Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-10-23
THE RUSSIAN GRABBING FEAST.
A Custom Pointing Back tO u Mythio
slayOnian God.

A Custom Pointing Back to n Mythio
slavOnian God.
4 strange religious custom is prac-
ticed by the Russian peasants Of
Olonetsk and in adjoining districts OF
Southern Archangel and other gov
ernments. says tho New York Sun.
A few days before the calendar day Of
Elijah the prophet (Aug. /. the pens
ants bring cattle TO tho cOurty ard OF
their churches, each according 10 his
circumstances. If they are poor they
throw their donations together and
buy one or two head OF cattle for the
whole village. After the morning
services OF Elijah's day tho priest
comes ont OF the church in his official
vestments and sprinkles holy water on
the cattle. During the noon services
the cattle are killed and boiled in
large kettles kept around tho church
from year TO year for tho purpose.
The priest again comes out and sprin-
kles holy water on the meal. As soon
us this is done all the villagers fan to
and try TO grab each as much Of tine
meat as he can
Every peasant then distributes the
meat among the members Of his fam
lily or his nearest relatives, who con-
sumo it on the spot Many q sturdy
villager gets his clothes torn Or his
face scratched in the general scramble
for meat. But they do not mind this;
they consider it u necessary auxiliary
To the time honored celebration. The
celebration is called the grabbing feast
III nvatoystchina.
The clergy have tried TO modify this
semi-savage ceremony. In some places
they have transferred it to the day OF
the ascension OF the Holy Virgin (Aug
27), and cause the cattle offered by
the peasants TO be sold in the interests
of the church. la other places they
have the meat distributed in regular
order, so as TO avoid the savage scenes
that eIsue at the general grabbing
scramble. But such changes are not
always acceptable. In many places
where they have been made the pep
pie within II few years abandoned thom
and returned to the original usage OF
grabbing" They assert that when
the ceremony was not performed h
the right manner on Elijah's day their
cattle were in that year destroyed by
hailstorm and lightning and by Wild
beasts.
From the stories which tho people
tell nothing can be learned of the ORR
gin of the feast as there is not u per-
son living who remembers when it was
not celebrated. Students OF ethnO-
graphy. having made diligent inquiries
about the subject all over the vast ro-
gion, were informed by the Oldest peas
ants that they had inherited the ira
ditions of the feast from their grand
sires. All the popular stories Of the
feast tend merely TO show the belief
prevailing that if the feast is not
rightly celebrated calamitie5 are inn
minent by storm, thunder and light
ming or the ravages OF wild animals.
The clergy OF the whole region ascribe
those beliefs TO the veneration oil tho
people for 1.-THE holy prophet Elijah,
who is esteemed more highly by tho
Slovenian people than any saint in the
Greek calendar. In connection with
this it must be remembered that the
belief in that prophet prevails not only
among the Russian Slavs, but also
among the Ruthenians Bohemians
Bulgarians and other. They say that
thunder cnsues when Eii abs chariot
is rolling in heaven, and pray that the
prophet may not drive about so fire.
! 4uently.
To the students of ethnohgy, on the
other hand, it appears that the prefer
ence which the Slavs have for tho
] Hebrew prophet shows that TO them he
represents divinity worshiped before
they accepted Christianity. .i