Svyatki time in Belarus

Svyatki is a period of time assigned to the winter solstice. It lasts for twelve festive days between Christmas (7 January) and Epiphany (19 January). Although translated as Holy Days the festival mostly celebrate pagan traditions inherited from the old times. Fortune telling is the best-preserved present-day Svyatki tradition. As in the old times girls gather in groups to perform rituals on wax, apples, cards, looking in the mirror to know the future and the name of their groom.