Yarilo

...To pray for the revival of nature and to welcome spring without incident, the custom of making bird-shaped ornaments out of flour (called zhavoronok (skylark)) and hanging them on rooftops in early March, as well as the custom of carving scarecrows out of young birch trees that had just sprouted in early May and parading them around the village, were seen all over Russia. The cycle of the year and the arrival of spring were also seen as the resurrection of the sun god Yarila (also called Yarilo). When Yarila, who had been asleep during the winter, awakens and begins to become active again, all things in nature are revived.

*Some of the terminology explanations that mention "Yarilo" are listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…自然の復活を祈願し，つつがなく春を迎えるために，3月初めに小麦粉で鳥の形をした飾物(これをジャーボロノクzhavoronok(ひばり)と呼んだ)をつくり屋根にかかげる風習，5月の初め芽ぶいたばかりのシラカバの若木を切り出してかかしをつくり村中を練り歩く習慣などもロシアのいたるところでみられた。年のめぐり，春の到来は太陽神ヤリーラYarila(ヤリーロYariloともいう)の復活としても意識された。冬のあいだ，眠っていたヤリーラがふたたび目をさまし活動を始めるとき，自然の万物もよみがえる。…

※「Yarilo」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報