Western Serbs have preserved this custom related to the birth of the young Sun god, the beginning of the new solar year, new year. On Christmas day, the hay that was used to decorate the houses on Christmas eve is brought out and strewn on the threshing floor. On the first of January, which is in Serbia called mladi Božić meaning young God, a magic ritual threshing is performed. A special votive bread is made in a shape of a circle with a hole in the middle (torus, wheel) decorated with cuts on the outer edge. The bread is called kovrtanj, kovrtač meaning the one that spins, and is used for magical ceremonies linked to fertility. First one is performed in the cow shed where the bread is put on a bulls horn. The way it rolls off it is interpreted as an indication whether the next harvest will be good or bad. The second one is performed on the threshing floor. A father gets up before the dawn and takes all the children out onto the threshing floor. He sticks the votive solar bread onto the stožer, central pole of the threshing floor. The father holds onto the bread and all the children hold on to him and they all walk around the stožer pole performing a ritual threshing. Then they all break the votive bread, turn towards the rising sun and cross themselves greeting the young God, Sun on his birthday, the beginning of the new Solar Year. Then they pick up the hay from the threshing floor and decorate fruit trees with it performing fertility rituals. The hay is also added to chicken nests to ensure fertility. No hay is supposed be left on the threshing floor because it contains magical properties. These rituals show direct link between the winter solstice (christmas) tree and grain fertility. What I just found out today and what is incredibly interesting and important is that the word stožer also means tree trunk and oak, (again) directly linking oaks and acorns, the oldest bread source, with grain, todays bread source ... oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.ie/2014/08/bogovo-gumno-gods-threshing-floor.html
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 20:38:48 +0000
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