Ancient pre-Christian Slavic winter festival For the Slavic pagan god, see Koliada (deity). For other uses, see Koliada (disambiguation). Koliada Колядки в Малороссии (Christmas Carols in Little Russia) by K. Trutovsky Also called| Kolyada, Коледа, Kоляда, Коледе, Kalėda, Colindă Observed by| Eastern European, Balts and Slavic people Significance| celebration of New Year birth Begins| January 6 Ends| January 7 Date| December 25, January 7, January 6, December 24 Related to| Christmas traditions, Eastern Orthodox liturgical days Verteps parade. Lviv, Ukraine Russian Christmas postcard. 1910s Koliada or koleda (Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany or, more generally, to Slavic Christmas-related rituals, some dating to pre-Christian times.[1] It represents a festival or holiday, celebrated at the end of December to honor the sun during the winter solstice. It also involves groups of singers who visit houses to sing carols.[2][3] ## Terminology[edit] The word is still used in modern Ukrainian ("Коляда", Kolyadá), Belarusian (Каляда, Kalada, Kaliada), Polish (Szczodre Gody kolęda [kɔˈlɛnda]), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian (Коледа, Коледе, koleda, kolenda), Lithuanian (Kalėdos, Kalėda) and Czech, Slovak, Slovene (koleda).[4] The word used in Old Church Slavonic language (Колѧда - Kolęnda) sounds closest to the current Polish language pronunciation, as Polish is one of two Slavic languages which retains the nasal vowels of the Proto-Slavic language (the other is closely related Kashubian). One theory states that Koliada is the name of a cycle of winter rituals stemming from the ancient calendae[5] as for example the Kalenda Proclamation. In modern Belarusian, Ukrainian (koliada), Czech, Slovak, Croatian (koleda, kolenda), Kashubian (kòlãda [kwɛlãda]) and Polish (kolęda [kɔˈlɛ̃da], Old Polish kolenda[6]) the meaning has shifted from Christmas itself to denoting the tradition of strolling, singing, and having fun on Christmas Eve, same in the Balkan Slavs. It specifically applies to children and teens who walk house to house greeting people, singing and sifting grain that denotes the best wishes and receiving candy and small money in return. The action is called kolyadovanye (Russian: Колядования) in Russian, kolyaduvannya (Ukrainian колядування) in Ukrainian and is now applied to similar Old East Slavic celebrations of other old significant holidays, such as Generous Eve (Russian: Маланья, Щедрый вечер, Belarusian: Шчодры вечар, Ukrainian: Щедрий вечiр) the evening before New Year's Day, as well as the celebration of the arrival of spring. Similarly in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, in the tradition of koleduvane (коледуване) or koledarenje (коледарење) around Christmas, groups of children visiting houses, singing carols and receiving a gift at parting. The kids are called 'koledari' or rarely 'kolezhdani' who sing kolyadki (songs). Koleda is also celebrated across northern Greece by the Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia, in areas from Florina to Thessaloniki, where it is called Koleda (Κόλιντα, Κόλιαντα) or Koleda Babo (Κόλιντα Μπάμπω) which means "Koleda Grandmother" in Slavic. It is celebrated before Christmas by gathering in the village square and lighting a bonfire, followed by local Macedonian music and dancing. Croatian composer Jakov Gotovac wrote in 1925 the composition "Koleda", which he called a "folk rite in five parts", for male choir and small orchestra (3 clarinets, 2 bassoons, timpani and drum). Also, Dubrovnik kolenda is one of the oldest recorded traditions of this kind in Croatia (it's first mentioned in 13th century).[7] There is also a dance from Dubrovnik called "The Dubrovnik Koleda." ## See also[edit] Wikimedia Commons has media related to Koliada. * Colindă, a similar Romanian/Moldovan tradition * Korochun * Crăciun (disambiguation) * Twelfth Night (holiday) * Yule * Christmas carol * Kolyadka * Koledovanie * Turoń * Koleda (Koledovanie) in the Serbian tradition * Kalenda Proclamation * Shchedryk (song) * Calennig * Christmas Waits * Beltane, Gaelic festival in honour of the sun ## References[edit] 1. ^ "Толковый словарь Даля онлайн". 2. ^ Brlic-Mazuranic, Ivana. Croatian Tales of Long Ago. Translated by Fanny S. Copeland. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.. 1922. p. 258. 3. ^ Tryfanenkava, Maryna A. 2001. “The Current Status of Belarusian Calendar-Ritual Tradition”. In: FOLKLORICA - Journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Association 6 (2): 43. https://doi.org/10.17161/folklorica.v6i2.3709. 4. ^ "Koleda". Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika [Standard Slovene Dictionary]. Slovene Academy of Sciences and Arts. 2000. 5. ^ Encyclopedia of Ukraine 6. ^ Biblioteka warszawska. 1858 s. 318, Materyały antropologiczno-archeologiczne i etnograficzne 1826 s. 186 7. ^ "Dubrovačka kolenda", Wikipedija (in Croatian), 2022-01-02, retrieved 2022-01-12 * v * t * e Polish folk customs and traditions Winter| Konik • Koza • Turoń • Podłaźniczka • Gromnica • Jemioła • Ścięcie śmierci • Podkoziołek • Popielcowe klocki • Wkupne do bab • Zapusty • Ostatki • Przebierańce • Comber • Herody • Kolęda Spring| Marzanna • Zielone Świątki • Gregorianki • Hanging of Judas • Pucheroki • Święconka • Śmigus-dyngus • Emaus fair • Turki • Dziady śmigustne • Śmiergust • Siuda Baba • Kurek dyngusowy • Pisanki • Walatka • Easter palm • Jezusek Palmowy • Funeral of żur and a herring • Roduś • Rękawka • Żandary • Siwki • Maypole • Fat Thursday • Gorzkie żale Summer| Noc Kupały • Sobótka • Wyzwolenie kosiarza • Oborywanie przepiórki • Ścinanie kani • Zażynki Autumn| Dożynki • Dziady • Zaduszki • Katarzynki • Andrzejki Attire • Traditional music • Folk dances • Folk beliefs * v * t * e Slavic holidays Feastdays| * Kolyada * Bozhich * Christmas * Vigil of Vasiliev * Vigil of the Epiphany * Candlemas * Festival of Veles * Shrovetide * Maslenitsa (Cheesefare Week) * Slavic carnival] * Sfințișori (Forty Martyrs of Sebaste) * Feast of the Annunciation * Palm Sunday * Easter * Bright Week * Red Hill's Day * Radonitsa * George's Day in Spring * Feast of the translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas * Ascension of Jesus Christ * Green Week * Trinity Saturday * Trinity Day * Kupala Night * Feast of Saint Peter * Feast of the Prophet Elijah * Honey Feast of the Saviour * Apple Feast of the Saviour * Nut Feast of the Saviour * Dożynki * Nativity of the Virgin * Pokrov day (Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin) * Saturday of Saint Demetrius * Mitrovdan (Feast of Saint Demetrius) * Kuzminki autumn * Saint Nicholas Day *[v]: View this template *[t]: Discuss this template *[e]: Edit this template