Annually on September 27, the Slavs celebrated the great holiday of Rodogosh, which was also called Tausen. This event was associated with both the harvest and the end of summer and preparation for the cold winter.
In the old days, Rodogoshch was the largest holiday associated with the harvest, as well as one of the four Holy Days of Kologod. The Slavs believed that it was on this day that the light gods begin to leave the earth and go to Svarga, i.e. On sky. The gods will stay there until next spring. However, although they leave believers in winter, their strength remains in the hearts of those who live righteously.
Rodogosh began from the beginning, when the Slavs, with the help of divination, sought to find out what awaited them in the next year. After fortune-telling and sacred rituals, a huge honey cake was put on, specially prepared for the holiday. This cake, as a rule, was so large that it often turned out to be taller than a person. The priest hid behind him, and then asked those around him whether they saw him or not. If the cake was not high enough, and those present answered that they saw a priest, he wished them a rich harvest next year so that the villagers could bake a bigger cake.
After that, a merry feast began. Since the harvest for Tausen had already been mostly harvested, the table was full of dishes. The rich and luxurious feast was both a rest after hard peasant work and a reward for hard work. Since on September 27 it was customary not only to celebrate the successful harvest, but also to remember the approaching winter, the Slavs played scenes from the tale of the hero and the underworld. This tale reminded people of both the extinction of the Sun and the fact that Winter is gradually gaining strength and will soon reign.
In the evening, before dark, it was customary to kindle a fire and jump over it. This rite symbolized the purification that the flame bestows on every person. The priests did not just jump over the fire, but even walk barefoot over the coals, introducing themselves into a trance with uniform strikes of a tambourine and singing. And, finally, the Rodogoshch holiday was not complete without merry games, in which everyone took part.