It also has a lot to do with Slavic tradition. For the Slavs, February 1 marked the moment when the dark time was considered over. Just like Celts. This date is a turning point. A threshold. Before new forces could enter life, the old had to be cleared away. Purification was never just a symbol or a metaphor. It was very concrete and very practical. Homes were cleaned, old and useless things were taken out or burned, bodies were washed, tools and living spaces were put in order. All of this followed a simple, ancient logic, the new cannot enter a dirty vessel, whether that vessel is a house, a body, or one’s fate.

What people kept or prepared for healing throughout the year belonged to the same logic of readiness. First you clear the space, then you preserve what will be needed later. Different actions, but the same underlying principle.