Belief in Magic on the Eve of Christmas and the Night of the Vigil: Structure and Semantics of Transitional Time The period of the Eve of Christmas (Advent) and especially the Night of the Vigil in European and Slavic traditions represents a unique liminal (threshold) time when ordinary social and natural laws are weakened, and the boundary between worlds becomes permeable. Belief in magic during these days is not just superstition but a complex set of ritual practices reflecting archaic patterns of thinking, agrarian cycles, and a deep psychological need for the miraculous. 1. Time without Time: Cosmological Context The key to understanding lies in the sacralization of the winter solstice, which has historically been associated with Christmas. This is the moment of the least activity of the sun, the "death" of the old and the birth of a new celestial body. In the folk calendar, this is a time of stopping, a pause in the normal flow of time, when contact with another world is possible. The Night of the Vigil (from "sочиво" — a post-fast dish of grains) as the culmination of the fast marks the end of the old cycle and the preparation for the new. 2. Classification of Magical Practices and Their Functions Practices can be divided into several thematic blocks, each of which addresses specific psychological or social tasks. 1. Divination and prophecy (fortune-telling). Function: An attempt to gain knowledge of the future at a moment when the "veil is drawn back." This was especially true for destiny — marriage, prosperity, life, and death. Examples: Listening under the windows (Slavic tradition): Hearing fragments of conversation is a prediction for the listener. Wax/lead casting: Molten metal was poured into water, and the shape of the solidified figure was interpreted as the future (a ship — a journey, a crown — success). Shoe/Sock Divination: A girl throws her shoe/slipper over the gate — where the toe points, there will come the groom. These practices structured anx ... Read more