Lada is the goddess of love in Slavic mythology. In ancient times, a cult developed around her, which included a variety of rites and rituals. Round dances around the fire on Ivan Kupala were the most common ritual. Moreover, one can even say that Kupala is the holiday of Lada, where young couples met and fell in love under the auspices of this goddess.
She combined everything that people appreciated in a young girl: tenderness, sincere love, meekness, affectionate character and humble disposition. Lada, like most pagan gods, has its own symbol - a white swan. He personified true purity, family fidelity and heavenly love.
There are ancient rituals dedicated to the goddess Lada. Most of them have already been adapted to modern times, so they are made independently. Such rituals are performed to harmonize family relationships, soften the character, improve personal life, or to attract love.
Goddess Lada, like Rod, was not included in the pantheon of gods. Both of them were an integral part of the worldview of the Slavs. Everyone should get along with each other. People called their loved ones Lada-Ladushki. wife calledhis beloved Lado.
Goddess Lada has many hypostases, including male ones. For example, Lad is the god of harmony and friendship. This is where the word "hand" comes from. We all extend our open palms to our friends for a handshake. Another hypostasis is Lel. This is the god of fiery, bright love - a small, beautiful boy. Sparks fly from his palms, and they can ignite even the coldest heart. As you know, among the ancient Greeks, Eros was such a boy, and among the Romans, Amur.
Goddess Lada listened to people's requests. She was also called Shchedrynya, and, accordingly, the holiday in her honor is Shchedrovki (January 6/19, the current Epiphany). In honor of this goddess, songs were sung that praised peace, harmony and love. Ice-holes were made on frozen rivers and lakes (so that “Lada could breathe”) and gifts to the goddess were thrown there (grain, pies, pancakes), and the ice was watered with decoctions of herbs, which meant the imminent onset of spring. After that, festivities and feasts began.
The holiday of the arrival of warmth and spring - Ladodenie - was accompanied by special rites. The Slavs sang of the awakening of nature. Women climbed on haystacks, on roofs of houses, on hills and, raising their hands up to the sky, called for spring. They also made cranes from dough. They were placed on a high place (for example, above the door) and they had to guard the space. The belief that birds return from the Slavic paradise, Iria, is also associated with the Ladodeniya holiday, and therefore people imitated the dances of birds.
The goddess Lada was revered throughout Ancient Russia. Slavs, according to mythology,she always protected. People called the whole system of life in the name of Lada, i.e. where everything should be fine. In order to avoid any family problems, flowers, honey, berries and live birds were brought to the goddess. With its help, friendliness, homeliness, mutual understanding, love, family life and mutual respect appear in life. Goddess Lada grants the newlyweds everything they ask for a happy life together.
Despite all the antiquity of the rites, some families still have the customs to hold holidays in honor of Lada, according to all the rituals.
