Slavic calendar. Ancient Russian names of the months Origin of the names of the months

The word: July, or July is not Russian; it came to our fathers from Byzantium. The indigenous, Slavic names of this month were different. Our ancestors called it: Cherven, Little Russians and Poles: Lipets, Czechs and Slovaks: Chervenets and Sechen, Carniolians: Serpan, Vendas: Sedmnik, Serpan, Illyrians: Sherpen and Sharpan. In the villages of the Tula province this month is called: senozornik, in Tambov: the crown of summer. In old Russian life, it was the fifth month, and when they began to count the year from (November), it was the eleventh. Since 1700, it has been considered the seventh.

NOTES OF OLD PEOPLE IN THE MONTH OF JULY

The villagers' observations about the month of July are preserved in sayings: In July, even if you take off your clothes, it won't be any easier. - In July, the yard is empty, but the field is thick. - It's not the ax that feeds the peasant, but the work of July. - The haymaker knocked down the peasant's arrogance, that there is no time to lie down on the stove. - You know, the man is home, that he doesn’t sleep in the haymaker. - A woman would dance, but the crown of summer has come. - The crown of summer does not know tiredness, it cleans everything up. - Summer is more beautiful for everyone, but the crown of the head is heavy.

1. Observations

From this day on, the villagers of the Tula province go out to mow. Gardeners begin weeding beds and pulling up rooted vegetables to sell. Dying plants are collected in the vicinity of Moscow and steppe areas.

4. Signs

In the steppe places they notice that from this day on, winter bread is completely filled. Then the villagers say: the winter crops have arrived. About oats: Father, the oats are half grown. About buckwheat: oats are in a caftan, but buckwheat doesn’t even have a shirt. - Winter oats are in bulk, and buckwheat is coming up.

5. Signs

In the villages outside Moscow they go out in the evening to watch the games of the month. If the moon is visible when it rises, it seems to move from place to place or changes its color and hides behind the clouds. All this, according to their remarks, seems to happen because the month has its own holiday. The game of the month promises good harvests.

8. Observations

The villagers notice that if blueberries begin to ripen from this day, then winter bread is ready for harvest.

There is a strange belief among the villagers that on this day the kamakha, the paint worm, appears by itself. They think that kamakha is carried by the winds into our fields from warm countries, curls up into a ball and rolls under the feet of the first lucky person she meets. The discovery of kamakha foretells prosperity for the lucky person for the whole year. In the old days there were passionate hunters to find kamaha. Unsuccessful seekers say that it goes only to those who are destined for such happiness. In Tula there is a fair on this day, where villagers gather to sell canvas and thread and return home with clay dolls.

12. Signs

According to the comments of the villagers, it is as if great dew is coming from this bottom. Until that day, they rush to dry the hay in beds. Large dews seem to rot the hay. Old healers collect large amounts of dew for in-person healing. This water, they say, is tormenting the internal police.

We present to your attention several options for reconstructions of the Slavic month book, comparison and order of months in different Slavic languages, and detailed explanation origin and meaning of the names of each of the months of the year. It should also be noted that true Slavic calendar was sunny; it was based on 4 seasons (seasons), each of which celebrated the holiday of the solstice (rotate, solstice, equinox). With the advent of Christianity in Rus' they began to use moon calendar, which is based on the period of changing phases of the Moon, as a result of which, to date, a certain “demolition” of dates has formed by 13 days (new style). The dates are Slavic pagan holidays(many of which were replaced over time by Christian names) are considered according to the old true style and “lag” behind the new calendar by 13 days.

Modern name of the month	Option I	Option II	Option III	IV option	VI option
January	Szechenie	Cold	Prosinets	Prosinets	Xichen
February	Lute	Lute	Lute	Szechenie	Snezhen, Bokogray
March	Berezozol	Berezen	Kapelnik	Dry	Zimobor, Protalnik
April	Pollen	Kveten	Pollen	Berezozol	Brezen, Snowgon
May	Traven	Traven	Traven	Traven	Herbal
June	Kresen	Cherven	Multicolor	Kresen	Izok, Kresnik
July	Lipen	Lipen	Groznik	Cherven	Lipets, Stradnik
August	Serpen	Serpen	Zarev	Serpen, Zarev	Zornichnik, Zhniven
September	Veresen	Veresen	Howler	Ruyen	Ruen, Khmuren
October	Leaf fall	yellow	Leaf fall	Listopad, Pazdernik	Dirt Man, Wedding Party
November	Breast	Leaf fall	Breast	Breast	Chest
December	Cold	Breast	Cold	Jelly	Studny

Table 1. Variants of names of Slavic months.

Origin of the names of the months

The Romans originally had a lunar year of 10 months, starting in March and ending in December; as indicated, by the way, by the names of the months. For example, the name of the last month - December - comes from the Latin "deka" (deca), which means tenth. However, soon, according to legend - under King Numa Pompilius or Tarquinius I (Tarquinius the Ancient) - the Romans switched to lunar year at 12 months containing 355 days. To bring it into line with the solar year, they began to add an extra month (mensis intercalarius) from time to time already under Numa. But anyway civil year with holidays planned for famous times year, did not coincide at all with the natural year. The calendar was finally put in order by Julius Caesar in 46 BC: he introduced solar year in 365 days with the insertion of one day in every 4th year (for us this day is February 29); and set the year to begin in January. Calendar and annual cycle was named after the great Roman commander and statesman Julian.

The months were designated by the same names as now. The first six months are named after the Italic gods (with the exception of February, which is named after a Roman holiday), July and August were called Quintilis (fifth) and Sextilis (sixth) until the time of Emperor Augustus, they received the names Julius and Augustus in honor of Julius Caesar and Augustus . Thus, the names of the months were as follows: Januarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprilis, Majus, Junius, Quintilis (Julius), Sexlilis (Augustus), September (from the Latin "septem" - seven, seventh), October (from the Latin "okto" " - eight, eighth), November (from the Latin "novem" - nine, ninth) and, finally, December (tenth). In each of these months, the Romans counted the same number of days as they count today. All names of months are adjective names in which the word “mensis” (month) is either implied or added. Calendae was the name of the first day of each month.

In Rus', the word “calendar” has been known only since the end of the 17th century. It was introduced by Emperor Peter I. Before that, it was called the “monthly word.” But no matter what you call it, the goals remain the same - fixing dates and measuring time intervals. The calendar gives us the opportunity to record events in their chronological sequence, serves to highlight special days (dates) in the calendar - holidays, and for many other purposes. Meanwhile, the ancient names of the months are still in use among Ukrainians, Belarusians and Poles!

January so named because it was dedicated by the ancient Romans to Janus, the god of Peace. In our country, in the old days, it was called “Prosinets”, it is believed, from the blueness of the sky beginning to appear at this time, radiance, from intensification, with the addition of day and sunlight. January 21, by the way, is the Prosinets holiday. Take a closer look at the January sky and you will understand that it fully lives up to its name. The Little Russian (Ukrainian) name for January “sechen” (sichen, sіchen) indicates either the turning point of winter, which, according to popular belief, occurs in January, the cutting of winter into two halves, or the bitter, severe frosts. Some researchers identify the root "blue" in the word "prosinets", believing that this name was given to January for the early twilight - with "blue". Some scientists associated the name with the ancient folk custom go house to house during Svyatki and ask for treats. In Rus', the month of January was originally the eleventh month, for March was considered the first, but when the year began to be counted from September, January became the fifth; and, finally, since 1700, since the change made in our chronology by Peter the Great, this month became the first.

February among the Romans it was the last month of the year and was named after Febra, the ancient Italian god to whom it was dedicated. The indigenous Slavic-Russian names for this month were: “sechen” (a common name for it with January) or “snezhen”, probably from snowy time or from the verb “sech for snowstorms”, common in this month. In Little Russia, from the 15th century, following the imitation of the Poles, the month of February began to be called “fierce” (or lute), for it is known for its fierce blizzards; The villagers of the northern and middle Russian provinces still call him “side warmer,” because at this time the cattle come out of the barns and warm their sides in the sun, and the owners themselves warmed their sides at the stove. In modern Ukrainian, Belarusian and Polish languages, this month is still called “fierce”.

March. The Egyptians, Jews, Moors, Persians, ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as, once upon a time, our Slavic ancestors, began the year with this month. The name "March" was given to this month by the Romans in honor of the god of war, Mars; it was brought to us from Byzantium. The true Slavic names of this month in the old days in Rus' were different: in the north it was called “dry” (little snow) or “dry” because of the spring warmth, drying up all moisture; in the south - “berezozol”, from the action of the spring sun on the birch, which at this time begins to fill with sweet juice and buds. Zimobor - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, thawed snow - this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches and drops appear (hence another name drip). The month of March is often called “flight”, since it marks the beginning of spring, the harbinger of summer, and together with the months following it - April and May - it constitutes the so-called “flight” (the holiday of which is celebrated on May 7).

April comes from the Latin verb "aperire" - to open, it actually indicates the opening of spring. The Old Russian names for this month were berezen (brezen) - by analogy with March; snowrunner - streams run, carrying with them the remains of snow, or even pollen, because that’s when the first trees begin to bloom, spring blossoms.

May. The Latin name for this month is given in honor of the goddess Mai, and like many others, it came to us from Byzantium. The Old Russian name for this month was herbal, or herbal (herbalist), which reflected the processes occurring in nature at this time - a riot of growing herbs. This month was considered the third and last month in the summer month. This name is known in the Ukrainian language.

June. The name of this month comes from the word "Iunius", given to it in honor of the goddess Juno by the Romans. In the old days, the original Russian name for this month was izok. Izokom was the name given to a grasshopper, of which there was particular abundance this month. Another name for this month is worm, especially common among Little Russians, from chervetsa or worm; This is the name given to a special kind of dye worms that appear at this time. This month is also called the month of many colors, because nature gives birth to an indescribable riot of colors of flowering plants. In addition, in ancient times, the month of June was very often popularly called kresnik - from the word “kres” (fire).

July comes from the name "Julius", given in honor of Gaius Julius Caesar, and, of course, has Roman roots. In our old days, it was called, like June - cherven - from the fruits and berries that ripen in July and are distinguished by their special reddishness (scarlet, red). The folk poetic expression “red summer” can serve as a literal translation of the name of the month, which draws attention to the brightness of the summer sun. Other ancestral Slavic name July - Lipets (or Lipen), which is now used in Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian languages as the month of linden flowering. July is also called the “top of summer”, since it is considered the last month of summer (July 20 is celebrated as “Perun’s Day”, after which, according to popular beliefs, autumn comes), or also “sufferer” - from the painful summer work, “thunderstorm” - from severe thunderstorms.

August. Like the previous one, this month received its name from the name of the Roman emperor - Augustus. The indigenous ancient Russian names of the month were different. In the north it was called “glow” - from the radiance of lightning; in the south, “serpen” comes from a sickle used to remove grain from the fields. Often this month is given the name “glow”, in which one cannot help but see a modified old name “glow”. The name “stubble” will be unnecessary to explain, because in this month the time came for harvesting the fields and harvesting. Some sources interpret the glow as associated with the verb “to roar” and denotes the period of roaring of animals during estrus, while others suggest that the name of the month refers to thunderstorms and evening lightning.

September- “September”, the ninth month of the year, among the Romans it was the seventh, which is why it got its name (from the Latin word “septem” - seventh). In the old days, the original Russian name for the month was “ruin” - from the roar autumn winds and animals, especially deer. The Old Russian form of the verb “ryuti” (to roar) is known, which when applied to the autumn wind meant “to roar, to blow, to call.” He received the name “gloomy” due to his weather differences from others - the sky often begins to frown, it rains, autumn is in nature. Another name for this month, “heather,” is explained by the fact that the heather begins to bloom at this time.

October- "October", the tenth month of the year; among the Romans it was the eighth, which is why it got its name (from the Latin “octo” - eight). Our ancestors know it under the name “leaf fall” - from the fall of leaves in the autumn, or “pusdernik” - from puzderi, bonfire, since in this month flax, hemp, and habits begin to crush. Otherwise - a “dirty man”, from the autumn rains that cause bad weather and dirt, or a “wedding man” - from the weddings that peasants celebrate at this time.

November. We call the eleventh month of the year "November", but among the Romans it was the ninth, which is why it got its name (nover - nine). In the old days, this month was called the month itself (breast or thoracic), from piles of frozen earth with snow, since in general in the ancient Russian language the winter frozen road was called the chest path. In Dahl's dictionary, the regional word "heap" means "frozen ruts along the road, frozen hummocky mud."

December. “Decemvriy” (lat. december) is our name for the 12th month of the year; among the Romans it was tenth, which is why it got its name (decem - ten). Our ancestors called it “studen”, or “icy” - from the cold and frosts common at that time.

The word “month” itself indicates the connection between the selection of such a chronological period and lunar cycles and has pan-European roots. Consequently, the length of the month ranged from 28 to 31 days; it is not yet possible to more accurately indicate the count of days by month.

Modern name	Russian	Ukrainian	Belorussian	Polish	Czech
January	Szechenie	Sichen	Studzen	Styczen	Leden
February	Lute	Lutius	Lyuty	Luty	Unor
March	Berezen	Berezen	Sakavik	Marzec	Brezen
April	Kveten	Kviten	Handsome	Kwiecien	Duben
May	Traven	Traven	Traven	Maj	Kveten
June	Cherven	Cherven	Cherven	Czerwiec	Cerven
July	Lipen	Lipen	Lipen	Lipiec	Cervenec
August	Serpen	Serpen	Zhniven	Sierpien	Srpen
September	Veresen	Veresen	Verasen	Wrzesien	Zari
October	Leaf fall	Zhovten	Kastrynchnik	Pazdzernik	Rijen
November	Breast	Leaf fall	Listapad	Listopad	Listopad
December	Cold	Breast	Snezhan	Grudzien	Prosinec

Table 2. Comparative names of the months in different Slavic languages.

In the "Ostromir Gospel" (11th century) and other ancient written monuments, January corresponded to the name Prosinets (since it became lighter at that time), February - Sechen (since it was the deforestation season), March - dry (since in some places the earth was already drying up), April - birch, berezozol (names associated with birch beginning to bloom), May - grass (from the word "grass"), June - izok (grasshopper), July - cherven, serpen (from the word "sickle", indicating the time of harvest), August - glow (from "glow"), September - ryuen (from "roar" and the roar of animals), October - leaf fall, November and December - breast (from the word "heap" - frozen rut on the road) , sometimes - jelly.

Thus, the Slavs did not have common ideas about the order and names of the months. From the entire mass of names, Proto-Slavic names are revealed, which indicates the unity of the origin of the calendar. The etymology of names is also not always clear and gives rise to various kinds of disputes and speculation on this topic. The only thing that most reenactors agree on is the connection between the names and natural phenomena, characteristic of the annual cycle.

⟩ titles

What names of months were in Ancient Rus' and among the Slavs?
Original Russian names of the months of the year in calendar order
Origin ancient names spring, autumn, summer and winter months
Folk names of months associated with natural phenomena and human labor

The calendar year of our distant ancestors did not begin in January, or even in March (as was the case in a certain era), but in September. According to the cosmogonic ideas of the ancient Rus, September was the first month of the universal year. It is also noteworthy that the limits of months in Ancient Rus' did not coincide with the boundaries of the Roman ones. At the same time, the beginning and end of the months of the Old Russian calendar were movable. As a result, constant adjustments were required in order to restore the correspondence of the names of the months to the actual phenomena that they designated.

For this purpose, the Old Russian calendar had some relatively stable supports, indicating some of the most important milestones in constantly changing relationships between lunar months and the solar cycle. Such “supports” apparently were “prosinets” (indicating the constant, regularly repeating process of increasing the length of the day after the winter solstice) and “sickle/stubble” (indicating the main event in the life of a farmer - the harvest). It was of particular importance that the traditional name of this month coincide with the actual harvesting. Consequently, intercalation could be carried out first of all either before the “prosinets” or before the “sickle”. But probably the intercalation could also be consistent with the timing of the spring and autumn equinoxes.

The need for several possible intercalation options is explained by the fact that the time interval between the solstice and the following first new moon, with which the “prosinets” began, was not constant: it fluctuated within a crescent. If the new moon followed immediately after winter solstice, then the need for an additional month could appear already at the beginning of the harvest (before the “sickle”), especially if the summer was cool and the ripening of the grain was delayed. If, on the contrary, the summer was hot and the harvest began earlier than usual, then the need for an additional month became relevant only in the fall or immediately before the next “prosinets”. Thus, it was not abstract astronomical calculations, but seasonal weather fluctuations that dictated the timing of the additional month to the Slavs: it was inserted into different years to various places, namely where the difference between the name of the next month and the actual one turned out to be especially noticeable seasonal phenomenon and where the correspondence between the one and the other was especially practically necessary.

The ancient pre-Christian Russian name for the second month of winter was prosinets. It was preserved, for example, in the oldest Russian handwritten book - the “Ostromir Gospel”, which was rewritten in Rus' in 1056-1057, as well as in the Four Gospels of 1144: “Msts genvar, rekomyi prosinets”. The name itself prosinets is associated with the verb "to shine" and literally means "the time of increasing sunlight", indicating the constant, regularly repeated process of increasing the length of the day after the winter solstice.

With the advent of Christianity in Rus', a dialect form arose in the Little Russian dialect prosimets, which is a folk etymological understanding of a noun that has become obscure in its composition prosinets. The Little Russians simply tied Russian name month with Christmas and New Year's games youth, which was accompanied by begging for various food items. A description of such games can be found in the story by N.V. Gogol's "The Night Before Christmas". In the old Western Ukrainian calendars, the now uncommon name for January is also known prozimets, in which there is a noticeable convergence with the word “winter”.

Other names of the month:

perezimye (turn of winter)
cut (month preceding the cut)
lyutovey, lyutovoy, fireman (due to severe cold)
crackling (due to bitter frosts)
clematis, pickerel (due to severe cold)

Sichn is the Old Russian name for the final month of winter, which cuts with frost. At a later time, this name is already pronounced and written with a soft final consonant “n”: section. True, in this form it already refers to January. In the Western Little Russian dialect the name of February is known - another one(second section) or sichnik. Previously, in Little Russia the form was also known Sishnenko(sichnenko), that is, “sechnenok, son of a sichnenko.” Compare: Bulgarian small section(February) at golyam cut(January). A manuscript from the early 17th century gives another name for February. secets, which is directly related to the verb “seku/sech”.

Other names of the month:

fierce, lute, fierce (due to fierce winds)
blizzard, blizzard, blizzard (due to strong snowstorms)
snow, snow, snow, snow (due to the abundance of snow)
bokogrey (because on warm days the cattle went out to bask in the sun)
low water (the border between winter and spring)
liar (deceptive month)

The pre-Christian name for the first month of spring is known in different spellings: dry, dry, dry. This is due to the fact that at this time the trees were still dry after severe winter frosts, and the time for the movement of sap came later.

Other names of the month:

thawed patch (due to the massive appearance of thawed patches)
Zimobor (defeating winter, opening the way to spring and summer)
drip, drip, drip, capital (due to drops)
rookery (due to the arrival of rooks)
proletya, vesnovka, vesnovey (initial month of spring)
whistler, whistler, wind blower (due to the winds)
sunflower, sunburnt (due to increased solar activity)

The literal meaning of the name of the second month of spring is berezozol- this is “birch green”. The first part of this complex noun contains the word “birch”, and the second part contains the same root as in the words “green”, “green”, but with an alternating vowel e/o: “angry”. From the roots birch The name of the spring months is also associated in other once Slavic regions. This is, first of all, Little Russian berezen with numerous obsolete and dialectal variants, which, however, in many cases show connections with Old Russian berezozol better than modern literary form berezen. Thus, the Little Russian dialect knows the form birch, and birch And berezol with the loss of one of two identical syllables -zo-(a phenomenon called haplology in linguistics). It is characteristic that these Little Russian names could refer to both March and April. This also includes Czech březen(March), Bulgarian rubbish(April), as well as Lithuanian Birželis(June).

Other names of the month:

snow blower, snow blower, snow blower (due to massive snowmelt)
Aquarius, Aquarius (due to the abundance of spring waters)
water flood (due to complete flood of rivers)
caddisfly (due to many streams)
primrose (due to the appearance of the first flowers)
capricious, crafty, crafty (due to the changeable nature of the weather)
fly (harbinger of summer)
sweat lodge (due to rotting earth)

Traven (also herbalist, herbal) – the third month of flight, when field grasses begin to actively grow. This name has been preserved in the modern Belarusian and Ukrainian calendars; the Slovenians (veliki traven) and Bulgarians (traven) have a similar name, but the Serbs and Croats have switched it to April (travaњ).

Why is the fifth month called "May"? Where did this name come from?

What did the month of May mean in Ancient Rus'? What was May used to be called?

Folk names for the month of May associated with natural phenomena and human labor.

The origin of the ancient names of May: grass, pollen (pollen), yarets, rosenik, listopuk, ant, mur.

Other names of the month:

mur, anthill (due to the abundant growth of ant grass)
Yarets (in honor of the Sun God of Slavic mythology Yarila)
listopuk (due to the appearance of leaves and tufts of grass)
pollen, pollen (due to the beginning of mass flowering of plants)
rosenik (due to heavy morning dew)

In the old days, June was called izok, which means “grasshopper”: the meadows in the first summer month are filled with the chirping of these inconspicuous, sonorous musicians.

Why is the sixth month called "June"? Where did this name come from?

What did the month of June mean in Ancient Rus'? What was June used to be called?

Folk names for the month of June associated with natural phenomena and human labor.

The origin of the ancient names for June: kresen (kresnik), grain-growing, multi-colored, strawberry, mlechen, svetozar, skopid.

Other names of the month:

kresen, kresnik (in honor of the summer solstice, from the word “kres” - fire)
multi-colored (due to the abundance of colors of flowering plants)
hoarder (month hoarding harvest)
grain growth (due to the active growth of bread)
svetozar (due to the long daylight hours: a month illuminated by light)
strawberry (due to brightly blooming strawberries)
Mlechen (a month of short, “white” nights)

Cherven (also blush of the year, redness) is the second month of summer, whose name literally means “red.” This word is assigned to June in the Bulgarian, Polish and Czech languages, as well as in the southern and western dialects of the Russian language.

Other names of the month:

lipets, limen (due to linden blossoms)
thunderstorm, thunderstorm, thunderstorm (due to frequent and severe thunderstorms)
Zharnik (hottest month)
sufferer, sufferer (from suffering summer work)
senozarnik (from “hay” and “to ripen”)
mower, mower, haymaker, haymaker (haymaking time)
senostav (time to stack hay in stacks)
sweet tooth (due to numerous berries and fruits)
crown of summer, mid-summer (mid-summer)

Zarev (also zarnik, zarnik, zarnik, zarnichek) was, according to the Old Russian calendar, the last month of the year, as well as the final summer month, replete with lightning (hence its name). In the old days there was popular belief, that lightning “lights up the bread” (illuminates it at night), and this makes the bread pour faster. IN Kaluga region lightning is still called “khlebozar” to this day.

Other names of the month:

stubble, sickle (harvest time)
thick-eater, bush-eater, bush-eater (abundant month)
hospitable, pickled bread, schedren (the most generous month)
pazikha, soberikha (time to prepare for the winter)
crown of summer

Ryuen is the first month of the year according to the Old Russian calendar, which is also the first autumn month. Its name arose as a result of the phonetic change of the word ruden/rѹden, going back to the root “rѹd” (genus; red, red) and meaning, according to one version, “the birth of a new year,” and according to another, “autumn” (compare with Latv. rudens). From other monuments such spellings as ruin And Ruyan.

Other names of the month:

roar, howler (due to the sounds made by animals during estrus)
frowning (due to cloudy weather)
veresen, spring (heather flowering time)
rainbell (due to the sound of rain)
northerner (due to cold winds)
summer guide, summer guide (seeing off the summer)

Listopad is the second month of autumn, characterized by abundant falling of leaves. Noun leaf fall presented in many Slavic languages (though as a designation for November): Ukrainian leaf fall, Belarusian listapad, Polish listopad, Czech listopad. Serbian name leaf fall refers to October, like the corresponding Old Russian name. The word has the same meaning in Western Ukrainian folk dialects. The Ukrainian dialect also retained the compound word padolist with the order of parts reversed compared to leaf fall. The form with the suffix " day" – defoliation(modeled on other month names with this suffix).

Other names of the month:

dirty (due to the abundance of dirt resulting from frequent rains)
kiselnik (due to slush)
wedding dresser (due to numerous weddings at the end of the most important agricultural work)
leaf blower, leaf beetle (due to strong autumn winds tearing leaves from trees)
zazimye, zazimnik (due to the arrival of frosts and first snow)
wood saw (the time of collecting firewood for the whole winter)
asshole (from the word asshole“flax, hemp combing”: processing time for flax, hemp)

Gruden is the last autumn month, whose name can be found in the ancient chronicle “The Tale of Bygone Years”. The context in which it is used helps to understand the origin of this ancient name: “I went with him to the village, and along the thoracic path, since then it was the month of the thoracic, I decided November”(they went... on a cart, but along a lumpy path, because then it was the month of breastfeeding, or November). IN AND. Dahl noted at the word “pile” regional significance“frozen ruts along the road, frozen, hummocky dirt bare, bumpy, prickly.” In other words, November was named chesten or chest(chest) according to the frozen clods of earth characteristic of this time. In the meaning of November the word breast is still used in Bulgarian and southern Russian dialects, but modern Ukrainian language knows it as the name of December. The term has the same meaning grudzień in Polish. As the name of December, this word is known in Belarusian dialects (Grudzen), in the Serbian language (Gruden), Slovenian (gruden), Slovak (hruden) and Old Czech (hruden). The Lithuanian name for December (gruodis) is derived from the same root.

Other names of the month:

pre-winter, semi-winter road, gate of winter (time before the onset of winter)
Mocharets (due to prolonged rains)
leaf cutter (due to the “mowing” of the last leaves from the branches)
single leaf (due to bare trees that have lost their leaves)
deciduous, foulbrood (due to rotting fallen leaves)
off-road vehicle (due to autumn thaw)
black trail (due to black autumn roads not yet covered with snow)

Cold (also cold, cold, cold) is the first month of winter, whose name indicates the arrival of winter cold. The short form - studen, studen - was rarely used as the name of the month due to the fact that the noun was very common in the Old Russian language female jelly with the meaning “cold, cold.” However, with the disappearance of this noun the word jelly begins to be used as the name for December. However, according to P.Ya. Chernykh, in the book “Church Life” of the 13th century there is also short form student. Studen, as the name of the first winter month, was once known in the Ukrainian dialect. Belarusian language in words student names the second winter month - January, when frosts are especially severe. In Serbo-Croatian the adjective jellies stands for November.

It is very interesting to compare the modern and Old Slavonic names of the months. They don’t tell us anything, but in the Slavic ones you can notice features that were iconic for our ancestors. July is a sufferer, a time of hard work in the field, October is a wedding day, the most the right time for fun, and December is fiercer, the time of cold weather. Folk names help to learn about the life of villagers, their observations, and signs. The traditional calendar was called the month calendar.

March

It's from this spring month The year usually began, and not only among the Slavs, but also among the Jews, Egyptians, Romans, ancient Greeks and Persians. Traditionally, peasants associated the beginning of the new year with either spring work, that is, in preparation for sowing, or with the end. Peter the Great ordered to calculate time according to the European model.

They called the first berezen in the south, dry in the north of Rus', as well as protalnik, zimobor, beloyar. Explanation of the names of the months in a simple and intuitive way. Dry, that is, dry, drying up spring moisture. Sokovik, birch tree - it was at this time that the birch tree began to give sap, the buds swelled. Zimobor is the first warm month after a frosty winter, conquering winter. Protalnik - the snow begins to melt. March was also called the flying month, since spring was called the flying month. There are also known variants such as droplet, morning of the year, spring, springweed, and rookery.

April

The name of the Old Slavonic months is often associated with observations of nature. April was called primrose and pollen because at this time nature begins to bloom, the first flowers and trees begin to bloom. Snowblower, the last snow melted, caddisfly - because of drops and numerous streams, birch and birch zol - because of the awakening of white birches from sleep. The names sly and capricious are also known, because the weather this month can be very changeable, with thaws giving way to frosts. Since the month brought the first warmth, it was also called a steam room. As you can see, due to the difference in climate, in one area April was associated with the flowering of grass, and in another - only with the melting of snow.

May

The Old Slavonic names of the months of the year tell us about what processes took place at that time. The most common name for May is herbal, herbal, since it is in this month that the lush growth of vegetation begins. This is the third month of passage. May also has many popular names: pollen (the beginning of the flowering of many plants), yarets (in honor of the god Yarila), listopuk (the appearance of tufts of grass and leaves), mur (the appearance of ant grass), rosenik (due to abundant morning dew) .

June

The Old Slavonic names of the months of the year may surprise you, since many words of the language used are forgotten. For example, most often the month of June was called isok. This was the name of a common insect - the common grasshopper. It is in June that their singing can be heard most often. Another common name is worm, due to the appearance of dye worms. You can also hear kresnik (from fire, cross), skopid, grain grower (saving up the grain harvest for the whole year). For the abundance of colors and light: multi-colored, svetloyar, rose-colored, blooming, blush of the year.

July

Old Slavonic months corresponded to one of the four seasons. The middle of summer was July, which is why it was called the top of summer. Most often you can hear the name Cherven because of the numerous berries and fruits that are red in color. The linden tree comes into full bloom, it secretes sweet, sticky juice, so the second common name is limen or lipets. A sufferer - from hard labor in the fields, a thunderstorm - from numerous thunderstorms.

August

The names of the months may not reflect the occupations of the peasants at this time. In August, the harvest of grain begins, so it was most often called stubble or sickle. Known names are holosol, bread bakery, cabbage soup, and pickle. Gustar, thick-eater - this month they eat abundantly, thickly. Mezhnyak is like a boundary, the border between summer and autumn. In the north, thanks to the bright glow of the lightning, the names zarev and zarnik were in use.

September

The Old Slavonic names of the months of the year and the modern ones can be quite different. So, the ancient Russian name for September was ruin or howler, ruen - from the autumn roar of deer and other animals, possibly the winds. Frowning hints at changing weather conditions, cloudy, gloomy skies, frequent rains. The name Veresen, Veresen has several versions of its origin. In Polesie, a low evergreen shrub, honey-bearing heather, grows. Its flowering begins in August-September. Another version says that such a name could come from the Ukrainian word “vrasenets”, which means frost, which can already appear in the morning. Another name for September is fieldfare.

October

The name of the Old Slavonic months often very clearly characterizes weather. You can easily guess that under the name leaf fall, October is hidden, the month in which the leaves begin to fall abundantly. Or you may recognize it under another name - padzernik, because it is at this time that flax and hemp begin to be torn and crushed. Due to frequent rains and wet weather, you can hear another name - mud. The main agricultural work was ending, the bins were full, it was time to get married, so because of the numerous weddings, the wedding man was calling. October in Rus' was also called psyllid, turning yellow because of the golden autumn. It smelled like cabbage, that's why it's a cabbage. And also a baker and a wood sawyer.

November

There is such a word in the Old Russian language - “grud”. This is land frozen with snow; even the frozen winter road was called the chest path. So November, which brought the first frosts, was most often called breast, breast or breast month. November is rich in names: deciduous, leaf fall (the last leaves fall, October gold begins to turn into humus), mocharets (heavy rains), snow and half-winter (from the first snow at the beginning of the month goes to real snowdrifts and frosts), roadless, summer offender, the beginning of winter, the eve of winter, the gates of winter, the twilight of the year (it gets dark early), the solstice (the day is quickly decreasing), the stubborn one, the seven of the year, the month of the first sleigh ride (they begin to ride out on a sleigh).

December

In the cold season, such simple and speaking names, which were called the Old Slavic months. Our ancestors called December cold, jelly, cold, cold, because of the frosty cold that was common at this time. Mother winter is fierce, hence the names fierce, fierce, lute. The snowdrifts are already deep - snowfall. Overcome by the cold strong winds and blizzards - windy winter, wind chime, wind up, chills, drag, freeze.

January

The name of the Old Slavonic months is not always obvious. It might help to modern man look at familiar things a little differently. We associate January with the very height of winter, its middle. But in the old days it was called Prosinets. At this time, the weather often becomes clear, blue skies begin to appear, there is more sunlight, and the day lengthens. Popular names: turning point of winter, section (winter is cut into two halves), Vasiliev month, perezimye. The frosts are still strong and not weakening - more severe, crackling.

February

The name of the Old Slavonic months may be the same for different periods of time. A good example is the winter months, especially February. A common Slavic-Russian name is sechen. But snow, severe, and blizzards were also often encountered, that is, names characteristic of other winter months. One of interesting names- side grey. On warm days, the cattle left the barn to warm their sides in the sun. Liar - on one side the barrel heats, and on the other it cools. Another popular name is wide roads. It was believed that it was in February that forest animals created couples, so the month could be called the animal wedding month.

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