Pilipovka in Belarus
November 28 · Level 5 · #1203 of 2238
Pilipovka is the Belarusian folk name for the start of the Nativity Fast. In villages it opened a quiet season of long winter evenings.
How it is celebrated: believers keep the fast, while folklore fans revive old customs such as evening gatherings, ritual songs and girls’ fortune-telling about marriage.
In Belarus the word Pilipovka can mean both the whole Nativity Fast and its first days. The name comes from the Apostle Philip.