Koliada

Koliada or koleda (Cyrillic: каляда, коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany or, more generally, for Christmas-related rituals, some dating to pre-Christian times. It represents a festival or holiday, celebrated at the end of December to honor the sun during the Northern Hemisphere winter solstice, and is practiced in East Europe. It also involves groups of singers, koledari, who visit houses to sing carols.Brlic-Mazuranic, Ivana. Croatian Tales of Long Ago. Translated by Fanny S. Copeland. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co.. 1922. p. 258.Tryfanenkava, Maryna A. 2001. "The Current Status of Belarusian Calendar-Ritual Tradition". In: FOLKLORICA - Journal of the Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Folklore Association, 6 (2): 43. https://doi.org/10.17161/folklorica.v6i2.3709.

One theory states that Koliada is the name of a cycle of winter rituals stemming from the ancient calendaeEncyclopedia of Ukraine as for example the Kalenda Proclamation.

Terminology The word originated in Old Church Slavonic Kolęda (Колѧда). It is used in modern Russian (Коляда́, ), Ukrainian ("Коляда" ), Belarusian (Каляда, Kalyada, Kaliada), Polish (Szczodre Gody kolęda ), Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian (Коледа, Коледе, koleda, kolenda), Lithuanian (Kalėdos, Kalėda), Czech, Slovak, Slovene (koleda) and Romanian (Colindă).

In modern Belarusian (каляда), Ukrainian (koliada), Czech, Slovak, Croatian (koleda, kolenda), Kashubian (kòlãda [kwɛlãda]) and Polish (kolęda , Old Polish kolendaBiblioteka warszawska. 1858 s. 318, Materyały antropologiczno-archeologiczne i etnograficzne 1826 s. 186) the meaning has shifted from Christmas itself to denoting the tradition of strolling, singing, and having fun on Christmas Eve, same in the Balkan Slavs. It specifically applies to children and teens who walk house to house greeting people, singing and sifting grain that denotes the best wishes and receiving candy and small money in return. The action is called kolyadovanye () in Russian, kolyaduvannya (Ukrainian колядування) in Ukrainian and is now applied to similar Old East Slavic celebrations of other old significant holidays, such as Generous Eve (, , ) the evening before New Year's Day, as well as the celebration of the arrival of spring. Similarly in Bulgaria and North Macedonia, in the tradition of koleduvane (коледуване) or koledarenje (коледарење) around Christmas, groups of children visiting houses, singing carols and receiving a gift at parting. The kids are called 'koledari' or rarely 'kolezhdani' who sing kolyadki (songs).

Customs Songs and performers

By countries and peoples Belarus

Croatia Croatian composer Jakov Gotovac wrote in 1925 the composition "Koleda", which he called a "folk rite in five parts", for male choir and small orchestra (three clarinets, two bassoons, timpani and drum). Also, the Dubrovnik kolenda is one of the oldest recorded traditions of this kind in Croatia (its first mentioned in 13th century). There is also a dance from Dubrovnik called "The Dubrovnik Koleda." Bulgaria

North Macedonia and northern Greece Kolida (), Koliada () or Kolida Babo (Κόλιντα Μπάμπω) is celebrated across northern Greece by the Slavic speakers of Greek Macedonia, in areas from Florina to Thessaloniki. It is celebrated before Christmas by gathering in the village square and lighting a bonfire, followed by local folk music and dancing. Poland

Romania and Moldova

Russia

Serbia

Turkey It is celebrated in the Büyükmandıra village of Babaeski district, Kırklareli Province in Turkey as a halloween-like festival and dates back a thousand years.

Koliada

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