Happy New Year everyone! Last week, we discussed Ded Moroz and other Christmas gift givers, and I promised in that post that we would talk about the origins of Koliada/Szczodre Gody on this Slavic Saturday. So, that’s exactly what we’re doing!
The festival goes by Koliada or Koleda typically (also Kolyadá, Kolyada, Kaliada, Колядá, Коляда, Коледа) but in Polish, which I tend to use for these articles, it is Szczodre Gody or Święto Godowe. For simplicity, I’ll be referring to it as Koliada throughout this article unless an event specifically relates to the Polish version.
(June 2021 Updated) Note: If you enjoy Slavic mythology, check out A Dagger in the Winds, the first book in my Slavic fantasy series called The Frostmarked Chronicles. You can also join my monthly newsletter for updates and free novellas (such as the prequel, The Rider in the Night) set in the world of the series.
The Pagan Solstice and New Year
We’ll talk later about what Koliada has become today, but first we need to go into the roots of the celebration in pre-Christian pagan times.
The cycle of the year is a powerful force in Slavic mythology and folklore. From Jaryło/Jarilo/Yarilo, Żywia/Vesna, and Dziewanna/Devana (the gods of spring) killing Marzanna/Morana (goddess of winter) at the spring equinox to Marzanna getting her revenge in autumn, the world’s cycles are connected to the gods and their power. The winter solstice is no different.
Though the time-frame did vary some by region, typically Koliada was celebrated on the shortest day of the year. It was a grand festival, symbolized in the Polish name Szczodre Gody, which means “generous feast” (source: Lamus Dworski). This feast celebrated the turning of days as they began to ascend from the darkest days of winter and back into the light. This darkness was a constant threat in Slavic folklore – a place where demons and creatures lurked, ready to strike. Its end (or at least the march towards its end) offered hope with the new year, as the festival marked the start of the next year. Nature would soon be reborn, and with it, the crops could be planted and the chill would be gone.
Koliada was like many holidays in Slavic paganism, bringing a connection between Jawia/Yav (the middle, terrestrial world) and Nawia/Nav (the underworld). Ancestor reverence was common among the early Slavs, and this time, while also a multi-day feast of the last year’s harvest, also offered people a chance to dine with those ancestors. People commonly gave offerings of food to their ancestors. During Koliada in particular, an extra plate or bowl was given for ancestors to join the family and left out in case they would rather eat while the family slept.
This time was also dangerous, though, as it was thought perhaps demons manifested more often during the darkest nights. To prevent this, people would dress as “the others,” wearing wooden or animal masks to appear as demons. They were meant to place themselves as a non-harmful substitute for the actual demons and stop them from attacking. This is often done around a fire, and these “others” then play tricks on the people of the village and ask for offerings.
The god of the underworld himself also had a role to play here, too. Weles/Veles had many areas under his domain, from protector of cattle and the lowlands to magic, commerce, trickery, and even winter. He was honored during Koliada, perhaps because of his wintery connections or his bringing of the ancestors from Nawia during the time. Perhaps as well, Weles’s connections with divination were important, since Koliada was a popular time for such rituals. Since not much has been passed down, it’s hard to say, but it was, regardless, a festival in which Weles was honored. Some stories tell of him appearing around the fire to play tricks and divine the future. He would then hit his staff against a “Budnik” log – a special one within the fire – and cast sparks into the year, marking a good year to come if those sparks were long and a bad one if they weren’t.
Girls were thought to take use of this divination time to figure who their future husbands will be. One way to to divine was by pouring wax in a bowl of water and read what comes of it. This, along with perceptions of the harvest to come, were popular during the days of Koliada (up to twelve).
Connections to a God (or Goddess)?
For anyone who has read a bit about Slavic mythology, there are sometimes dubious mentions of a god or goddess named Koliada/Koleda. It is claimed that he or she was a solar deity, perhaps like that of Dadźbóg/Dažbog/Dazhbog, or a deity of winter, but little else is known. I mention the claim because of the naming similarities and the common perception that the two are related. Myself, I am not convinced, though, that Koliada/Koleda was a god or goddess at all unless it was specific to just certain regions. There’s little evidence to say otherwise.
Koliada Today
Like many pagan holidays that medieval Christians were unable to get rid of completely, Koliada became a tradition associated with Christianity instead. It morphed into a celebration around Christmas time itself. People taking part tend to sing carols, go house to house for candy or small rewards, and dress up in costumes – though far less frightening than the pagan times. There are often many drums, bells, etc. and the term “Koliada” and words derived from it have often now come to mean just this type of celebrating around Christmas instead of it being a separate festival.
In The Frostmarked Chronicles
Since the first books of The Frostmarked Chronicles begin in the spring and summer times, Koliada (or Szczodre Gody it will likely be called due to me using Polish, as well proto-Slavic, terms in the books) won’t make an appearance for a while. I do have plans for it later in the series. Especially since winter is a big theme, in case you couldn’t tell from the series name, Koliada will certainly have a role to play.
That’s all for this week’s Slavic Saturday. Be sure to keep a lookout for more posts next week, and if you haven’t seen the full series of posts, be sure to check them out.
*As always just a quick disclaimer. Slavic mythology is broad and not written in many if any primary sources, so there’s a variety of interpretations. The interpretations I’m using here are from the sources I’ve found to be reliable and as well as some creative freedom for my book series.