Secrets of the folk calendar revealed at the National Centre RUSSIA
The folk calendar in Russia guided people not only through festive and rest days but also, for example, through "right" and "wrong" minutes. Guests of the National Centre RUSSIA learned about these ancient customs from folklore and traditional culture expert, member of the Ethnographic Commission of the Russian Geographical Society, Varvara Dobrovolskaya. The lecture took place as part of the Russian Geographical Society’s series "The Diversity of Cultures and Peoples of Russia and the CIS" and formed part of the "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" International Festival.
Varvara Dobrovolskaya, a renowned folklorist, Candidate of Philology and author of more than 250 works on folklore and traditional culture, delivered the lecture "The Traditional Folk Calendar of Central Russia". She introduced the audience to the concepts of "male" and "female" days, paired and unpaired days, and even "good" and "bad" dates and minutes in the folk calendar.
"When we think of a calendar, we usually look for holidays and days off — moments when we can rest or do what we love. But in folk culture, the calendar is an endless sequence of dates. It marks not only holidays but also everyday life: the days of fasting, the start of agricultural work or other kinds of labour. There was also a special group of dates considered dangerous for people. It was believed that the year contained ‘bad’ days and even ‘bad’ minutes. For instance, in many local traditions there was a ban on scolding children or daughters-in-law on such days, so as not to bring misfortune upon them," explained Varvara Dobrovolskaya.
Continuing her talk, the expert explained why people in the past never held weddings on Saturdays, why 29 February was considered the most "unlucky" day, and what this has to do with Saint Kasyan and Nikolai Gogol’s mystical story "Viy".
"Even today, in any Russian village, people will tell you: ‘Whatever Kasyan looks at, it withers.’ The secret of the saint’s heavy gaze lies in the legend that God punished him with large eyelids, preventing him from seeing the world — and only on 29 February do Kasyan’s eyelids rise. That is why he is often associated with Gogol’s famous character," said Varvara Dobrovolskaya.
Speaking about the connection between folk and church traditions, the folklorist emphasised the role of ordinary guardians of ancient culture.
"In many ways, priests and the Church owe a debt of gratitude to folk traditions and the village grandmothers who passed on living religious customs to the younger generations — as well as to cultural workers who ‘saved’ two church holidays, preserving them with their local characteristics. These are Maslenitsa, which in the modern world symbolises the farewell to winter, and Trinity, whose traditional forms of celebration have survived to this day," said Varvara Dobrovolskaya.
Concluding her talk, the expert drew attention to the remarkable resilience of folk memory, which sometimes reveals itself in our daily habits.
"We may think we are far removed from ancient folk festivals, but that’s not true. Motor memory works in fascinating ways. For instance, in the past people used to ‘call for spring’ by baking little birds from dough — ‘larks’ or ‘sandpipers’. Although the festival itself is no longer celebrated, we still sometimes make small dough ‘birds’, often without realising why. And almost everyone still dyes eggs for Easter — both believers and those far from religious tradition," she concluded.
The International Festival "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" runs from 31 October to 5 November at the National Centre RUSSIA, the World Trade Centre and the Moskino Cinema Park. The programme includes educational and cultural events, expositions and masterclasses aimed at uniting representatives of government bodies and the expert community.
The festival is organised by the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs (FADN of Russia) in coordination with the Security Council of the Russian Federation, the Presidential Executive Office of Russia, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, with the participation of the Ministry of Culture of Russia, Rossotrudnichestvo, the Moscow Government, Moskino, Gazprom–Media Holding, RUTUBE, the Russian society Znanie, the Russian Geographical Society, ROSKINO JSC, the Regional Film Support Foundation, and the Internet Development Institute.
Event photobank
The programme opened with several major cultural and educational events.
The 20th anniversary of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, the "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" took place this week.
Seven film screenings at once were held at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the film forum of the "Peoples of Russia and the CIS" International Festival.
