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Koročun orKračun (seeother variants below) is one of the names for the time of the year that corresponds toChristmas in several Slavic languages such asPannonian Rusyn, as well as the common name for the holiday in Romania and Hungary. It is also refers to an evil spirit which shortens one's life, in particular bringing a sudden death, as in the curse "Let Karachun take you!" (Russian:Карачун тебя возьми!).
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Max Vasmer derived the name of from theProto-Slavic*korčunŭ, which is in turn derived from the verb*korčati, meaningto step forward.[1]Gustav Weigand,Alexandru Cihac [ro] andAlexandru Philippide offer a similar Slavicetymology, based onkratŭkŭ (curt,short) orkračati (to make steps).[2] The etymology ofsteps is usually favored, as it shows a liminal or transitional quality to the holiday as the solstice approached and a new solar cycle began. Similarly, Árpád Kosztin, along with Alain and André Du Nay, argue that the Romanian and Hungarian terms are most likely Slavicloanwords.[3] On the other hand,Hugo Schuchardt,Vatroslav Jagić, andLuka Pintar [sl] proposed aRomanian origin of the word,[4][5][6] as does also theRomanian Etymological Dictionary,[2] tracing its roots back to theLatincreatio,-nis.
Koročun orKračun was a pre-ChristianSlavic holiday. It was considered the day when the progenitor deity (usuallyVeles) and other spirits associated with darkness were most potent. The first recorded usage of the term was in 1143, when the author of theNovgorod First Chronicle referred to the winter solstice as "Koročun".[1][4]
It was celebrated bySlavs around December 20/21[citation needed], the longest night of the year and the night of thewinter solstice. On this night, the old sun becomes smaller and dies as the days become shorter in theNorthern Hemisphere, and is said in Christianized traditions to die on December 24. On December 21 or 25, the sun is resurrected and becomes the young god, usually associated withSvarozhits orDazhbog[citation needed].
Modernscholars tend to associate this holiday withancestor worship[citation needed]. On this day,Western Slavs lit fires at cemeteries to keep their loved ones warm, and organized feasts to honor the dead and keep them fed. They also lit wooden logs at local crossroads. In someSlavic languages, the word came to denote unexpected death of a young person and theevil spirit that shortens life.[1][4][6]