Strinnenia~ Slavic Spring Holiday

in honor of the birds I'm once again hearing outside early in the morning... once upon a time people thought the birds brought the Spring with them... Clay images of larks were made, their heads smeared with honey and stuck with tinsel. They were carried around the village amidst the singing of vesnjanki, invocations to Spring. Birds were thought to bring the Spring with them upon their return. Children were given pastries shaped like birds to toss into the air while saying "The rooks have come.". Sometimes the pastries were tied to poles in the garden. The baking of these pastries was to ensure that the birds would return. "Oh little bee, Ardent bee! Fly out beyond the sea. Get out the keys, the golden keys. Lock up winter, cold winter"