--- title: "\"Veles Night\": Folklorists Debunk the Myth of the \"Ancient Ukrainian Holiday\" on October 31" description: "Folklorist Daria Antsibor explained that \"Veles Night\" has no ethnographic backing in the Ukrainian folk calendar. The name is linked to Russian neopaganism and Celtic Samhain, while the set of \"taboos\" is a conglomerate of diverse folk motifs." date: 2026-10-29T13:55:07.095Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/veles-night-myth-or-tradition tags: [] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # "Veles Night": Folklorists Debunk the Myth of the "Ancient Ukrainian Holiday" on October 31 ![Young Slavic woman in traditional attire performing an autumn ritual by a wooden idol and burning candles at sunset.](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/29/velesova-noch-mif-ili-traditsiya/velesova-noch-mif-ili-traditsiya-1.webp) ## Key Points - "Veles Night" is not recorded in the Ukrainian folk calendar of the 19th-20th centuries. - The name and concept originate from Russian neopaganism and imitate Halloween. - The viral "taboos" are a compilation of random folk superstitions. - The "Vitoky" project explores genuine traditions as an alternative to fake social media trends. Ahead of the night from October 31 to November 1, Ukrainian social media is once again actively spreading lists of "taboos" and "advice" for the so-called Veles Night: do not lend money, do not let strangers into the house, do not go outside after sunset, leave food for the ancestors. Subscribers receive these recommendations in the form of chain messages and thematic publications calling the holiday an "ancient Ukrainian custom" rooted in antiquity. However, according to Daria Antsibor, a folklorist and scientific editor of the "Vitoky" project (Zagoriy Foundation), ethnographic descriptions of the Ukrainian folk calendar of the 19th and 20th centuries contain no mention of a holiday under this name. Nor is it recorded in the traditions of other Slavic peoples. ### Where the Name Came From and Why the Date Coincides with Halloween Antsibor points out that the character Veles (Volos) was indeed present in the beliefs of ancient East Slavs, but information about him is extremely limited. "There is no exact data that Veles 'transited nature from autumn to winter' or guarded the border between worlds, but the hypothesis that he was associated with the underworld does exist," the folklorist explains. Researchers link certain features of Veles to Saint Blaise, the patron saint of cattle, whose day falls in February rather than late October. According to Antsibor, the appearance of the name "Veles Night" itself is connected to the environment of Russian neopaganism, and its mass dissemination stems from an attempt to create a "Slavic replacement" for an already well-known holiday. "The date of October 31 – November 1 coincides with Halloween and Celtic Samhain. It was probably taken from there: Veles Night was modeled as a 'Slavic version' of an already known holiday," she says. According to the expert, the name entered the Ukrainian information space from Russian resources, and the annual renewal of chain messages with "taboos" maintains its virality. ### The "Veles Book" and the Neopagan Context In the same vein, according to Antsibor, are the online stories about the worlds of Yav, Nav, and Prav. The folklorist links these narratives to modern neopaganism and the so-called "Veles Book"—a text considered by scholars to be a 20th-century forgery. It was in this environment, in her estimation, that the concept of "Veles Night" as a ritual transition between worlds was formed, and subsequently transferred to the broader information field. In Russia, for example, on the night of October 31 to November 1, 2026, the Izmailovo Kremlin in Moscow hosts the "Veles Night" festival with a program featuring the "Fire of Veles" ritual, wax divination, and amulet-making master classes—demonstrating the commercialization and ritualization of the concept in a neopagan milieu. ### What Actually Exists in Folk Beliefs Some of the disseminated "taboos" do have echoes in folk beliefs, but their connection specifically to Veles Night is not confirmed. "This is a kind of established collection of 'wandering' taboos that are copied from one text to another. Some of them do occur in folk beliefs, but for other reasons," Antsibor notes. For example, the prohibition against lending money in the evening or on a holiday was associated with the fear of "giving away the household's prosperity," but it was not tied to the specific date of October 31. The custom of leaving food for the deceased also existed, but it was observed on specific memorial days—in particular, the autumn Dzyady, rather than the night now called Veles Night. Thus, the set of "advice" represents a conglomerate of disparate folk motifs devoid of a single calendar core. ### The "Vitoky" Project and the Book on Christmas Traditions Daria Antsibor is the scientific editor of the "Vitoky" project—a laboratory of social practices by the Zagoriy Foundation that explores past traditions and their place in modern life. Together with Kateryna Osadcha's Foundation and the Stretovych publishing house, the team prepared the book "Family Christmas for Everyone," which contains stories about Christmas customs, celebration scenarios, and QR codes with carols and master classes. The book's release in bookstores is scheduled for November 20, 2026. The project positions itself as a tool for comprehending and preserving authentic traditions in contrast to "modeled" holidays spread on social media without an ethnographic base. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Велесова ночь: откуда взялся "старый украинский праздник" и отмечали ли его наши предки](https://styler.rbc.ua/ukr/trends/velesova-nich-zvidki-vzyalosya-davne-ukrayinske-1793273624.html) - References to Veles Night are absent from etymological and ethnographic descriptions of the traditional Ukrainian calendar year. - [Забег «Велесова ночь» пройдёт в Липецкой области 26 сентября](https://www.championat.com/lifestyle/news-6619956-zabeg-velesova-noch-projdyot-v-lipeckoj-oblasti-26-sentyabrya.html) - Подтверждено по источнику championat.com - [Фестиваль «Велесова ночь» в Измайловском Кремле](https://www.kp.ru/afisha/msk/festivali/festival-velesova-noch-v-izmajlovskom-kremle-v-moskve/) - Подтверждено по источнику kp.ru ## FAQ ### Is Veles Night an ancient Ukrainian holiday? No, folklorists note that no such holiday exists in Ukrainian ethnographic sources. ### Why is the date of October 31 associated with Veles Night? The date was copied from Halloween and Celtic Samhain to create a "Slavic alternative".