It is generally accepted that Veles in the pantheon of Slavic gods ranked second in importance after Perun. He was revered as the patron saint and protector of domestic animals, hence his second, no less common nickname - "cattle god". In addition, Veles took care of storytellers and poets, i.e. people, through whose efforts information about the traditions and life of the ancient Slavs reached us orally, albeit not entirely reliable. It is from these sources that you can glean information about the Night of Veles - a pagan holiday held on the night of October 31 to November 1. It is noteworthy that after the Christianization of Rus Veles image became progressively acquire the features of the evil demon, the devil, and therefore a celebration in his honor, which coincides with the Catholic Halloween, began to acquire features of a kind of witch's Sabbath, the festival of victory of evil forces. Apparently, based on these,of later ideas, some modern scientists concluded that there were two deities with similar names - Volos (the already mentioned "cattle god") and Veles (some dark spirit, the functions and origin of which have not been precisely established). Most researchers still believe that the two names mean one deity that has nothing to do with the kingdom of evil.
Major holidays almost all ancient peoples were associated with the forces of nature and seasonal changes, which makes sense, given the much greater than at present, the dependence of our ancestors from climate change. Velesova Night refers to just such events. The transition from summer-autumn time and the associated worries to a much more severe winter season, in the view of the ancient Slavs - the transfer of power over the world from Belobog to Chernobog, identified with cold and dark periods - the main meaning invested in this holiday.
Researchers' opinions differ somewhat on how the Veles Night celebration took place. According to the most common legends, on this night Veles opens the door to the world of Navi, which remains open until dawn. Through her, the souls of departed ancestors can penetrate into the real world in order to take part in the fate of their living descendants, give them valuable advice and share the accumulated wisdom. At present, unfortunately, it is no longer possible to determine which rituals were performed by the ancient Slavs to establish contact with the ancestors who had gone to the world of Navi and who exactly could take part in these rituals.
On the Night of Veles, our ancestors tried not to leave their homes and spend this time with relatives and closest friends. The celebration was accompanied by a generous meal, but not much fun. This night people devoted to reflections on the past summer, made plans for the future, thanked the gods for the help that was provided. Several unnecessary devices were necessarily put on the festive table, thus paying tribute to the memory of deceased relatives. In modern neo-paganism, by the way, this custom has been preserved in a slightly modified form - food is left outside the threshold of the house or on the street side of the window.
It was considered extremely undesirable that night to go on a long journey and generally go beyond the threshold of the house. A person walking even a path that was well known to him could, unnoticed by himself, fall on the road leading to Nav and forever remain in the world of the dead. With the onset of dawn, all the witchcraft spells of Veles Night dissipated and people returned to their daily activities.
Of course, today it is difficult to judge whether the version stated in the article about the celebration of the Night of Veles by our distant ancestors is correct. She is just one of several, equally conjectural. There is no material evidence of this theory, as, indeed, there are no arguments that completely refute it.