Koliada | |
---|---|
Also called | Kolyada, Коледа, Kоляда, Коледе, Kalėda, Colindă |
Observed by | Eastern European, Balts and Slavic people |
Significance | celebration of New Year re-birth |
Begins | January 6 |
Ends | January 7 |
Date | December 25, January 7, January 6, December 24 |
First time | unknown |
Related to | Christmas traditions, Eastern Orthodox liturgical days |
Koliada or koleda (Cyrillic: коляда, коледа, колада, коледе) is the traditional Slavic name for the period from Christmas to Epiphany or, more generally, for Slavic Christmas-related rituals, some dating to pre-Christian times.[1] It represents a festival or holiday, celebrated at the end of December to honor the sun during the Northern-hemisphere winter solstice. It also involves groups of singers who visit houses to sing carols.[2][3]