 306 p.
• Martynov V.V. Trizna and strava // Balto-Slavic ethnocultural and archaeological antiquities. Funeral rite: Abstracts of conference reports. - M.: Institute of Slavic and Balkan Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1985. - P. 56.
• Muryanov M.F. New about st.-glory. funeral feast // Etymology. 1985. - M.: Nauka, 1988. - P. 54-56.
• Niederle L. Life and culture of the ancient Slavs. - Prague: Flame, 1924. - 288 p.
• Niederle L. Slavic antiquities / Ed. A.L. Mongaita. - M.: Foreign Literature Publishing House, 1956. - 450 p.
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• Toporov V.N. On the semantics of trinity (famous *trizna, etc.) // Toporov V.N. Research on etymology and semantics. T. I. Theory and some of its particular applications. - M.: Languages ​​of Slavic culture, 2004. - P. 273-291.
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See what “Trizna” is in other dictionaries:

Rite, funeral Dictionary of Russian synonyms. funeral feast see wake Dictionary of synonyms of the Russian language. Practical guide. M.: Russian language. Z. E. Alexandrova. 2011… Synonym dictionary

FRIZNA, part of the funeral rite of the ancient Slavs before and after the funeral (funeral). Accompanied by songs, dances, war games, sacrifices, feasts... Modern encyclopedia

Part of the funeral rite of the ancient Slavs before and after the funeral (funeral). Accompanied by songs, dances, war games, sacrifices, feasts... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Trizna, funeral feast, women. 1. Among the ancient Slavs, a wake for the deceased was accompanied by a feast (source). “The circular ladles are foaming and hissing at the funeral feast of the deplorable Oleg.” Pushkin. 2. transfer A sad memory of someone who has lost something, died (poet, rhetorician... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

FRIZNA, s, women. 1. Among the ancient Slavs: ritual actions and feasts in memory of the deceased. Edit the funeral feast. 2. Among the Orthodox: the rite of remembrance of the deceased, as well as (obsolete) commemoration in general. T. after the deceased. Ozhegov's explanatory dictionary. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu.... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Women Tribute Wed, old. remembrance of the dead, esp. pagan and Muslim, and feasts at the same time, folk games and rituals. On this day he held a funeral feast for his godfather, Krylov. Funeral, funeral, related to the funeral. Triznik, who rules the funeral feast... Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

- “TRIZNA”, USSR, KAZAKHFILM, 1972, color, 81 min. Poetic drama. Based on the poem “Kulager” by Ilyas Dzhansugurov. XIX century. The Kazakh poet Ahan Sir, on his horse Kulager, arrives at the funeral ace in honor of the deceased ruler of Saginaybay. By… … Encyclopedia of Cinema

Before the baptism of Rus', the Eastern Slavs worshiped numerous pagan deities. Their religion and mythology left their mark on everyday life. The Slavs practiced a large number of rites and rituals, one way or another connected with the pantheon of deities or the spirits of their ancestors.

History of Slavic pagan rituals

Ancient pagan traditions pre-Christian Rus' had religious roots. The Eastern Slavs had their own pantheon. It included many deities who could generally be described as powerful nature spirits. and the customs of the Slavs corresponded to the cults of these creatures.

Another important measure of people's habits was the calendar. The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' were most often correlated with a specific date. It could be a holiday or a day of worship of some deity. A similar calendar has been compiled over many generations. Gradually, it began to correspond to the economic cycles according to which the peasants of Rus' lived.

When Grand Duke Vladimir Svyatoslavovich baptized his country in 988, the population began to gradually forget about their former pagan rituals. Of course, this process of Christianization did not go smoothly everywhere. Often people defended their former faith with weapons in their hands. Nevertheless, by the 12th century, paganism had become the lot of marginalized people and outcasts. On the other hand, some former holidays and rituals were able to coexist with Christianity and take on a new form.

Naming

What were pagan rites and rituals and how could they help? The Slavs gave them a deep practical meaning. Rituals surrounded every resident of Rus' throughout his life, regardless of which tribal union he belonged to.

Any newborn, immediately after his birth, went through a naming ritual. For pagans, the choice of what to name their child was vital. The future fate of a person depended on the name, so parents could decide on an option for quite a long time. This ritual also had another meaning. The name established a person's connection with his family. Often it was possible to determine where the Slav came from.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' always had a religious background. Therefore, the adoption of a name for a newborn could not take place without the participation of a sorcerer. These sorcerers, according to Slavic beliefs, could communicate with spirits. It was they who consolidated the choice of parents, as if “coordinating” it with the deities of the pagan pantheon. Among other things, naming finally made the newborn initiated into the ancient Slavic faith.

Disbaptism

Naming was the first obligatory rite that every member of the Slavic family went through. But this ritual was far from the last and not the only one. What other pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' were there? Briefly speaking, since they were all based on religious beliefs, it means that there was another ritual that allowed a person to return to the bosom of his native faith. Historians called this ritual debaptism.

Indeed, the Slavs had the opportunity to abandon Christianity and return to the religion of their ancestors. In order to be cleansed of alien faith, it was necessary to go to the temple. This was the name of the part of the pagan temple intended for the ceremony. These places were hidden in the deepest forests of Rus' or small groves in the steppe zone. It was believed that here, far from civilization and large settlements, the connection between the Magi and the deities was especially strong.

A person who wanted to renounce the new Greek foreign faith had to bring with him three witnesses. This was required by the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus'. The 6th grade at school, according to the standard curriculum, superficially studies the realities of that time. The Slav knelt down, and the sorcerer read a spell - an appeal to the spirits and deities with a request to cleanse the lost fellow tribesman from filth. At the end of the ritual, it was necessary to swim in a nearby river (or go to the bathhouse) in order to complete the ritual according to all the rules. These were the traditions and rituals of that time. Pagan faith, spirits, sacred places - all this had great importance for every Slav. Therefore the baptism was a common occurrence in the X-XI centuries. Then people expressed their protest against the official Kyiv state policy aimed at replacing paganism with Orthodox Christianity.

Wedding

Among the ancient Slavs in Rus', a wedding was considered an event that finally confirmed the entry young man or girls in adult life. Moreover, a childless life was a sign of inferiority, because in this case the man or woman did not continue their family line. The elders treated such relatives with open condemnation.

The pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus' differed from each other in some details depending on the region and tribal alliance. Nevertheless, songs were an important wedding attribute everywhere. They were performed right under the windows of the house in which the newlyweds were to begin living. The festive table always included rolls, gingerbread, eggs, beer and wine. The main treat was the wedding loaf, which, among other things, was a symbol of the abundance and wealth of the future family. Therefore, they baked it on a special scale. The long wedding ceremony began with matchmaking. At the end, the groom had to pay the bride's father a ransom.

Housewarming

Each young family moved to their own hut. The choice of housing among the ancient Slavs was an important ritual. The mythology of that time included many evil creatures who knew how to damage the hut. Therefore, the location for the house was chosen with special care. For this, magical divination was used. The whole ritual can be called a housewarming ritual, without which it was impossible to imagine the beginning of a full life for a newly born family.

Christian culture and pagan traditions of Rus' became closely intertwined with each other over time. Therefore, we can say with confidence that some former rituals existed in the outback and provinces until the 19th century. There were several ways to determine whether a site was suitable for building a hut. A pot with a spider inside could have been left on it overnight. If the arthropod weaved a web, then the place was suitable. Safety was also tested using cows. This was done as follows. The animal was released into a spacious area. The place where the cow lay down was considered lucky for a new hut.

Caroling

The Slavs had a separate group of so-called bypass rituals. The most famous of them was caroling. This ritual was performed annually along with the beginning of a new annual cycle. Some pagan holidays (holidays in Rus') survived the Christianization of the country. This is how caroling was. It retained many of the features of the previous pagan ritual, although it began to coincide with Orthodox Christmas Eve.

But even the most ancient Slavs had the custom on this day to gather in small groups, which began to walk around their native settlement in search of gifts. As a rule, only young people took part in such gatherings. Besides everything else, it was also a fun festival. Carolers dressed up in buffoon costumes and went around neighboring houses, announcing to their owners about the upcoming holiday of the new birth of the Sun. This metaphor meant the end of the old annual cycle. They usually dressed up in wild animals or funny costumes.

Kalinov Bridge

The key thing in pagan culture was the burial ritual. He ended a person’s earthly life, and his relatives thus said goodbye to the deceased. Depending on the region, the essence of funerals among the Slavs changed. Most often, a person was buried in a coffin, in which, in addition to the body, the personal belongings of the deceased were placed so that they could serve him in the afterlife. However, among the Krivichi and Vyatichi tribal unions, on the contrary, ritual burning of the deceased at the stake was common.

The culture of pre-Christian Rus' was based on numerous mythological subjects. For example, the funeral was held according to the belief about the Kalinov Bridge (or Star Bridge). In Slavic mythology, this was the name of the path from the world of the living to the world of the dead, which the human soul passed after his death. The bridge became insurmountable for murderers, criminals, deceivers and rapists.

The funeral procession passed a long way, which symbolized the journey of the soul of the deceased to the afterlife. Next, the body was placed on the fence. This was the name of the funeral pyre. It was filled with branches and straw. The deceased was dressed in white clothes. In addition to him, various gifts were also burned, including funeral dishes. The body had to lie with its feet facing west. The fire was lit by the priest or the elder of the clan.

Trizna

When listing what pagan traditions there were in pre-Christian Rus', one cannot fail to mention the funeral feast. This was the name of the second part of the funeral. It consisted of a funeral feast, accompanied by dancing, games and competitions. Sacrifices were also practiced to the spirits of ancestors. They helped find comfort for the survivors.

The funeral feast was especially solemn in the case of the funeral of soldiers who defended their native lands from enemies and foreigners. Many pre-Christian Slavic traditions, rites and customs were based on the cult of power. Therefore, warriors enjoyed special respect in this pagan society both from ordinary residents and from the wise men who knew how to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. During the funeral feast, the exploits and courage of heroes and knights were glorified.

Fortune telling

Old Slavic fortune-telling was numerous and varied. Christian culture and pagan traditions, having mixed with each other in the 10th-11th centuries, have left many rituals and customs of this kind today. But at the same time, many of the fortune telling of the inhabitants of Rus' were lost and forgotten. Some of them were saved in popular memory thanks to careful work folklorists of the last few decades.

Fortune telling was based on the veneration of the Slavs with many faces natural world- trees, stones, water, fire, rain, sun, wind, etc. Other similar rituals necessary to find out your future were carried out as an appeal to the spirits of deceased ancestors. Gradually, a unique one, based on natural cycles, developed, which was used to check when it was best to go and tell fortunes.

Magic rituals were necessary in order to find out what the health of relatives, harvest, offspring of livestock, welfare, etc. would be like. The most common were fortune telling about marriage and the upcoming bride or groom. In order to carry out such a ritual, the Slavs climbed into the most remote and uninhabited places - abandoned houses, forest groves, cemeteries, etc. This was done because it was there that the spirits lived, from whom they learned the future.

Night on Ivan Kupala

Due to the fragmentary and incompleteness of historical sources of that time, the pagan traditions of pre-Christian Rus', in short, have been little studied. Moreover, today they have become excellent ground for speculation and low-quality “research” by various writers. But there are exceptions to this rule. One of them is the celebration of the night of Ivan Kupala.

This national celebration had its strictly specific date- June 24. This day (more precisely, night) corresponds summer solstice- a short period when daylight reaches an annual record of its duration. It is important to understand what Ivan Kupala meant to the Slavs in order to understand what pagan traditions were in pre-Christian Rus'. A description of this holiday is found in several chronicles (for example, in Gustynskaya).

The holiday began with the preparation of funeral dishes, which became sacrifices in memory of departed ancestors. Another important attribute of the night was mass swimming in a river or lake, in which local youth took part. It was believed that on Midsummer's Day the water received magical and healing powers. Holy springs were often used for bathing. This was due to the fact that, according to the beliefs of the ancient Slavs, some areas on ordinary rivers were swarming with mermaids and other evil spirits, ready at any moment to drag a person to the bottom.

The main rite of the Kupala night was the lighting of a ritual fire. All the rural youth collected brushwood in the evening so that there would be enough fuel until the morning. They danced around the fire and jumped over it. According to beliefs, such a fire was not simple, but cleansing from evil spirits. All women had to be around the fire. Those who did not come to the holiday and did not take part in the ritual were considered witches.

It was impossible to imagine the Kupala night without ritual outrages. With the onset of the holiday, the usual prohibitions were lifted in the community. Celebrating young people could steal things with impunity from other people's yards, take them around their native village, or throw them on roofs. Prank barricades were erected on the streets, which disturbed other residents. The youth turned over the carts, shut up chimneys etc. According to the traditions of that time, such ritual behavior symbolized the festive revelry of evil spirits. The bans were lifted for one night only. With the end of the holiday, the community returned to its usual measured life.