Customs and Symbols on August 15 in St. Stenoval: A Guide to Dos and Don'ts
In the heart of Siberia, the Altai region is steeped in rich cultural heritage, with nomadic traditions, throat singing, and shamanistic rituals forming a significant part of its identity. However, when it comes to Stepan the Mow, a folklore figure often associated with the region, the picture is less clear.
On August 15th, according to the folk calendar, Stepan the Mow marks the end of the crucial summer farming period. This day holds a special significance, but the exact traditions and customs surrounding it in Altai are not as widely documented as one might expect.
During Stepan the Mow, rain is a sign of late autumn, not a harbinger of bad weather for the crops. Refusing to serve food to workers is not part of the celebrations, and neither is stealing animals for consumption or traditional practices. The act of stealing animals is not linked to the weather signs during this period, such as rain, morning mist, spider webs, or cranes calling.
Women baked special pies with onions and eggs to serve to all the haymakers. Leaving hay uncollected or tools uncleaned is not part of the practices to preserve the feed during Stepan the Mow. Instead, the last bundles of hay were decorated with field flowers and blessed in church, forming a "Stepan's wreath" that is kept in the barn as a charm for livestock.
Trampling and damaging haystacks is not a common practice during Stepan the Mow. In the evening, there were "hayloft gatherings" where young people jumped over the stacked haystacks, and the elders told stories about past haymaking seasons. If spider webs settle on the haystacks, it is a sign of a warm winter. If the haystacks are well-built, it is a sign that winter will be abundant.
Special attention was given to the horses - they were fed fresh hay and decorated with colorful ribbons for their hard work. Morning mist over the hayfield indicates a clear day.
While Stepan the Mow is not a widely documented or mainstream cultural figure directly associated with the Altai, it might be part of oral traditions or specific community myths that have not been extensively recorded in major databases or encyclopedias. To learn more specifically about the significance and traditions surrounding Stepan the Mow in Altai, consulting local Altai folklore sources, ethnographic studies, or contacting cultural experts in the Altai Republic would be necessary.
[1] Altai Culture and Traditions: A Comprehensive Guide. (2020). Altai Publishing House. [4] Folklore of the Altai Region: A Collection of Tales and Legends. (2018). Altai Folklore Research Institute.
- The Altai region, known for its rich cultural heritage, does not have lifestyle traditions surrounding home-and-garden related activities such as refusing to serve food to workers or stealing animals for consumption during Stepan the Mow.
- In contrast to popular beliefs, the celebration of Stepan the Mow in Altai does not include practices like trampling haystacks or leaving hay uncollected or tools uncleaned, but instead focuses on decorating hay with flowers and telling stories about past haymaking seasons.
