Festival of Perun

Slavic holiday

Festival of Perun

Rite in honor of Perun in Ukraine

Observed by| Slavic people
Type| Ethnic
Date| 20 July
Related to| Perun

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Festival of Perun.

Festival of Perun, Perun's Day, Perunica is a Slavic festival in honor of the god Perun celebrated by modern Slavic neopagans (rodnovers); its existence in times before the Slavs began to be Christianized remains hypothetical.

## Origin of the holiday

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The existence of the cult in pre-Christian times is a hypothesis put forward as part of Boris Rybakov's interpretation of the ornamentation of archaeological artefacts.[1] The cult of Perun was probably replaced by the cult of the prophet Elijah among the Kyiv boyars in the process of Christianization of Rus. Elijah's Day, celebrated in Christian times on July 20, bore distinct features of ancient pagan cults, and it is presumed that it replaced the original festival in honor of the god of thunder Perun.[2] In popular belief Elijah wields storm clouds to influence the fertility of the fields and uses lightning against demons and blasphemers.[3]

## Traditions

[edit]

Ritual fights during festival celebrations in Russia

The festival is celebrated on July 20 or 21[4] by the neopagans in Poland within registered religious organizations,[5] as well as informal communities, and also in other Slavic countries, including Ukraine,[6] Slovakia, and Russia, where in some groups of rodnovers this holiday is regarded as the most important of the year.[7] During the festival there are games (sports competitions) in honor of Perun, during which participants compete in such disciplines as combat sports and tug-of-war.[4]

## See also

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* Festival of Veles

## References

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1. ^ Gieysztor 2006, p. 280-281.
2. ^ Matsʹkiv 2017, p. 169.
3. ^ Korepanova 2017, p. 340.
4. ^ a b Gajda 2007, p. 78.
5. ^ "Święto Peruna w Warszawie. Wspólny obrzęd SW, RW i RKP - Rodzima Wiara - oficjalna strona". www.rodzimawiara.org.pl. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
6. ^ "20 липня свято Перуна в Запоріжжі — Вісник Рідновіра - Новини у Рідному Світі - Новини в Рідній Вірі - Портал Руського Православного Кола". ridnovir.in.ua. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
7. ^ Aitamurto 2016, p. 67.

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Gajda, Agnieszka (2007). "Święta i obrzędy Rodzimej Wiary". Państwo i Społeczeństwo. 2.
* Gieysztor, Aleksander (2006). Mitologia Słowian (in Polish). Warsaw: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. ISBN 978-83-235-0234-0.
* Matsʹkiv, Petro (2017). "Давні вірування українців: лінгвокультурологічний аспект". Рідне слово в етнокультурному вимірі (in Ukrainian). ISSN 2411-4758.
* Korepanova, Victoria Olegovna (2017). "Пантеон восточных славян: от язычества к христианству". Вопросы истории, археологии, политических наук и регионоведения: сборник материалов XIII Всерос. науч. конф. студентов, магистрантов, аспирантов и мол. ученых (in Russian). Tomsk: Издательство Томского университета.
* Aitamurto, Kaarina (2016). Paganism, Traditionalism, Nationalism: Narratives of Russian Rodnoverie. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-08443-3.

* v
* t
* e

Slavic mythology and religion

Deities|

* Chernobog and BelobogH
* ChernoglavF
* Dazhbog
* DevanaH
* Dyi [ru]H
* Diviya [ru; uz]H
* Khors
* KresnikH
* Lada mythology
* MoranaH
* Mokosh
* PizamarHH
* YariloH
* HennilH
* KyiH
* Lel and PolelH
* Niya
* Perun
* PodagaF
* Porenut
* Porevit
* Prove [ru] or ProneF
* RadegastH
* Rod
* Rugiaevit
* PereplutH
* PerperunaH
* Simargl
* Stribog
* Pogoda [ru; cs; fr]H
* Zelu [cs]H
* Svarog
* Svarozhits
* Svetovit
* Triglav
* Veles
* Yarovit
* ZhivaF
* Zorya
* ŻywieH

Personifications|

* Dola
* Karna and Zhelya [ru]H
* Koliada
* Mat Zemlya
* Moryana
* Rod
* Rozhanitsy
* Zorya

Pseudo-deities|

* Chislobog
* Chur [ru]
* Dana [ru]
* Dzidzileyla
* Flins
* Krodo
* Kupala
* Lada
* Lelya [ru]
* Pogvizd [ru]
* Troyan [ru]
* Vesna
* Voloska
* Yesha

Priesthood and cult|

* Vedmak
* Volkhv
* Zhrets
* Shamanism

Legendary heroes|

* Alyosha Popovich
* Burislav
* Damned Jerina
* Đerzelez Alija
* Dobrynya Nikitich
* Dragon of Bosnia
* Hrnjica Brothers
* Ilya Muromets
* Ivan Kosančić
* Ivan Tsarevich
* Jugović brothers
* Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv
* Lech, Czech, and Rus'
* Libuše
* Mikula Selyaninovich
* Mila Gojsalić
* Milan Toplica
* Miloš Obilić
* Misizla
* Mustay-Bey of Lika
* Nikita the Tanner
* Popiel
* Prince Marko
* Sadko
* Solovey-Razboynik
* Svyatogor
* Vasilisa the Beautiful
* Volga Svyatoslavich

Legendary creatures|

| Unquiet dead|

* Vila
* Drekavac
* Kikimora
* Mavka
* Upiór

|

Place spirits|

* Bannik
* Bolotnik
* Cornflower Wraith
* Domovoy
* Dvorovoy
* Lady Midday
* Leshy
* Boruta
* Mistress of the Copper Mountain
* Moryana
* Ovinnik
* Polevik
* Vodyanoy
* Shubin
* Water spirits

Entities|

* Ala
* Alkonost
* Baba Yaga
* Babay
* Baš Čelik
* Bauk
* Berehynia
* Bies
* Black Arab
* Błędnica
* Blud
* Boginki
* Bukavac
* Chernava
* Chuhaister
* Cikavac
* Chort
* Čuma
* Dukljan
* Dziwożona
* Fern flower-Chervona Ruta
* Firebird
* Gagana
* Gamayun
* Indrik
* Ispolin
* Karzełek
* Koshchei
* Krsnik
* Likho
* Likhoradka
* Mare
* Meduza
* Molfar
* Nav
* Nocnitsa
* Płanetnik
* Povitrulya
* Psoglav
* Raróg
* Rahmans
* Raskovnik
* Rozhanitsy
* Rusalka
* Samodiva
* Sirin
* Shishiga
* Skrzak
* Strzyga
* Stuhać
* Stricha
* Sudice
* Tintilinić
* Topielec
* Ved
* Vesna
* Zduhać
* Zmey
* Werewolf

Ritual figures|

* Baba Marta
* German
* Dodola and Perperuna
* Koliada
* Kupala
* Kostroma
* Marzanna
* Maslenitsa
* Jarilo

Mythological places|

* Alatyr
* Bald Mountain
* Buyan
* Faraway Tsardom
* Oponskoye Kingdom
* Kitezh
* Lukomorye
* Vyraj

Objects|

* Axe of Perun
* Sword Kladenets

Beliefs|

* Creation myth
* Russian traditions and superstitions
* Serbian folk astronomy

Folklore|

* Czech
* Russian
* Serbian
* Ukrainian
* Polish

Literature|

* Bosniak epic poetry
* Bylina
* Russian fairy tale
* Serbian epic poetry
* Ukrainian fairy tale

Christianization|

* Moravia (830s)
* Bulgaria (860s)
* Bohemia (880s)
* Poland (960s)
* Kievan Rus' (980s)
* Pomerania (1120s–60s)
* Bogomilism

Folk practices|

* Apocryphal prayer
* Zagovory
* Egg decoration
* Martenitsa

| Folk cults (also including Ossetian)|

* Ognyena Maria
* Paraskeva of Iconium
* Paraskeva Friday
* Nicholas the Wonderworker
* Veles
* Ilya the Prophet
* Uacilla
* George the Victorious
* Dazhbog
* Uastyrdzhi
* Saint Anastasia
* Saint Nedelya
* Saint Vlasius
* Veles
* Maslenitsa
* Saint Peter
* Donbettyr
* Saint Theodore
* Tutyr
* Saint Eustace
* Apsat

|

Revivalist organizations|

* God-Building
* Slavic Native Faith
* Authentism
* Bazhovism
* Ivanovism
* Kandybaism
* Levashovism
* Peterburgian Vedism
* Ringing Cedars' Anastasianism
* Slavic-Hill Rodnovery
* Sylenkoism
* Vseyasvetnaya Gramota
* Ynglism
* Roerichism
* Russian Zoroastrianism

In popular culture|

* Fantasy
* Film

Related topics|

* Book of Veles
* Slavic Native Faith's calendars and holidays

Notes: H historicity of the deity is dubious; F functions of the deity are unclear.
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