KoliadaorKoleda (Bulgarian: Коледа, romanized: Koleda) is a Slavic mythological deity personalizing the newborn winter infant Sun[1] and symbolizing the New Year's cycle.[2] The figure of Koliada is connected with the solar cycle, (the Slavic root *kol- suggests a wheel or circularity) passing through the four seasons and from one substantial condition into another.
In the different Slavic countries at the koliada winter festival people performed rituals with games and songs in honour of the deity - like koleduvane. In some regions of Russia the ritual gifts (usually buns) for the koledari are also called kolyada. In the lands of the Croats a doll, called Koled, symbolized Koliada.[3] In the ancient times Slavs used to sacrifice horses, goats, cows, bears or other animals that personify fertility. Koliada is mentioned either as a male or (more commonly) as a female deity in the songs.[2]
There are many traditions that recall both the deity and the ritual of Koliada. All of them are on or around Winter Solstice:
Koleduvane is a ceremony with pagan roots that is still performed on Christmas Eve in many Slavic countries.
Koleda is the modern Bulgarian word for Christmas.
Koliadka, Koliada or Kaleda is a traditional song usually sung in Eastern Slavic countries (Belarus and Ukraine) only on Orthodox Christmas holidays, between the 7 and 14 of January
Crăciun is the Romanian and Karácsony - the Hungarian word for Christmas. They are both derived from Korochun/Krachun - one of the names of the pagan holiday Koliada, although neither Romania nor Hungary are Slavic countries.
There are Slavic neopagan communities in most of the Slavic countries whose goal is to popularize ancient pagan belief and practice in present-day society.
