On the first of November, the time came when the period of the Stridžné (Stridjne) - Witches Days began to visibly approach, and with it, the days when our ancestors performed various rituals. But what exactly are the Stridžné Days?
Let’s say the Stridžné Days referred to the time of winter and darkness. Yes, the name is connected to strigas - witches, beings of darkness and evil.
During the Stridžné Days, originally tied to the phases of the moon but later fixed to the days of Catherine, Andrew, Barbara, Nicholas, and Lucy, many superstitious commands and prohibitions were observed. Protective rituals were performed, primarily aimed at safeguarding the health of people and livestock. A common custom was the ceremonial inspection of the farm, during which the surroundings were sprinkled with grains, flax seeds, or poppy seeds.
On the day of Catherine-Morena and Andrew-Kaszczej, it was customary to blow trumpets or crack whips at crossroads to drive away evil forces, as this dark couple celebrated their sinister holiday on these days. During this time, protective symbols were drawn on the doors of homes and stables using garlic. Garlic, often accompanied by bread, was fed to livestock but was also a part of human diets, usually in the form of garlic soup.
During the Stridžné Days, a woman was not allowed to be the first visitor to enter a home, to avoid bringing misfortune. The day of Catherine also had a playful character - young men and women would hide various items or tools as pranks. Young men dressed in women’s clothing to parody them. Reconciliation usually occurred during gatherings at páraczky (feather-plucking gatherings) and priadky (spinning gatherings), which traditionally took place during this period. However, during these Stridžné Days, spinning, sewing, or feather-plucking were forbidden.
At priadky and paraczky, people not only worked but also enjoyed entertainment, singing, dancing, telling scary stories, and engaging in divination and magic. Love magic included boiling dumplings with boys' names hidden inside or knocking on a pigsty, where the number of oinks after the knocks foretold the number of years until marriage. Girls also slept in men’s trousers, waiting to see which man would visit them in their dreams - believed to be their future husband. There were many methods of divination, such as burning flax bundles, divining under plates or cups, or pouring molten lead through a keyhole.
And what about St. Martin, who was supposed to arrive on a white horse and cover everything with a white blanket? Martin can be perceived as a mystical figure - perhaps one of the sons of the wind god or even Stribog himself. His arrival was protective in nature: the snow was meant to cover everything and guard against the black darkness. Around Martin's time, the November full moon occurs, and after that, the deep, dark blackness arrives, peaking with the new moon at Andrew's time.
After Andrew, we still have Barbara, Nicholas, and Lucy—but more about them next time.
I wish you good health, and may the darkness not enter your life!
You can read more in a book suitable for under the Christmas tree.
CIRCLES OF OLD SLAVS
