Koliada (deity)

God Koliada by Andrey Mazin

Koliada or Koleda is a Slavic mythological deity, that personalizes the newborn winter infant Sun^[1] and impersonates the New Year's cycle.^[2] It is connected with the solar cycle, passing through the four seasons and from one substantial condition into another. The four personifications of the Sun according to the ancient Slavic religion are:

• Koliada - the small, weak winter Sun, reborn at the morning after the winter solstice
• Yarilo - the strengthened Sun, that has turned into an adolescent at the morning after the spring equinox
• Kupala - the mighty Sun, that appeared at the morning after the summer solstice
• Khors - the aging and enervating, but wise Sun, that rose at the morning after the autumn equinox.^[3]

In the different Slavic countries at the Koliada winter festival were performed rituals with games and songs in its honour - like koleduvane. In some regions of Russia the ritual gifts (usually buns) for the koledari are also called "kolyada". In the lands of the Croats it was symbolized by a doll, called Koled.^[4] In the ancient times Slavs used to sacrifice horses, goats, cows, bears or other animals that impersonate fertility. Koliada is mentioned either as male or a female deity in the songs.^[2]

In modern culture

There are many traditions that recall both the deity and the ritual of Koliada. All of them are on or around Winter Solstice:

• Koleduvane is a ceremony with pagan roots that is still performed on Christmas Eve in many Slavic countries.
• Koleda is the modern Bulgarian word for Christmas.
• Kolyadka or Kolyada is a traditional song usually sung in Eastern Slavic countries (Belarus, Russia and Ukraine) only on Orthodox Christmas holidays, between the 7 and 14 of January
• Crăciun is the Romanian and Karácsony - the Hungarian word for Christmas. They are both derived from Korochun/Krachun - one of the names of the pagan holiday Koliada, although both Romania and Hungary are not Slavic countries.
• Kalėdos is the Lithuanian word for Christmas.

There are Slavic neopagan communities in most of the Slavic countries whose goal is to popularize ancient pagan belief and practice in present-day society.

Some Slavic (mainly Russian) pagan rock and folk rock bands have songs about Koliada:

• Song of the Russian folk band Ivan Kupala, called Kolyada ^[5]
• Song of the Russian pagan metal band Arkona, called Kolyada ^[6]
• Song of the Belarusian pagan metal band Kolo Pravi - Goy Kolyada ^[7]
• Song Kolyada of the Russian band Veter vody

See also

• Slavic deities
• Slavic mythology
• Koledari

References

1. ↑ България, славянски богове in Bulgarian
2. 1 2 Мифы народов мира (второe издание)/изд. "Советская Энциклопедия"/Москва/1987, том 1/стр.665
3. ↑ Краткие седения о славянских Богах in Russian
4. ↑ Мифологический словарь/Гл.ред. Е.М. Мелетинский - М.:'Советская энциклопедия', 1990 г.- 672 с.
5. ↑ List of the songs from the album Kostroma from the official site of the band Ivan Kupala
6. ↑ List of songs from the album Noch' Velesova (The Night Of Veles) of the Russian band Arkona in Encyclopaedia Metallum
7. ↑ Demo album of Kolo Pravi from 2009

External links

• Koliada // Russian mythological calendar