| Dziady | |
|---|---|
.png) Dziady, pradziady, przyjdzcie do nas! ('Ancestors, forefathers, come to us!'), a depiction of dziady ritual inBelarus,Stanisław Bagieński [pl] (1904) | |
| Observed by | Belarusians,Poles,Ukrainians,[1]Lithuanians (nowadaysrodnovers andChristians inchristianised form) |
| Type | Pagan, cultural |
| Significance | Communion of the living with the dead |
| Celebrations | Offering food to ancestors |
| Date | Between the last day of April and the first day of May or around thespring equinox (spring dziady) Secondly, between the last day of October and the first day of November or around theautumnal equinox (autumn dziady) |
| Frequency | Twice a year |
| Related to | Zaduszki,Radonitsa,Vėlinės,Allhallowtide |
Dziady[a] (lit. 'grandfathers, eldfathers'; sometimes translated asForefathers' Eve) is a term inSlavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection ofpre-Christian rites, rituals and customs that were dedicated to them. The essence of these rituals was the "communion of the living with the dead", namely, the establishment of relationships with the souls of the ancestors, periodically returning to their headquarters from the times of their lives.[2] The aim of the ritual activities was to win the favor of the deceased, who were considered to be caretakers in the sphere of fertility. The namedziady was used in particular dialects mainly inBelarus,Poland,Polesia,Russia, andUkraine (sometimes also in border areas, e.g.Podlachia,Smoleńsk Oblast,Aukštaitija), but under different other names (pomynky,przewody,radonitsa,zaduszki) there were very similar ritual practices, common among Slavs andBalts, and also in many European and even non-European cultures.[3]
 | Pleaseadd original language terms to this article, where needed. |
In the context of the pagan holiday of the dead, the most popular name isdziady. The worddziad comes from theProto-Slavic word*dědъ (pl. *dědi) meaning primarily 'grandfather', but also 'an old man with an honorable position in the family', 'ancestor, or 'old man'. The second meaning is "spirit, demon"; comparePolishdziadzi ('demonic, of a demon') considered aeuphemism fromdiabli ('diabolical, of the devil'),Kashubiandżôd ('evil spirit, which threaten children,domestic spirit'),Czechděd ('domestic deity'),Russiandied[native script needed] (dialectal; 'chort, domestic spirit'),Pskov,Smolensk:diedý[native script needed] (plural; 'ritual to honor the dead'),Ukrainianдіди (didý, plural; 'shadows in the corners of the room, as at dusk' [colloquially], 'a day of remembrance of the dead', 'All Souls' Day'),Belarusiandzied,[native script needed]dziadý[native script needed] (plural; 'ritual to honor the dead, a day of remembrance of the dead, All Souls' Day'). Related words are associated with the second meaning, i.e.Proto-Slavic*dedъka:Russiandiedka[native script needed] (dialectal; 'devil, chort, domestic spirit'),diedia[native script needed] ('devil', as inlesnoj diedia 'forest devil'), Proto-Slavic*dedъko: Russiandiedko ('chort, domestic spirit'),Slovakdedkovia (plural; 'domestic deities, souls of the ancestors, guardian spirits of the house'), Ukrainianдідко (didko; 'chort, devil, impure/evil power') or Proto-Slavic*dědъkъ:Lower Sorbianźědki (plural; 'gnomes'), Czechdedek ('domestic deity').[4]
In the Slavic tradition, depending on the region, the feast of the deceased was celebrated at least twice a year. The maindziady were the so-calledspring dziady andautumn dziady:
Within the framework of grandfather's rituals, the souls coming to "this world" had to be hosted in order to secure their favour and at the same time help them to achieve peace in the hereafter. The basic ritual form was feeding and watering of souls (e.g. honey, groats, eggs, forge and vodka) during special feasts prepared in houses or cemeteries (directly on graves). A characteristic feature of these feasts was that the people who ate them dropped or poured some of their food and drinks on the table, floor or grave for the souls of the deceased.[5] In some areas, however, the ancestors also had to be given the opportunity to bathe (a sauna was prepared for this) and warm up.[6] This last condition was fulfilled by lighting fires, whose function is sometimes explained differently. They were supposed to light the way for wandering souls so that they would not get lost and could spend the night with their loved ones.[citation needed] The remnants of this custom are contemporary candles lit on graves.[6] However, fire – especially the one kindled on crossroads – could also have had another meaning. The idea was to prevent demons (souls of people who died suddenly, suicides, drowning, etc.) from being born, which were believed to have been extremely active during this period.[6] In some regions ofPoland, e.g.Podhale, in the place of someone's violent death, every passer-by was obliged to throw a sprig at the stake, which was then burned every year.
A special role in suffragette rites was played by beggars, who in many regions were also calleddziady. This coincidence of names was not accidental, because in the folklore of itinerants, the beggars-dziady were seen as mediation figures and connectors with the "other world". Therefore, people asked them to pray for the souls of their deceased ancestors, offering food (sometimes special ritual bread prepared for the occasion) or cash donations in return.[7] The passing on of food to beggars as part of soul rituals is sometimes interpreted as a form of feeding the souls of ancestors, which is confirmed by the fact that in some areas they were given their favorite dishes of the deceased.[8]
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During this holiday, there were numerous prohibitions concerning the performance of various works and activities that could disturb or even threaten the peace of the souls on earth. The following were prohibited: loud behaviour at the table and suddenly getting up (which could frighten souls), cleaning from the table after supper (so that souls could feed), pouring water after washing dishes through the window (so as not to pour over the souls staying there) smoking in the oven (this way – as it was believed – souls would sometimes get home),sewing,weaving orspinning (so as not to sew or tie up a soul that could not return to "that world") or working onflax.[8][5]
The folk ritual of thedziady became an inspiration for theAdam Mickiewicz'sDziady, the central motif of which are the scenes of summoning souls during the village congregation, taking place in the abandoned chapel at the cemetery. The ritual is presided over by theGuślarz (Koźlarz, Huslar), who preaches ritual formulas and evokes the souls of the dead inpurgatory. They are to tell them what they need to achieve salvation and to eat the food they have carried for them.
Ethnological and literary studies clearly show that in Mickiewicz's work we deal with stylization. The author took numerous elements from Belarusian folklore, processed them artistically and created an original image.[9] In fact, the rituals of thedziady took place in christian times, either in houses, or in cemeteries by the graves of their ancestors, or in places connected archetypically (and often also locally) with former centers of worship – on hills, under sacred trees, in places considered sacred (sometimes actually bychapels, which were often built on former places of pagan worship). Mickiewicz's references to terms such as "purgatory" and "salvation" are the result of combining pagan and Christian customs.
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To this day, in Belarus, Ukraine, parts of Russia, and some regions of eastern Poland, it is cultivated to carry on the graves of the dead a symbolic meal in clay pots. The majority of Slavic neo-pagan androdnover movements also cultivate thedziady.[10][11] Every year inKrakow, a traditionalRękawka [pl] is held, directly related to the ancient custom of spring ancestors' holiday.
InBelarus,dziady began to gain in importance in the late 1980s and were particularly important forBelarusian Catholics, for whom this day became a symbol of memory of the victims of the communist regime. On October 30, 1988, the first mass gathering was organized, not by the authorities but by activists, to commemorate the victims in 20th century Belarus. The authorities of that time, which did not like it, dispersed the assembly with the help of themilitsiya. Thedziady ceased to be a day off in 1996, when the holiday began to be associated with the democratic opposition. Nowadays, hundreds of thousands of Belarusians are taking leave on demand to honor their ancestors on November 1 and 2.[12] In 2017, the President of theEpiscopal Conference of Belarus,Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, said that thedziady should be a day off from work, instead of theOctober Revolution on November 7. He also supported the Internet petition for granting the status of a day off from work to grandfathers,[13] which has now collected over 2500 signatures.[14]
Christianity, on the one hand, fought against pagan rituals, successfully banning them, and on the other hand, it tried to adapt some of them in an attempt tochristianize them. In the case of thedziady, both theCatholic and theOrthodox Church tried to marginalize and then eliminate pagan festivals by introducing into their squares (at the same or similar moments of the annual cycle) Christian festivals and practices (respectively, the counselor subots[check spelling] and the suffragettes). A different strategy was adopted in theUniate Church, which obliged the priests to go with the rural population to theirdziady and pray theAngelus, theHail Mary and other christian prayers.[15] In some regions, the Uniate priests celebrated special processions at the cemeteries, during which they consecrated individual graves and collected food and money left on them.[16]
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