Various carols. Nativity of Christ: the most beautiful carols in Ukrainian and Russian. Text of carols and carol songs

In the old days, winter was the time when all the work in the fields had already been done, the supplies had been prepared, all that remained was to wait for the New Year and Christmas holidays with their delights: decorating the Christmas tree with the whole family, Christmas fortune-telling, preparing twelve dishes for Christmas and much more. But do not forget about another ancient ritual that people honor to this day: on Christmas, gather in groups, dress up in different themed costumes, go from house to house and carol!

What is the history of the carol holiday?

And here is the legend itself: on the day winter solstice, according to legend, the Korotun serpent ate the Sun, but so that people would not be left without light and warmth, the good goddess Kolyada in the waters of the Dnieper gave birth to a new Sun, little Bozhich. Further, it was necessary to protect the new sun from evil forces by all means. Therefore, people went from house to house with the image of the earthly Luminary and conveyed this happy news to them. With the appearance of the first star in the sky, they called the owner of the house and sang praising songs to him. They began to be called carols.

When do the carols start?

How to properly carol at Christmas?

Next, prepare the costumes: a goat (it is considered a symbol of fertility and a rich harvest, a cheerful guy is chosen for this role, who will fervently dance in front of the owners and thus drive away evil spirits from the house), a bear, buffoons, angels. The company should be as diverse as possible!

One of the main attributes of the mummers is the Star, because it was the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem that marked the Nativity of Christ. For caroling, the star needs to be made as visible and bright as possible - fix it on a long stick, decorate it with ribbons, garlands and shiny foil. It will be noticeable to everyone from afar that the time has come to prepare gifts.

In the old days, it was believed that the more rays a star had, the happier the wishes would be. Also, it was often decorated with paintings with religious subjects, and candles were placed in the middle. Usually, small stars were worn by kids, while young people tried to make them more complex: their Bethlehem star spun around its axis, sparkled and was decorated with ribbons and braids of the finest work.

If possible, you also need to make a small nativity scene - a portable puppet theater with biblical characters and Christmas stories can easily be made with your own hands. Ask the children to start with animal figurines.

Now the main part is to learn Christmas carols:

Good evening to you, my lord, rejoice,
Cover the tables, that's all with kilims, rejoice,
Oh, rejoice, earth, the Son of God was born.
And put rolls with hot wheat, rejoice,
Oh, rejoice, earth, the Son of God was born.
Bo come to you three holidays to visit, rejoice,
Oh, rejoice, earth, the Son of God was born.
And the first holiday: Christmas, rejoice,
Oh, rejoice, earth, the Son of God was born.
And the other holiday: St. Basil, rejoice,
Oh, rejoice, earth, the Son of God was born.
And the third holiday: Holy Vodokhrescha, rejoice,
Oh, rejoice, earth, the Son of God was born.

An angel came down to us
And he sang: "Christ is born!"
We came to glorify Christ
And congratulate you on the holiday.
Here we go, shepherds,
All our sins are forgiven.
We rule our way to the house,
We praise Christ God.

Heaven and earth, heaven and earth
Now they are celebrating.
angels people angels people
They rejoice merrily.

Angels sing, give glory.

A miracle, a miracle is proclaimed.
In Bethlehem, in Bethlehem
Joy has come!
Pure maiden, pure maiden,
She gave birth to a son!
Christ was born, God became incarnate,
Angels sing, give glory.
The shepherds play, the Shepherd is met,
A miracle, a miracle is proclaimed.

How to meet carolers?

Remember, caroling may suddenly come to you, so prepare a treat and small money the day before. If this is the case in the village, most likely your friends will visit you. good friends and friends, we advise you to join them!

Here are carols that will be easy to learn:

Christmas carol came
Christmas Eve
Who will give the pie
That is why the barn is full of cattle,
Sheep with oats
A stallion with a tail!
Who will not give a pie,
To that chicken leg,
Pestle, yes a shovel,
Humpback cow.

carols, carols, carolers,
Goodness with honey spitting,
Not so without honey
Give me some pie.
Yak do not give a pie,
I'll take the bik by the horns,
I'll take you to the market
I will buy my own pie.

Quiet nothing, holy nothing!
Clarity b "є vіd zіrnits.
Holy Child,
So clear, mov dawn,
Rest in quiet sleep.
Quiet nothing, holy nothing!
Oh, see the tears for the vich,
Bo Xing God come before us,
Tsiliy light of love "saved,
Let us know, Holy Child!
Holy nothing is here,
A clear glint from the sky b "є,
In the human body God's Sin
Come to Bethlehem
To save the whole world.

What is sung about in carols?

Carols also praise human labor, kindness, justice and happiness.

Probably everyone knows a wonderful folk tradition - Christmas carols. She organically blended into folk celebration Christmas. We have received wonderful Ukrainian carols- in the villages in Ukraine, and now you can meet the carriers of this unique culture. Old carols are also sung in Siberia. AT recent times carolers can be seen more and more often in Central Russia. And in Moscow they even organize fun festive performances with the participation of professional performers, and they take place in front of everyone, in the most unexpected places, for example, in shopping centers.
There are several versions of where the word "kolyada" came from. According to one of them, this is a borrowing from Latin. The Romans called the first days of each month with a similar word "calends". According to another version, the oldest meaning of the word "carol" was "gifts, alms collected by the clergy" - that the parishioners donated food to the clergy.

Many people think that caroling is a pagan custom. However, it is not. Whatever its roots, in Christian culture it has received its logical understanding. A carol is a joyful cry from the soul of a believer. After all, the joy of the birth of Christ can be expressed in different ways: in worship, and in the preparation of a festive dinner, and in songs. Carolers, along with songs, bring a special atmosphere of festive fun into the house. Very often carolers go from house to house with a homemade star attached to a pole. It symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem, which led the three Magi, wise men from the East, to the cave where Christ was born.

Carols have one peculiarity. The one who sings them expects "to get chocolates for carols." For those who listen, this is a great opportunity to show generosity, thank the cheerful singers and rejoice with them. It is not necessary to thank only with chocolate - pies and other goodies from the Christmas table are also suitable, as well as small money. In Ukraine, carolers were even presented with sausage - but, of course, home-made.

Most carols do not have authors - as they say, this is folk art. They may not be quite literate in terms of literature, but at the same time they are beautiful in terms of semantic structure, sincerity and kindness. A carol is most often a small Christmas story about the greatest event in history and the glorification of the main actors that Holy night when the Savior of the world was born.

Heaven and earth, heaven and earth
Now they are celebrating.
angels people angels people
They rejoice merrily.

Angels sing, give glory.

A miracle, a miracle is proclaimed.

In Bethlehem, in Bethlehem
Joy has come!
Pure maiden, pure maiden,
She gave birth to a son!

Christ was born, God became incarnate,
Angels sing, give glory.
The shepherds play, the Shepherd is met,
A miracle, a miracle is proclaimed.

__________________

The night is quiet over Palestine.
The weary earth sleeps.
Mountains, groves and valleys
Hidden all the darkness of the night.
Hidden all the darkness of the night.

Weary in Bethlehem
All the lights went out
Only in a distant field
The shepherds did not sleep.
The shepherds did not sleep.

The herd was correctly counted,
Circled the night watch
And, sitting down, they tied
Talk among themselves.
Talk among themselves.

Suddenly there was a gentle rustle,
The shepherds were trembling,
And in white clothes
An angel of God appeared to them.
An angel of God appeared to them.

- Do not be afraid, do not be embarrassed!
From Heavenly Father
I came with great news
You will rejoice hearts.
You will rejoice hearts.

Mercy sends to people
Christ Himself, the Sovereign-King.
Wishing to save the sinful world,
He gave himself as a sacrifice.
He gave himself as a sacrifice.

The night is quiet over Palestine.
The weary earth sleeps.
Mountains, groves and valleys
Hidden all the darkness of the night.
Hidden all the darkness of the night.

Good evening to you
affectionate host,
Rejoice, rejoice earth
The Son of God was born into the world.

We are here for you, master
With good news.
Rejoice, rejoice earth
The Son of God was born into the world.

With good news
From the holy city
Rejoice, rejoice earth
The Son of God was born into the world.

Shchedryk-Petryk,
Give me a dumpling!
a spoonful of porridge,
Top sausages.
It's not enough
Give me a piece of fat.
Take it out quickly
Don't freeze the kids!

Most people in our time believe that Christmas and Kolyada are inextricably linked. In fact, since pagan times, when Christianity was not even accepted in Russia, and people believed in different gods, there already existed such a tradition as Kolyada. This holiday was dedicated to the heavenly

Ancient people believed that after the god of heaven wakes up, the length of the day begins to increase, and the nights decrease. Our ancestors were grateful to Dazhdbog and began to praise him with the help of ritual songs - carols.

Since those times, many customs have been forgotten and changed, but still we still adhere to many traditions, although in a slightly different form.

The essence of the holiday

Kolyada is a holiday of the Slavs, the popular name for Christmas and Christmas time, which continues today from January 7 to January 19 (Baptism).

The main purpose of Kolyada is to conduct rituals dedicated to Christmas Eve. The main traditions that have been preserved to one degree or another in our time are:

Dressing in a variety of outfits, in particular made from the skins and horns of animals, the use of masks;

Caroling, singing carol songs;

Thanksgiving to carolers and giving them sweets, food, coins and other things;

Games of young people;

Fortune-telling of unmarried girls.

Kolyada - a holiday that was the largest and most important in winter time since the time of the pagans, just as now is the Nativity of Christ for all Christians.

When is Kolyada celebrated?

Kolyada is a holiday of the Slavs, the date from which Christmas time began (December 25 - the day of the winter solstice), and they continued until January 6. Thus, even before the adoption of Christianity, the people performed the rites of Kolyada, praising the god of heaven - Dazhdbog.

On what date was Kolyada celebrated after the adoption of Christianity? Pagan celebrations merged with the birthday of Jesus Christ, and Christmas time was already celebrated from December 6 to 19, that is, from Christmas to Epiphany. These Christmas traditions have survived to this day.

The relationship between the solstice and Kolyada

The Kolyada holiday was celebrated in honor of the rebirth of the sun on the day of the winter solstice. On December 25, people did not just meet New Year- they believed that on this day a new luminary and agricultural activity was born.

A. S. Famintsyn, in a book entitled “Deities of the Ancient Slavs”, written in 1884, indicated that in ancient writings there are references to two gods - Kupala (the god of the summer solstice) and Kolyada (the god of the winter solstice).

A. N. Afanasiev in his writing “The Poetic Views of the Slavs on Nature” mentioned that the sun was the personification of a happy and divine life. The solar deity was considered the brightest, kindest and most merciful; by the fact that it induces all living organisms to life, gives food and help to people.

It was believed that the luminary was inextricably linked with fate, so a person asked for his help when he was pursued by difficulties and failures. Also, the sun had to resist evil, darkness and cold.

Thus, the Slavic holiday Kolyada and the performance of carols are rituals, dedicated to god suns, which show the special relationship of our ancestors to the luminary.

Interpretation of the name of the holiday

Kolyada is a pagan holiday, and its name has its roots in ancient times.

One of the versions of the origin of the word "Kolyada" says that it came from "kolo" - "sun". It protected people from darkness, and on December 25 a new and young luminary was born, which helped to increase the daylight hours and reduce the night.

Dmitry Shchepkin adhered to another opinion, and it consists in the fact that the word "Kolyada" means "circular food or circular dishes", "going around". This can be explained by the fact that companies of carolers walked with a nativity scene through all the yards, danced and sang carols, they were rewarded for this with gifts, and after that they all ate the food they caroled together.

In addition, there are opinions that "Kolyada" comes from the words:

- "deck" - a lit stump;

- "kolo" - round, wheel;

From the Latin word "calenda", that is, "the first day of the month."

The meaning of the word is explained as “a custom that is associated with the beginning of the year”, which is typical even for pre-Christian times, and after the adoption of Christianity, the Slavic holiday Kolyada was attached to the birthday of Jesus Christ.

According to the ethnolinguistic dictionary (Slavic antiquities), the word has pagan roots. And Strakhov claims that there is nothing Proto-Slavic and pagan in Kolyada at all, and this term was adopted as an expression of the clergy (literally: “gifts or offerings that were collected by the clergy” or “maintenance for the New Year”).

How did you prepare for the Kolyada holiday?

Kolyada is a holiday that was the biggest and most important for the people. Based on this, it can be argued that they prepared for it in advance and carefully. Ordinary people (even from the poorest families):

Cooked a large number of dishes, in particular with meat, and for this they pricked a pig;

Cleaned thoroughly throughout the house;

Well steamed in the bath;

Prepared new outfits, in particular for caroling.

One thing has remained unchanged: as long ago as now, we strive to meet new year holidays cleansed both physically and spiritually.

How has Kolyada been celebrated since ancient times?

Most ethnographers agree that even in pre-Christian times there was such a custom as Kolyada. The history of the holiday is interesting and fascinating, many traditions and rituals have survived to our time, but some have lost their power and have been changed.

Celebrations and rituals of Kolyada were held in the following order:

1. The first part of the celebration consisted in the fact that a large number of people came to pagan temples (temples) to perform the ritual of sacrifice and communicate with the gods, to become closer to them.

As the legends say, the people gathered near the rivers, in the forests, near the fire and thanked and praised their gods, asked for repentance and future blessings. At the same time, their faces were decorated, in masks, they were dressed in skins and other outfits, they held spears, shields and animal horns in their hands, made sacrifices and guessed.

For the ritual of sacrifice and divination, a sorcerer was needed - a person who provided communication with the gods. In the family, this role was performed by the eldest man. Before divination, they usually performed sacrifices with birds or animals. In this case, the blood was spilled and sprinkled around to drive away evil spirits. Parts of the animal not intended for food were buried in the ground, burned in a fire or drowned in a river.

The elders killed a pet, making requests to the gods. At this time, young girls and boys both guessed and sang carols that praised Kolyada, the god of the young Sun.

2. The second part of the Kolyada was dedicated to the general meal. People ate the food that was sacrificed and drank in turn from the cup, which was passed around. At the same time, carols were sung, they praised the gods Navi and Rule and asked for help for good people.

3. In the third part of the celebration there were so-called "games": people sang a variety of songs, danced to the Slavic folk instruments.

The holiday of Kolyada (Solstice) had its own customs and features the next day:

At first, several children went caroling. They took 2 pies with them, which they shared equally among all and ate after singing carols.

After that, young girls (future brides) walked and sang ritual songs. They gave them all a few rolls and gingerbread.

At the end, all the women and men go caroling, they were also given kalachi and gingerbread.

The script of the Kolyada holiday

How is the holiday celebrated today? Kolyada takes place in a whirlwind of ritual festivities. The scenario was and remains the following, despite the additions and changes that are made by different peoples:

1. On Christmas Eve (January 6) people didn't eat anything until the evening. But as soon as the first star appeared in the sky, they sat down with the whole family to have dinner. There should be 12 dishes on the table that evening, of which kutya and dried fruit (apples and pears) are obligatory, as well as hearty meat dishes (pancakes, cabbage rolls, dumplings, homemade sausage).

From time immemorial, our ancestors had the custom of putting hay under the tablecloth, which was supposed to lie there until January 14 - Shchedrets.

2. The next morning - January 7 - comes the biggest winter holiday Christmas. On this special day, it is customary to go to the godchildren and give them gifts.

After dinner, young girls and boys dress up as different animals and gypsies, and in groups of 10-15 people walk around with carols. One of the company of carolers should dress up as a goat. In some regions (in particular, in Western Ukraine) it is customary to walk with a large homemade star. Carolers sing songs glorifying the earth, with requests for a good future, dance and have fun. For this, the owners generously thank them and give them various goodies and money.

It was believed that if the owners did not unlock the door to carolers, then this could bring trouble to the family and poverty.

3. The next day after the Nativity of Christ was the day of St. Stepan. It was on this day that the owner had to fully pay off his workers, and they, in turn, could express everything that had accumulated over the past year. Then they decided whether to conclude a new agreement to continue cooperation or disperse.

The townspeople celebrated this Slavic holiday (Kolyada) a little differently. His script was as follows:

Holding a festive program and festivities in the park and in the city center;

Organization of the fair;

Ball and dances (arranged for wealthy citizens).

Children, as today, could enjoy the Christmas tree, gifts, go to performances and dance programs.

4. Shchedrets was also merrily celebrated on January 14th. On this day, they not only sang and danced, but also chose the most beautiful girl villages. She was dressed up, put on a wreath, ribbons, she led a team of beauties who walked around the yards and were generous. On this day, the hosts tried as best as possible and bestowed gifts on the generous, so that the coming year would be successful and prosperous.

The place of kutia during Christmas carols

The holiday of Kolyada among the ancient Slavs did not pass without kutya. There were 3 special holy evenings, for each of which ritual porridge was prepared, and different:

1. Lenten with nuts, dried fruits, poppy seeds and uzvar was prepared on the first Christmas Eve - January 6th. Such porridge was called the great kutya.

2. On January 13 - on the eve of the New Year according to the old style - they prepared the second kutya, which was called rich or generous. On this day, all kinds of rather hearty dishes were served on the table, and even porridge was seasoned with fat, lard, butter and corn.

3. The third kutia - on the eve of Epiphany on January 18 - was called hungry and, like the first, lenten, cooked in water. There was a tradition that the head of the family went out into the street that evening and drew crosses on all gates, gates and doors in order to protect the inhabitants of the house and the family from evil spirits, troubles and bad weather.

The Kolyada holiday in Russia during the Soviet era was practically not celebrated, but in the 60s Slavic traditions slowly began to revive, and in the 90s they began to return to Russian families in full swing. Today they carol on Holy Evening - from January 6 to 7, while many customs are returning: children and young people change into holiday outfits, take a star with them, learn ritual songs. The hosts, in turn, try to generously thank the carolers so that the year is successful and prosperous.

Divination place in Kolyadi

Fortune-telling in Kolyada occupied a special place, they were usually carried out from the evening on the eve of the Nativity of Christ until January 14 (New Year's Eve according to the old style). It was believed that it was on these days that girls could find out their fate and reveal the secret of the future, see the groom and even predict the date of the wedding. There were many rituals. The most popular of them are the following:

1. The girl had to go out into the yard and throw the boot from her left foot over the fence. Then see how he fell. If the toe is towards the house, then this year she will not marry, if in the opposite direction, then they looked in which direction the boot points - they say, from there you need to wait for the betrothed.

2. They took 2 needles, smeared them with fat or lard and lowered them into water. If they drowned immediately, then an unsuccessful year was foretold, and if they remained afloat, and even united, then it was worth waiting for a rich year and an early marriage.

3. They also guessed from the log. A young girl from a woodshed was blindly pulling out one stump and carefully examining it. If it was rough, then the narrowed one will have an unsightly appearance, if it is smooth and even, then future husband will be beautiful and stately. A lot of knots on the stump indicated that the guy would be from a family with many sisters and brothers. If a crooked and twisted log came across, then the groom will be with external defects (curve, pockmarked, etc.)

4. Divination on the rings. It consisted in the fact that any cereal or rye, wheat was poured into the sieve, 4 types of rings were placed here: metal, silver, with a pebble and gold, and all this was well mixed. For this fortune-telling, a company of unmarried girls gathered, each of which scooped up one handful of the contents:

If only grain came across, then this year the girl will not marry at all;

If a simple metal ring, then she will marry a poor guy;

If the ring is silver, then the groom will be simple;

A ring with a pebble predicted family life with the boyar;

A golden ring is a sign that a girl will marry a merchant.

5. There is also such a fortune-telling for which you need to take a bowl and fill it with grain, prepare pieces of paper, on one of which write the cherished name of the betrothed, leave the rest empty. Take handfuls of grain and see how many times the desired leaf will fall:

If from the first, then the girl should wait for an early matchmaking;

From the second - it means that you will have to face some difficulties;

From the third - the young one is deceiving you, it is better not to believe his words;

From the fourth - the guy is completely indifferent to you.

Young girls also wondered:

At midnight in the bath;

With a mirror, expecting to see the betrothed in it;

On water and candles.

One of the main traditions was wheel rolling. To do this, a large wooden circle in the form of a wheel was set on fire and rolled up and down the mountain. Here you can clearly see the connection between Slavic traditions and rituals of Kolyada, because the burning wheel, of course, symbolized the sun, and by rolling it uphill, they helped add daylight.

History of caroling

Carols were usually sung not in the house, but right under the windows. Young girls asked permission to enter and then they sang "grapes", which is widespread in the North. Here carolers were presented not with cakes or sweets, but ceremonial cookies in the form of animals, birds. Such shortbreads were made from long-lasting dough, they were valuable and expensive for every family, because they kept them throughout the year so that household utensils would not get lost on the way home and multiply. They made such cookies before, but with the image of symbols that were turned to the gods (the sign of the Family or the Sun).

The rite of caroling was carried out for a week, starting from December 25 (Christmas according to the main attributes of such a procession were:

1. Star. They made it from strong paper - large, the size of an arshin (about 0.7 meters) - and lit it with a candle. The star was eight-pointed, painted with bright colors.

2. Nativity scene. It was made from a box with two tiers, in which were placed wooden figures depicting the story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Under the windows, carolers performed short prayer chants, and only one of the group, with the permission of the owner, could enter the house and receive treats and small money.

Kolyada is a holiday during which in large villages of Russia 5-10 groups with a star could visit one courtyard, and the owners tried to generously bestow each of them.

Pagan roots of the holiday

So, the essence of the holiday comes down to the following: this is a list of ancient Slavic rituals that glorify and praise the pagan god of the young sun. According to many sources, Kolyada was still the god of merry feasts.

The main version of the origin of the holiday is that the luminary was praised on the day of the winter solstice. There was even a legend about this. The serpent Korotun devoured the Sun, and the goddess Kolyada helped people and gave birth to a new, young luminary - Bozhich. People try to help the goddess and protect the newborn from the snake through singing and loud shouting, dressing up in scary costumes made from animal skins and using horns. With carols, young people go around all the yards to announce that a new young sun has been born into the world.

After the adoption of Christianity, the church in every possible way forbade the customs of caroling and worship of the gods, but it was not possible to completely eradicate the ancient traditions and rituals. Therefore, clergymen and believers began to walk around the courtyards, announcing that Jesus Christ was born and praising him. These customs have survived to our time. Although the owners often did not give gifts to such performers of carols, on the contrary, they tried to avoid them. In Polissya, believing carolers were not allowed to go home, as it was believed that millet would not be fruitful, and those who caroled according to the old custom were generously rewarded and thanked.

Website "Mom can do anything!" collected the best short Christmas carols for children and adults. Traditionally, on the night of January 6-7, the time for carols comes. Children and young people dress up and go from house to house, recite poems and sing songs. In return, they receive food and money. Now is the time to prepare for the holiday and choose carols.

Merry Christmas to you people!
May peace be with you,
So that you do not know grief
And abide in wealth!

Carol, carol!
And sometimes carols
On Christmas Eve
Kolyada has come
Brought Christmas.

Kolyada comes - it's a fairy tale
Happiness, snow, skates, sleds!
Lights on the Christmas tree and children's laughter!
And the general joy for all-all!
And now to us for congratulations,
Candy and cookies are included!

Christ the Savior
Born at midnight.
In the den of the poor
He settled.
Here above the nativity scene
The star is shining.
Christ Lord,
On your birthday
Give to all people
World of Enlightenment!

And God forbid that
Who is in this house!
The rye is thick for him,
Dinner rye!
Him with an ear of octopus,
From the grain of his carpet,
Half-grain pie.
The Lord would give you
And living, and being,
And wealth!

We sow, we blow, we wave,
Merry Christmas to you!
You glorify Christ
Give us treats!

Give you Lord
In the field of nature
Hammered on the threshing floor
thicket,
On the table spore
Thicker sour cream
Cows are milked!

An angel came down to you from heaven
And he said: "Christ is born!"
We came to glorify Christ
And congratulate you on the holiday.

We go caroling
Let's congratulate together!
Short poems to read
And get candy!

Kolyada came
On the eve of Christmas.
God bless whoever is in this house
We wish good to all people.
gold, silver,
fluffy pies,
Soft pancakes.
good health,
Cow butter.

Carol, carol, carol!
Smiles radiant latitude!
This is joy, this is children's laughter,
Turn out your pockets for everyone!
We wish you happiness
Looking forward to eating!

Good evening good people!
Let be happy holiday will.
We congratulate you on Christmas.
We wish you happiness, joy!
Good evening, good evening!
Good people to health!

The sparrow is flying
twirls its tail,
And you people know
Cover the tables
Receive guests
Meet Christmas!

Accept congratulations people!
The day of fun has come!
short, medium, long,
Young, young, old!
We bring congratulations to everyone,
Looking forward to this meal!

I help my mom.
I carol until the morning.
Have pity, baby
Give me candy!

Joy without borders has come
Let's celebrate in the morning!
God bless you
We wish for years!
We sow, we sow in your house,
We are waiting for treats!

Like Christ Christmas
Rolled under the window
Nikanorov's yard
On seven pillars.
Turned columns,
Gilded.
Our carol
Neither small nor great.
She sews under the window
He serves pies.
Here in the master's house

I will go to any house
And there I will sing!
There will be day and there will be night
All sorrows will go away!
Happiness to all, health to you,
We are waiting for sweets, we are a hundred grams!

We carol, we carol,
We alternate songs with dance!
And squatting, and around,
Serve a pie!

Well, good hostess,
Give us some candy!
We bring happiness, joy to the house,
We are still waiting for pies!
There will be a day and there will be food,
Kolyada will not forget you!

carol, carol,
Who will not give a pie,
We are the cow by the horns
Who will not give donuts,
We are bumps in the forehead,
Who will not give a piglet,
Tom's neck on the side.

In verse we congratulate you friends,
I came to you to carol!
Baba cook pies,
From the heat, from the heat, from the oven!
And sweets in addition,
Good luck, good luck!

Carol, you are my carol!
Open the gate soon!
Today I bring happiness to your house,
Give me sweets you, friends!

Give us coins
Candy for children
We do not harm people.
We can't refuse!

Kolyada, you are my carol!
I congratulate everyone on the holiday!
Pies on the tables glow with heat,
Everyone hears congratulations from me!

Koleda - moleda,
white beard,
Nose - bowl,
Head - a basket,
Hands - sabers,
Legs - rake,
Come on New Year's Eve
Magnify honest people!

Open doors wider
And hand out candy!
On the threshold of a carol,
Come here everyone!
We wish you health
And we're taking candy!

Joy happiness come to the house,
After New Year's Eve
Christmas is coming
The kids go caroling!
Reads short poems
Congratulations to everyone from the bottom of my heart!
Waiting for cookies and sweets
Hello from your family!

A star shines in the sky
Kolyada comes to the house!
Children go home
Prepare a hundred grams of candy!
If you do not pamper the children,
You'll be bored for sure!

carol, carol
Open up the gate
Get out the chests
Give patches.
Though the ruble
At least a penny
Let's not leave home like this!
Give us some candy
And maybe a coin
Don't regret anything
Christmas Eve!

To be in the bins
So that happiness is found in houses
Bring out your treats
May luck be with you!
We are the messengers of the holy day
We wish peace to you loving!

Kolyada comes to visit
Throw away all your affairs!
There will be joy, there will be feast
There will be peace in every home!

To make the rye thick,
To keep the butter from melting
To have money,
To keep the guys fed!
We need to feed you
We've come to carol!

I'm called Mekhonoshey
And I'm not afraid of frost!
I'm going to you for a light,
And I carry a big bag!

Mother winter has come.
Open the gate!
the holidays have arrived!
The carols have arrived!
Kolyada-molyada!

Carol, carol!
You give us a pie
Or a slice of bread
Or half the money
Or a chicken with a crest,
Rooster with a comb!

They sowed everything, scattered everywhere,
And they fanned you with full grain!
They came to you to carol.
Happiness. Joy to offer!
And in return we want sweets,
So that we also have a lot of joy!

Carols are Christmas ritual songs. You can learn everything about Russian folk carols if you carefully read our informative article!

Carols and Christmas

A carol is a Christmas ritual song, an Old Slavic analogue of Western Christmas carols. Our ancestors sang carols on the main winter holiday instead of the now familiar American "Jingle Bells" or the Soviet "A Christmas tree was born in the forest." Initially, all carols were pagan. Where did Christian carols come from - a folklorist and collector of folk songs, leader folklore ensemble Elena Krasnopevtseva.

Sometimes carolers dressed up in unusual costumes: fur coats turned inside out, scary masks. You can still see such processions in the Carpathians

Russian folk carols - everyone carols!

Carols are ritual songs, part of the so-called calendar cycle - the most ancient and stable part of Russian folklore. (For each of the holidays of the Russian calendar, the people relied on their own “seasonal” songs, the use of which was limited to a small period of the holiday.) All carols can be conditionally divided into “Christoslav” (Christmas) and “sowing” (pagan). The first are dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, these are the carols to which we are accustomed. The latter, as a rule, are more archaic, associated with the pagan cult of fertility. Their main content is the wishes of the harvest and prosperity in the new year. Pagan carols reflected dependence on natural forces and, in fact, were an appeal to them, the gods responsible for the harvest, because the life of a medieval peasant directly depended on the harvest. The very word "Kolyada" is a name; so, according to many researchers, in the Slavic pagan pantheon they called one of the goddesses of fertility, whose feast was celebrated on the day of the winter solstice. The name of the deity to whom carolers addressed in different regions could differ: Tausen, Avsen, Vinograden. Based on the traditional refrains of Russian carols, usually repeating one of these names, each carol can be classified geographically: Kolyada - Kursk region, Vinogradie - Arkhangelsk region and Russian North, Tausen - Ryazan. It was forbidden to perform carols outside the "New Year's" rite.

The well-known custom of caroling at Christmas appeared after the Baptism of Russia in the course of rethinking pagan customs in the context of Christian culture. Judging by the musical and harmonic structure of Christopher Russian carols, most of them are of Ukrainian origin. Until now, in the south of Russia, Christian carols are more common than pagan ones, and the tradition of caroling at Christmas is better preserved there. The melodies of pagan carols, as a rule, were very simple, so that they were easy to remember: musically, they did not differ too much from other folk couplets, chants and jokes. Christopher carols are somewhat more complicated musically.

In Russia and Ukraine, in ancient times, everyone caroled around Christmas: both adults and children, but caroled different groups: separately women with men, separately teenagers and children. It was believed that the more carolers came into the house during the day, the better. They began to carol from Christmas night, immediately after the service, and continued until the very Epiphany. The hosts were supposed to thank the carolers with treats that were never shared, they ate all the gifts that the carolers accumulated during the day, they ate together.

Gentiles are not allowed into the house

It was not immediately divided into Christopher and sowing carols. For example, pagan meaning and style are seen in some folk traditions celebrations on January 14 - the day of St. Basil the Great, when the New Year was celebrated according to the old calendar. Despite the memory of an Orthodox saint, caroling on that day followed a completely pagan rite: early in the morning, children ran into the house, threw grain at the icons, cackled like geese, portrayed domestic animals - all this, according to pagan ideas, contributed to fertility. Sometimes carolers dressed up in unusual costumes: fur coats turned inside out, scary masks. You can still see such processions in the Carpathians. The meaning of such disguise is also archaic: a caroler disguised as evil spirits personified a dead man, an ancestor who helped “fertility”. As a rule, they dressed this way precisely for the New Year, on January 14, and in this case they performed exclusively sowing, that is, pagan carols. This custom was widespread not only in the Carpathians, but throughout Russia, only in our country it was condemned by the Church. "New Year's" carolers were not allowed into the house, but were presented with treats outside the threshold or through the window. In addition, those who went to Christmas time in a "mask" were supposed to plunge into Baptism in the "Jordan" - a hole specially cut in the river and consecrated: to wash away sin. On the other hand, "Christoslav" carolers were invited to the huts.

In contrast to dressing up in disguise, the “Christian” carolers walked in a procession with the star of Bethlehem, which personified the worship of the Magi to the Infant Christ and was accompanied by the singing of Christmas carols and the Christmas troparion. Although there are Christopher carols that do not contain Christmas stories, but only wishes for well-being and wealth. Mixed variants are also often found, where “Christ walks along the arable land and sows wheat”, and the Mother of God helps him. Most likely, these are ancient pagan carols, later remade in a Christian way. A chorus remained from the pagan past, the text of which could also already be mixed: “The carol came on the eve of Christmas.”

Already in the past

The tradition of carols is also associated with such a phenomenon as a nativity scene - a theatrical performance that conveys the Christmas gospel story in the form of a puppet theater. In the original, the nativity scene is a mobile puppet theater, a three-tiered box with a screen. Traveling through the villages, he showed a performance during which carols are repeatedly performed, indicating the appearance of one or another hero, and only when an angel appears, the Christmas troparion is performed.

Unfortunately, the tradition of singing carols in Russia has perished. If we go to Western Ukraine, to the Carpathians, we will see that almost everyone carols there today at Christmas. In Russian villages, the custom of caroling is a thing of the past; in cities, this tradition is being revived only in a theatrical form. I have been collecting folklore for about 30 years and I have never seen anyone caroling in our villages, I can only find old people who caroled in childhood and remember how to do it. Of course, Christ's carols are not just folklore, they express a living faith in Christ, and it must be very strong in order to manifest itself in all spheres of life.