Chyrachka spring calling rite in the village of Tonezh

Maslenitsa Week in the village of Tonezh was wrapped up with a traditional rite of calling for spring, which has survived to this day. The locals have given the name “chyrachki” to common teals, which are believed to be harbingers of warm weather and bring spring on their wings. The preparations for the rite are made in advance: locals bake bird-shaped cookies, bring a young fir tree from a forest, make an effigy. Children gather in the morning to decorate the tree with paper flowers. Then the fir tree and the winter effigy are taken to the mountain outside the village. The rite culminates here with the participants fixing the fir tree on an oak tree – closer to the sun so that birds fly in faster. Then they light a fire and throw the effigy into the flames, they call for spring with songs, round dances, and games.