Veles's Night: How Ukrainians celebrate their mystical analog of Halloween, traditions and superstitions

On the night of October 31-November 1, Ukrainians celebrate the most mystical night of the year, often called "Ukrainian Halloween" - Veles's Night. UNN has collected signs, fortunes and superstitions for you to successfully celebrate the "day of honoring the dead.

Veles's Night, or "Ukrainian Halloween," as this holiday is popularly called, has pagan roots, because it was on this night that our ancestors honored Veles, the god of abundance and mediator between the world of the living and the dead.

Ukrainians believed that it was on the night of October 31-November 1 that one could "consult" deceased relatives to "help" solve difficult issues. 

Eve 

It was believed that it was impossible to celebrate Veles's Night in an unclean house and in dirty clothes, so the day before the celebrations, everyone went to the bathhouse and cleaned up. 

Decorating the house with mountain ash and hay sheaves has also become a mandatory attribute, and sprinkle the threshold with salt.

On the eve of Veles night, the whole family sat down at the table for a "silent dinner", during which they symbolically "treated" deceased relatives, remembering only the best about them. 

The dinner ended with the words: "Goodbye, grandfathers. Go, take away with you (trouble, illness, etc.), wait for us for a long time."

At nightfall, they would leave treats from the table in the yard and light a candle on the windowsill. People also wanted to get answers to important questions. 

To do this, they addressed the deceased relative, calling his name, honoring him and saying: "Today you come to this world to give me advice. Tell me how to complete the case."

Celebration

The main attribute was fire, because it is a symbol of purification. Before dark, they built a fire and jumped over it.

You also had to put a plate for "treating the dead" outside and light a candle, or your deceased relative would find the way more easily. 

Fortune telling

An important attribute of Veles's Night is divination. 

Traditional methods of divination include looking at the ashes from the stove, burning a piece of paper with wishes, or sleeping on a pillow with an apple under it. 

One of the interesting ones is to throw two chestnuts into the fire, making sure that they do not roll in different directions, because this would symbolize the imminent end of the relationship. 

There was also a modernized way of divination: putting a note with a question in a pumpkin lamp and setting it on fire so that the shadow of the flame would tell the answer.

Signs 

On the eve of the holiday or during a traditional dinner, there were interesting signs: you could not borrow money, it was considered unlucky to see a dog with dark fur, and even worse when a stranger knocked on the door in the evening. 

It was not allowed to borrow money the day before, otherwise prosperity would come out of the house, and you would have to live in a difficult situation for the whole next year. Doesn't this remind you of the modern omen when aunts and grandmothers tell you not to spend money after sunset?

To see a dark dog near the house meant that an enemy would appear and bring problems to the family. Instead, a white dog near the house heralded a new friend. Nowadays, this sign has changed: it is believed that when a dog howls at night, it portends trouble.

The omen about the stranger suggested that a family member might die within a year. 

That is why they used to say to such a person: "Cool the trail of the stranger, do not bring us trouble." 

In the villages, older people still believe in "bad omens" and try to avoid them near their homes.

What is the difference between Veles night and Halloween

Halloween was intended to scare away spirits, while our ancestors, on the contrary, invited deceased relatives to their homes. It is also worth noting that the Celts, who founded this holiday, sacrificed animals  and then each took a tongue of sacred flame into their home to light a winter fire, while our ancestors did nothing of the sort on Veles' Night. 

Recall 

Interestingly, the U.S. National Retail Federation estimates that total spending on Halloween in the U.S. will reach $11.6 billion in 2024.