A person from a traditional society lived in direct, close contact with nature and did not feel separate from it. They lived and adapted to the cyclical movement of nature, both practically and symbolically. Customs and festivities reflected their primal connection with the cosmos, with the process of world creation and the embodiment of the divine in time and space. Calendar customs and celebrations enabled the fusion and harmony of cosmic, earthly, and human rhythms.
One such calendar custom was Saint George’s day, celebrated on April 23rd as a spring festival, when the young god of spring overpowers the demons of winter. This god of spring and the spring sun was called G among the Slavs. olemi, Gerovit, Jarovit, and most often is portrayed as a young hero on a horse killing a demon-dragon, just as the upcoming spring conquers winter in nature. In the Middle Ages, the god Gerovit disappears, and only oral tradition and scarce notes of chroniclers remain about him. Over time, the ancient god-hero in folk songs and stories is increasingly replaced by St. George, and he is also in the folk song love of beautiful Lada.
Weapons, Lada, provide me: sword, helmet, spear, and arrows. The barley rustles, the sword clangs,
the bow rattles, the shield glistens.
Beautiful Lada, to the young god,
the sword already fits around her waist, burning.
On her shoulder she puts the quiver,
helmet on her head, but a shield
cannot be lifted from the dewy grass
by a woman’s hand.
And the god says: “Lada, skilled
warrior, brave one!”
So she raises her shield. She takes the spear.
And swiftly jumps on the horse.
She gallops. In an instant she disappears
behind the gray mountains.
The Worship of Gerovit – St. George
According to modest historical data, Juraj, as a Roman officer during Diocletian’s time, stood in defense of Christians, for which he suffered a martyr’s death on April 23, 290. Later, the Church marked this date as the feast day of St. George (Latin: Georgius, Greek: Georgios), one of the most famous Christian martyrs of the Eastern and Western Churches.
Interestingly, even Diocletian’s successor, Emperor Constantine, built a church in his honor in the 4th century in Palestine. The worship of St. George soon spread across Europe, primarily thanks to Roman soldiers, and later the crusader knights who returned from the East. Through numerous pilgrimages to the Holy Land, the legends surrounding the life of this saint were expanded and enriched. In the beliefs of the people, who still strongly held pre-Christian elements, there was an overlap and intertwining of old and new elements, as the days dedicated to Saint George coincided with the period of Saint George’s Day.
Like Saint George, Saint George is depicted as the protector of the weak and helpless, often portrayed in the attire of a Roman soldier on a white horse (symbolizing purity), equipped with a shield and a spear with which he slays the dragon. In the early days of Christianity, the dragon was a symbol of evil, which, in a metaphorical sense, referred to paganism. According to one legend, Saint George battles the dragon in order to save the king’s daughter, who was meant to be sacrificed. Therefore, in visual depictions of this legend, the princess is often seen praying for Saint George’s victory.
During the Middle Ages, a number of knightly orders were established under his patronage, with cities and states in the 12th and 13th centuries choosing Saint George as their patron saint. He is considered to be a protector, making him one of the most revered saints. Saint George, the warrior saint, was the ideal of medieval knights, a symbol of invincibility and perseverance.
George is associated with spring because his time coincides with the beginning of spring, the awakening of nature and the new cycle of life. In the customs of St. George’s Day, green branches and young spring greenery have a central significance. When fields, houses, and barns are decorated with greenery, when animals are struck with it, or when young grass and flowers are simply picked and put in baths or in food – greenery on St. George’s Day always has a protective meaning: for the health of people and animals, for protection against evil forces, or for the fertility of plants and animals. On St. George’s Day, the livestock was driven out to pasture for the first time, and shepherds adorned them with wreaths made of spring flowers. From that day on, it was allowed to sleep outside the house, and girls would wash their faces in water into which they would put herbs or flowers in order to be more beautiful, as it was believed that the herbs gathered on St. George’s Day The miraculous power.
Jurjevo Bonfires
An interesting tradition is also the Jurjevo bonfires that were lit on the eve or on Jurjevo itself. These are large fires made of twigs, cornstalks, and straw, around which people gather and dance to special Jurjevo songs. Young people jump over the fire believing that it will protect them from illnesses throughout the entire year, and the same effect will be for everyone else who is around the bonfire. The bonfire is also beneficial for the fields because its protective effect extends as far as the flames and smoke reach.
In the northwest parts of Croatia, among the Jurjevo customs, so-called Jurjevo processions have been recorded. Groups of girls and boys visit houses, singing special Jurjevo songs and collecting gifts. In Turopolje, this song was recorded:
A joyful creature is emerging,
rushing towards us.
Strongly rejoicing
when the trees turn green
because the mighty knight has arrived,
the adorned St. George.
Wrapped in greenery or holding a green adorned branch as a symbol of spring, he One of the young men from the group represents Green George. The hosts cut branches from Green George or his decorated branches and later stick them into the field, place them in animal shelters, beehives, and similar places.
In the Bjelovar area, the main “jurjaš” wears a type of mask in the shape of a cone made of green branches, mostly beech, but also willow, hazel, and others. In some other places, the top of the “jurjaš” cone is adorned with wheat, usually rye ears, as rye is usually harvested around St. George’s Day. If a branch is carried instead of a cone during the procession, it is almost always birch.
In Turopolje, it is characteristic to carry small flags with red borders, ribbons, and tricolors attached to a pole, sometimes with an apple or corn cob placed on top. In addition to the branches they distribute to households, the participants often carry other objects, such as a bell to wake up the household if they visit at night or to announce their arrival, as well as whistles, horns, sticks, and batons with which they rhythmically hit the ground while singing. There are sung or recited poems. It is a very rare occurrence to see Juraj on horseback, although Juraj who rides is often mentioned in Juraj songs.
Your white wheat has grown,
Like birds in the woods,
Thick ear like a dog,
Large sheaves like priests!
Your vineyards have borne fruit,
Canteens beneath the grape vine!
Juraj’s do not enter houses, but rather stand under the window or enter the yard. They usually announce themselves to the household with a bell, horn, or knocking, and start singing a Juraj song. During this time, green Juraj often dances, turns around, or just “jumpes”, hopping from one foot to another. After the song, someone from the household usually gives them gifts, most commonly eggs, bacon, or wine, after which they thank and move on, repeating the same at each house. Juraj’s give every home green branches that are hung on the porch beam, in the house near a holy picture or a wardrobe. They can also be placed on windows, roofs, or the entrance doorpost, in the stable near the livestock or bees, in the garden among the vegetables, or in the field among the crops. Juraj’s themselves often decorate windows, doors, and branches. They put up fences around the house from which they received a gift. After completing their rounds, they leave the basket at the beginning of the forest to be a home for birds or they leave it at the house from which someone has angered them, as a shame for that house. Beliefs related to green branches and how to handle them are very different, but they bring benefits to every home or nature. Written Vazam has passed by, Green Juraj has come from behind the green meadow, from beyond the black sea, across the flat field, on a green horse. He brought everything we need: an arm-length branch, a foot-long blade of grass. 1 Juškati means to shout with a song: ju ju. 2 Poculica is a cap worn by married women, it covered the entire hair, made of local fabric and lace.