Slavic-Rituals

Strzyga
An undead being, imagined as a rotting co**se with red fingernails, the Strzyga preys on the living, drinking their blood and devouring their flesh. In many a folk tale, the deadly Strzyga is an enchanted princess buried in a church crypt – who returns to life in the form of a beautiful girl thanks to religious rituals, such as drawing symbols with sanctified chalk and saying prayers.

But any woman, regardless of social status, could become a Strzyga. Some were even believed to be doomed to it – for example, those born with two rows of teeth. A person attacked by the daemon would often die or at least feel very weakened as a result. The being’s fierceness is probably what prompted Andrzej Sapkowski to choose it as the main nemesis in his very first story about Geralt of Rivia, the 1986 The Witcher.

Kupalnocka, or the Slavic Valentine’s Day
It was believed that the second of these elements also possessed healing powers at this time. The three-month period of refraining from bathing (the ban concerned dipping the body in rivers, lakes and streams during the day) was officially ended and the ritual washing during Kupała Night cast away disease and evil spells. Girls used to make wreaths from flowers and herbs, which they then cast into the river. If the ones fished out by boys found their original owner, the two would become a couple. More was permitted than usual on this night, which often led to sexual initiation – and hence the talk of a Slavic Valentine’s Day.
According to legend, ferns only blossomed on Kupała Night. Someone lucky enough to find one would become rich, and was also thought to become capable of becoming invisible in case of danger. Camomile and flowers were also used to tell fortunes, and even dill stalks (maidens would mark them with coloured thread and given them the names of their favourite boys – the stalk that grew the tallest overnight would be proof of the most passion).
This holiday was so strongly rooted in the Slavic tradition that the Church authorities decided to make the pagan ritual a part of the Christian calendar – Kupała Night is now known as St. John’s Night and it takes place on 24th June.

The historic dożynki harvest festivals
The first day of autumn is the Święto Plonów harvest holiday, for which preparations started as early as August. After the harvest was finished, a couple of uncut stalks were left in the field. They were known as the beard (broda) and were left so that the soil would not be entirely deprived of grain. A part of the crops was also stored in a shrine. A few days before the main celebrations a glass of honey liquor – a sacred Slavic drink which underwent fermentation much like wine – was placed in front of a statue of Świętowit, the god of war and fertility. If some of the drink disappeared, it was taken as a bad oracle, but a glass left full to the brim was thought to foretell a bountiful harvest.