The Midnight Sun – A Generous Invitation to the Marriage of the Spirit and the North Winds. Slavic & Balkan Traditions of Kolyadky & Auseklis

By Phoenix of Elder Mountain and other contributors, edited by Sarah Burnt Stone – The Midnight Sun in the pre-pagan traditions of the Moon Cultures which includes the pre-shamanism cultures of the Dreamers. The Moon lights our way through the Winter which is all year long…

The Languages of  symbolism is very deep, rich and very ancient, as it comes long before written languages ever existed, and has been used in mainly the communications of art in all its forms. Symbols are able to saturate a story, and if you understand symbolism, you can read a cave painting, or symbols on traditional textiles, translate dreams accurately and live a full live without books. So, too understand how old our soul truly is, who needs to talk or read? Not us.

It is our connection to nature, and the unconscious living events that requires stillness to experience great observation within the realms of self awareness in the living and natural world that reflects who were are at our core. If you cannot dance with the earth, she will not show you these treasures. Shamans over the millenniums that are pure, are female and are from a pre-patriarchal tradition, can extract various stories and understandings without needing to study.

Why is this important? Its important because it contains wisdom of where we have come from as souls and where we are going without being corrupted or manipulated in our feminine half which has been hidden, abused, lost and marketed for power by grandfathers of all nations for four thousand years. I think we’ve had enough of that in order to be able to heal our elusive souls… yes souls, we have quite a few. 

If writing is under the inventions of the language of the mind and all that it comes with that… symbolism is the language of the soul and all that it comes with it. It is the root language of the empaths, the dreamers, the artists and the shamans which existed long before any creation of runes, astrology, record keeping, mathematics. We didn’t need it and some of us still don’t. Nothing is really older in language than our own palm lines on our hands, these are the oldest symbols in humanity, but symbolism is a counterpart to such ancient languages.

This communication of the symbol above can be seen in almost all ancient clothing designs, a reflection of our “subtle bodies” (our souls) or the “root or bones” of our “emotional and energetic” language expressed through image, dreams, art, symbolism, imagination (manifestation of image) and intuitive energetic intelligence such as synchronicity and natural magic (nature).

We don’t need to explore anymore, we need to take the journey back to our past and past lives to heal our fragmented souls. That is the future you should invest in. When winter comes, the north winds blow and the midnight sun is the moon light of half the year that is cyclical to our emotional nature.

The Midnight Sun is the Moon of Winter, photo via telegraphcouk


For most old souls it will just be a flexing of such reality, taking back what fairy tales and legends stole from us. Believing but not really believing (experiences) and to understand prehistory rites and movements with nature of symbolism, dreaming symbolism (not dream symbolism and there is a huge difference). And the subtle ritualistic art of dreamtime as a real language.

My focus is always on healing our individual Souls and how we get there from mind/body and emotional body. My focus is also in divination terms, one of the symbols of my ancestors which is called the “Star” or what was in prehistory called the “Midnight Sun” – and it is equaled to the ancient sacred Swastika and Sauwastika but with dual doorways (8 sides) instead of single arms and doors.

This has to do with the consciousness (of mysticism) called nature herself in a more balanced feminine and masculine attribute to our bein, instead of just male or masculine so dominant since the 3rd century ce. The midnight sun is connected to the equinoxes and solstices based on nature’s teachings, not human. That is why its only retained in art and artistic expressions.

Russia. Chuvash national embroidery of the 18th.jpg
Russia. Chuvash national embroidery of the 18th century.

One of the Midnight Sun people are the Polish Kashubian or Kashubs also spelled Kaszubians, Kassubians, Cassubians who are a West Slavic ethnic group in Pomerelia, located in north-central Poland. The Kashubian people are believed to be an original Baltic tribe who have held onto their own language, which is similar to the Polish modern language.

They have resided on the shores of the Baltic Sea since the 7th century ce. The landscape of mountains, meadows, sea, lakes, and forest and there is a legend that the lands and its people are protected by a Griffin who guard them forever which is much like the Fu Dogs who protect the Mongolian Indigenous tribes (not the military cults).

Kashubian traditional folk art is inspired by what was and still is around them, the flowers, the bees, butterflies, trees and sea life. Like many ancient cultures, portraying their identity through their art forms, the Kashubian Star represents the ancient “Midnight Sun of the Winter Solstice” and only specific more ancient tribes have such a symbolism.

The Auseklis – Midnight Sun, Goddess of the Dawn (now called a Star) and in kolyadkyUkraine traditions, its called the Mysteries of Kolyadky…

This Midnight Sun (or Star as its called), is the the Season of Night which is Autumn and Winter. It is also the Season of Fire – Spring and Summer. I live within this prehistory dreamers language in my shaman’s life and my healing wok, dreaming life and each moon cycle and how it effects dreams, dreaming and dreamtime.

One of the symbols sacred to the Latvian Balkan, is the Auseklis – The Midnight Sun, Goddess of the Dawn (now called a Star). In Ukraine tradition, its called the Mysteries of Kolyadky. The Aurora (Auseklis) is the Midnight Sun, Goddess of the Dawn is the oldest of all Slavic and Balkan countries symbols and its meaning, even older than all the pagan gods.



Kolyadki - Traditional Slavic Winter Solstice celebration - Elder Mountain Dreaming




Midnight Sun Alatar Slavic Symbol

Perhaps the most curious of the Kolyadki is a Carpathian song in which we find the following description:

Once there was neither heaven nor earth,
Heaven nor earth, but only blue sea, and
in the midst of the sea there were two oaks,
There sat there, two birds,
Two birds on the two oaks,
and they began to take
counsel among themselves,
to take counsel and to say…

“How can we create the world?”
Let us go to the bottom of the sea,
Let us bring thence fine sand,
Fine sand and blue stone.

We will sow the fine sand,
We will breathe on the blue stone.
From the fine sand the black earth,
the cool waters, the green grass.

From the blue stone the blue heavens,
the blue heavens, the bright sun,
the bright sun, and the clear moon,
The clear moon and all the stars.

~ Afanasief, Poeticheskya Vezzyeniya Slavan









Shaman Women, Ukraine, by Illustrator Vera Pavlova

Overall, this symbol is found in every area of folk art in Ukrainian pysanky, Ukrainian embroidery, folk carving, etc.Esoteric, Sura is oktahramu: projection diamond (heavenly light) to the square (the material world) and their mutual peresikannya. It connects all corners of the world and marks the absolute balance, harmony and balance, making a powerful healing effect. 

23Belarus: Каляда, Kalada, Kalyada
Bosnia, Croatia, Czech, Slovak, Slovene: Koledsa
Bulgaria, Macedonia, Serbia: Коледа, Коледе
Kashubia: Kòlãda
Latvia: Auseklis
Lithuania: Kalėdos, Kalėda
Poland: Kolęda, Kolędowanie
Old Polish: Kolenda
Old Church Slavonic: Колѧда
Romania: Kolinda
Russia:  Коляда, Kolyada
Ukraine:  Коляда, KolyadáTo understand any spiritual teaching of earth at its root, one must walk backwards into the past and prehistory of self, not the present or knowledge and definitely not forward or the future. To understand ancient cultures rituals before grandfather, we must go inward, inside to our emotional body and soul bodies gifts:
1. Visions and Out of Bodies, 2. Singing or Creativity and 3. Ancient ritual art. One question is: “Were the origins of the Winter Solstice Ceremonies Dances or Songs or both” Koleda is always celebrated with carolers, but the root of the term “Carol” actually refers to “dancing” rather than its common connotation regarding song or singing. In Old French, “carole” is translated to “dance.”
Kolyadki Winter Midnight Sun Goddess Kievskaya Vasilisa Kolyadki akvarely cvetnye karandashi

The ancient tradition to bring it forth into our personal lives is the acts of creating art, be it dance, singing, natural art such as talisman (to be worn) and amulets (to be placed or hung) or longer period of a living art like Marzanna effigies.  As the Christian stories of the “Son of God” swallowed us whole as women, or Muslim and Jewish Religions, they gained cultural momentum, and their symbols and symbolism began to tell men’s stories imprinted on women, maidens and grandmothers. That is fine for the smaller minded or hearted souls, but for the wise winds of the older souls it was never enough, what was sacrificed of our story is the biggest crimes of earth.

As we regain some personal balance with mother earth, we often found on these amulets and talismans lost in their reference to the fertility of woman that did not have anything to do with a child or christ child or virgin, of both the Fire Goddess of the summer solstice and her twin mirror the Night Goddesses of the winter solstice and her heavenly fertility.

















Bulgarian: Горски слез (Gorski slez)
Czech: Sléz lesní
Croatian: Sljez crni, Sljez divlji
Estonian: Mets-kassinaeris
Georgian: ბალბა (Balba)
Macedonian: црн слез
Polish: Ślaz dziki
Romanian: Nalba de culturä, nalba de padure
Serbian: Crni slez
Slovak: Slez lesný
Slovene: Gozdni slezenovec
Ukrainian: Мальва лісова

christmas star

In China, the mallow flower is called the “power of magic” for its abilities to ward off shadows and shadow-natured humans who walk between the worlds (this world and across the veil into the dream worlds which are all on earth). A similar reference is found in Polish mythology which mentions Fire Flowers in much of their folklore. The ritual of the Vesta is a distinct Fire Flower rite and is a shamanic ritual in origin. The rite of the Fire Flower wasn’t a game or a celebration, but a real shamanic initiation which could last five to twenty years.



Midnight Sun symbolism of the Winter Dark Goddess








Kolyadki Winter Midnight Sun Goddess 1903 Kolyadki Festive table in Podolsk villages



Kolyadki Winter Midnight Sun Goddess Різдво на Україні ukraine christmas sun



Kolyadki Winter Midnight Sun Goddess 32

Kolyadki Winter Midnight Sun Goddess Matonka



All photos and images belong to their rightful owners and shared for women’s dreaming educational purposes only. Afghan embroidery handiwork which is very close to Ukrainian ornamental. Alatyr is a hekatompedon slavic symbol of fertility and the Goddess Rhoda’s symbol connected to the “living stone”.

The Midnight Sun is the Moon of Winter, photo via telegraphcouk





12 Comments Add yours

  1. Thank you for once again presenting such an interesting and informative article. The star-pattern is also an traditional pattern in Norwegian knitting, on mittens, socks and pullovers. Probably because it make a thick fabric, resistent to water and cold in winter. But also because it’s an old pattern that granny’s teach when we learn to knit our first mittens. 😊

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I agree Ingrid, I know the symbol is in Skandinavien cultures and used in all folk art and I love those too~!


    1. Nobody needs to defend the earth. The earth, she goes through four seasons, winter, summer, spring and autumn and each season is 300,000 years long. During the changes from one season to another, its natural that the ice melts. Ice ages and melting of ice ages happens naturally over and over through the millions and millions of years. Humans just like to worry. Heal your worry.


  2. Julia Newton says:

    My grandmother’s family emigrated to America from near Lviv in 1922. I grew up immersed in Ukrainian traditions, but the emphasis was always on Catholic faith. Over the past few years I have delved into the rich history of my ancestors, all the way back to Trypillian cultures. As an artist, it has been deeply meaningful to me to continue ancient traditions like pysanky, embroidery, and cultural foods. Through the Web I have been able to discover other traditions like Kupala, Dziady, montakas, folklore, and now these beautiful stars. Thank you for the incredible gift– restoring my heritage to me. I will continue my journey by learning, making, and reflecting on my many generations of ancestors. Slava!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Beautiful! Slava Yulia … thanks for sharing… my family is polish but my ancestors who lived in southern poland were actually Ukrainian because that land was ukraine (and poland now after the early 1700s)… so i am half ukraine and half polish by ancestors and family, but in my heart i love all cultural traditions of eastern europe and balkan peoples!


  3. Helena Wolkonowski says:

    Back in the day, when I was young, we all participated in the Ukrainian tradition of Koliada (коляда ) It was one of the time honored festivities that was brought to America from the “old country”. Sadly, here in Rochester, NY it’s quickly disappearing for several reasons. Death of our Elders, Many moving out of the area and also a disinterest among the young. I remember my mother talking about what they did in their village during the festivities. Unfortunately with the beginning of WW2, so many of these traditions were obliterated. Even with research today, it’s difficult to find any information on pagan, pre-pagan folklore.. Interestingly, I was able to pick up tidbits here and there but never from the church’s holier than thou people , lol. So I thank you for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thanks Helena I appreciate your share. Yes most must come back as women who are called to lead circle – reintegrate it in our work! I do, i am sure many are starting to again. War has always been to destroy the feminine and control the feminine (resources) but this is about to change as the era of the dictators is completed and karma begins to rise for those leaders who try to repeat old behaviors of military bullying.


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