What is Yuletide?

In Russia the transition from the old year to the new was marked by great winter holiday - Christmas. Yule lasted two weeks, starting on Christmas eve (January 6) and culminating on Epiphany, January 19, new style. The main role of the "inside" of Christmas was given the Christmas present of Old New year (Vasiliev day) and Baptism. Yuletide was considered in the people the youth festival.

On the first day of Christmas the children and young people, sometimes adults, "glorified" Christ. They passed a neighbor's house with Christmas star and a special songs of praise celebration and congratulated them with their neighbors. Adult peasants on the third day after Christmas was back to daily works except those works which were forbidden to do in Yuletide. The youth was left to myself and could relax and have fun. Yuletide merrymaking as at gatherings, guys and girls could look at each other, to choose her spouse. Girls tried to attract the attention of bright festive outfits, the ability to sing, to dance, to keep the conversation going. The ideal of girlish behavior in the popular imagination was considered the ability to behave in a fun and smartly, but at the same time without swagger, modest. The streets at Christmas time there were mummers, and the young people in the evenings often "masterevilace" and bypassed their village, Formosa and joy of the owners in each house. Among girls popular Christmas fortune-telling husband. At Christmas passed and winter the bride of brides, because after the Baptism of the Lord has come, "carnivore" - the time of weddings. Well, the old Christmas evenings at the festivals and at home guessing riddles, telling tales and little stories of the children and young people. Traditionally Yule was divided into two parts - the "Holy evening" (Christmas to Vasiliev p.m.) and "terrible evenings" (from night in the New year and to Epiphany). "Terrible evenings" was considered in the time of rampant evil forces, from which people were freed of the great blessing of the waters at Epiphany of the Lord - a symbol of purification and the return of the order.