There was another, deeper reason why celebrations in honor of the dead were accompanied by songs and dances. The turning of the sun from winter to summer ("January *rusalka*") and the spring flourishing of nature led our ancestor to the idea of resurrection, of a return from winter to summer, from cold to warmth, from death to life.

Eastern Slavs believed that the dead fly away to paradise for the winter and are resurrected in the spring. At Christmas Sviatki and in spring, the main festivals in honor of the dead were held. At this time, grief for departed loved ones mingled with the joyful conviction that the dear deceased would return, if only temporarily, along with the blossoming and resurrecting nature.

Such feelings demanded expression and manifested themselves outwardly through songs and dances. We know that in antiquity, for example in Greece, games and mock battles were held in honor of the dead. This custom partly survived with us into Christian times, as can be seen from the *vita* of Konstantin Muromsky.

Serious singing and religious acts naturally took on a more cheerful character towards the end of the feast after the meal. Over time, the element of merriment could have gained predominant significance.

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