a server, a goddess, a season

MORANA

also known as Morena

Keeper of quiet. Bringer of renewal.
Every winter ends in spring.

The other side of winter

What the long night gives

Morana is remembered as the lady of frost and endings. But every ending she brings clears the ground for something new, and that is what she has always been for.

Rest

The fields sleep under snow so they can bloom later. Stillness is part of the work.

Clarity

Frost sharpens the air and brings the stars close. On cold nights you can see a long way.

Renewal

What you let go of makes room. When Morena is carried off, spring comes in.

Cycle

Nothing here is final. Darkness turns to light again, every year, without fail.

Old custom, new season

Carrying out Morena

Each spring, on Smrtná nedeľa, villages across Slovakia and the Slavic lands make a straw figure of Morena, dress it in white and carry it singing to the river.

She is given to the water, and with her the cold, the hunger and the dark months. On the way home people carry a green branch, a letečko, decorated with ribbons. That's the point of the ritual: not to fear winter, but to say goodbye to it.

Where we are in the turning

Counting toward the light

– days

Morana takes the winter with her,
and leaves the spring at the door.