Verbnaia nedelia

[SOLOMON HOWARD TODD]

On Wed, 15 Mar 1995, SOLOMON HOWARD TODD wrote:

> Another source for info on Verbnaia nedelia, althought not extensive, is
> the 1880 Moscow edition of "Russkii Narod. Ego obychai, obriady,
> predaniia, sueveriia i poeziia" (M. Zabylin), republished in 1990 by the
> joint Canadian-Soviet publisher "kniga printshop." Pages 48-49 detail
> such peasant customs as country 'baby' beating children with the willow
> branches upon returning from church reciting: "verba khlest', bei do
> slez'!" Also the willow branches blessed on Verbnoe voskresen'e in folk
> belief are a sympathetic substance in healing the sick, kept all year,
> and used for curing sick cows.
>
> Howard Solomon, U. of Kansas
>
After sending this message I realized I was a little hasty in reading the
passage. It's not children being beaten by 'baby' but village lads
(rebiata). H.S.