Spring Greeting

This cycle includes such holidays as "Maslenitsa", "Vialikdzen'" (Easter), "Yur'ya" and others.Each celebration is characterized by specific cycles of  "vesnavyia" (spring) songs. The most ancient celebration is "Yur'ia". Yur'ia is in fact christianized name for pagan God-Sun - Yaryla. 

The typical ritual on Yur'ia (reflected in "yur'iauskiia" songs is calling for Yaryla (Yur'ya), the Sun-God, to bring out the keys and open his mothers (Earth, Nature) womb - to let out the grass, and flowers, and animals. As usual these holidays are also celebrated by specific ritual food - eggs (symbol of life in most of indo-european cultures), pancakes (circle is an important magical shape - it depicts sun).

One more folk festive of pagan origin is Maslenitsa. It is a ceremony at the junction of two seasons; it sees off winter and meets spring. Popular festivals of folk music is organized at the time of Maslenitsa. People sing traditional songs and dance in the streets wearing national costumes. But the distinguishing feature of this holiday is, of course, pancakes!

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