One of the most ancient crafts of the Slavs - straw weaving - was always closely associated with ceremonies among the Belarusians. Our ancestors believed that the straw stores the living energy of nature, therefore in the old days its products were endowed with magic power and were considered wards. The mysterious talisman with which many legends and traditions are connected was the straw spider. According to tradition, straw spiders were hung under the ceiling on Christmas Eve at the place of honor - in the red corner of a peasant hut. They were hung over the heads of the young during the wedding and over the cradle of the baby. During the year the spider “protected” the owners of the house and all misfortunes and illnesses “got entangled” in its web. Since the Slavs from antiquity revered fire as a symbol of purification, the spider, “serving” for a whole year, was necessarily burned before Christmas and a new one was hung in its place. These amulets wove from golden straw, collecting from a variety of figures in the form of pyramids or rhombuses. Spherical spiders were also common, which with their paws-rays resembled the sun. The weightless openwork product protected, brought prosperity, health and at the same time decorated the house.
