Spring Equinox: the Eastern European tradition of drowning Morana
Spring has definitely sprung in these parts. All of my bulbs are finally blooming and the blackberry brambles and raspberry canes have begun to sprout shiny new leaves. The weather has taken a decidedly warm turn and I’m looking forward to today's maximum of a sunny 24 degrees Celsius. All around my region gorgeous calves and lambs are playing merrily in their paddocks and I’ve spied many wild bunnies enjoying the season’s new shoots. With the Spring (also called Vernal) Equinox just around the corner on 23 September, my Easter decorations are out in celebration of the new life this lovely time of year signifies.
It might seem odd to my fellow Antipodeans that I would be celebrating Easter in September, as Australia officially celebrates Easter at the same time as our Northern Hemisphere cousins, in April/May (our Autumn). If you consider, outside of the Christian religion, the iconography commonly associated with Easter, such as eggs, rabbits or hares, lambs, chicks and flowers, and the folk traditions accompanying Easter celebrations, are all a reflection of the Spring season. Even the name Easter comes from the Germanic goddess of Spring Oestre or Ostara. We will explore the old Easter beliefs, traditions and iconography in next week’s article but this week, let’s explore an Eastern European tradition for welcoming the Spring: drowning Morana.
We first met Morana in one of the first articles published on Wheel & Cross, about The Winter Queens.
She is called Marzena in Polish, Marena in Russian, Morana in Czech, Bulgarian, Slovene, and Serbo-Croatian, Morena or Kyselica in Slovak and Macedonian, Mara in Belarusian and Ukrainian, but is also known as Marui or Marukhi, Maržena, Moréna, Mora, Marmora, More, and Kikimora in different Eastern European regions.
Morana is a Slavic goddess associated with winter, death, and rebirth. In Slavic mythology, she is often depicted as a fearful old hag like the Baba Yaga or as a beautiful but stern woman with long, flowing black hair and dressed in white or black garments. Morana represents the cold, dark months of winter and the dormant period of nature.
As the goddess of winter, Morana is both feared and respected. She is believed to bring frost and cold winds and in some traditions, Morana is seen as the personification of death itself. She rules over the realm of the dead during the winter months.
However, Morana is not solely associated with death and darkness. She also symbolises the cyclical nature of life and the promise of rebirth. In Slavic folklore, it is believed that Morana's departure marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. Her departure is celebrated with various rituals and customs that signify the renewal and awakening of nature.
The Eastern European tradition of killing Morana either by drowning or burning is a unique and fascinating springtime ritual with deep cultural roots. Originating from Slavic and Balkan regions, this tradition is celebrated in various countries including the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Russia, and Bulgaria.
The ritual typically takes place on or around the Spring Equinox, marking the transition from winter to spring. Effigies of Morana are made from straw and dressed in traditional clothes, sometimes decorated with flowers or strung with necklaces made from eggs. The tradition is now usually carried out by children as part of their school activities, and often there is competition to judge the most beautiful Morana.
On the day of the ritual, the straw effigy is carried in procession to a body of water, such as a river or pond. Villagers gather to participate in the ceremony, often dressed in traditional clothes. The effigy is then set adrift on the water and sometimes even burned as a symbolic act of bidding farewell to the cold season and welcoming the warmer months of spring. As Morana is carried away by the currents or consumed by flames, it signifies the defeat of winter and the triumph of life over death.
This short video (0:45 secs) depicts children dressed in traditional Slovak clothes dancing around the effigy of Morena to a folk song sung by children.
Morena Folk Song Lyrics
Slová: Na volačej streše holubienka nese tak ona hrkuta Morenu nam pyta. My si ju nedame až o Velkej noci bude sa vydavat fialkovem venci...
English: At someone's roof a dove is sitting and it is cooing and asking for our Morena. We won't give her until the Easter day, she will wed in violet wreath...
While the specifics of the ritual may vary from region to region, the underlying theme remains consistent—a celebration of the changing seasons and a powerful metaphor for the renewal of nature. Drowning Morana is a vivid representation of the age-old cycle of life, death, and rebirth, echoing the ancient agricultural rhythms that continue to shape Eastern European cultures.
Here are a couple more videos about the tradition. The first one (5:35 mins) provides a good overview of the tradition of drowning and burning Morana. The second one is a documentary (7:12 mins) showing the tradition of drowning Marzanna in Silesia.
If you want to know more about the history and mythology of the Slavic people, this short (13:29 mins) documentary provides an excellent summary.
Do you celebrate Spring and the Spring Equinox? What’s your favourite seasonal tradition? Stay tuned for next week’s article where we’ll take a deep dive into the history and traditions of Easter. Until then, may your days be marked with increasing warmth and kind weather!
I remember celebrating this festival as a child in Poland. It would have been 1986/7?? Our teacher got us to build a clothed effigy of Marzanna (in modern false etymology the name means "frozen Annie" or ambigously "March Annie"). She was carried at the head of a procession downriver to the last bridge out of town. She was set on fire and once going thrown into the water to float with the current. Which needed helping along because there was still so much frozen ice that hadn't melted yet.
There is a whole load of pagan celebrations that have survived in national folklores in Eastern Europe besides Marzanna herself. Smigus Dyngus is the funnest, my family have celebrated this in Aus but it sadly hasn't caught on yet.