Svarožič: The Birth of the New Sun
During this time, the soil in the fields is frozen into clods. Festively set tables, anticipation, memories, and reflections – this is a time when heaven and the underworld are connected, the time of the winter solstice and the birth of the new sun. After the autumnal equinox, the nights grow longer, and the sun "dies" faster and faster. This phenomenon lasts until the winter solstice, when the sun seemingly comes to a standstill. On December 21st, the winter solstice occurs, and the dark half of the year tips toward the light.
When day and night are (seemingly) in balance, the new sun is born. Svarožič is the son of the primordial god and chief deity of Slavic mythology – Svarog – and his wife Vida, a lunar deity and goddess of the hunt.
In the past, our ancestors lit bonfires and performed the ritual of burning the "čok" (a tree stump) on the home hearth. The čok (an oak stump with roots) was chosen in the forest by the master of the house, while the housewives ritually cleaned the hearth. The hearth was once an important source of heat and the center around which the family gathered. The chimney represented the link between earth and sky, and the spirits of ancestors resided at the hearth, looking after the happiness and prosperity of the living.
The stump they lit had to be large enough to burn for twelve nights (the "wolf nights"). They ensured the fire burned continuously, as this was believed to help the young sun reach its full power. They divined the future from the flames and kept the ashes in the house until the following year. The family threw offerings into the fire (wine, milk, honey, salt, and walnuts), and in honor of the birth of the new sun, they threw juniper branches onto the flames.
The celebration of Svarožič has been preserved to this day as Božič (Christmas). The name of the holiday and its content are of pre-Christian origin; the name comes from the root "bog" (god) and the suffix "-ič," which denotes a child or a son (Little God). Christianity only began celebrating the birth of the Savior in the fourth century, while the worship of the sun during the longest winter nights has remained a part of mythology that is perfectly aligned with the natural cycles of our ancestors.
