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Dodola and Perperuna
Slavic rainmaking rituals and goddess of rain, wife of Perun / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dodola (also spelled Dodole, Dudola, Dudula, Diva-Dodola etc.) and Perperuna (also spelled Peperuda, Preperuda, Preperuša, Prporuša, Papaluga, Peperuna etc.), are ancient Slavic rainmaking pagan customs practiced until the 20th century. The tradition is found in South Slavic countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia), as well as in near Albania, Greece, Hungary, Moldova and Romania.
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It is a ceremonial ritual of singing and dancing done by young boys and girls in times of droughts with the purpose of invoking rain.
According to some interpretations of Slavic folklore, these customs were related to the Slavic supreme deity Perun (god of thunder, weather, fertility and oak trees in the Slavic pantheon). Some scholars suggest that Perperuna could have been a Slavic goddess of rain, the wife and consort of Perun, referred to together as Perun–Perperuna, Lord and Lady Thunder. According to another perspective, the name Perperuna is seen as the reduplicated feminine form derived from the name of Perun, or his feminine personification.
In certain legends, it is said that the goddess Perperuna flies over forests and meadows during spring, enriching the flora and causing trees to blossom. Another myth describes Dodola, who, as she milks her cows (the clouds in Heaven) brings rain to earth. Although sometimes associated, it is not confirmed whether they are linked to Slavic water spirits and fairies.