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Pouring the wax — Koleda divination

Article to come.

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2024 ritual year in photos.

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2024 Koleda/Yule altar

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Sun Goddess Tapestry: A Breakdown of Motifs

The top two panels represent the sun goddess in the day time and summer half of the year.

The Fire Symbol:

From Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe by Mary B. Kelly, 1996 (personal library)

Bird motif

“Because the soul was supposed to fly to heaven, birds represented the soul of the dead person.  Ritual towels, embroidered with birds symbolizing the ancestors were hung from an upstairs window to attract to the soul to return home.  These towels are sometimes embroidered with the symbols of the grave marker as well.”

From Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe by Mary B. Kelly, 1996 (personal library)

In the upper panel the bird symbolizes the living soul and is surrounded by sun bursts and the sown field motif (nestled between tail and wing).

From: When They Severed Earth From Sky: How the Human Mind Shapes Myth by Elizabeth Wayland Barber (personal library).

Sun Chariot

During her journey through the day time sky the sun maiden drives a chariot pulled by horses:

This article is a great read on the sun chariot and sun boat/shallop in Northern Russian embroidery.

I have framed the sun chariot on either side with sun trees and sun flowers.

Solar Wheel motif

I used this motif to divide the panels showing the sun goddess in her day time/summer time aspects and night time/winter aspects.

The solar wheel is surrounded by highly stylized goddess figures that have morphed into the tree of life.

From Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe by Mary B. Kelly, 1996 (personal library)

Sun shallop motif (in red):

I chose this motif to represent the sun at night and during the winter half of the year.

At night the sun goddess travels the underworld in a boat (shallop) pulled by swans. See the sun chariot motif above for a link to traditional Russian costume’s article on the sun chariot and the sun shallop in northern Russian embroidery.

Grave marker motif (in blue):

I chose the grave marker border to symbolize the sun goddesses journey through the underworld.

“Another spring rite known throughout Russia is the “day of Memory”. Celebrated around Easter time in early spring, it is the day for remembering the dead and the ancestors.  Women cut branches to cover the graves, particularly the graves of their mothers.  Spring embroideries depicting women holding branches in their hands were then tied to the grave markers.  These markers have a very ancient peaked-roof motif which appears in the embroideries as well.  Research shows these graves to be at least a 1000 years old; they have survived in just this form into the present day. The grave markers provide another example of a motif whose survival, like the goddess motif, comes down to our day from pagan times.  Originally in the pagan religion the dead were cremated and the ashes of the dead were placed in a small ceramic jar on a shelf, protected by the overhanging roof.”

From Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe by Mary B. Kelly, 1996 (personal library)

Bird motif (in blue):

The birds here in the lower panel symbolize the souls of the ancestors.

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This pattern is where I found the insects I used in my midsummer/Kupala piece.

'Bugs Sampler' by MaryHickmottDesigns available on Etsy for download

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The May Eve/Walpurgisnacht/Hexennacht/Pálení čarodějnic embroideries and the wildflowers that inspired them.

Ratany, verbena, spiderwort, hairy vetch, doves-foot cranes-bill, Carolina geranium, violet wood sorrel (2 pictures, leafs followed by bloom), Venus’ looking glass, cut-leaf tooth cup, and wild petunia.

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Drowning Morana during the total solar eclipse. About two weeks later than usual, but it’s not exactly every day that you get a total eclipse, much less an early Spring one.

Photos were taken just prior to totality. The pic of totality is a blatant steal, my phone camera lens isn’t up to that!

I’ll have pics of her rebirth later today or tomorrow.

@msgraveyarddirt @labradorduck @slavicafire @zarya-zaryanitsa @slaviclore

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The bridal wreath is blooming.

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Lá an dreoilín/Wren Day/St. Stephen’s Day/Bixing Day 2023

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Czech Folk nativity scene

But the tradition of building nativity scenes did not develop only in churches, in the 16th century private noble nativity scenes were also created. In the 18th century, this tradition reached households. And that's mainly due to the fact that during the reign of Joseph II. it was forbidden to build nativity scenes in churches. In fact, the ruler called "the crèches in churches like churches unworthy children's toys" .

But people liked the cribs and so they started making and building them themselves at home. When building them, they imitated what they saw in churches, but they also invented their own concept of nativity scenes. And so, in addition to traditional biblical characters, folk Nativity scenes also feature characters that folk nativity scenes were familiar to from their surroundings. For example, craftsmen, miners or shepherds.

The variety in size and material was also typical for folk Nativity scenes. The first folk cribs were made of wood, later they were made of ceramic, paper, rust and other materials.

It wasn't until the 19th century that the Christmas tree took over as the centerpiece.

The ethnographic nativity scene by painter Maria Fischerová-Kvěchová (1892-1984) has been one of the most beautiful and popular cut-out nativity scenes for several generations. The author created it with love, visiting different parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia, where she studied and painted costumes for her sketchbooks. Here we can find costumes from Chodsk, Pilsen, Moravian Slovácko, Wallachia, Vlčnov and various parts of Slovakia.

My stuck at home covid accomplishment!! I plan on enjoying it for years to come!

Free printables here.

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Happy Winter Solstice 2023

(Art: Ralph Hullet)

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Winter Solstice/Yule 2023

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Coming along, slowly, but surely.

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Inspired by our entry (Northern Hemisphere) into the dark half of the year and @msgraveyarddirt ‘s recent post I brought Morana out of the embroidery chest.

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A year in vintage Czechoslovakian embroidery to date:

Christmas:

Hromnice/Candlemas

Spring Equinox/Easter

May Eve/ pálení čarodějnic

Mother’s Day:

Kupala Night/Midsummer:

Harvest/Dozinky

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Moravian Kopanice Counted Thread Embroidery