Orthodox St. George’s Day (May 6). Юр’е/Юр’я (6 траўня).
In the heat of the dog days of summer, one thinks back to the splendid weather of early spring.
Orthodox St. George’s Day (May 6, equivalent to April 23 in the old church calendar) coincides with the day Belarusians traditionally — from pre-Christian times — considered the beginning of spring. This was the day when villagers would lead their cows out in ceremonial procession to first pasture and would sing songs in a rye-field rite of spring linked to worship of the Slavic god Jaryla.
As the Orthodox church absorbed and adapted such rites, St. George took Jaryla’s place as the protector of farm animals and fields. Today, under the impact of decades of collectivized agriculture, it is exceptionally difficult to find villages which celebrate the day in a traditional, unstaged way (see photos of the day for May 6, 2011 and May 6-7, 2010). However, the church feast remains important, especially in parishes named for St. George.
The late 17th-century parish church of St. George the Victor in Davyd Haradok (photo of the day for May 6, 2013) is the town’s traditional venue for the feast-day liturgy. In 2013, for various reasons Father Ryhor shifted the celebration of the liturgy to the main church.
Church feasts are always feasts of light — the light of candles and chandeliers and, in spring and summer, the radiant, often dancing light of the sun:
St. George’s Day, church of the Mother of God of Kazan, Davyd Haradok 2013. Сьвята Юр’я, царква Маці Божай Казанскай, Давыд Гарадок 2013 год.
