Mermaid send-off ritual in Belarus


It is believed that mermaids are, in fact, virtuous girls after death. They lack human warmth and love, that’s why they come out of the water, forests or rye during the mermaid week. People from Lyubanshchyna have reconstructed of the oldest Belarusian rites — seeing a mermaid. See photos by belsat.eu.

Mermaid send-off ritual in Lyuban

On Sunday night, at the end of the  mermaid week, several girls looking like mermaids and decorated with maple wreaths and flowers appeared in the village of Kuzmichy, Lyuban district.

Local women and guests first took the beauties around the village, then surrounded them with three circle dances.



One of the most ancient rites of the Belarusian people — mermaid send-off — took place in the village according to the local traditions, near two fires. The first one was used as a ritual bonfire, where the ceremony participants threw ritual wreaths, branches of maple and birch trees to get rid of the old troubles, sores, or to “buy” a boyfriend for next year, and even become pregnant.

Mermaid girls also threw wreaths, but this time towards the local guys who were to quickly catch the wreath and find a mermaid using it, to later tie her an apron and braid plait. According to the tradition, it is believed that the deceased chaste girls that had turned into mermaids, lack human love, so during the mermaid week they went out to the settlements and seduced men or women, and then they could even fondle them to death.



Then, the best mermaid was chosen through the most important ritual of spilling water over the top. Mermaids sprinkled water on all those present, so that they were healthy and fertile.

When it became almost dark, all the mermaid girls headed to the river to throw there wreaths with wishes of love and fertility.

After tearing maple branches from the head of the chief mermaid, the girls began to run away, so she did not touch them anymore until the next mermaid week.



After the symbolic transfer of three poles of the ritual wooden wheel-sun, the ritual participants began to fry eggs on the fire according to the traditional rural recipe and entertain guests.

The reconstructed ceremony of the mermaid send-off held in the Lyuban area remains one of the most beautiful not only there, but in the whole of Belarus.

See all the photos here:

Photo and text – Vyachaslau Radzimich, belsat.eu

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