Russian folk holiday Christmas time. Fortune telling on the narrowed in the mirror. What is done on Christmas holidays: traditions
Fedorova Eva
Days starting from Christmas Eve (January 6) and ending with the feast of the Epiphany (January 19). are called Holy Days. They are popularly called Christmas time. On December 25, on the astronomical day of the winter solstice, the first day of the sun's victory over darkness, from time immemorial, the biggest and favorite holiday of the year, Christmas time, has been opened in Rus'. Christmas time, derived from the verb to shine, are in close connection with the memory of the birth of the Savior of the world.
Christmas holidays are the days when people congratulate each other on the birth of the Child God. They symbolize the events of the Nativity and the baptism of the Savior.
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Section name:Orthodoxy and Russian statehood
Abstract on the topic:
Customs and holidays of the Russian people. Christmas time.
Abstract prepared by:
Fedorova, Eva
3rd grade student
GBOU secondary school No. 12
Novokuibyshevsk
Supervisor:
Shubina Nina Anatolyevna,
primary school teacher
GBOU secondary school No. 12
Novokuibyshevsk
g.o. Novokuibyshevsk 2012
Introduction.
Days starting from Christmas Eve (January 6) and ending with the feast of the Epiphany (January 19). are called Holy Days. They are popularly called Christmas time. On December 25, on the astronomical day of the winter solstice, the first day of the sun's victory over darkness, from time immemorial, the biggest and favorite holiday of the year, Christmas time, has been opened in Rus'.Christmas time, derived from the verb to shine, is in close connection with the memory of the birth of the Savior of the world.
Christmas holidays are the days when people congratulate each other on the birth of the Child God. They symbolize the events of the Nativity and the baptism of the Savior.
The people call these days holy evenings, because, according to ancient custom, Orthodox Christians stop their daytime activities in the evening, in remembrance of the events of the Nativity and Baptism of the Savior, which were at night or in the evening.
The Church began to celebrate them from very ancient times, but it is documented by the church charter of the Monk Savva the Sanctified (died in 530).
How old are the saints?
When did Christmas time appear in Russia? Where did they come from to us? There is no historical information about this. Oral stories do not exceed the antiquity of a hundred years.
The tradition of celebrating Christmas time is rooted in such deep antiquity that even oral traditions have not remained from those times. When Prince Vladimir threw pagan idols into the Dnieper, the custom was already five hundred years old. And even when Rurik founded Novgorod, Christmas time was no longer young.
With the advent of Christianity, Christmas time in Rus' also began to take on a new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church to Christmas celebrations has always been ambiguous. Many hierarchs spoke out not only against fortune-telling, but also against caroling and the custom of “dressing up” on the basis of the decision of the VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to magicians or others like them to learn something secret from them, let them be subject to the rule of six years of penance ( i.e., they are removed from Communion for six years) ... dances and ceremonies performed according to an old and alien rite of Christian life, we reject and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women's clothing, not peculiar to her husband; don't wear masks." Then the supporters of the Christmas time came up with a witty "solution" to the problem: on Epiphany, an ice hole in the shape of a cross was made in the ice of a river or lake, and the entire population of the village dipped into it, washing away the sins committed at Christmas time.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmas time became a time when people especially praise Christmas and the mercy of the Lord who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. From the ancient pre-Christian Christmas time, only winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun remains.
Christmas has always been national holiday, for this time class boundaries seemed to disappear, everyone was united by a common joy.
In ancient, pre-Petrine times, there was a customon Christmas dayin each village, light a fire, which, with its sparkle in the darkness of a winter night, symbolized the Star of Bethlehem and burned until the very baptism. They fell just at the time when the entire agricultural population, having threshed bread and finished all work, was given a rest. Christmas time in Rus' (and indeed among all Slavic peoples) was accompanied by Christian memories of the Savior of the world.
The Church began to celebrate these days especially from ancient times.
Holy days calendar
According to the church calendar, the last dates of this period are dedicated to the memory of gospel events the birth of Christ and his baptism in the Jordan (Theophany). Before our Lord Jesus Christ went out to His service for the salvation of the world, God sent the great prophet John the Forerunner (that is, the predecessor) to prepare people to receive the Lord. The Lord commanded him to go to the Jordan Valley and announce to all people about the imminent appearance of the Savior in the world and that everyone should prepare for His meeting through Repentance and Baptism. At this time, Jesus Christ was thirty years old, and He also came from Nazareth to the Jordan River to John to receive Baptism from him.
Christmas time.
In the first days of the festival, according to tradition, it is customary to visit acquaintances, relatives, friends, to give gifts - in remembrance of the gifts brought to the Divine Infant by the Magi.
The hostesses beautifully set the tables, prepare the best treats. It is also customary to remember the poor, sick, needy people: visit orphanages, shelters, hospitals, prisons. In ancient times, at Christmas time, even kings dressed as commoners visited prisons and gave alms to prisoners.
From Christmas Eve until January 1, not a single housewife swept rubbish out of the hut, so that later they could collect it all in a pile and burn it in the middle of the yard. It was believed that in this way all troubles would be swept out of the house, and the next year's harvest would be protected (both in the garden and in the garden).
Winter Russian Christmas time has always been a very interesting, exciting and fun holiday, which was attended by a huge number of participants and spectators of various ages.
Yuletide entertainment.
No nation presents us with so many amusements for the Christmas holidays as our Russian ... Of the various amusements in which he is known, these are Christmas time, which bring real pleasure to all estates. Not only the nobility living in cities and villages, but even the inhabitants of the capital loved to indulge in Christmas pleasures. Diverse in their actions, they represented a vast field for all kinds of amusements and amusements. Russian life - being nowhere shined through as clearly as at Christmas time. There everyone rejoiced and everyone forgot their grief. And this spirit is still felt in modern Christmas festivities.During the winter, life seemed to slow down. Everyone sat in heated houses and did not go outside without special need - it was cold, and the snow was waist-deep. It is at this time that a noisy and cheerful holiday falls - Christmas with Christmas time.Christmas is the second largest and most important holiday after Easter. But over the centuries, the people have added many of their customs to the official splendor.
Christmas time in Rus' has always been considered one of the most happy Holidays. Throughout the week of Christmas time, people tried to live in a special way, marking every day with peculiar signs and fortune-telling. They were especially attentive to dreams, visions and signs, which acquired special significance at Christmas time. It was believed that on Christmas Eve, from January 6 to 7, prophetic dreams are usually dreamed, especially with a growing moon, therefore, in order to remember a dream, they put a candle at the head of the bed and put a dream book in order to immediately look into it in the morning and solve the dream.
During Christmas time, young people gathered in warm houses and arranged caroling, games of mummers, and fortune telling.
Caroling. Praise.
In Rus', and then in Russian Empire On Christmas Eve, young people gathered together, dressed up as animals or mythological characters like Ivanushka the Fool, and went caroling around the village or town. By the way, this is one of the few Christmas traditions that survived in the post-Petrine era, despite the fact that most of the population moved to the cities. The main character among carolers has always been a bear. They tried to dress the fattest guy in the village. The mummers entered in turn into each hut, where the light was on.
caroling - walking from house to house, performing chants dedicated to the Nativity of Christ, glorifying the owner, mistress and their children. They usually began with a church hymn: “Christ is born, glorify” (hence the name - “praise”).
Songs were often composed on the go, but there were traditional rules in this art, coming from ancient times. The owner, for example, was called only “bright moon”, the hostess - the “red sun”, their children - “pure stars”. However, those who knew how, came up with more expressive magnifications: “The owner of the house is like Adam in paradise; mistress in the house - like pancakes on honey; little kids - that grapes are red-green ... "The carolers promised a rich harvest and happy life those who give refreshments, and all sorts of disasters to the miserly. Sometimes even threats sounded in the songs: “Whoever doesn’t give a pie, we’ll lead the cow by the horns, whoever doesn’t give ham, we’ll split the cast iron…” All this, of course, is a joke. Sometimes they sang absolutely, even deliberately meaningless sentences.
The hosts served carolers with cookies, specially baked on New Year's days in each family, gave the carolers "rings" of sausage, pancakes, nuts or money. In some provinces, half of the money raised was given to the church.
Not a single Russian holiday passed without the ubiquitous children.In those of the purely Great Russian provinces where the custom of caroling was preserved, it became the exclusive property of the village children, who enthusiastically performed it for their elders.At Christmas time, the children gathered in bands and went from house to house to carol. Left under the windows of someone's house, the children sang carols. Their content was traditional - the praise of the owner, the wish to his family and home of well-being and prosperity. A carol was supposed to be rewarded - something tasty. Sometimes the carols themselves contained a hint of this:
Our Kolyada
Neither small nor great
She doesn't go through the door.
And it does not send out the window,
Don't break, don't bend
Give me the whole pie!
After caroling, its participants ate together the collected delicacies.
Each carol should consist of several parts:
- Message that carolers are coming;
- Glorification of the owners of the house;
- Please give gifts to carolers;
- Congratulations on Kolyada and New Year.
To collect gifts among carolers there were mehanoshi, that is, people who carried a deep bag with gifts. Sometimes greedy hosts chased away uninvited guests. Carolers always carried with them one particularly important attribute - the "Sun" with rays on a pole, as a symbol of the birth of a new Sun.
On Christmas days, the children were also engaged in worship: they went from house to house with a nativity scene and Star of Bethlehem and sang Christmas carols. The nativity scene was a small wooden box with figurines depicting the scene of the Nativity of Christ. As well as for carols, the children received delicious gifts.
And now, on the night before Christmas, in some places you can see crowds of children who carry a lit lantern in the form of a star on a stick, symbolizing the star that rose over Bethlehem at the time of the birth of the baby Jesus Christ, and all the others run after them to every yard, wherever their owners let them in.
Mummers games.
Christmas holidays were not complete without the participation of mummers. Mummer games are an ancient Russian buffoon game that has been preserved since pagan times. Persecuted by the church and the authorities, this tradition nevertheless survived the centuries and became an inseparable part of many folk holidays.
Costumes and masks (hari) of the mummers were prepared in advance, although there were no special tricks here. Fur coat turned inside out - that's the bear costume. The same fur coat with a poker inserted into the sleeve depicted a crane. Guys dressed as women, girls dressed as men. Both of them dressed up as old men, gypsies, soldiers, various animals. Groups of mummers enjoyed particular success - a horse with a rider, a bear with a leader, and with him a wooden goat. The horse was usually depicted by two guys covered with a long blanket. The front man held a straw mare's head on a pitchfork. A boy got on a horse, and all this funny group to the whistle and laughter of the audience went for a walk through the streets. The mummers went into the houses and had fun as best they could: somersaulting, fooling around, yelling in a voice that was not their own, and sometimes playing out whole performances. So, merrily and mischievously, Christmas time passed, bringing a lot of joy to both children and adults.
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Divination.
Of all the ancient Slavic rites, the most famous are divination.
Fortune-telling at Christmas time was the main girl's entertainment. Especially mysterious was the Christmas night, full, as it was believed, unusual, mysterious phenomena. Divination is sometimes accompanied by singing, and sometimes by mysterious silence. Every girl wanted to know what awaits her in the future, especially worried about the upcoming marriage. Who will be narrowed? - this is the main subject of nightly Christmas divination.
Girls begin fortune-telling with emotional excitement, and only in holy days they have the right to sit near the betrothed and tell fortunes in their presence. Mothers cheerfully talk about the old days, sad about the girl's life, recall the former happy years, and in a whisper they ask the red maidens to guess their fate.Many methods of divination were known.
In the poem "Svetlana" Vasily Andreevich Zhukovsky listed the most common fortune-telling, however, not Christmas, but Epiphany:
Once a Epiphany Eve
The girls guessed
Shoe behind the gate
Taking it off their feet, they threw it;
Weed the snow; under the window
Listened; fed
Counted chicken grain,
Burning wax was drowned;
In a bowl of clean water
They put a golden ring,
Earrings are emerald;
Spread out white boards
And they sang in harmony under the bowl
The songs are submissive.
A .WITH. Pushkin in the story "Eugene Onegin" described fortune-telling in this way. Tatyana Larina, who believed in omens, guessed with the help of rings.
From a dish full of water
Rings come out in succession;
And she took out a ring
To the song of the old days:
“There the peasants are all rich,
They row silver with a shovel;
To whom we sing, that's good
And glory! ...
Christmas divination is by no means pampering,they are, in fact, no different from divination at any other time of the year. And the Church defined its attitude to divination and other magic in the first centuries of Christianity.
The last days of Christmas time were devoted to preparation for Baptism. The best village craftsmen cut a cross-shaped hole in frozen ponds and decorated it with ice patterns.
Christmas time - this great holiday, which is still animated by popular feeling. Our people, faithful to their land, still preserved the customs of their ancestors; he remembers them with genuine joy; he alone, amid the many vicissitudes of his fate, retained his former gaiety and inclination to amusements.
The moonlight sparkles...
MAGIC descends on the earth,
God's grace touches
Relatives, friends and relatives.
Have time to make a wish
Only midnight will reign!
The choir of angels sings in silence
Birth of Christ.
And you hurry to the Holiday!
To the world of joy, GOOD!
To be all right
It is necessary to mark them with honor,
Glorify in the feasts of the saints.
Information literary sources.
- Complete encyclopedia of the life of the Russian people. Nativity. Kolyada and Christmas. Ivan Pankeev.- M., 1998.
- All year round: Russian agricultural calendar. New Year. Christmas Eve (butterfly), Christmas Eve. Christmas. Christmas time. A.F. Nekrylova.-M., 1991.
Russian folk holiday Christmas time
It falls at the time of the winter sun turning and lasts twelve days - from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany. But it must be borne in mind that in many countries it is celebrated according to the Gregorian calendar, that is, from December 24 to January 6. But the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Catholics, there are others Slavic peoples, which celebrate a multi-day holiday according to the Julian calendar - from January 6 to 19. And the celebrations begin with a meal, with the main dish - sochivo. Orthodox families sit down at the table on the last day of Advent, which is called Christmas Eve, and as soon as the first star appears in the sky, which almost always happens at dusk.
How is juicy prepared?
According to a special recipe once and for all. One and a half cups of wheat grains, 150 grams of poppy seeds, 150 grams of peeled walnuts, five tablespoons of honey. Wheat grains are peeled, porridge is cooked from them, to which poppy seeds are added, walnuts, honey. With sochivo the meal begins. And then you can eat other goodies prepared for the great holiday.
Christmas time - a holiday for more young people
It crowns the end of the agricultural year, when the crops are harvested from the fields, brought to the bins, and you can take a break from work in the sweat of your brow. Regulated by the instructions of the Orthodox Church. In particular, the Charter of the Monk Savva the Sanctified, adopted back in the sixth century. The Charter frees believers these days to bow and hold weddings. And enjoy relaxing. As provided by the Second Turonian Council of 567 - on all days from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany. At the same time, the rest is varied - visiting relatives and friends, acquaintances, presenting them with gifts in remembrance of the gifts brought to the Mother of God by the Magi. Feasts after Advent. The noisiest and most active celebrations are allowed to carefree young people. But sedate people can do some urgent household chores in between jubilation and meals. Not forbidden!
Two parts of Christmas
The first is bright evenings. From the Nativity of Christ to Vasily's Evening (the latter literally means the New Year). The second part is terrible evenings. And they last from night to year until the very. With the first part, everything is clear - in order for the new harvest to be rich, it is necessary, among other things, to visit relatives, friends, acquaintances, not only to walk with gifts, but also in new clothes and be neat and clean. As for the second part, this is the so-called Christmas period "without a cross." Jesus was born, but he has not yet been baptized. And the Lord, with joy that his son was born, opened all the doors. At the same time, he released the devils from the underworld. And those, having been exhausted in hell and missing a free life and breaking free - well, let's play weird, especially with young people, involving them in all sorts of sinful amusements, games and trying to force guys and girls, having sinned, to sell their souls to the devil. Witches, sorcerers and ghouls do the same on terrible evenings. So chur you chur Orthodox! From devils and other evil spirits! And to this day there is a belief that witches, making their way into the barn, milk cows to death. Or they ask the Orthodox people for fire. Having received it, they carry good luck with it from the huts. At Christmas time, it was customary to extinguish the old fire and light a new fire in the furnaces, which, according to legend, brings good harvests in the future, allows you to achieve material well-being and prosperity in the house. Round dances and festivities were accompanied by hymns and mummers - masks were put on faces fairytale heroes Slavic folk tales, dressed in elegant bright clothes- something akin to masquerades or Brazilian carnivals. But the Orthodox Church is resolutely against unlimited revelry, such as, for example, during Halloween, which is celebrated on the night of October 31 to November 1, and when some even of the Orthodox dress up as devils, witches and other evil spirits. It's not far from the fall here. And it is quite possible to be in the clutches of the devil.
Christmas carols
They are an indispensable attribute of the national holiday. Young guys and girls in groups with the image of stars in their hands sometimes go to visit their relatives and neighbors with toy houses, they sing carols under their windows, and they throw all sorts of goodies into the prepared bags. Sometimes even today the same teenagers or younger children call apartments, shower you with millet and carol. Would you leave their carols without sweets, pies and other treats?!
For example, ruddy hand-written beauties-girlfriends try to guess their fate by throwing a felt boot on the side, on the road. In which direction will it point as a result magic action pima sock, in that direction to the groom the girl will leave. They tell fortunes about guys and between two mirrors with a candle placed next to them. And for a long time they peer into the reflection of a whole gallery of mirrors. It happens that the reflection really is narrowed. Or else take the same length of thread. They set them on fire. The owner of the one that quickly burns out will soon get married. The thread went out - you will not see your dear friend for a long time. New fashionistas scatter on card kings, which they put under the pillow. I dreamed of a peak - to live with an old man and, at the same time, jealous; worms - with the young, fine and rich; cross - wait for matchmakers from the military: tambourine - the very one your desired will appear, and a girl's dream will come true! They also guess on cats, books, evocation of spirits, on logs, on coffee grounds, on rings and the call of passers-by.
Other folk holidays
They exist in addition to carols and Christmas time - the Meeting, Maslenitsa, the Annunciation, Krasnaya Gorka, Fomino Resurrection, Yarilo, Peter and Fevronia's Day, Ilyin's Day, Semyon (Simeon) pilot. (Semyonov day), Vozdvizhenka. St. George's Day, etc. Everyone has their own traditions, customs, signs. Folk holidays are popular, sparkling, they are eagerly awaited and celebrated in a good mood, noisily, with fun and joy!
Peculiarity Orthodox holiday Christmas time is that during the festivities, unity is accepted. Everyone rejoiced, the boundaries between the rich and the poor seemed to disappear for a while, and all the people could simply glorify the Lord, help the sick and suffering. There was even information that in Byzantium during Christmas time it was customary to treat prisoners and even slaves, thereby demonstrating mercy and compassion for one's neighbor. It is a pity that these customs almost did not survive to this day.
History and traditions
IN ancient Rus' the traditions of Christmastide were also considered a universal holiday, when everyone could rejoice at the birth of Christ. People gave gifts to each other, went to visit, arranged festive games, and did charity work. The usual rural fun also took place, the youth had fun and had fun. Gifts and treats on this holiday were considered the grace of God, and the church called on everyone to sympathy, love and mercy, in pre-revolutionary newspapers and magazines one could find kind and instructive stories revealing the essence of the sacred holiday.
Christmas time is also the time of matchmaking, it was during the festivities that the young looked after themselves a couple, making a conspiracy (engagement) on Maslenitsa.
All this is reminiscent of another holiday - Maslenitsa, but Maslenitsa is not a church event at all. However, in the complex Russian culture, traditions of celebration are intertwined with folk customs and we still remember some of them.
Carols and gatherings
Today, everyone considers it their duty to visit the church in Svyatki, invite friends and relatives, go to visit and cook holiday gift. However, the most important thing in Christmas time is not treats and not gifts, but the awareness of one's unity with God, attention to one's neighbor, the desire to become better, kinder. In many Christian families, real Christmas customs are observed, in Sunday schools children learn sacred songs, put on funny scenes, attached to Orthodox culture.
There is another custom that has come down to us - caroling. The mummers go from house to house, sing songs, dance, read ditties, and the owners of the house, according to tradition, should give gifts or sweets to those who come. However, this tradition has a pagan tinge, because in ancient times it was believed that, dressing in scary costumes and wearing masks, people scared away evil spirits.
It is customary to guess at Christmas time, but this is paganism, because the church is against all kinds of predictions, although over the millennia everything has become intertwined. It is believed that Christmas fortune-telling is the most truthful, and therefore it is impossible to report on the results of what was seen or predicted, or on the method of fortune-telling.
These traditions were observed for many years, but later, during the formation of the Soviet Union, the authorities forced them to abandon their religious beliefs, which explains the disappearance of many church traditions and holidays, much was lost after the repressions of the Soviet authorities.
However, it is not at all necessary to observe all traditions and customs, you can simply give warmth and love to your loved ones.
Christmas holidays in 2018, January 7-17, folk traditions, customs and signs of these days in Rus'.
Holy days, Christmas time have been established in Rus' for a very long time. Now they start from and continue to Epiphany Christmas Eve. Previously, they were associated with the time of the beginning of the increase in daylight hours -.
Even in pre-Christian times in Rus' in late December and early January they used to carol - they widely celebrated the time of the "return" of the sun, the period when the day began to arrive. After a long period of dark nights, the increase of the day was expected as a miracle, widely and long celebrated. They burned bonfires - a kind of symbols of the sun, wore masks of animals, more often a bear. The celebrants believed that by doing this they would deceive the evil spirits. They first hid the sun, and now they can take revenge on those who rejoice for its return.
With the establishment of Christianity in Rus', the time between Christmas and the Baptism of the Savior fell approximately at this time. Orthodox Church did not begin to fight pagan customs, but gradually filled them with new meaning. As the birth of the sun was celebrated, now the Nativity of Christ, the Sun of Truth (from the troparion), has begun to be celebrated.
This time of year - between the darkness of night and the light of day - was considered throughout Europe to be the best time to try to find out the future. Fortune-telling at that time was practiced not only in Rus'. The Church has always struggled with this side of the holiday, even at the state level. So Peter I passed a law according to which fortune-telling and obscene dances with singing were beaten with whips.
It is believed that the Russian custom of dipping into the baptismal font comes from the tradition of cleansing from sins committed at Christmas celebrations.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmas time became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. From the ancient pre-Christian Christmas time, only winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun remains.
Christmas time has always been a national holiday, at this time class boundaries were weakening, everyone was united by a common joy. According to the number of customs and folk signs only Maslenitsa can be compared with this period of the year.
Christmas time - folk traditions, customs and signs public holidays
Carol songs were often composed on the go, but there were traditional rules coming from antiquity in this type of creativity. The owner was often called "bright moon", the hostess - "red sun", their children - "frequent stars". It used to be more expressive - “the master in the house is like Adam in paradise; the mistress of the house is like pancakes in honey; little kids - that the grapes are red and green ... ”The carolers promised a rich harvest and a happy life to those who treat them well. Sometimes humorous threats sounded in the songs: “Whoever does not give a pie, we will bring the cow by the horns, whoever does not give ham, we will split the iron…”. The hosts received guests as best they could.
Christmas time - folk traditions, customs and signs of holidays
Another Christmas tradition was to gather with the whole family in the evenings, invite guests and tell stories. Entire collections of "Christmas Stories" have been preserved, both invented by the common people and the author's. Such stories were mysterious and full of miraculous events. This custom was especially strong among city dwellers. The youth went sleighing and tobogganing from the mountains during the day and gathered in the evenings for storytelling. Not infrequently, after Christmas time, it was time for matchmaking, this was helped tight circle youth communication.
The last days of Christmas time were devoted to preparations for the feast of the Epiphany. The best village craftsmen cut a hole in the frozen ponds in the shape of a cross.
Now the tradition of caroling - glorifying the born Christ - is being restored. Believers not only gather in groups to congratulate neighbors, relatives, as well as representatives of socially vulnerable segments of society, but also arrange flash mobs in public places.
Christmas time - folk traditions, customs and signs of holidays
Many signs of weather are associated with the period of Christmas time:
- Only wolves marry Svyatki;
- From Christmas to Epiphany, it is a sin to hunt animals and birds - misfortune will happen to the hunter;
- Christmas time has passed, it's a pity to leave, Maslyana came - to ride;
- Wet Christmas time - little harvest;
- Clear Christmas time - full barns.
Christmas time in Rus' is called twelve holidays that begin on Christmas (January 7) and end on Epiphany (January 19). In the Catholic religion, Christmas time lasts twelve days, from December 25 to January 6.
IN church calendar the beginning and end dates of these periods are dedicated to the memorable events of the birth of Jesus Christ and his baptism in the Jordan, which was called the Epiphany of Christ. These days are popularly referred to as "holy evenings." This name appeared due to the ancient custom, when Orthodox Christians stop their daytime activities, glorifying the memory of the events of the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ, which took place in the evening and at night.
Since ancient times, these days have been especially revered and celebrated by the church. Already in the sixth century, in the charter of Savva the Sanctified, it was written that on holy days it was not supposed to perform a wedding and bow down. In 567, the second Council of Turon called holidays all the days from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany of Christ.
According to the old tradition, in the very first days of the holiday, it is customary to visit relatives, relatives and friends, to give small gifts- in honor and in remembrance of those gifts that the Magi brought. It was also customary to remember the poor, sick and destitute and visit orphanages, prisons, hospitals, orphanages and so on. At one time, even the reigning persons dressed up as commoners during Christmas time and distributed alms.
The main moment of celebrations at Christmas time has always been a family meal. Prepared dishes according to certain recipes. Kutya was the main one, and they also prepared such treats as: nut cookies, sweet crumb balls, poppy seeds, sbiten, oatmeal jelly and pancakes. Appliances were additionally placed on the table according to the number of family members who died in the past year.
The last holy days were devoted to preparing for another holiday - the Baptism of the Lord. The best village carpenters carved a cross-shaped hole in the frozen ponds, it was decorated with wooden patterns, ribbons and crystals made of ice.
Despite the fact that the holidays are Christian holiday, over time, it was mixed with a large number of pagan elements. Before Rus' adopted Christianity, Christmas time was considered the holiday of Svyatovit (Svyatovit is one of the names of the supreme god Belbog). From other sources it is known that the word svyatki comes from the Old Slavonic meaning of the word - the souls of the ancestors. In ancient times, Christmas rites took the form of spells for the whole year, as well as divination about the future. Rites with magical overtones were also sometimes practiced.
At night and in the evening, mummers walked and caroled. Since ancient Slavic times, during Christmas time, there was a tradition to put on other people's masks. All these pagan rites did not lose their strength and influence with the spread of Christianity in Rus'. All this, despite the fact that the church forbids before Christmas and during Christmas time to walk around the yards dressed up and sing songs to receive treats.
Glorification or caroling is a special tradition Christmas holidays in Rus'. Children and young people with pleasure walked around all the yards and performed church hymns, as well as carol songs that were dedicated to the Nativity of Christ. Those who caroled received from the owners the so-called ritual food and wished all the best in the coming year. It was believed that the wealth of the family on next year depends directly on the gifts and treats caroling. Often the chant was accompanied by certain actions, usually depicting the work of agriculture.
At Christmas time there was a custom of divination. Almost every village or town could boast of its own methods of divination and rituals. important place occupied signs, with the help of which Christians tried to guess what prosperity would be in next year and what the weather will be like.
Christmas time ends on January 19 at the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day, water is consecrated in all churches, it is called baptismal water and stored throughout the year.
Christmas calendar
Christmas time - lasts two weeks, starts on Christmas Eve, ends on Epiphany. Holy - the first week is considered, terrible - the second. To attract good luck and well-being during the holy week, one should walk not just in everything clean, but in everything new.
January 6 - Christmas Eve (he is also a canteen), in the evening on Christmas Eve, they performed magical rites and guessed.
January 8 - Babi porridge. This is a holiday of women in childbirth and midwives. In many provinces of Russia, on this day they came to midwives and presented them with various dishes. After that, they caroused with them from the evening until the morning. On this day, they also asked for protection and help from the tamer of anger and the musician - the prophet David.
January 9 - on this day it was customary to hire laborers. In the people, he received the name - Stefan's day.
January 10 - has the name Christmas meat-eater or household day. The meat-eater is not a holiday, but serves as the beginning long period certain life Orthodox Christianity. However, the days of the meat-eater tended to be filled with spiritual illumination and festive loftiness.
January 11 is considered the day in memory of the babies beaten by King Herod in Bethlehem. Starting from that day and until January 19, women were forbidden to play cards, as it was believed, otherwise "hens will peck cucumbers."
January 12 - the day is called - Anisya stomach. The name is due to the fact that on this day fortune-telling took place on pig stomachs, spleen and liver of geese. They wondered about the weather in winter, if it happened that the spleen and liver were too swollen, then the winter would be cloudy and warm, with fairly frequent rains. If the offal was thin, elongated shape, then it was necessary to wait for a frosty winter.
January 13 - Vasilyeva carol or the day of St. Malania. Before the change of style, this day fell on December 31 and was New Year's Eve. All family members on this day were preparing for the New Year. Under Vasiliev's day, witches steal a month. If the wind blows from the south at night - the year will be warm and gracious, if from the west - it will abound in milk and fish, from the east - you should expect good harvest fruits.
January 14 - the day is called Basil the Great - the patron saint of pigs. This day fell on January 1, that is, on the New Year according to the old calendar.
January 15 - Sylvester Day. It is a culinary holiday, on this day they did not eat eggs and chicken. In chicken coops hung "chicken god". In the regions of southern Russia, a “chicken god” is a black stone with a naturally formed hole in the middle. In the Moscow province, an ordinary bast shoe acted as a god, it was hung in a chicken coop on the wall in order to regulate the relationship between the brownie and chickens, which he did not hold in high esteem. On the same day they made a conspiracy of the daughters of Herod - the sisters of the feverish ones. It was believed that they sent all sorts of misfortunes to people.
January 16 is the day of the prophet Malachi. It was believed that on this day, hungry witches are engaged in slaughtering cows to death. Devilry on this day is especially embittered and can attack a person. With the oldest broom, they tapped all the corners on the outside and inside the house, this was done to protect against all kinds of evil spirits. They also turned for help to the "house".
January 17 - on this day, as well as the next, women were forbidden to sew, it was believed that a child of violators could be born blind.
January 18 - Epiphany evening, the eve of the Epiphany of the Lord. The second Christmas Eve is the main day of divination for Christmas time. The day before, crosses were drawn with chalk on the walls, ceilings and doors. Snow was collected for washing and whitening canvases. At midnight they went to the river for water, believed that this water for a long time do not spoil.
January 19 - Epiphany and Baptism. Baptism was called farewell to Christmas time. It was also believed that on Epiphany night the sky opened.
