Bonfire

Kres is a great outdoor fire, usually before the holiday. The May Day bonfire is widespread across Europe and is older than the work of Delo. Tradition probably goes back to pagan times, once in early May it meant the beginning of summer. Bonfires were also lit on other holidays, especially for god John the Baptist (Ivanje, St. John’s wort or bonfire).

The religious holiday overlaps with the celebration of the summer solar plant, which, including the tradition of bonfire, also comes from pagan times. Elsewhere in Europe, bonfire is still the most characteristic for the eve of the eve of June, and in our country, due to the abolition of the celebration of the religious holiday after the Second World War, mass bonfire was postponed on May 1st and thus coincided with the Delo holiday. krés With his phrase, he also shows a narrow connection with the June holiday, so with the fire it can also refer to the holiday itself, but it can also mean a summer solar plant, and according to the Pleteršnik dictionary, the sunny plant in general, so we can have a summer. Zímski krés.

On the June holiday, they also refer to relationships kréski dán, krésna nóč and krésno multierwhich can be found today for the first of May. Kréski mésec but bonfire It is also the name for June, and the same word, according to folk belief, is also characterized by a fabulous creature that represents the sun and has the greatest power in bonfire. Due to the old connection between fire and celestial phenomenon, semantic transition in both directions is possible, so the development and original meaning of the word are not yet finalized.

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The section is created in cooperation with ZRC SAZU (Fran Ramovš Institute of Slovenian Language), author: Miha Sušnik.