Turitsy (19/01)

The turits are dedicated to the — tour to one of the oldest animals revered among the Slavs with magical powers. The tour embodies the union of Veles and Perun for the glory and prosperity of the Slavic Family.

The son of Veles and Makoshi, Tur, like the Greek Pan, patronizes shepherds, guslar and buffoons, great prowess, games, dances and fun, as well as groves and forest animals. In the North, the Tour appears as a proud deer, but in the taiga forests it appears elk.

On this day they guess for the entire next year, since the holiday closes winter Christmastide. The 12th day of Christmastide corresponds to the 12th month of the year. Fortune telling occurs in the evening, with the onset of darkness. Collect snow to bleach the canvas. Snow collected that evening, thrown into a well, can preserve water for the entire year.

The Slavs saw in the holiday of Tours the oldest rite of youthful initiations into men, when, incarnated as a wolf, the young man had to show hunting abilities and military courage and fail his first round.

The ancient Slavs followed the example of these formidable animals, which did not take care of themselves in order to protect the herd. They tried to teach the younger generation to attack and defend, to show resourcefulness and perseverance, endurance, courage, the ability to unite to repel enemies, protect the weak and find a weak point in the enemy.

For many years, tours, wild bulls, served people as a symbol of honor and courage. Cups and horns were made from turkish horns, which were trumpeted invitingly during military campaigns, and even bows were made from especially large horns.

But Turitsa is also a shepherd’s holiday, at which time the community invites the shepherd to its place for the next season, arranges work with him, entrusting him with the precious herd for a long time. The shepherd, the servant of the Veles, puts intoxicating drinks on the common table, and the community — dishes, and celebrate their conspiracy with a holiday.

From this moment on, the shepherd takes care of the herd, and the tour helps him in this matter, protecting young heifers and cows preparing for calving in February from various misfortunes and diseases.

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