| الوصف: |
It is an ancient, related to Lithuanian economic activity set of rules that responds to all the concerns of the villagers: when the spring begins, the day goes longer, spinning ends, cereals are sown, the weather gets warm, swimming is possible, the cows give more milk, the cuckoo comes back, the hay can be cut, rye is being cut, mushrooms start growing, wool is being cut, winter begins, etc. In general, farm rules reveal the way of life of the nation, its ability to resist the unfavorable forces of nature, diligence, wisdom, well-being, magic of harvest, fragments of the old religion, etc. There are two groups of indicators. One is based on the signs of nature, and the second is on the dates of the ecclesiastical calendar. In the first case, the nature tells the villagers when one or another job can be done. For example: ‘The bird cherry blooms, sow oats’; ‘The frogs are croaking, sow cabbages and swedes’; ‘The hawthorn blossoms, sow barley’, etc. The group of natural indicators is the most accurate. The other indicators, which are tied to the dates of the ecclesiastical calendar, are not so precise: ‘St. Michael (September 29) inserts an ice stick’, ‘On St. Evaristus (October 26) take the cattle inside’. Even the dates of St. Michael and St. George do not reflect the real situation. Flowers may still bloom at that time, or the snow may be already seen on the ground. The author tries to show how a similar set of farm rules looks like. |
