Dziady
Dziady (lit. "grandfathers, eldfathers", sometimes translated as Forefathers' Eve) is a term in Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, rituals and customs that were dedicated to them. The essence of these rituals was the "communion of the living with the dead", namely, the establishment of relationships with the souls of the ancestors, periodically returning to their headquarters from the times of their lives. The aim of the ritual activities was to win the favor of the deceased, who were considered to be caretakers in the sphere of fertility. The name "dziady" was used in particular dialects mainly in Poland, Belarus, Polesia, Russia, and Ukraine (sometimes also in border areas, e.g. Podlachia, Smoleńsk Oblast, Aukštaitija), but under different other names (pomynky, przewody, radonitsa, zaduszki) there were very similar ritual practices, common among Slavs and Balts, and also in many European and even non-European cultures.
| Dziady | |
|---|---|
“Dziady, pradziady, przyjdzcie do nas!” Depiction of dziady ritual in Belarus, Stanisław Bagieński. | |
| Observed by | Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians, Lithuanians (nowadays rodnovers and Christians in christianised form) |
| Type | Pagan, cultural |
| Significance | Communion of the living with the dead |
| Celebrations | Offering food to ancestors |
| Date | Between the last day of April and the first day of May or around the spring equinox (spring dziady) Secondly, between the last day of October and the first day of November or around the autumnal equinox (autumn dziady) |
| Frequency | Twice a year |
| Related to | Zaduszki, Radonitsa, Vėlinės, Allhallowtide |