Valentin, Valentina's Day

February 10

    The Name day of everyone named Valentin Valentina, Valery, Valeria. (from the Latin Valentinus ‘strong, robust’).

    People celebrate this day in honour of the draught animals. In each house, while it is still dark, they prepare the dough for the ritual buns. When the buns are ready, the man of the house takes the oxen out of the shed, combs them, and the woman takes out the buns in a sieve. Then she puts buns on the horns of each ox and the man takes them to the river.

     There he breaks the buns, dips them into the running water and feeds the animals for health. After watering the cattle, on coming back home the man summons the whole family and they all eat from the laid table standing. While eating the children moo, kick and the man of the house pronounces a blessing: “Let Vlas drag himself, drag himself deep down in the earth. But let him not take from our house!” “Amen!”, the others reply and believe that during the whole year people and animals will be healthy.

 

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