Traditions of Saint Sylvester's Day. What kind of holiday is Sylvester? Traditions of "St. Sylvester's Day"

The national holiday Sylvester Day in 2020 is celebrated on January 15 (according to the old style - January 2). In the Orthodox church calendar, this is the date of honoring the memory of St. Sylvester, Pope of Rome.

Traditions and rituals of the holiday

In Rus', on Sylvester's Day, women used to tell fortunes using onions. They put 12 onions on the table, sprinkled them with salt and left them overnight. The next morning, the number of wet heads showed the number of rainy months in the year.

On this day they spoke of fever.

January 15 is also popularly called the day of Kur and Kurki. On this day, it was customary to clean chicken coops and hang in them a talisman for birds against evil spirits - a black stone with a hole in the middle.

The life story of Saint Sylvester

Sylvester was born in Rome into a Christian family. After the death of his father, he was raised by his mother Rufina and his teacher, Presbyter Quirin. They gave the boy a good education and raised him in pious thoughts.

After reaching adulthood, Sylvester began to give shelter to wanderers in his house. When the persecution of Christians began, he provided shelter to Bishop Timothy. He lived with him for less than a year, but during this time he converted many pagans to the Christian faith. After Timothy's execution, Sylvester secretly took and buried his body.

Rumors about this reached the city ruler. He ordered Sylvester to be captured and tortured. But he bravely persevered and did not renounce the Christian faith. Soon the ruler died and Sylvester was released.

The saint converted many pagans to the Christian faith. At the age of 30, he was ordained a deacon and then a presbyter of the Roman Church. After the death of the Pope, he was elected to the position of Bishop of Rome.

Saint Sylvester became famous for the fact that during the reign of Constantine, during one of the debates, with the help of the books of the Old Testament, he proved to the emperor, his mother and the Jews that the Christian prophets had predicted the birth of Christ, his suffering and death. He was recognized as the winner in this dispute, but the Jews, led by Zamri, tried to spot witchcraft. However, Sylvester stopped their attempts by pronouncing the name of Jesus Christ. After this, the Jews present converted to the Christian faith.

There is also a legend according to which Saint Sylvester caught the Old Testament monster - the sea serpent Leviathan. With this he saved the world from the end of the world.

Signs and beliefs

• In the evening, clouds appeared or a rooster crowed - a change in the weather.
• If on this day the rooster crowed earlier than usual, or the geese and ducks began to swarm in the snow, then a thaw will soon come.
• On the day of forty, Silvestrov tries to take refuge in houses - in anticipation of a snowstorm.
• The chickens began to sit on perches to sleep earlier than usual - in anticipation of the cold.
• Eating meat on this day, especially poultry, is unlucky.

When all the inhabitants of the Earth are going to meet New Year(the holiday is completely non-religious), celebrated Saint Sylvester's Day (Seliverstov Day), on which the memory of two Christian saints is honored.

When is Saint Sylvester's Day celebrated?

In Catholic countries Saint Sylvester's Day noted 31th of December, in Orthodox - January 15.

History and features of the holiday

On this holiday they honor two saints who bore the name Sylvester. The first is the Pope Sylvester I, who lived in the third century. According to legend, in 314 AD, Saint Sylvester caught and neutralized the Old Testament monster - the sea serpent Leviathan, which was supposed to break free during the change of eras in the year 1000 and provoke the end of the world. However, Sylvester I, lassoing the snake, averted the catastrophe.

Second Sylvester - Pope Sylvester II- was the primate of the Roman Catholic Church in the years 999-1003 - just during the difficult time of changing eras. Sylvester II was considered a magician who resisted the machinations of the devil.

December 31st is the day of the death of Sylvester I, and this day became a holiday in honor of the saint. On this day in Catholic countries, people dress up in festive masquerade costumes, calling themselves Sylvester Klaus(a paraphrase of Santa Claus), and participate in costume fun, which smoothly turns into the New Year celebration. Question: “Where are you going to see Sylvester?” means - “Where are you going to celebrate the New Year?”

Sylvester Day among the Slavs

Among the Slavs Sylvester day also called Day of Kur and Kurki. The holiday was celebrated January 15(January 2, old style).

This day in Rus' was dedicated to poultry: on Kura and Kurki Day, peasants cleaned chicken coops, fumigated the walls with smoke so that the chickens would not get sick, made new roosts, and also practiced various conspiracies against diseases of domestic animals. In some places in chicken coops they hung special stones with holes of natural origin, drilled by river or sea water, which were called “chicken god”. It was believed that the “chicken god” protects chickens from kikimoras.

They also used Sylvester to tell fortunes about the weather for the next fall and to make people feel feverish.

Signs and sayings for Saint Sylvester

• Whatever the weather is like on St. Sylvester, the same will be true in September.
• On Sylvester's day they talk about fever.
• Saint Sylvester drives the feverish sisters seventy-seven miles away.
• A fever is not a womb: it flutters, it doesn’t regret.

Do they know, or have at least heard, that Poland celebrates more than one New Year’s Day? and two, or rather even three holidays at once. Let's list them: December 31 is St. Sylvester's Day, New Year's Day itself is on the night from December 31 to January 1, and January 1 is the Triumph of the Blessed Virgin Mary. With the Mother of God, everything is quite clear - a day of remembrance is a day of remembrance, in the case of the Virgin Mary it doesn’t even make sense to say for what merits we remember Her. Happy New Year, everything is generally transparent - a secular holiday. But what to do with Saint Sylvester? Who is he and why does he have such a day on the calendar?

It turns out there are two versions. More precisely, this: periodically, one might even say annually, on various Polish radio stations and television channels you can see and hear surveys of random passersby regarding their knowledge about the holidays. As for Sylvester's Day, it is noteworthy that the opinions of those surveyed differ. Often it sounds something like this: “Sylvester... Hmm.. This is the saint of the church... In my opinion, he was the Pope... Baptized some emperor... Helped people survive the apocalypse... Killed a dragon.. . He was killed by a dragon..."

These can be the answers of one person or several. Oddly enough, this shows that people in general have an idea about Sylvester. True, that’s not what it’s about and not quite what it should be.

Indeed - dad

The year 1000 figures in the minds of Poles for a reason. In fact, Pope Sylvester II is not only an outstanding personality in European history, but also a person who was noted for memorable actions for Poland. It was he who canonized Saint Wojciech (Św. Wojciech) - one of the three main patrons of Poland, who, among other things, is credited with the authorship of “The Mother of God” (Bogurodzica) - the oldest surviving Polish religious song, which served as a hymn in the Middle Ages. Moreover, Sylvester II immediately after the canonization of St. Vojtecha founded the Archdiocese in Gniezno in 999, which is certainly the most important historical event for the country. And this happened just in the year one thousand. Moreover, this version looks much more realistic than the legend that Sylvester II calmed the crowds of people expecting the End of the World in the year 1000. Why is that? But because, as some historians claim, there was simply no panic associated with the end of times at the junction of 999 and 1000. The whole point is that the common people had little understanding of the general calendar; it was the clergy who had accurate knowledge. Therefore, most likely at that time people were going about their daily affairs and no one expected the emergence from the bowels of the earth of the mythical apocalyptic dragon, which was placed in the thousandth year by much later writers of history and chronologists.

Inconsistency

The fact is that the date of the birth of Christ in the minds of people was finally established much later than we can imagine. Now with the development of printing, and then the Internet, we know that it was calculated by the monk Dionysius 5 centuries after it, but even after that, debate about this event did not subside. In fact, they still do not subside, because the development of technology and the number of inconsistencies in history lead scientists to the conclusion that the established chronology has problems. They also existed in the Middle Ages. Moreover, in favor of the fact that specifically in the year 1000 no one was expecting an apocalyptic dragon en masse is also supported by the fact that chronology in the Roman Empire alone was carried out differently in different parts of it. Somewhere they counted from the era of Diacletian, somewhere from the construction of Rome, somewhere else from the creation of the World, and so on. Among all this, where can one identify the year one thousandth centrally at that time? Another thing is that Sylvester himself could have calculated this, but he knew that the thousandth passes into 1001, and this, it must be admitted, is no longer the same effect.

Perhaps Sylvester II was remembered by Europeans because even before his papacy, as Herbert of Aurillac, he brought to Europe and instilled in our minds such familiar Arabic numerals. Yes, yes - up to this point, numbers were written in Roman numbers. Herbert also brought a lot of new things to medieval science, or rather, well-forgotten old things. The first calculator, the abacus, a type of abacus, began to be used again in Europe thanks to him.

He also brought back into use astronomical instruments such as the armillary sphere and the astrolabe.

That is, in the eyes of his contemporaries, he was a very, very progressive person. And so much so that he was suspected of witchcraft and connections with otherworldly forces. According to one legend, it was these otherworldly forces that predicted his death at the hands of Satan himself, who was supposed to tear him to pieces. Moreover, one of the legends about the death of Sylvester II says that he was torn apart by the devil while reading Mass on May 12, 1003. It should be noted that the devil in those days was identified with the dragon. This followed from biblical texts, where the devil is called both a serpent and a dragon.
Here, perhaps, we are approaching the question of the millennial dragon, which was supposed to appear in the thousandth year. By the way! Why did the dragon have to appear in the thousandth year? A link to the birth of Christ here would be completely incorrect. Even if we take as an axiom the date of birth of the Savior in the conditional “zero” year, then, by all logic, Satan the Dragon, imprisoned for 1000 years underground, as stated in Revelation (Chapter 20), should have appeared in 1033. If there are no coincidences, then what kind of dragon was Sylvester II afraid of?

Second - First Sylvester

The confusion about the events and the accompanying dragons most likely arose because of the Pope's very name - Sylvester. The fact is that the dragon also appears in the history of another Pope - Sylvester I. The history of Sylvester I is not as replete with legends as his later colleague Sylvester II. But there is still a place for mysteries in it.

The first Sylvester lived in the 4th century and is remembered mostly for the fact that he greatly influenced the course of the history of Christianity in general. Despite this fact, his personal participation in the construction of this story was, as it were, indirect. This happens quite often - production figures can skyrocket, but no one will recognize the name of the turner who perfected the technology. And although this is not an entirely correct comparison, this is the essence.
The matter of popularizing and spreading Christianity around the world in the 4th century was complicated by widespread persecution of adherents of this religious movement. Faith, if it took root, did so very slowly. In essence, it was a “catacomb” period - Christians were forced to gather secretly to perform their sacraments. This information is conveyed to us by many secular authors of that time. The reign of Emperor Constantine is considered a turning point. It was he who stopped the persecution of Christ’s associates, was baptized and gave the church many privileges.


Where did such a sharp change in direction come from, who influenced it? For a long time it was believed that Saint Sylvester was the influence.

According to one of the legends surrounding Sylvester I, Emperor Constantine fell ill with leprosy as a punishment from God for persecuting Christians. Calling on Sylvester to help him, he said that only the Lord could heal the ruler of the Roman Empire. The emperor was baptized and received healing.

This version eventually gave way to another - that Sylvester baptized Constantine on his deathbed. But it too blurred under the onslaught of facts. The emperor survived Sylvester for several months and baptized him, the dying, Eusebius of Nicomedia. But the fact remains a fact. Constantine favored Christians. Perhaps Sylvester, realizing this, used this trait of the emperor for his own purposes. The fact that he was a good politician is indicated by the fact that Constantine granted Sylvester powers and other gifts.

An unconfirmed but significant gift

It is now known that the famous Gift of Constantine to Pope Sylvester I is a skillful forgery, and much later than the lifetime of both historical figures. Nevertheless, starting from the 11th century, referring precisely to this document, the Popes insisted on their power not only over the Church, but to one degree or another over all of Europe. For a long time it was believed that the document was received by Sylvester I from Constantine for curing him of leprosy. According to him, Rome, and with it the western part of the Empire, was left to Sylvester and his successors “until the end of time,” and the emperor himself moved to a new place, to the East, to the city that we now know as Constantinople. Veno Konstantinovo had a strong influence on both the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity. In Rus', no one doubted the authenticity of the document either. In addition, the “White Cowl” - a symbol of the Third Rome - appears in Veliky Novgorod. The same one that Sylvester I allegedly received from the hands of Constantine as a sign of vesting him with power over all the bishops of the Church. Despite the refutation of the authenticity of the act of the Donation of Constantine back in the 15th century, it remained in some records of the Western and Eastern churches until the 19th century. The mechanisms he had set in motion could no longer be stopped so easily. In general, the Middle Ages are replete with forgeries and forged documents, which sometimes seriously complicates the work of historians.

Not just a hood

But it was not only the story of forgery in the Donation of Emperor Constantine that made the name of Sylvester I famous.

There is also a legend that Pope Sylvester delivered the Romans from a dragon that appeared in the city. The dragon devoured three hundred people a day. Sylvester, in turn, created a prayer in which he allegedly uttered words similar to those heard in Revelation. He conjured the dragon-devil to “remain in the dungeon until His (Christ’s) coming.”

This event is reflected in the frescoes in which St. Sylvester resurrects the Romans killed by the dragon. After the victory over the serpent, twenty thousand inhabitants of Rome were baptized. Perhaps this is where we see the intersection of two characters - two Sylvesters, who eventually merged in the minds of people.
The legend of the dragon could well be associated with the year one thousand, however, among later historians, since from the perspective of time it was more convenient for them to compile lives and other stories about saints. By the way, just from the life of Saint Sylvester I it becomes clear why the saint is the patron (patron) of livestock. It is at least possible that it was precisely because of the case of the resurrection of a bull killed during a dispute with the Jews at the trial of Emperor Constantine. The Jews promised to believe that Jesus was not just a man, but also God, if Sylvester, turning to Him, could bring back to life the ferocious bull that had previously been killed by Zamri, the rabbi on whom the gathered Jews had high hopes in their dispute with Sylvester.


They believed that if the verbal dispute reached a dead end, then Zamri would be able to prove that their god was more faithful than the god that Sylvester insisted on. Indeed, seeing that a deadlock was looming for the Jews in the verbal dispute, Zamri promised the emperor and those gathered, just by pronouncing the name of God in someone’s ear, to kill him, referring to the text of Deuteronomy, where God says that He will kill and He will heal.

Then they brought a fierce bull, which several strong men could barely hold. Zamri whispered something in his ear and the bull, shaking, died. Zamriy turned to Sylvester so that he too could prove that his God was omnipotent. Sylvester, without hesitation, offered not a secret, but an open prayer to Christ and God and the Holy Spirit, and everyone saw how the bull came to life. Sylvester told the bull to be gentle and not fierce in future, and let him go, and the bull quietly left. Lives mention that those who saw this exclaimed: “Great is the God whom Sylvester preaches!” - and rushed to him so that he would baptize them.

Lord's Day

In the Chapel of San Silvestro you can see hagiographic frescoes telling about the Gift of Constantine for St. Pope Sylvester the First, which in some ways can be considered hagiographic.
Jacob Voraginsky wrote about Siltwestre I as a man of unprecedented hospitality, caring for orphans, widows and the poor. In addition, according to the chronicler, the saint stood out for the beauty of his face, speech, purity of his life, patience, and generosity in mercy.

According to the data that has reached us, the pope, and then the saint of the Catholic and Orthodox churches, Sylvester I, lived to a very old age in pursuits for the benefit of the Church and Christianity. Died December 31, 335. That is, 2015 is the round date of memory of this saint - 1680 years.

As can be seen from all that has been said, in Poland, on the day before the New Year, St. Sylvester I, the Pope and patron of domestic animals, is remembered. They turn to him with prayer for the well-being of livestock and other living creatures living in our home, as well as for the coming year to be successful. And by the way, it was Sylvester I who is credited with the advice he gave to Constantine about a day off. He advised the emperor to replace the Day of the Sun with a day of remembrance of the miracle of the resurrection of Christ. Since then, we have a weekly day in the calendar that is called Sunday. What a reason to once again remember Saint Sylvester, without putting this matter off until the end of the year.

Saint Sylvester's Day, or Seliverst day- a religious holiday. In countries with a Catholic system, it is celebrated on the very eve of December 31, in Orthodox countries - on January 2 (15), in particular in European countries. It is known that every year the holiday becomes more interesting, brighter, more colorful and more fun. On this day, people rejoice, have fun, joke, eat a lot, drink a lot and wait for the New Year with great interest. As you know, St. Sylvester's Day is not a non-working day.

History and celebration

Pope Sylvester I was born in the 3rd century in Rome into a Christian family. Very little is known from historical sources about the life of the holy preacher. According to a legend that has survived to this day, it is known that in 314 AD. Saint Sylvester caught the most ancient sea monster - the serpent Leviathan. It was believed that the biblical monster would be able to break free in the year 1000 and destroy the entire world. Thanks to the efforts and courage of Sylvester, to the general joy of the people, this did not happen. Sylvester destroyed the snake and saved the whole world from disaster, thereby preventing people from being offended. According to this legend, the images of Sylvester I, who killed the dragon in 314, and Sylvester II, a magician who fought the machinations of the devil and was Pope in 999-1003, merged together.

Saint Sylvester, who saved the world from destruction, died on December 31, 335. People honor the day of Sylvester's death as St. Sylvester's Day. Since then, on December 31, the anniversary of the death of Sylvester I, people preen themselves, dress up in masquerade costumes, Catholics read prayers and call themselves Sylvester Claus. Nowadays, it is reliable that in some countries an interesting tradition has remained. People call the last day of the passing year “Sylvester” in memory of the Pope. Therefore, the current question “Where will you go to Sylvester?”, which on New Year’s Eve can be heard in many countries around the world, means “Where are you planning to celebrate the New Year?”

Traditions of "St. Sylvester's Day" in different countries

Holland
On New Year's Eve, the Dutch, like many other European residents, celebrate St. Sylvester's Day. On the eve of the holiday, everyone strives to get up early, since the one who woke up later than everyone else was given the nickname “Sylvester.” An interesting fact is that, according to the traditions of the holiday, those who like to sleep are obliged to pay a fine. In the old days, girls finished doing all their housework before sunset, as it was believed that such hard work would help them get married in the new year.

Portugal
Saint Sylvester's Day is most grandly celebrated on one of the islands of Portugal - Madeira. The celebration of the holiday begins in Funchal - the administrative center of the island - from 8 pm. The grandiose celebration continues until the morning.

The capital of the island is illuminated with two hundred thousand lanterns. This bright, fabulous, magical, beautiful spectacle leaves no one indifferent. Tourists and locals, celebrating, wait until midnight to witness a truly gorgeous fireworks display that lights up the night sky over the island of Madeira with colorful lights.

Czech
In Cesia, carp with apples, lentils and horseradish is a must for Sylvester. It is believed that this treat will help bring good luck and happiness in the new year. There should be no bird on the festive table, as it is believed that happiness can “fly away” like a bird.

Russia
In Russia, Seliverst Day, or Kur and Kurka Day, is celebrated on January 2 (15). It is believed that this holiday is a chicken holiday: chicken coops are cleaned, roosts are mended, walls are fumigated with smoke from smoldering elecampane or cow dung with coals. Usually, a “chicken god” hung in the chicken coop so that the kikimors would not crush the chickens. Early in the morning, the old women poured water and washed the door lintels so that fevers would not enter the hut.

Saint Sylvester's Day
This is a religious and folk holiday. In Catholic countries it is celebrated on December 31, in Orthodox countries it is celebrated on January 2 (15).
Sylvester This holiday is called in Europe because December 31 marks the day of St. Pope Sylvester, defender of the Christian faith.

According to legend, in 314 AD, Saint Sylvester tamed the Old Testament monster - the sea serpent Leviathan.
In the Catholic community, it was believed that in the year 1000 this biblical monster would break free and then the end of the world would come.

Through the efforts of Saint Sylvester, this did not happen; to everyone’s joy, the serpent (dragon) was defeated. The saint went down to his lair, read a prayer and wrapped his mouth with thread. So Sylvester saved the world from a biblical catastrophe.
Maso di Banco. "St. Sylvester pacifying the dragon and healing two sorcerers." Fresco from the Bardi di Vernio Chapel in the Church of Santa Croce in Florence. 1330-40s


This legend combines the images of Sylvester I, who killed the dragon in 314, and Sylvester II, considered a magician resisting the machinations of the devil, Pope of Rome in 999-1003.
Sylvester died on New Year's Eve 336, December 31st. The day of his death is revered among Catholics as Saint Sylvester's Day.
People, rejoicing at getting rid of the “millennium” problem, celebrate more and more joyfully every year.
31th of December everyone is having fun, dressing up in fancy dress and calling themselves Sylvester Claus (a humorous pun on Santa Claus). People eat and drink abundantly and deliciously and rejoice at the arrival of the New Year.
In a number of countries, the last day of the outgoing year and the meeting of the New Year are called “Sylvester” and the question “Where are you going for Sylvester?” essentially means “Where are you planning to celebrate the New Year?”
Christmas is a family holiday, and Sylvester and New Year are celebrated noisily, taking to the streets.

Traditions of "St. Sylvester's Day"

Holland
The last person to wake up on this day is called "Sylvester". A napper must pay a fine. In the old days, Dutch girls tried to be diligent and complete all their housework before sunset. it was believed that such diligence would help in finding a betrothed.

Czech
In this country, they cook carp with apples and lentils for Sylvester. Counts. that such a treat is a prologue to good luck. Birds are not welcome on the holiday table; it is believed that happiness can “fly away”.
Portugal
Saint Sylvester is celebrated on a grand scale in Madeira. The island's capital, Funchal, is illuminated by 250 thousand colorful lanterns. It's very beautiful, bright, festive!


From 8 pm until the morning, a grandiose festive show takes place on the Funchal promenade, and when the clock strikes midnight, the sky over Madeira is colored with colorful fireworks. Noisy folk festivals with fireworks also take place in Lisbon.
Switzerland
The custom of celebrating Silvesterklause in the village of Urnasch in the German-speaking Swiss canton of Appenzell is widely known in the country. Not only foreign tourists, but also the Swiss themselves from other cantons come to see the intricately dressed mummers and their rituals. The impressive characters of this New Year's masquerade - Sylvester Claus - are divided into groups: Beautiful, Ugly, Foresters. The costumes of the Freaks and Foresters are made of spruce branches, moss, straw, their faces are hidden behind terrible masks: they are like goblins or forest monsters. Each of the mummers has one or two cow bells.
Next to them, the Beautiful Ones look truly royal. Their costumes take weeks of work to make. The high hairstyles of the Wiiber Beauties are decorated with figures. They are dressed in embroidered national costumes. As a musical addition, 13 bells are attached to the costume. But special skill require hats Mannevelcher - Handsome. On their wide flat surface there are skillfully carved figures that represent scenes from peasant life or views of alpine pastures. Hundreds of glass beads and shiny strips of foil are sewn along the edges of the headdress. One such hat can weigh up to 20 kg!

Each Mannevelcher carries two cow bells, which are attached to embroidered leather straps. The total weight of such a costume is from 45 to 65 kg, and therefore all participants in the Silvesterklause masquerade performance are men.
At the first glimmer of dawn, groups of Sylvester Klaus begin their ritual, moving from house to house. They enter the owner's yard and stand in a semicircle opposite the front door. Then they begin to frantically ring bells and bang bells and perform a ritual folk song. Then, with wishes for health and prosperity, they shake hands with the owner of the house. Having received a gift from the owner, usually money, the Sylvester Clauses head to the next house. This New Year's ritual requires great endurance from participants. Due to the weight of the costumes and bells, it is necessary to take frequent breaks, and therefore the tour of the entire village lasts until late in the evening.
This is how two holidays merged - Sylvester and New Year.
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Sources.