Old Russian name for September. Slavic names of months: the wisdom of the folk calendar

Before the introduction of European calendars, Rus' used its own chronology system. The summer or year consisted of 9 calendar months, consisting of an average of 40 days (odd or complete months had 41 days each, and even or incomplete months had 40 days each), and each week had not 7 days as now, but 9 and they were called like this: Monday, Tuesday, Treteinik, Chetverik, Friday, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth and Week. Oddly enough, we all know all the days, except perhaps Treteinik and Weekly, and we still use them, naming the days of the week with these words.

What do these names mean?

Again, everything is simple and nothing muddy, as others write:

Monday - after Week (day after week),
Tuesday is the second day,
Treteinik - third day,
Chetverik - fourth day,
Friday is the fifth day,
Sixth - sixth day,
Week - the seventh day,
Osmitsa - the eighth day (in Polish 8 means eight, but we have eight),
Week - do not do (a day when nothing is done).

The clergy, having conquered Rus', remade the calendar and threw out two days from the week. The third day became MEDIUM - WEDNESDAY, and the WEEK became SUNDAY - neither to the seventh day - WEEK, nor to the WEEK it has anything to do, and the sixth day SEX was replaced by the Hebrew word SHABBAT - SATURDAY, which they mean the last day of the week or the seventh day creations!

Quoting the Bible, we find the following meaning of the word SATURDAY - the Sabbath was given by God after the sixth day when man was created: “And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on it He rested from all His work, which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:2-3).
For Jews, Saturday is truly a holy day. On this day they do not work and are forbidden to touch money. They rest on Saturday.

We rest on a WEEK - a day when they do nothing (this word still remains in the Ukrainian language, and the word RESURRECTION, which has a clear ecclesiastical character, was imposed on the Russian language).

But the baptists of Rus' found a way out of this situation; they came up with Slavic names for the Julian calendar and the months, instead of numbers in Latin, received Slavic names:
Birch is the time of burning trees cut down in winter, mainly birch, for coal. It was also called “Dry”, based on the time the felled forest dried out or the ground dried out.

Pollen is the month of flowering.
Grass is the month of grass growth.
Cherven - from fruits and berries, which, ripening in June, are distinguished by their particular reddishness (scarlet, scarlet, red). In southern areas, it is time for cherries to turn red.
Lipen is the month of linden blossom.
Serpen - from the word “sickle”. It's harvest time.
Veresen - another name for Velesen - the month of the god Veles.
Leaf fall is the time when leaves turn yellow and begin to fall.
Gruden - from the word "gruda" - a frozen rut on the road.
Jelly - icy (cold). Speaks for itself.
Sever - from the word "cut" - to cut down the forest. Typically, forest felling to prepare new crop areas and harvest it for construction was carried out in winter. The month was also called “Prosinets”, due to the appearance of the blue sky after a long period of cloudiness.
Fierce is the month of snowstorms and frosts.

The word “calendar” itself has been known in Russian since the end of the 17th century.
Before that, it was called the “monthly word.” But whatever you call it, the goals remain the same - fixing dates and measuring time intervals. The calendar gives us the opportunity to record events in their chronological sequence, serves to foresee the future (what to expect in three months - what weather, holiday, when to plant potatoes and go to barbecues?), allows us to remember important dates (for example, when you entered school ?), and for many other purposes. As you can see, there are benefits on all sides. The periods of time that make up this necessary invention had to be named somehow. And each nation approached this in its own way, in a folk way. In Greece alone, different regions had different names for the months. For example, the first month in Athens was called Hekatombeon, in Miletus - Panemos, in Delphi - Appelai, etc. In Rome the following names were in use: Januarius, Februarius, Martius, Aprilis, Maius, Junius, Quintilis, Sextilis, September, October , November, December.
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Many of them migrated to European languages. And now we call the first month January, the British January, the Germans Januar, the French janvier, the Italians gennaio.
But before these names came to us, others were used in Rus'.

Old names of the months:
January - Prosinets;
February - bokogrey, section, snowfall;
March - berezozol, zimobor, protalnik;
April - brevet, snowblood, pollen;
May - herbalist (traven);
June - multi-colored, worm;
July - sufferer, Lipetsk;
August - stubble, roar, sickle;
September - spring, gloomy;
October - leaf fall;
November - chest;
December is jelly.

These words have a meaning that is more clear to understand. Without looking further, we can now guess why they received this particular name and not another. As we see, the names of the months in Rus' also reflected his “character”: if in July the time of suffering was in full swing, then he was called accordingly and no one would have thought of calling him a herbalist or a frowner.
Let's take a closer look:

Zimobor, protalnik, dry, berezozol (March) - the Egyptians, Jews, Moors, Persians, ancient Greeks and Romans began the year with this month; The name March was given to this month by the Romans in honor of the god of war, Mars; It was brought to us from Byzantium. The indigenous Slavic-Russian names of this month in the old days in Rus' were different: in the north it was called dry or dry from the spring warmth, drying up all moisture, in the south - berezozol, from the action of the spring sun on the birch, which at this time begins to fill with sweet sap and sprouts buds. Zimobor - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, thawed snow - this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches and drops appear. The month of March is also often called “flight”, since it marks the beginning of spring, the harbinger of summer, and together with the months following it - April and May - constitutes the so-called “flight”.

Bresen, pollen, snowgon (April) - aprilium is a Latin word, from the verb aperire, to open, it indicates the opening of spring. The ancient Russian names for the month of April were: brezen, snowgon - streams run, taking with them the remains of snow, or also - pollen, because it is then that the first trees begin to bloom, spring blooms.

Herbalist (May) - the Latin name is given in honor of the goddess Mai; just like many others, it came to us from Byzantium. The Old Russian name for the month of May was herbal, or grass, which reflected the processes taking place in nature at that time - a riot of herbs. This month was considered the third summer month.

Multi-colored, cherven, isok (June) - the word “juniy” was given to this month in honor of the goddess Juno (guess where it came from;)). In the old days, the indigenous Russian name for the month of June was izok. Izokom was the name given to a grasshopper, of which there was particular abundance this month. Another name for this month is worm, especially common among Little Russians, from chervetsa or worm; This is the name given to a special kind of dye worms that appear at this time. In addition, in the old days, the month of June was very often popularly called Kresnik - from the cross (fire), and at the same time from the day of John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala).

Stradnik, cherven, lipets (July) - “Julius”, the name given in honor of Julius Caesar, of course, has Roman roots. In our old days, it was called, like June, - cherven - from fruits and berries, which, ripening in July, are distinguished by their particular reddishness (scarlet, red). This month is also called Lipets - from the linden tree, which usually appears in full bloom at this time. July is also called the “crown of summer”, since it is considered the last month of summer, or also a “sufferer” - from hard summer work, a “thunderstorm” - from strong thunderstorms.

Stubble, dawn, serpen (August) - like the previous one, this month received its name after the Roman emperor - Augustus. The indigenous Old Russian names of the month were different. In the north it was called “glow” - from the radiance of lightning; in the south, “serpen” comes from a sickle used to remove grain from the fields. Often this month is given the name “Zornik”, in which one cannot help but see a modified old name “glow”. The name “stubble”, I think, would be unnecessary to explain.

Veresen, Khmuren, Ruin (September) - “September”, the ninth month of the year, was the seventh among the Romans, which is why it got its name (from septem). In the old days, the original Russian name for the month was “ruin”, from the roar of autumn winds and animals, especially deer. He received the name “gloomy” due to his weather differences from others - the sky often begins to frown, it rains, autumn is coming in nature.

Leaf fall (October) – “October” is the tenth month of the year; among the Romans it was the eighth, which is why it got its name (octo - eight); among our ancestors it is known as “leaf fall”, from the autumn fall of leaves, or “pusdernik” - from pazderi, bonfire, since flax, hemp, and habits begin to crush in this month. Otherwise - a “dirty man”, from the autumn rains that cause bad weather and dirt, or a “wedding man” - from the weddings that are celebrated at this time in peasant life.

Breast (November) – “November” is our name for the eleventh month of the year, but among the Romans it was the ninth, which is why it got its name (nover - nine). In the old days, this month was called the chest month itself or the chest month, from the piles of frozen earth with snow, since in general in the ancient Russian language the winter frozen road was called the chest path.

Jelly (December) – “december” (lat. december) is our name for the 12th month of the year; among the Romans it was tenth, which is why it got its name (decem - ten). Our ancestors called it “studen”, or cold, because of the cold and frosts common at that time.

Prosinets (January) - it was named so because it was dedicated by the ancient Romans to Janus, the god of peace. In our old days, it was called “prosinets”, as it is believed, from the blueness of the sky beginning to appear at this time, the radiance, from the intensification, with the addition of day, of sunlight. By the way, take a closer look at the January sky - it lives up to its name. The Little Russian name for January “sochen” (the students perked up when they heard the tasty word) indicates either the turning point of winter, which, according to popular belief, occurs in January, the cutting of winter into two halves, or the bitter, severe frosts. In Rus', the month of January was originally the eleventh month, for March was considered the first, but when the year began to be counted from September, January became the fifth; finally, since 1700, since the change made in our chronology by Peter the Great, this month became the first.

And finally - snezhen, sechen, bokogrey (February) - February was the last month of the year for the Romans and was named after Febra, the ancient Italian god to whom it was dedicated. The indigenous Slavic-Russian names for this month were: “sechen” (its common name with January) or “snezhen”, probably from snowy time. In Little Russia, from the 15th century, following the imitation of the Poles, the month of February began to be called “fierce”; The villagers of the northern and middle Russian provinces still call him “side warmer”, since then the cattle came out of the barns and warmed their sides in the sun, and the owners themselves warmed their sides at the stove.

Having examined all the names, it is difficult not to notice that the month could have received its name in honor of some outstanding historical figure, a holiday that was celebrated in it, the features of its “character”, the name of the deities... there is a large choice.

The Young Sun, Kolyada, was born in the sky, a new circle of the solar wheel began. Nowadays the beginning of the year is considered to be January 1, but in the old days it was different. The original Slavic names of the months carried a deep meaning and reflected the essence of the nature around them.

In different centuries, the New Year was celebrated in spring or autumn, and with the holiday of Kolyada, the new year began for farmers. The Slavic names of the months and the sayings that the northern land protects tell us how our Ancestors saw the year. We will tell you about this in this article.

The names of the months according to the folk calendar reflect what nature is rich in at this time. In January the day grows, the cold also grows, and in the spring the shafts become overgrown with grass overnight. Since ancient times, the Slavs have noticed this and given folk names for the months, suggesting what to expect from Mother Nature.

How many calendars did the Slavs have?

Since ancient times, the Slavs used a natural calendar, the Monthly Dictionary. It was embroidered by Kargopol craftswomen on ancient sundresses and aprons. The Slavic names of the months were different in different places.

In the south, “worm”, the month of berry ripening, began already in June, in the north - in July. The popular names of the months reflected the gifts of nature characteristic of a particular season, which is why they differed for the south and north. But they were all part of a single natural calendar!

Kargopol calendar on an apron and sundress

Then the Christian faith came to us, and foreign names of the months in the calendar. This is how three calendars appeared in Rus' at once: the “secular” calendar, which we know today, the church calendar with Christian holidays, and the agricultural calendar, with traditional folk Slavic names of the months.

Slavic names of the months

The Slavic names of the months are like images of young guys, mature husbands and old people passing before us in a round dance. Who is affectionate, kind, and, like a young guy, owns small riches, and who is harsh, but holds great wisdom.

Related post: Why is it important for a woman to have long hair?

Next comes July: it mows and reaps, and does not let you sleep. The name of the month of July according to the folk calendar is Stradnik, Cherven. Cherven - because the berries ripen in forests and gardens, red, black and red. June is a rich month, and August will be even richer!

Zhniven, Serpen, Slavic names of the month of August. The harvest begins, the holiday of the Spozhinka, they bake the first bread of the new harvest, thank the Gods for the fertility of the Earth, and look into the future with one eye.

What awaits in the fall?

How you and I walked, white swan,
From raisins to red berries,
We walked around and showed off,
We walked and rejoiced!

Slavic names of the months of summer: Multicolor, Stradnik, Zhniven

Autumn will open September, Khmuren month. The name of the month according to the folk calendar is reflected by the saying: in September it is nice in the afternoon, but bad in the morning. They also say that September is cold, but it’s full. In September, the remnants of the harvest are harvested and God Avsen is greeted on the day of the autumn solar break. It's time for weddings.

The nightingales buzz like summer,
The birds buzz like crazy.
The red-haired girl sat
From the head the way will be
From the braid and scarlet ribbons -
Nicknamed braid braid.
At least he can't sit still.

Generous September will be replaced by October, the month when a man lives with caution. Leaf fall, October, does not give generous fruits. Those who have not had time to prepare for winter will have a bad time today. They also say that in October there is no road either on wheels or on runners - another Slavic name for the month Dirt.

November, Breast overnight it sets up winter, brings the first winter, “chest” road, consisting of frozen earth and snow. The sleigh route opens, women organize linen shows, men prepare grain for the winter auction.

Tratova Maria Vadimovna, 9th grade MBOU "Konevskaya Secondary School"

The topic of the study is “Folk names of months in the folk calendar.”

The famous researcher of the folk month, A.S. Ermolov, wrote at the end of the 19th century that far-gone science should “try to restore the long-broken connection between exact scientific knowledge, on the one hand, and direct folk experience, on the other.” Now, a century and a half later, Ermolov’s words seem especially relevant.

Relevance research is determined by interest in the study of folk speech, the desire to define and better understand through the medium of words the uniqueness of the folk picture of the world.

Object of study are the popular names of the months.

Subject of research are the semantics of their names.

Object and subject research has determined Objective: explore the peculiarities of the semantics of names naming months. In accordance with the stated purpose, the study solves its tasks. The material for the description was 252 lexical items with the meaning of the measure of time, namely the folk names of the months used in the Russian language. The material is taken from explanatory dictionaries and monthly books, as well as the Internet. The literature on this issue was analyzed.

As a result of the study, we found out that the Russian folk calendar developed gradually. For a long time it was called the monthly word. The word “calendar” has been known in Russian since the end of the 17th century. It was introduced by Emperor Peter I. The names of the Slavic months, just like their order, vary depending on the regions and countries

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Regional educational and research conference

"Youth of Pomerania"

Direction LINGUISTICS

Folk names of the months

in the Russian calendar

Completed by a 9th grade student

MBOU "Konevskaya Secondary School"

Plesetsk district

Tratova Maria Vadimovna

Scientific supervisor – Russian language teacher

And literature MBOU "Konevskaya Secondary School"

Chernokova Valentina Leonidovna

Plesetsk village, 2014

1. Maintenance p.1
2. Main part. Folk names of months in the Russian calendar. p.2

A) From the history of the Russian folk calendar. p.2

B) Popular names of months, their semantics. p.3

3. Conclusion. p.8

4. Bibliography. p.10

5. Applications No. 1 Options for folk names of Slavic months

6.Appendix No. 2 Comparative names of months in different Slavic languages

7. Appendix No. 3 Names of months in Slavic languages ​​of different groups

8. Appendix No. 4 Names of months in different groups of Slavic languages

9. Appendix No. 5 From the history of the Russian calendar

1. Introduction.

The famous researcher of the folk month book A.S. Ermolov wrote at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries that far-gone science should “try to restore the long-broken connection between exact scientific knowledge, on the one hand, and direct folk experience, the sensitive observation of ordinary rural people - with another". Now, a century and a half later, Ermolov’s words seem especially relevant.

Relevance research is determined by an interest in the study of folk speech and culture, the desire, through the medium of words, to define and better understand the uniqueness of the folk picture of the world.

Object of studyis a collection of popular names for the months.

Subject of researchare the semantics of the popular names of the months.

Object and subjectresearch has determined Objective : explore the peculiarities of the semantics of names naming months. In accordance with the goal, the study decides on a range of specific tasks, which determine its achievement:

1. Give a general idea of ​​the Russian chronology system.

2. Characterize the popular names of the months from a semantic point of view.

3. Determine the origin of these words.

4. Find out what role the words of this thematic group played in the formation of the Slavic linguistic picture of the world.

Main research methodsTo achieve the goal and solve the assigned problems, descriptive methods, as well as elements of component, comparative, and etymological analysis, were used.

The object, subject, purpose of the study and the implemented tasks determined novelty research. The names of the months that functioned in different periods of the development of the Russian language and in different forms of its implementation (literary language and dialects) have been studied and described.

The material for the description was252 lexical itemswith the meaning of the measure of time, namely the folk names of the months used in the Russian language.

The material is taken from the following sources: V.I. Dal “Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language”, “Dictionary of the Modern Russian Literary Language” in 17 volumes, “Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language of the End of the 20th Century. Language changes" edited by G.N. Sklyarevskaya, "Dictionary of Russian folk dialects", etymological dictionaries by M. Fasmer "Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language", "Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language" edited by N.M. Shansky.

M.M. was one of the first to analyze the vocabulary denoting the concepts of time in Russian linguistics. Pokrovsky is the founder of linguistic semantics. This trend was further developed in the works of A.I. Moiseeva, A.B. Mordvinov and other scientists. They are aimed at systematically studying the naive picture of the world of Russian speakers, the reconstruction of which is carried out on the basis of the lexical and grammatical meanings of words denoting categories of time.

The ethnic component of the issue was studied by scientists V.N. Toporov, N.I. Tolstoy, considering time in Slavic folk culture.

1. Folk names of months in Russian.

A) From the history of the Russian folk calendar

The Russian folk calendar developed gradually, absorbing the knowledge of nature and the laws of human life accumulated over centuries and generations, agricultural experience, and a special attitude towards things that were seen not only as a practical side, but also as a spiritual one.

For a long time the ancient Slavic calendar was called month words and contained the original native names of the months, which have survived to this day in some Slavic languages. Traditional pagan The names of the months are associated with events and phenomena occurring in nature, as evidenced by their names. The names of the Slavic months, just like their order, vary depending on the regions and countries, however, they all have a single Proto-Slavic source, as can be seen from the comparison.

The word “calendar” has been known in Russian since the end of the 17th century.It was introduced by Emperor Peter I. In ancient Rome, there was a custom to repay debts or pay interest on them on the first day of each month. These days were called Kalends . Moneylenders recorded the amounts brought by debtors in a special debt book - calendar . Later, calendars began to be called a list of months and days of the year, and they acquired modern meaning.

The way of life of a farmer was determined primarily by the change of seasons. The Russian folk (agrarian) calendar was guided by centuries-old observations of natural phenomena and church holidays. It should be noted that almost until the 16th century there were three calendars in Rus': civil, church and folk (agrarian).

Typically, scientists and gatherers begin the folk calendar on January 1, although this date has nothing to do with the agricultural year. Its beginning is either the arrival of spring (preparation for sowing) or the onset of autumn (the end of the harvest). It is no coincidence that before 1348, the New Year in Rus' was officially celebrated on March 1, and from 1349 to 1699 - on September 1, and only Peter I promulgated the decree of “counting summer” from January according to the European model (Appendix No. 5).

Over the centuries, not only the timing of the New Year's countdown has changed, but also the names of the months. Modern names reflect the Latin names of the months borrowed by official culture, some of which go back to the counting of months from March that existed in Ancient Rome. These are the names September, October, November and December, respectively, meaning the “seventh”, “eighth”, ninth” and “tenth” months, which does not coincide with their current serial number in the year. Some of the names of the months are dedicated to some gods of the Roman pantheon . January - to the god Janus, March - to the god of war Mars, May - to the goddess of fertility Maya, June - to the goddess Juno. July and August are named after the famous Roman commander, Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar (Caesar) and Emperor Octavian Augustus. Etymology of the names February and April , according to scientists, is still controversial: some researchers believe that February was dedicated to the goddess Febris or the god Febru, and April to Venus-Aphrodite through the Etruscan version of the name; others believe that February (or the word from which this name came ) once denoted the great atoning sacrifice performed at the end of the year, and April goes back to the Latin verb aperire - “to open”

B) Popular names of months, their semantics.

January - prosinets, February - cut, March - dry, April - birch, berezozol, May - grass, June - isok, July - cherven, serpen, August - dawn, September - ryuen, October - leaf fall, November and December - breast, jelly These names of the months are found in the “Ostromir Gospel” (XI century) and other ancient written monuments. The traditional Russian calendar has retained the folk names of the months. The semantics of many of them is quite transparent and is associated with the nature of the motivating basis of the word (January - perezimye, February - bokogrey, March - protalnik, April - snowgon, pollen, May - herbalist, June - grain growth, July - the crown of summer, August - pickle, September - gloomy, October - leaf fall, wedding party, November - half-winter, December - jelly). Some names require special explanation, since they reflect traditional for that time, but today almost forgotten types of activities (April - berezozol); or these are names that are Old Russian or dialect words that are not used in modern Russian (August - serpen, June - isok, July - senozarnik, kosen, August - zhniven, November - gruden, chest and others.As we see, the names of the months in Rus' also reflected its “character”.

Zimobor, protalnik, dry, berezozol (March)– the Egyptians, Jews, Moors, Persians, ancient Greeks and Romans began the year with this month. The indigenous Slavic-Russian names of this month in the old days in Rus' were different: in the north it was called dry or dry from the warmth of spring, drying up all moisture, in the south - berezozol, juicer - from the action of the spring sun on the birch tree, which at this time begins to fill with sweet juice and buds. Zimobor - conquering winter, opening the way to spring and summer, protalnik – this month the snow begins to melt, thawed patches and drops appear. The month of March is often called"span" since it marks the beginning of spring, the harbinger of summer, and together with the months following it - April and May - constitutes the so-called “flight”. Also called Marchrookery, springweed, springweed, droplet, morning of the year.

Birch, pollen, snowgon (April)- Old Russian names for the month of April were: berezen, snowgon - streams run, carrying with them the remains of snow, or else - pollen, after all, it is then that the first trees begin to bloom, spring blossoms, and alsocapricious and slyfor the changeable nature of the weather and steam room – the first-born of the year with a positive average air temperature.

Herbalist, pollen (May)- the ancient Russian name for the month of May was herbal, or herbal , which reflected the processes occurring in nature at that time - a riot of grasses. This month was considered the third summer month.In Rus', May has long been calledlistopuk, mur, rosenik. Listopuk from “leaf” and “bunch of grass”, since at this time young leaves appear and thick grasses cover the ground. Name Moore associated with the appearance of grass-ants. “Zamuroven” means “to turn green.” Rosenik - from the abundant May dew.

Multicolor, worm, isok (June). In the old days, the indigenous Russian names for the month of June were isok, . Izokom was the name given to a grasshopper, of which there was particular abundance this month. Another name for this month is worm, especially common among Little Russians, from a worm or a worm; This is the name given to a special kind of dye worms that appear at this time. In addition, in the old days, the month of June was often called godson, - from the cross (fire), and at the same time from the day of John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala).Grain growing and hoarding; grain-bearing, it accumulates harvest for the whole year, enriches our home.For the abundance of light, lush greenery, and the play of colors of flowering meadows, June was popularly calledbright, blooming, rose - color, blush of the year.

Stradnik, Cherven, Lipets (July). In our old days it was called the same as June - worm - from fruits and berries, which, ripening in July, are distinguished by their special reddishness (scarlet, red). This month is also called sticky - from the linden tree, which usually appears in full bloom at this time. July is also called the crown of summer, since it is considered the last month of summer, or else sufferer - from hard summer work, menace - from strong thunderstorms.

Stubble, glow, sickle (August). In the north it was called glow, - from the radiance of lightning; on South sickle - from the sickle used to remove grain from the fields. This month is often given a name daycare worker , in which one cannot help but see the old name changed glow . The name is stubble, hospitable, bakery, cabbage, pickleIt will be unnecessary to explain. Mezhnyak - the border between summer and autumn (interface). In the Vladimir region - Vladimir gustar- “they eat thickly, abundantly” .

Veresen, gloomy, ruin (September). In the old days, the original Russian name for the month was Ruyin , from the roar of autumn winds and animals, especially deer. Name frown he received thanks to his weather differences from others - the sky often begins to frown, it rains, autumn comes in nature.Veresen, spring- according to the flowering time of honey heather, a low, evergreen shrub, common in Polesie, in forests and partial forest-steppe. According to another version, the word spring comes from the Ukrainian “vrasenets” - an ancient name for frost that sometimes appears in September. September - fieldfare.

Leaf fall (October). Our ancestors know it under the name leaf fall a, from the fall of leaves in autumn, or asshole, - from pazderi, kostriki, since flax and hemp begin to be crushed in this month. Otherwise - dirty , from autumn rains causing bad weather and dirt, or wedding dresser - from weddings that are celebrated at this time in peasant life.In Rus' they called himpsyllid, yellow leaf– this is the time of yellowing of leaves, golden autumn. Still October -bread-grower and wood-sawyer;they pick the last fruits and carry out seasonal agricultural work. They skit – smelled like cabbage.

Breast (November). In the old days, this month was actually called chest or chest , from piles of frozen earth with snow, since in general in the ancient Russian language the winter frozen road was called the chest path.November has other names:snowfall, leaf fall, leafy, mocharets, off-road, semi-winter and summer offender, twilight of the year and solstice, die-hard and the month of the first sled, winter's eve, her lead and gate, sevens of the year.

Jelly (December).Our ancestors called it jelly, or jelly , from the cold and frosts common at that time.Another variant - frown , that is, it is time for gloomy skies and early twilight. In Russian dialects, December is called poetically -wind chime and wind-winter, chill and wind, freeze and tug, cold and cold, fierce and lute- Mother Winter is furious. They call it for the deep snow Snezhan

Prosinets (January). In our old days it was called prosinets , it is believed, from the blueness of the sky beginning to appear at this time, the radiance, from the intensification, with the addition of day, of sunlight. By the way, take a closer look at the January sky - it lives up to its name. Folk Vasiliev month, the turning point of winter. Little Russian name for January section , , indicates either the turning point of winter, which, according to popular belief, occurs precisely in January, the cutting of winter into two halves, or bitter, severe frosts. In Rus', the month of January was originally the eleventh month, for March was considered the first, but when the year began to be counted from September, January became the fifth; finally, since 1700, since the change made in our chronology by Peter the Great, this month became the first.

Snezhen, sechen, bokogrey (February)- The indigenous Slavic-Russian names of this month were: section , , (his name is shared with January) or snowflake , probably from snowy times. In Little Russia, from the 15th century, following the imitation of the Poles, the month of February began to be called fierce ; the villagers of the northern and middle Russian provinces still call him let's warm up, since then the cattle come out of the barns and warm their sides in the sun, and the owners themselves warmed their sides at the stove. Popular name - wide roads.

Thus, the popular names of the months mostly reflect weather characteristics: phenomena (thunderstorm, rain, wind, blizzard, dawn, lightning, drops) and states (cold, cold, frost, warmth, heat, flowering) of nature, as well as the main concerns and the aspirations of peasants related to their practical activities: shifting agriculture, haymaking, harvesting, harvesting, flax processing.The popular perception of time (months) was characterized by oppositions such as favorable / unfavorable, good / evil. This is reflected in the type names berezozol (according to some scientists, the name of this month is interpreted as “an evil time for birches”). Namesdry, sufferer, formidable, gloomy, lute, muddy, blizzardassociated with the manifestation of bad weather, which means unfavorable times.

A fairly large group consists of folk names of the months, motivated by nouns with the meaning of “plant” (bread plant, cabbage plant, strawberry plant, lime tree, birch tree).The ancient Slavs worshiped the sun and moon, and revered bodies of water, stones, and trees. Many month names are dedicated to the latter.

The popular names of the months reflect the main stages of the growing season: grass growth, flowering, earing of grain, falling leaves (names such as grass, pollen, leaf fall), as well as important stages of animal life (names such as arrival, bird whistling, nightingale month, howler, animal wedding party).

And such names as “June” retailer, “July” light sparkler and others may indicate, in our opinion, the emergence of aesthetic feelings in the perception of the surrounding world among our ancestors, the development of such a concept as beauty.

The popular names of the months reflect not only the harsh everyday life of the peasant, but also holidays and time of rest (svadebnik, wedding, red hill). In traditional folk culture, rest from physical labor and fun have never been understood as idleness, completely free, unoccupied time. Therefore, along with names related to certain holidays, there were others that testified to the practical activities of peasants during the same period.

As our materials show, adjectives with the meaning of color and light were widely used as the basis for the nomination of a particular month. These are the names zhelten, krasnets, belets, cherven, prosinets and others.

A special feature of the folk calendar was its reflection of knowledge of history and familiarity with the church calendar. Therefore, we come across such names of months as Candlemas (February), Vasiliev month (January - old New Year - Vasilyev holiday), red hill (April, May) (Appendix No. 3)

Many month names do not have clear interpretations. They are associated with different layers of human life: agricultural activities, tools, natural phenomena, traditions, features of the flora and fauna, Christian holidays. Thus, sechen - the ancient Russian name for January - is associated, according to some etymologists, with slash-and-burn farming (compare with the name sechivo - “tool”, “tool”), according to other scientists, with the verb dissect - from the coming turning point of winter, as if cutting it into two halves. There is a third point of view, according to which this month received its name for the cross-cutting, strong winds that are frequent at this time.

The basis of word creation in the folk calendar is metaphorization in the broadest sense of the word, which fully corresponded to the special artistic, poetic thinking of the creator of the folk calendar.

Some names referred to more than two months (section, breast, etc.) (see Appendix No. 1). The same feature is observed in some other Slavic languages, in particular in Serbian. For example, the name wedding. This may be due to the fact that the country's territory is large and the climate is different, or the discrepancy between the old and new styles (the difference is two weeks).

Most of the Russian folk names of the months have correspondences in other Slavic languages. (Appendix No. 2) The Slavic peoples find relative unity in the names, for example, of months such as June. Almost everywhere these are continuations of the ancient form *sygpy (and *сп>ьь); as a result of this observation, it can be assumed that the origin of the names has a single Proto-Slavic basis. (Appendix No. 3)

The Czech researcher Vladimir Shaur believes that the Proto-Slavs had common names for the months, on the basis of which he tried to reconstruct the names: so he has January prosinьcь, February - sěčьnь, March - berzьnь, April - květьnь, May - travьnь, June - čьrvьнь, July - lipпьнь, August - sьrпьнь, September - versьнь, October - rujьnь, November - listopadъ, December - grudьnь (Appendix No. 4).

All popular names of months are revealed and clarified in sayings, proverbs, and folk signs.

1. Conclusion.

1. The folk calendar (months of words), associated almost exclusively with the oral language tradition, reflected the characteristics of the people's consciousness and was a treasury of the living Russian word that has come to us from the depths of centuries.

2. The language of the folk month reflects a special type of thinking characteristic of the ancient Slavs, which can be characterized as artistic, figurative, poetic, mythological, associated with the special nature of knowledge of the surrounding world, a special way of mastering it.

3. The self-awareness of the Russian peasant (and the Russian mentality in general) was formed against the background of the interaction of two cultures, two faiths - paganism and Christianity, the most important evidence of which was the interaction of two calendars - folk and church. And this interaction is reflected in the presence of special names of months in the folk calendar.

4. Among the nouns denoting months, motivated words make up the majority. Thus, simple in structure, motivated single nominations there are 140 in our file cabinet; structured single nominations - 74; the group of unmotivated single names consists of 16 words; group of nominations- phrasesrepresented by 22 items.

5. The names of the months are formed mainly from ancient principles (Proto-Slavic, Indo-European). Most of the names are motivated by nouns and adjectives, less often by verbs and very rarely by numerals. This is explained by the fact that the names of the months most often arose on the basis of an object - a symbol of a particular period or a sign - comparison (similarity). In the folk calendar (month-word), nouns naming months are one of the most ancient groups of vocabulary.

Modern names of months, in contrast to popular names, where people put their own content into each name-symbol, reflected various eras and cultural influences, and primarily the features of the calendar system of Ancient Rome.

Theoretical significanceThe research is that it implements an integrated approach to the analysis of lexical units using descriptive, elements of semantic, etymological and linguoculturological methods, which ensures the integrity of the consideration of linguistic phenomena.

Practical significanceThe research is that its results and conclusions, research methods can find practical application in school practice (in courses on the historical grammar of the Russian language, lexicology, in preparation for the subject Olympiad in the Russian language).

1. Bibliography

1. Dal V.I. Explanatory dictionary of the living Great Russian language in 4 volumes, -M: Russian language, 1999.
2. Ermolov E.S. Folk agricultural wisdom in proverbs, sayings and signs. Part 1 National Monthly Book, St. Petersburg, 1901 -880 p.
3. People's month book/compiler Ryzhenkov G.D., -M: Sovremennik, 1991, 127 p.
4. Russian names. Folk calendar/compiler A.A. Ugryumov, - Arkhangelsk: North-Western Book Publishing House, 1993 - 220 p.
5. Dictionary of modern Russian literary language in 17 volumes, -M;L., -BAS, 1948-1965
6. Dictionary of Russian folk dialects, M-L: RAS, Science, 1965-2010.-
7. Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language of the late 20th century. Language changes edited by G.N. Sklyarevskaya, M: RAS, Institute of Linguistic Research, 1998. -700 p.
8. Vasmer M. Etymological dictionary of the Russian language in 4 volumes. M: Terra, 2008. - 2944 p.
9. Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language" edited by N.M. Shansky, - M: Drofa, 2004.

For the first time on Earth. Historical and educational project of the FSA.

“Slavic calendar” by Andrey Tyunyaev

Russian holidays

Slavic names of the months of the year

Prosinets - January

Szeczeni - February

Szechen (Lyuten, Prosinets)

Prosinets - “to shine” - means the rebirth of the Sun. Midwinter Prosinets is celebrated with the blessing of water. On this day they glorify the Heavenly Svarga - the Host of all Gods. The heavenly Surya poured onto the earth on this day makes all waters healing.

Time to cut trees to clear the land for arable land. Bokogray - the cattle comes out to bask in the sun. It was also called “low water” (the time between winter and spring). The winds in February whip with cold. But he’s still angry. Due to frequent blizzards and blizzards, February was also called “windstorm” and “lute”. In February there are major frosts, which are respectively called: Kashcheev (February 2), Velesov (February 11). February thaws.

February is the beginning of a new life. A leap year is considered an unlucky year. It is in a leap year that Kashchei Day is celebrated on February 29. February Fridays should be completely dedicated to rest and the goddess Makosha: on these days men are not allowed to work in the fields, and women are not allowed to spin. As the day lengthens, the lifestyle of the peasants changes; they stop working by the fire, the women stop spinning, and preparations for field work begin.

Folk signs:

February will add three hours in the afternoon.
In January, Father, there are frosts, in February there are snowstorms.
February will warm up the side of a bear in its den.
In February the sparrow makes the wall wet.
Father, February has arrived, the man has outgrown winter.
February will let in the water, March will pick it up.
The sparrow makes the wall wet.
Blizzards and blizzards have arrived in February!
If frost sweeps over trees and pillars at night, then no more snow will fall during the day.
When the blue is poured over the forest during the day in February, they say: “This is for warmth!”
February is cold and dry - August is hot.
If February is rainy, then spring and summer can be expected to be the same.
In February, the sun goes to summer, and winter to frost.
February blows away the winter, and March breaks it.
Just as it clicks in February, it will come back to haunt you in the fall.
Warm February will deceive and bring a cold spring with frosts.
If the ground freezes deeply, and water spills from an ice hole on the river, the ice on the riffles of the river becomes mountains, piles, long and thick icicles from the roofs - it will be a good summer.

Dry - March

Berezol - April

Berezozol (Kviten)

There are two options for deciphering the name of this month: the first - in the month of birch|ash(s), the Slavs fed the earth with the ash of birches, only after which they threw grains into it; the second - Berezol is an Old Russian hunting name that comes from the common Aryan roots “ber” (bear), “zol” - evil. That is, Berezol is the month of the angry (hungry, just awakened from hibernation) bear, in which the awakening of the bear was celebrated.