Festival Calendar
One year, yet many ways of experiencing it. Slavs, Baltic Prussians, Germanic peoples and Christians marked special moments of winter, spring, summer and autumn.
Some festivals fell at similar times because all communities observed the same changes in nature: solstices, equinoxes, the arrival of spring, harvests and the dying back of vegetation. A similar date, however, does not always mean direct borrowing.
View the calendarSlavic, Prussian, Germanic and Christian
the full cycle of nature's changes and agricultural work
two solstices and two equinoxes
birth, growth, harvest, death and rebirth
Fixed, movable and approximate dates
The exact pre-Christian calendar of the Slavs or the ancient Prussians has not survived in complete form. Many festival names and the dates assigned to them today are reconstructions based on later folklore, agricultural rites and observation of the solar cycle.
For this reason, the calendar does not present every comparison as an undisputed historical equivalent. Above all, it shows which periods of the year were given similar meanings in different traditions.
a day fixed in the calendar, e.g. 25 December
a date depending on Easter, the Moon or a Sunday
depending on weather, harvests or agricultural work
a conventional date adopted on the basis of later traditions
Ritual year
Click a festival name to go to its description. The coloured marker indicates the tradition with which the festival is associated.
| Time of year | Slavic beliefs | Prussian and Germanic beliefs | Christian tradition |
|---|---|---|---|
| ❄ Winter A time of darkness, ancestors and waiting for the return of light | |||
| 21–22 December winter solstice | Szczodre Gody | Yule | Christmas |
| 6 January midwinter | End of the Gody season | Winter feasts and household celebrations | Epiphany |
| 2 February the turning point between winter and early spring | Protective rites of fire and early spring | Customs of light and purification | Candlemas |
| ✦ Spring Purification, the return of life and the beginning of fieldwork | |||
| around 20–21 March spring equinox | Jare Gody Marzanna | Rites welcoming spring | Easter |
| 23 April height of spring | Spring turning-out of the herds | Rites protecting animals and fields | St George's Day |
| 30 April – 1 May spring in full bloom | Green groves and May rites | Walpurgis Night | Beginning of the Marian month |
| May / June movable feast | Rusalia | May greenery rites | Pentecost |
| ☼ Summer The fullness of light, fertility, water, fire and ripening crops | |||
| 21–24 June summer solstice | Kupala Night | Midsummer | St John's Eve |
| July a time of storms and ripening grain | Rites of Perun | Rites in honour of Perkūnas | Blessing of fields and protection from storms |
| 1–15 August first harvests | Festival of the first harvest | Lammas and the first harvest | Our Lady of the Herbs |
| ◆ Autumn Harvest, gratitude, nature's decline and remembrance of the dead | |||
| August – September end of the harvest | Harvest festival and rites of the last sheaf | Erntefest | Christian harvest festival |
| around 22–23 September autumn equinox | Autumn harvest rites | Feasts after the harvest | Thanksgiving for the harvest |
| 31 October – 2 November a time to remember the dead | Autumn Dziady | Autumn rites for the dead | All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day |
| end of November beginning of the new liturgical year | A time of divination and long winter nights | Winter evenings of divination | Advent |
Four strongest similarities
The return of light
The winter solstice marked the longest night, after which the days began to grow longer. In different traditions there were feasts, fire, light, greenery and wishes for prosperity.
Spring rebirth
Rites of drowning or burning a winter effigy, blessing fire, eggs and green branches were connected with nature emerging from its winter sleep.
Fire and water
Around the summer solstice, bonfires were lit, people bathed, wreaths were floated on the water and plants believed to possess special powers were sought.
Remembrance of the dead
In autumn, the world of the living symbolically drew closer to the world of the dead. Graves were visited, lights were lit, food was left and prayers were said for the souls of the deceased.
Calendar descriptions
The label on each card indicates the tradition with which a given festival or group of customs is associated.
Winter
Szczodre Gody
Around the winter solstice • about 21–22 December
A modern name for a group of winter rites associated with the end of the old cycle and the expectation of the rebirth of light. Communal feasts, visits, exchanging good wishes, gift-giving and remembrance of ancestors were important.
No single, uniform description of a festival observed by all Slavs has survived. Today's image of Szczodre Gody combines information about old customs with later Christmas and carolling folklore.
↑ Back to the calendarYule
Late December and early January
A Germanic winter festival associated with feasting, sacrifice, community bonds and hopes for prosperity in the coming year. The fullest accounts concern Scandinavian traditions, so not all of their elements can automatically be attributed to the former inhabitants of German lands.
The name Yule has survived in Scandinavian languages as a term for Christmas. Winter greenery, light and communal feasting remained important elements of later celebrations.
↑ Back to the calendarChristmas
25 December
The feast of the birth of Jesus Christ and one of the most important moments of the Christian liturgical year. It is preceded by Advent, while the traditional Christmas season leads toward Epiphany.
In folk culture, older winter customs became intertwined with the celebration: a family supper, light, greenery, carolling, gift-giving and the belief in the exceptional nature of this night.
↑ Back to the calendarEnd of the Gody season
Early January
The winter festive season did not end on a single day. It included visits by carollers, shared meals, divination and wishes concerning crops, health and the prosperity of the household.
In later folk culture, this period became associated with celebrations from Christmas to the Feast of the Epiphany.
↑ Back to the calendarEpiphany
6 January • Feast of the Three Kings
The feast of Christ's manifestation to the world, in the Western tradition associated above all with the arrival of the Magi. In Poland, chalk and incense are blessed, and house doors are marked with a sign of blessing.
This day closes the most intense part of the winter festive season and, in the folk calendar, marks the end of carolling.
↑ Back to the calendarCandlemas
2 February • Presentation of the Lord
In churches, candles known in Poland as gromnice are blessed. In folk tradition they were lit during storms, illness, childbirth and beside a dying person. Their light was believed to protect the household from danger.
The motif of protective fire fitted well with older winter customs, although the feast itself has its own Christian meaning.
↑ Back to the calendarSpring
Jare Gody
Around the spring equinox
A modern term for a group of rites welcoming spring, purification and the symbolic victory of life over winter. The celebrations are associated with fire, water, green branches, dyed eggs and ritual bread.
The name and the assignment of one specific date are largely reconstructed. Older customs may have taken place when the weather actually allowed fieldwork to begin.
↑ Back to the calendarDrowning of Marzanna
First day of spring or the early-spring period
A straw effigy was carried outside the village, burned or thrown into water. The rite symbolized the removal of winter, disease, the barrenness of the earth and everything belonging to the passing season.
After Marzanna was destroyed, a green branch or decorated tree was sometimes brought into the settlement, symbolizing the return of life.
↑ Back to the calendarGermanic rites welcoming spring
March and April
Germanic communities also celebrated the arrival of the warmer season. Later accounts mention fires, green branches, processions, feasts and practices intended to ensure the fertility of fields and animals.
Names popular today and exact dates are not always supported by early sources, so one should not construct a single 'Germanic equinox festival' supposedly shared by all tribes.
↑ Back to the calendarEaster
The Sunday after the first full moon of spring
The most important feast in Christianity, commemorating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is preceded by Lent, Palm Sunday and the celebrations of the Paschal Triduum.
In folk culture, Easter became intertwined with many spring rites: decorating eggs, water, fire, green branches, festive food and visits to the fields.
↑ Back to the calendarSpring turning-out of the herds
Second half of April
The first turning-out of cattle to pasture was both a dangerous and ceremonial moment. Animals were fumigated, touched with green branches or led over objects intended to ensure health and protection from predators.
After Christianization, some of these practices became associated with St George's Day, as he was regarded as a protector of fields, shepherds and animals.
↑ Back to the calendarSt George's Day
23 April
In Christianity, St George is a martyr and a symbol of the struggle of good against evil. In rural culture he became a protector of fields, animals and shepherds.
His feast fell at the time when grazing began, and therefore took on many meanings associated with the arrival of full spring.
↑ Back to the calendarGreen groves and May rites
Late April and May
Houses, gates and gathering places were decorated with fresh branches. Greenery symbolized the force of reborn nature, fertility and protection of the household.
Similar customs occurred in many parts of Europe and do not belong exclusively to a single culture. In Silesia, Slavic, German and Christian traditions could intermingle.
↑ Back to the calendarWalpurgis Night
Night of 30 April to 1 May
In German folklore, it was a night of heightened activity by witches, demons and restless forces. Fires were lit, noise was made and protective signs were used to safeguard homes and animals.
The name comes from the Christian Saint Walpurga, but the celebrations combined her commemoration with older spring customs.
↑ Back to the calendarMay – the month of Mary
The whole of May
In Catholic tradition, May is especially dedicated to Mary. May devotions are held at roadside shrines and crosses, and places of prayer are decorated with flowers and green branches.
In rural areas, these devotions became part of the older spring ritual landscape associated with flourishing vegetation.
↑ Back to the calendarRusalia
Late spring and early summer
A period associated with greenery, water, the fertility of the earth and the presence of rusalki or the souls of the dead. Houses were decorated with branches, and some places were avoided for fear of dangerous nature spirits.
In different regions, Rusalia fell at different times, and their customs later became partly associated with the Christian feast of Pentecost.
↑ Back to the calendarPentecost
Pentecost • movable feast
The feast of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. In folk tradition, houses, churches, gates and farmyards were decorated with young birch trees, sweet flag and green branches.
The Christian meaning of the feast became intertwined with earlier spring practices of protection and fertility.
↑ Back to the calendarSummer
Kupala Night
Around the summer solstice
From 21 to 22 June. A festival of fire, water, love and fertility held during the shortest nights of the year. Bonfires were lit, people jumped through the flames, wreaths were floated on the water and people bathed in rivers.
According to later legends, the fern flower bloomed on this night; finding it was said to bring knowledge, happiness or wealth.
↑ Back to the calendarMidsummer
Around 21–24 June
A midsummer festival known in various forms in northern and central Europe. Fires were lit, herbs were gathered, houses were decorated with greenery and practices connected with fertility and the protection of fields were performed.
In German-speaking traditions, many solstice customs later became associated with St John's Day.
↑ Back to the calendarSt John's Eve
Eve of the Nativity of St John the Baptist
From 23 to 24 June. Christian celebrations of St John became intertwined with earlier summer-solstice customs. Bonfires, wreaths, bathing and herb-gathering were retained, but given new religious meanings.
Water was associated with John the Baptist, while fire was interpreted as a sign of purification and protection.
↑ Back to the calendarRites of Perun
Summer • season of violent storms
Perun was the god of thunder, storms and warriors. Modern Slavic Native Faith calendars assign him particular days in July, but no certain date common to all Slavs has survived for his festival.
Summer storms were believed to hold particular power. Places struck by lightning, oaks and heavenly fire were treated with reverence and fear.
↑ Back to the calendarRites in honour of Perkūnas
Season of summer storms
Perkūnas was one of the most important Baltic deities. He was associated with thunder, heavenly fire, the oak, strength and the dispensing of justice.
The sources do not allow us to reconstruct a single exact calendar of the ancient Prussians. Placing rites of Perkūnas in the season of summer storms is a thematic arrangement, not a certain historical date.
↑ Back to the calendarFestival of the first harvest
July or August
The first harvested grain, fruits and herbs could be regarded as a gift calling for thanksgiving. Part of the harvest was offered symbolically to deities, field spirits or ancestors.
The timing depended on the crop, region and weather, so there was no single date shared by all communities.
↑ Back to the calendarLammas and the first harvest
Around 1 August
Lammas was a festival of the first bread known primarily from the Anglo-Saxon tradition. A loaf was baked from the new grain and brought as an offering of thanksgiving.
It was not directly a festival of the ancient Prussians or of all Germanic peoples. In the calendar it serves as an example of a Western European first-harvest rite.
↑ Back to the calendarOur Lady of the Herbs
15 August • Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Bouquets of herbs, flowers, grain and fruit are brought to churches. The blessed plants were kept at home and used during illness or storms, or to protect the household.
The Christian feast incorporated many elements of agricultural thanksgiving for ripening crops and the healing power of plants.
↑ Back to the calendarAutumn
Harvest festival and the last sheaf
August or September
The end of the harvest was celebrated with a communal feast, songs and the presentation of a wreath of grain ears to the host. Particular importance was attached to the last sheaf, in which the power of the field was believed to remain.
Some grain from the final ears was kept for the next sowing to ensure the continuity of the harvest.
↑ Back to the calendarErntefest
After the harvest
The German harvest festival included decorating wreaths, a communal feast, music and the ceremonial bringing in of the last ears of grain. The date depended on when the work ended in a given locality.
In Silesia, German and Slavic harvest customs existed side by side, making it difficult to assign every element exclusively to one tradition.
↑ Back to the calendarChristian harvest festival
August or September
During the service, thanks were given to God for the harvest. Wreaths, bread made from the new grain, fruit and vegetables were brought to the church.
Christian thanksgiving became intertwined with the earlier agricultural celebration marking the end of work and the communal feast of the whole community.
↑ Back to the calendarAutumn harvest rites
Around the autumn equinox
The end of the main agricultural work was a time to sum up the year, feast and give thanks for the harvest. Supplies were prepared, food was shared and the autumn-winter season began.
The names 'Harvest Festival' or 'Autumn Gody', popular today, organize various regional customs that did not necessarily originally fall exactly on the equinox.
↑ Back to the calendarAutumn Dziady
Autumn • in later tradition around the beginning of November
Rites dedicated to the souls of ancestors. It was believed that the dead could temporarily return to their former homes, so food, drink and light were left for them and passages were kept open.
Dziady was not simply one festival celebrated everywhere on the same day. In different regions, remembrance of ancestors could take place several times a year.
↑ Back to the calendarAutumn rites for the dead
Late autumn
In German folklore, the season of long nights was associated with the activity of the dead, the Wild Hunt and restless spirits. Homes were protected, certain kinds of work were avoided and stories were told of apparitions returning to the world of the living.
There was no single universal Germanic festival corresponding exactly to Dziady. The similarity lies rather in autumn symbolism and the belief that the worlds of the living and the dead drew closer.
↑ Back to the calendarAll Saints' Day and All Souls' Day
1 and 2 November
The first day is dedicated to all saints, while All Souls' Day is devoted to prayer for the dead. Cemeteries are visited, graves are tended and candles are lit.
Christian teaching about saints and prayer for the souls of the dead became intertwined in folk culture with the older belief that ancestors should be remembered especially in autumn.
↑ Back to the calendarAdvent
Four Sundays before Christmas
A period of preparation for Christmas and the beginning of the new liturgical year. It symbolizes expectation, vigilance and hope.
In folk culture, it was also a time for divination, evening work, storytelling and refraining from boisterous festivities. Long nights favoured stories about spirits and forces acting beyond the human world.
↑ Back to the calendarSimilarity does not always mean replacement
Not every Christian feast was established in order to replace exactly one earlier pagan festival. Different religions could independently give special meaning to solstices, changes of season, harvests and remembrance of the dead.
In Silesia, Slavic, German and Christian customs existed side by side for centuries. Inhabitants could attend a church service while at the same time preserving folk prohibitions, divination and practices whose origins they themselves no longer remembered.