Caroling is a favorite pastime for children. Firstly, it’s fun, and secondly, you can collect a little money and all sorts of goodies. It’s true that now children prefer money more – you won’t surprise them with sweets anymore. But before you start caroling, you need to figure out when to go caroling, when to be generous and, in general, how to do it correctly.
Let's start with the fact that in ancient times, on the first day of the New Year (but according to the old style, January 14), the most common ritual was sowing. Although a lot of time has passed since then, this custom has remained and reached our time. But initially, this ritual came to us from pre-Christian times. At that time our ancestors met New Year not in winter, but in spring, and the sowing ritual was associated with high hopes for a good harvest. Mostly children did the sowing, and the one who came first was given very generous gifts.
So:
carol– January 6 evening
christmas– January 7 in the morning
generous– January 13 evening
sow (sow)– January 14 morning
They sing carols in the evening, January 6th. And on the morning of January 7th they celebrate, sing Christmas songs and wish everyone a Merry Christmas.
They give generously on January 13, and the next morning, at dawn, they sow (sow) grain. People go to their godparents, loved ones and relatives to sow (sow). But the man should be the first to enter the house on this day, since it is believed that girls do not bring happiness.
According to a long-standing tradition, caroling requires at least 3 people. It could be both girls and boys, both aunts and uncles)). The head of the carolers is the star. This is the person who goes first and carries the star. The role of star was always chosen by a person who had a loud, beautiful voice and knew carols better than others.
The next most senior person is the bell ringer.. This person is also an integral part of the caroling “team”. His duty is to carry a large bell and ring it to notify people that carolers are coming.
The third important caroler is the mekhonosh. Apparently, this man had to be strong, since he had to carry everything that the owners of the houses would throw at the carolers: candy, cookies, money, etc. They will throw it, since carolers should not take anything from their hands - the owners should put all gifts directly into the bag.
How wonderful it would be if today everything was the same as before. But, unfortunately, today no one bothers with this. It's enough just to learn carols. But it doesn’t cost anything to make at least a star. Star for caroling, it is mainly done with eight ends. It can easily be cut out of thick cardboard and decorated with sparkles or broken Christmas decorations. In the end, you can simply paint it yellow. There is a more complicated option: a star made of wire, which is then wrapped with colored ribbons.
The next attribute is big bell, but if you don’t have a big one, you can take a small one. Well, the last thing - gift bag. It needs to be made from thick, bright fabric and decorated. Decorations can be either embroidered or painted. It could be the sun, stars, month, etc. Since in the old days this holiday symbolized the transition from night to day and from winter to summer.
The evening on the eve of the old New Year is called “generous”. But here girls and young women are already entering. They go from house to house and congratulate everyone on the upcoming holiday and sing generous songs:
"Generous evening, Good evening, good people to your health..."
And on the morning of the old New Year, you will probably be woken up by a whole gang of sowers who will not only congratulate you on the upcoming holiday, but also, having sprinkled grains of wheat and other seeds from head to toe, will wish you to have a good life. And again, according to tradition, sowers must certainly be men (but age does not matter).
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Folk customs on new year holidays have survived to this day. Especially in villages, such rituals are revered, although not as colorful as in the time of our great-grandmothers and great-grandfathers. However, to this day, young people happily gather in groups and go with carols and generous gifts to congratulate all relatives, acquaintances and friends. Let's try to figure out when and how to carol, give generously, or sow.
Caroling
According to folklorists, caroling can be done from January 6 to February 15, that is, until the Feast of the Presentation. True, the most common time for carols is considered to be the time before Christmas: as soon as the first star appears in the sky, the festive dinner begins, and children get together and go to congratulate everyone on the birth of Christ with carols.
According to tradition, people go caroling from house to house, without going around anyone. IN big city, of course, this will not be possible, but you can sing carols under your neighbors’ apartments, writes Nash-rayon.dp.ua.
First you need to ask the owners if you can sing carols. If you are refused, silently, without offense, leave.
The carols themselves are sung slowly and drawn out. They must end with congratulations. Unfortunately, today caroling often comes down to receiving a monetary reward, and therefore children try to sing the carol as quickly as possible just to earn money. Try to explain to your child that the essence of the carol is something else. Give carolers not money, but the way it was done before - candy, apples, nuts...
In any case, remember that once upon a time every Ukrainian family considered it an honor that the carolers did not bypass them and came to wish them a Merry Christmas.
Generosity
Shchedrivkas are performed on the evening before the Old New Year, that is, January 13. They differ from carols in their unused refrain: “Generous evening, good evening, good people for the whole evening!”
According to the Christian calendar, this is the day of St. Melania. Melanka-Water comes to the Generous Evening together with Vasily-Luna to notify the hosts about the subsequent celebrations.
On the morning of this day they begin to prepare the second ritual kutya - a generous one. Unlike the “rich” one (which is for Christmas), it can be filled with skormina. In addition, housewives bake pancakes, prepare pies and dumplings with cheese to give gifts to generous givers and sowers.
In the evening and until midnight, generous people go around the houses. Mostly girls are generous. However, bachelor groups also go to Melanki. They are called "driving Melanka". Guys in masks express good wishes, entertain with songs, dances, and humorous skits. One of them is usually dressed in women's dress- they call him Melanka.
Sowing
And the next day, on Vasily, January 14, when it begins to get light, they go to sow grain. The grain is taken in a mitten or in a bag. First they go to godparents, then to other relatives and friends. Entering the house, the sower sows grain and greets everyone with a Happy New Year.
We sow, we weed, we sow,
Happy New Year!
Fortunately, good health, Happy New Year,
May you have a better birth than last year!
Hemp to the ceiling, and flax to the knee,
So that you, the owners, don’t have a headache!
Be healthy, Happy New Year and Happy Vasily!
God grant!
The first sower on New Year brings happiness to the house. According to popular beliefs, girls do not bring happiness - only boys, so it is not suitable for girls to sow.
Sowers have always been welcome guests in Ukrainian families; they were invited to the table and presented with pies, apples, bagels and other delicacies. And the most generous gifts were received by the one who came to the house first.
In chapter:Celebrating the New Year is not only about Olivier for adults and sparklers for kids. Quite old customs and rituals of caroling, generosity and sowing are associated with the New Year and Christmas holidays. When caroling, we have already looked at. But in our country, not many people know when and how to be generous, especially young people.
Many people confuse when to carol, when to give and when to sow. In this article we will look at questions such as how and when to give and sow, and also present short generosity texts that children of any age can easily learn.
When do they give generously for the Old New Year?
Do not confuse caroling and generosity - there is a difference in these customs:
They sing carols on January 6, the Holy Evening before Christmas. They begin to give generously 12 days after the New Year - on the evening of January 13th. And on January 14 they go to sow (sow) with wishes for prosperity and prosperity in the new year.
The tradition of giving, like caroling, goes deep into the past, even before the celebration of Christmas. Shchedrovki are short ritual songs wishing the owners of the house well-being and prosperity. They got their name from the Generous Evening, which was dedicated to the celebration of the New Year (after all, due to the discrepancy in dates between the Julian and Gregorian calendars, January 14 is December 31 according to the old style, so this holiday was called “Old New Year”) .
According to the Christian calendar, January 13 is the day of St. Melania (Malanka, Melanka, Milanka). Some schedrivkas contain references to her.
People go to give generously on the evening of January 13th, gathering in cheerful groups. Both girls and unmarried girls are allowed to give generously. But on the morning of January 14, the seeders sing, that is, they “sow” the hosts. This morning, a guy or a boy should be the first to enter the door - it is believed that it is the boys who will bring good luck and prosperity to the house. The boy also began to sing the song.
Shchedrovki are not much different from carols at Christmas; they also wish for peace and goodness, offspring for livestock, a good harvest and goodness in the family, and for this they receive sweets and baked goods. However, unlike carols, each shchedrivka (shchedrovka) contains the words “generous evening”, “good evening”.
Somebody think bad omen Giving money for generosity means you can give away your well-being. Believe it or not similar sign- everyone's personal business. But the guy who came and “sowed” the house should definitely be given money.
How to be generous
According to a long-standing custom, people go to give generously after sunset - precisely when all sorts of evil spirits can enter our world. For the Generous Evening, costumes were sewn and the texts of generosity and sowing instructions were learned. Gathering in groups, the children went to harvest from house to house, and the owners thanked them for their efforts with sweets and baked goods.
Little girls and girls went to give generously. But it’s the boys who have to do the sowing. It is believed that only a young man can bring prosperity and prosperity to the house. Generously sprinkling the house with grain or millet, the boys “sowed” the owners and sang sowing songs.
In order to do everything according to the rules, we started preparing in advance, because learning short generosity is only half the battle. And the longer and more interesting the generosity was, the more generously the children were rewarded for their efforts.
Most people confuse the ritual of caroling and generosity: caroling requires at least three people - a star, a bell-ringer and a bell-bearer. Moreover, for caroling they sewed special costumes and made an eight-pointed star. Even two people can be generous, but it’s better to choose costumes that are close to Russian folk ones.
How generous is it in Russia? Gathering in large noisy groups, children of different ages (both boys and girls) dress in different bright costumes and walk from house to house, singing generous songs. Only girls enter the house; for their wishes they receive sweets and pastries, which the owner must put directly into the bag. They are generous until midnight, and at the first rays of the sun boys and boys take over the baton and go to sow, usually until 12.00. The mixture for sowing can be different: millet, seeds, wheat and any other grain. To bring prosperity into the house, everything that has been “sown” is not immediately swept away, but allowed to sit for a couple of hours. Then all the grain is collected and given to poultry and livestock, so that they too will have a generous and good year.
It is considered a bad omen not to open the door to those who are generous - then prosperity and prosperity will not come to the house. And the garbage and dirt left after generosity is “money.”
Short and long poems on generosity
| Good evening, generous evening, Good health to good people. What have you made, auntie? What did you bake, auntie? Carry it quickly to the window. Don't pinch, don't break, But in general, come on. |
| May it be for the Old New Year Everything you want It will happen without difficulty And success inspires! |
| Good evening, generous evening, Good health to good people. The falcon has arrived Sat at the window I cut the cloth. And the scraps and for the belts, Hello, happy holiday! |
| Hello, we are your guests! Everything will be extremely simple: We wish you well Happy New Year! Still, we are still only children, Treat us to some candy! Not one, sorry! Give a lot, a lot! |
| On this generous evening Wonderful preposition: Come see you for a second! Grab it from the table: Lard, meat, pie! A generous piece of cheese, Sausages, sweets, cookies, And cherry jam! |
| Shchedrik-Petryk, Give me the dumpling! a spoonful of porridge, Top sausages. This is not enough Give me a piece of bacon. Take it out quickly Don't freeze the children! |
| On this generous evening, We'll be a little generous! Let's wish the mountain happiness! Expanses of light and goodness! And for the generosity of wishes Give it to us without hesitation Lard and pancakes for the road! And some more sweets! |
| Ilya walks towards Vasily, Carrying a puga of life Wherever you wave, rye grows, Like God rye, wheat and all arable land. There's a core in the field, There is good in the house. There is a spikelet in the field, And there is a pie in the house. Hello! Happy New Year, with Vasily! |
| Good evening, generous evening, Good health to good people. The falcon has arrived Sat at the window I cut the cloth. And the leftovers are for the owners’ hats, And the scraps and for the belts, Hello, happy holiday! |
| Shchedrivochka was generous, I spent the night under the window, Chi ram, chi sheep, Serve the pancake, Don't bite, don't break, But in general, let's do it! Generous evening, good evening! |
| Good evening, generous evening, Good health to good people. The falcon has arrived Sat at the window I cut the cloth. And the leftovers are for the owners’ hats, And the scraps and for the belts, Hello, happy holiday! |
| On a generous evening we wish: Happy to celebrate the holiday, Set the table richly, Pies-dumplings from the “met” oven, Pour cups more often, And welcome all guests. Happiness, health, success I wish everyone, And have a mental rest! Generous evening, holy evening, Kind people, kind speeches! |
| They call it a generous evening! Well, master, don't be stingy! Show us respect: Put "rupee" on the handle... Generous evening, holy evening, Kind people, kind speeches! |
| You can do more - we're not joking, After all, for generous gifts, If I pray before the sky - You should be encouraged! Generous evening, holy evening, Kind people, kind speeches! |
| To your new summer, Have a great summer! Where does the horse's tail go? It's full of bushes there. Where does the goat go with its horn? There's a stack of hay there. How many aspens, So many pigs for you; How many Christmas trees So many cows; How many candles So many sheep. Happiness to you, master and hostess, Great health, Happy New Year, With all the family! |
| We generously give a lot, We are good kind words! Let happiness be in the air! Will bring a big catch! Personally, at work, May luck hit the jackpot! Let sadness drown in the swamp! Life is in full swing, flowing like a fountain! For wishes, for these, What tasty things are in store for us? Give us a big container Pirozhkov, piping hot! |
| Generous in the Old New Year We wish you well! Lots of happiness and luck, And love in abundance! The fact is that bash to bash... Give us your luggage! Meat, cheese, pies, Salad, porridge and pancakes! |
Poems-sowing (sowing) for the Old New Year
| I sow, I sow, Happy New Year! Let rye and wheat be born, Let happiness settle in the house! |
| We sow, we sow, we sow, Happy New Year! Give me a ruble or a nickel - Let's not leave here like this. |
| We sow, we weed, we sow, Happy New Year! Even though it’s an “old” New Year - It still brings good things! We wish the old fashioned way Fertility - to the cattle, A warm dog house, Saucers of milk for a kitten, A handful of wheat for a cockerel, Red girl - friend, Small children - mom and dad, Grandmother - small grandchildren! We sow, we weed, we sow, Happy New Year! Open the chest Get out the piglet! |
| I sow, I sow, I sow, Happy New Year! To have fun, what was planned came true, nothing hurts, so that everything burns in work, and there was a rustling sound in my pocket! Let you bloom like flowers, and lived to be a hundred years old. |
| I sow, I winnow, I sow, Happy New Year! For the New Year, for new happiness - Be born wheat, Peas, lentils! On the field - in heaps, There are pies on the table! Happy New Year, With new happiness, master, hostess! |
| We sow, we sow, we sow! We call for the harvest! Rye, wheat, lentils May you be born to glory! |
| We sow in the Old New Year, Let it all come up! So that nature's generous gift Filled the entire barn! |
| I sow, I blow, I blow Happy New Year! The New Year has already passed, Give me a ruble - I'm off! |
| We sow, we sow, we sow again! Rye, wheat and oats! Let's scatter the grains to the wind! A generous contribution to the harvest! Lentils, rye, wheat: What will we sow now? Sparkles with abundance It will be, delighting us all! |
| I sow, I sow, I sow, I wish you happiness and joy. “The owner is coming, carrying his belongings! The first possession is a measure of life, A measure of life will keep the goat full. Another belonging is a measure of buckwheat, A measure of buckwheat - for dumplings. The third possession is an oat sieve, Oat sieve, sausage on top. Be healthy! Happy Saints! Happy holiday, owners! |
| I sow, I sow, I sow Happy New Year to everyone! To make your life fun, To make your plans come true, So that you never get sick, So that nothing hurts, So that everything burns in work And there was a rustling sound in my pocket! So that, like flowers, you bloom And they lived a hundred years! |
| I sow, I scatter Oats, rye, God's mercy! For cool cottage cheese Pie for the shepherd! |
| They came to your house today, To cover everything with grain! I can’t sleep in the Old New Year, Let's scatter the wheat! For a good harvest Rye, oats, millet, throw in! Well, then let it wait for you Harvest a powerful platoon! |
| We sow, we sow, we sow, Happy New Year! We wish you happiness, joy, health and good luck! And so that Santa Claus I brought you a bag of money! You will give me gifts, and I will praise you! Who will give you money? He will become rich himself. You are our master, you are our good one! Won’t you really give us money and a pie? |
| We can't sit still, They have come to you to sow wheat! This is the Old New Year, Every grain will sprout! All desires are like grains Everything will be fulfilled obediently! It's not in vain that your whole house We are covered with millet! |
| Show interest! Fascinating process: Sow rice, oats, wheat! May everything come true! It's Old New Year! The holiday calls us to sow! What goes around comes around - You can't go against the truth! Feel free to open the doors, Pay tribute to traditions! |
| Sowing promises to you There's a festive parade in the house! From millet and lentils, Rice and oats, wheat! To keep the money spinning Glory, happiness, fun! So that health sings songs, Nobody got rusty! So that everything is complete Don't be sorry, give us some millet! |
When is it right and how to carol, give generously and sow? Traditions, customs and rituals. Popular carols and songs.
The content of the article:
The tradition of caroling, giving and sowing came to us from ancient times, from the times of the pagans. This is one of the favorite activities and entertainments of both adults and children. Carolers, generosists, sowers go to visit: relatives, friends, godparents, neighbors. It's fun, interesting, and you can collect some money and goodies. But before performing the rituals, you should figure out how to do it correctly, when to go caroling, to give generously and to sow.
When to carol, give generously and sow?
Many people confuse when it is necessary to carol, to give generously and to sow. So:
- They carol on the evening of January 6th.
- They are generous on the evening of January 13th.
- Sow at dawn on January 14th.
How to carol, give generously and sow correctly?
Having figured out the dates of holiday rituals, we will find out what their difference is, how to conduct and perform them correctly.
Caroling (evening January 6)
You can start caroling with the appearance of the first star in the sky. At this time, the festive dinner begins, and those who wish go to congratulate with carols on the birth of Christ. Traditionally, in the village they sing carols, walking from house to house, without passing anyone. But in a big city, it’s enough to go around your neighbors’ apartments. When entering the house of the owners, you need to ask permission to carol. If you refuse, leave, silently and without offense. Of course, you can’t refuse, because... it is considered a sin.
In the old days, a group of carolers consisted of 3 people, where the main caroler, the star, was chosen. He walked ahead of everyone and carried in his hands a star, which symbolizes the birth of the baby Jesus Christ. A person with a loud voice and a good knowledge of carols is chosen as a star-maker. A bell-ringer followed him and carried a large bell, with which he notified that carolers were coming. The third person is a mechonosh. He carried a brightly colored bag decorated with embroidered or painted stars, a sun and a moon. The owners put sweets and treats in it. Because gifts cannot be taken from the hands of the owners.
Carols are sung slowly and drawn out, and at the end they read congratulations and bow to the owners of the house. Nowadays, people receive a monetary reward for caroling, but previously they were given sweets, apples, nuts... In any case, it is worth remembering that every family considers it an honor that carolers came to them to wish them a Merry Christmas, and did not bypass them.
Popular carols in Russian and Ukrainian:
Today an Angel has descended upon us
And he sang: “Christ is born!”
We came to glorify Christ,
And congratulate you on the holiday.
Here we go, shepherds,
All our sins are forgiven.
We make our way to home,
We glorify Christ God.
***
I sing a carol for you,
God bless you with a harvest
Generous fields, flowering gardens,
Star in the sky on Holy Eve
For adults and children.
My carol is mooning,
The whole world is out with the Holidays.
Generate (evening January 13)
Shchedrivkas are performed in the evening on Old New Year's Eve, January 13th. Their characteristic difference from carols is the chorus “Generous evening, good evening, good people for the whole evening!” The ancestors believed that on the Generous Evening Malanka-Water comes with Vasily the Moon to stay and bring prosperity and good luck to the owners for the coming year.
On the morning of January 13, housewives prepare a festive dinner of 12 non-Lenten dishes. An obligatory dish is the ritual generous kutya. They also bake pancakes, pies, make roast and homemade sausage, and make dumplings with cheese and cottage cheese. These dishes are given to generous givers (January 13) and sowers (January 14).
Generous people go door to door from evening to midnight, entering after the invitation of the owners. Mostly girls are generous, but there are also bachelor groups. All the guys dress in masks, and one of them wears a woman’s outfit. The male group is nicknamed “they are leading Melanka”, and the one dressed as a woman is “Melanka”. Generous people read good wishes to the owners, wishing for a rich harvest, livestock offspring, good swarming of bees, well-being, health, happiness and prosperity. They entertain with dances, songs and comic skits. The ancestors believed in every word and the magical function of generous gifts.
Sow or sow (morning of January 14)
Early in the morning of January 14, when it begins to dawn, young people go home and sow. According to popular beliefs, on January 14, a man, both a child and an adult, should be the first to enter the house - this will bring prosperity and happiness. Girls will not bring happiness, so traditionally only boys sow.
Men fill fabric bags or mittens with grain: wheat, barley, rye, rice. Usually they start sowing from their own home, for which the parents gave the boys sweets and money. Arriving at the house, the sowers must ask the owners for permission to perform the ceremony. Usually there are never any failures, because... the sower is always a welcome guest. Entering the house, they greet the New Year, sow the apartment with grain and sprinkle it on the owners. This action is accompanied by the words: “We sow, we weed, we sow, Happy New Year! Even though it’s the Old New Year, it still brings goodness!” The owners invited them to the table, treated them to pies, and presented them with apples and bagels. And if desired, the most generous thanksgiving was money. The grain that was sown is considered a talisman, so it is not swept away until sunset.
Popular seeders in Russian and Ukrainian:
We sow, we weed, we sow,
Happy New Year!
Fortunately, good health, Happy New Year,
May you have a better birth than last year!
Hemp to the ceiling, and flax to the knee,
So that you, the owners, don’t have a headache!
Be healthy, Happy New Year and Happy Vasily!
God grant!
This, this, I sow, I don’t miss your house,
With the New Rock I’m going to the house, So I can tell you:
May the children be all healthy, may the porridge be ready,
May you find peace from them. And we don’t get pennies for a fee!
I sow, I scatter
Oats, rye,
God's mercy!
For cool cottage cheese
Pie for the shepherd!
We sow, we sow, we sow,
Happy New Year
Open the chests
Take out the snouts.
Give me a thousand, give me five
Don't regret twenty-five.
If you are rich
Give me half my salary.
We sow, we weed, we sow,
Happy New Year.
There will be a mountain of happiness for you,
The harvest is big.
Give birth to oats,
To grow two meters.
You are born with wheat,
And peas and lentils.
So that there are too many guests
It was in the house for a whole year!
There is always pie on the table.
Easy, easy roads for you!
At the end of the article, we note that, even without knowing the correct ritual, learn beautiful songs and poems, make suitable costumes. Residents of the houses will feel your good energy and generously give them gifts. After all, the most important thing in carols, generosity and sowing is not the gifts received, but good mood and the awareness that you are preserving deep ancient traditions.
Watch the video on how to carol and give generously.
