Today most traditions, once practiced by Hutsuls and other inhabitants of the mountain regions of the Carpathians, seem strange and absurd, the Depo.Zakarpattya informs. But even now, there are many keepers of traditions, the Highlanders, who believe that the rituals of their ancestors protect them from the evil.
Hutsul life has always been associated with the belief in spirits, otherworldly forces, witches, and more.
Worshipping fire
The Highlanders have always been very respectful of fire, have a lot of signs and superstitions relating to fire. The Hutsuls believe that if you pass a child a piece of bread over a fire, the child will grow to be a thief. And if anyone spits in a fire, a blister will appear on their tongue. It is also considered a sin to throw hair into a fire. When the fire in the furnace is cracking badly, a Hutsul will say that an angry person will come to the house.
Potion stocks
At St. George’s Day, residents of the Carpathian region of Ukraine collect magic potions. In the evening, one should touch each potion with a stick so that it is not harmed by witches. They go to sleep near the potions. And one can not kindle fire, but make a circle around to protect oneself from evil forces. While walking home with herbs, one has to avoid any meetings.
"Merry" funeral
Hutsuls are special people, so even their funeral is a unigue and strange ceremony. The deceased would be buried on the third day after death. In the evening, relatives and neighbors gathered around the deceased, the clerk read the Psalms, and after that everybody was treated to vodka.
The wildest Hutsul funeral tradition is called "hrushky". Those are the games that young people played at the funeral, similar to those which they played during spring festivals and weddings. Also, they sang and danced, sending off the deceased into another life.
The coffin was carried out of the house so that the deceased could not find the way back home. The deceased was carried legs first through the back door. Then they knocked three times with the coffin against the doorstep so that the deceased say farewell to the ancestors and never return.
Healing with mysticism
The Hutsuls have many recipes for healing using a variety of mystical rituals. For example, they washed a sick person’s hands and feet with water, which they then poured on a dog so that the sickness move from the man to the dog. And when they brought the first spring bunch of rock lily from a forest, they chewed and swallowed a flower in order to be healthy for the whole year. At the first thunder, the Hutsuls find it useful to hit their heads against a stone and say, "May I have a headache, when this stone gets sick." Also they would bite an iron so that their teeth would not hurt.
Divination on holidays
During Christmas, New Year and Epiphany, the Hutsuls practice various kinds of divination. On Christmas Eve, the master of the house has to take a stick from the first caroler and hit a cow with it to make her fertile.
Before the New Year, they lay out on the stove as many hot pieces of coal as there are members of the family, noting which ember belongs to who. Hutsuls believe that family members will die in the order, in which the pieces of coal will go out. On the night of Epiphany, the Hutsuls wait for the sky to open up. Anyone who is lucky to see that will get everything that he or she asks for. It is considered necessary to ask God to take the soul to heaven. On the eve of Epiphany, the Hutsuls feed the cattle well, so that they would not complain about their owners. It is believed that on the night of Epiphany, cattle, as well as all living and inanimate things have the ability to speak.
And to forecast the weather for the whole next year, Hutsuls tell fortunes on onions. On the day before the Lent, they sprinkle 12 bulbs symbolizing the months of the year with salt. If any of them becomes very damp in the morning, then there will be a lot of rain in the month, it corresponds to.
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