Festive kutia: history, symbolism and secrets of preparing the dish. Kutya

Traditionally, on January 6, godchildren wear their godparents supper - kutya. This is one of the Christmas traditions that have been revered by Christians since ancient times. Thus, mercy is emphasized, which instructs Christians to help their neighbors.

The holiday of the Nativity of Christ has special significance for people professing the Christian faith. It is customary to celebrate it “richly” and housewives know that there should be 12 dishes on the table. In addition, there are other traditions and rituals that are passed down from generation to generation.

When to wear Kutya for Christmas, what they say, what to cook: the history of this holiday and rituals dedicated to the Nativity of Christ

Quite a long time ago, when our ancestors worshiped various deities, on this day they celebrated the “Korochuna” holiday. On this day they greeted the sun, asked the gods good harvest next year, livestock offspring and health. People believed that during this period everything around them was endowed with miraculous powers; therefore, this holiday was always anticipated with special trepidation. The advent of Christianity endowed long-standing traditions with new content, Christian ideals, ideas of truth, love, the forgiveness of the Word, generosity, and improvement.

According to Holy Scripture, The Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. At the moment when the baby was born, a star lit up in the sky, which showed the wise men the way to him. Having passed in the indicated direction, they found a stable in which the Virgin Mary was with Jesus Christ in her arms.

Christmas itself is celebrated on January 7, but on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), it is customary for the whole family to gather for festive table. The meal begins after the first star rises in the sky.

Christmas is a holiday that brings goodness and faith in a bright future; it fills the souls of every person with the brightest colors.

When they wear Kutya for Christmas, what they say, what they cook: when they bring supper to godparents

They serve supper to their godparents on Christmas Eve. At the same time, it is customary to pronounce the following words: “ Good evening, Holy Evening! Father and mother gave you supper.” Traditionally, godparents receive their godchildren and give gifts.

When to wear kutia for Christmas, what they say, what to cook: what to cook for the festive table, kutia recipes

The Nativity of Christ is preceded by a 40-day fast. Also festive dinner should consist of lean dishes, of which there should be at least twelve. This number symbolizes the number of Apostles of Christ.

Traditionally, they prepare pies with different fillings, uzvar, lean cabbage rolls, fish dishes and, of course, kutya (it is also called kolyvo, kanun, sochivo). Each housewife has her own special recipe for preparing the main holiday dish, with which the meal should begin. Below are the most original recipes that anyone can easily use.

Rice kutia with almonds and dried apricots. To prepare rice kutya, you must first boil the rice by adding a pinch of salt to the water. Add crushed poppy seeds, almond crumbs and finely chopped dried apricots to the finished rice. Season everything with honey or sugar to taste.

Kutya with marmalade. Pre-rinse pearl barley and boil for 1.5-2 hours. Add raisins 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Then crushed nuts, honey and uzvar are added to the finished porridge. Before serving, sprinkle with marmalade.

Kutya made from wheat. Wheat must be washed, soaked in cold water for 3 hours, then rinse again and boil until tender for two hours. Then you need to add raisins to the porridge, add salt and cook for another 30 minutes, then discard in a colander. Honey and walnuts are added to kutya.

Very soon the beloved will come family celebration- Nativity. It's time to think about what to cook for this wonderful holiday and compose.

However, no matter what interesting and tasty dishes you plan, remember that there are two traditional Christmas dishes that must be present on the holiday table - kutia and.

In today's article, I want to talk about the symbolism, traditions, and secrets of cooking.

Kutya: types and purpose

Kutya is a traditional ritual porridge, which is most often served at funerals, but it is also placed on the table for the New Year (according to the old style), for Epiphany, and always for Christmas on Holy Evening. Also, kutia is a constant dish during Lent; it is customary to prepare it on the days of remembrance of the dead.

This dish has many recipes and names. In different regions, kutya is usually called differently: syt, kolivo, sochivo, kanun, etc. And these are not random names; each of them has its own symbolism.

The most common name: kutia - has an ancient Greek origin (koukia or kukkia) and is translated as boiled grain.

Sochivo has an ancient Slavic origin and stands for “juice” or “ooze”, satiate - this is the same origin and means “food” or “food”.

The most ancient name for kutya is kolivo - it has a connection with the custom of the ancient world to make funeral offerings from grain, as well as kolibo fruit.

Also, the names sochivo and kolivo determined the type of kutya, depending on the amount of liquid in its composition: semi-liquid kutya was called sochivo, and crumbly kutya was called koliv.

If we talk about traditional, proper kutia, then it is oozy: semi-liquid kutia made from wheat and honey.

In general, there are two types of kutia: lean (hungry) and modest (generous, rich).

It was customary to eat Lenten kutya on Christmas Eves: Rozhdestvensky and Epiphany, which is why it was called accordingly - sochivo. Such kutia could also be rich: with the addition various ingredients. It is Lenten kutia that has ritual significance.

For christenings, as well as other holidays (for example, before the New Year), they ate another type of kutia - modest or in other words - generous (it was usually prepared with milk, they also added a large number of oils).

It was customary to put hungry kutia on the table on memorial days; such kutia was called koliv, and consisted of boiled grain, as well as a sweetener.

Symbolism of Kutya

It is no coincidence that Kutya is an indispensable dish for births, as well as commemorations, among the peoples inhabiting Eastern Europe. In ancient times, it was believed that the birth of a baby opened the line between the living and the world of the dead, therefore on Christmas Eve, as usual, they not only rejoiced at the appearance of Christ, but also remembered their dead ancestors.

Therefore, all the ingredients of kutya are symbolic: grains of cereals (wheat was mainly used) - symbolize the fertile earth, as well as resurrection and eternal life, milk of the poppy and honey - abundance on earth, as well as life in paradise, raisins - prosperity, nuts - health, and all the mess is procreation.

Christmas kutia was mainly associated with harvest and prosperity, i.e. it was believed that the more satisfying and tastier it was, the greater the harvest and prosperity in the family.

Christmas kutia - traditions

It was customary to start and end the meal on Holy Eve with a spoon of kutya, and people exchanged good wishes, and also remembered deceased relatives.

At Christmas, Lenten kutia was usually served, since the Christmas fast lasted until Christmas Eve. According to tradition, all family members ate kutya, and also treated livestock with it so that they would not get sick and would bear offspring.

Kutya was always worn by older family members who lived separately, as well as by godparents. In addition, there was another tradition: the owner of the house threw the last spoonful of kutya up into the air and counted how many grains from the dish would stick to the ceiling - that’s how many sheaves of bread there should be in the new year.

It was customary to place spikelets under a bowl of Christmas kutia and then store them whole year, as a talisman. A bowl of Christmas treats was also left for the souls of deceased relatives.

Secrets of preparing delicious kutia

How to cook kutya? In order to make kutya truly tasty, you need to know its essential components, as well as be able to prepare them correctly. This is exactly what will be discussed later in the article.

First, let's look at the ingredients of kutia. Proper kutia always consists of three components: base, dressing and various additives. Let's look at this in more detail...

Kutya base

Kutya can be prepared from a variety of grains and cereals. Proper kutia is prepared from wheat grains. But in different regions, barley, barley, rice, oats and even buckwheat are also used for this purpose.

If you adhere to the traditions of preparing kutya, then wheat or other whole grains must first be pounded in a mortar with a small amount of water, and also separated from the chaff.

After this, it must be cooked in the oven for a long time (up to three days). IN modern conditions, you won’t be able to cook kutya according to tradition - you’ll have to use a more conventional oven or stove.

In order to reduce the cooking time, wheat or other grains can be pre-soaked. To prepare kutia, they must be well boiled and soft, with a slightly white tint.

Today, it is very popular. This, of course, is a departure from tradition, but it is easier to prepare and is also quite tasty.

Some people believe that rice kutia is a funeral dish, this is true, but it can also be prepared for Christmas Eve.

True, for this kutya you need to cook the rice correctly.

To do this you need:

• For a glass of rice cereal, take one and a half glasses of boiling water;
• Fill the rice with liquid, cover the pan tightly and put it on gas;
• cook the cereal for 3 minutes. over high heat;
• then 6 minutes - cook on medium;
• and finally another 3 min. - over low heat;
• after that, for 12 minutes. The rice should be steamed under the lid.

Of course, you can initially steam the rice for kutya. The main thing is that the base for the kutia is soft and at the same time crumbly.

For quick kutya, the grain base can be brewed in milk, but you must remember that not all cereals can be boiled in it. Also, generous kutya is sometimes prepared using a mixture of water and milk.

Traditional dressings for kutia

For Lenten kutya on Christmas Eve, it was customary to include milk made from poppy seeds, hazelnuts or walnuts (or a mixture), or from almonds. The fast kutya was seasoned with milk, butter or cream.

To prepare poppy milk, it is steamed and pounded in a mortar; for the same purpose, you can roll it through a meat grinder several times until a white liquid begins to stand out.

Prepare nut-based milk in the same way: first pour boiling water over the nuts, then grind them in a mortar or grind them in a meat grinder; you can also use a blender for this - as a result of these actions, a white liquid should be released from them.

The traditional dressing for kutya is also liquid honey, or honey dressing (syt). To prepare it, dissolve honey in warm boiled water.

In Ukraine, kutya was also prepared with uzvar. To prepare kutia, if desired, you can use jam diluted with water or sugar syrup.

Other components of kutya

In kutya you can put a variety of crushed dried fruits - steamed or boiled, fruits and berries - frozen, or from jam and compotes, poppy seeds, nuts, spices and herbs.

Also, sometimes marmalade and candies are added to kutya (but these are rare cases and, of course, a departure from tradition).

How to cook kutya: useful tips

1. To prevent the kutya cereal from burning, choose a pan with a thick bottom, or better yet, a cast iron pan.
2. After you have combined all the components of the kutya, you need to warm it up for about 10 minutes, preferably in a clay pot.
3. Kutya that is too thick can be thinned. For this purpose, use boiled chilled water, uzvar or a decoction of cereals.
4. Raisins in kutya can swell and lose their taste, so if you are preparing kutya for future use, you need to add raisins as you eat them.
5. Kutya cannot be stored for too long, as honey tends to ferment. For the same reason, it is not recommended to put fresh fruits in kutya. If you do not serve the kutya right away, it is better to add honey just before serving.

That's all. I hope these tips will help you prepare this traditional Christmas dish, and your kutia will be the most delicious.

Have a delicious Christmas table and Merry Christmas!

To put it simply, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first new moon, on the day or immediately after spring equinox. That is, between April 4 and May 8 (March 22 and April 25, old style).

In 2018 Orthodox Easter- April 8. On this day, believers celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion.

Easter ends with the arrival Lent, the longest and strictest of the year. And the most severe trials await those who fast in last week Great Lent, which is called Holy Week.

The Resurrection of Christ is celebrated all week, seven days in a row. Monday and the rest of the week are called Bright or Easter days. During services this week, the Royal Doors of the iconostasis are always open, although they are usually locked at the beginning of the liturgy. The wide open gates symbolize the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven, which Christ opened for all people.

Congratulate each other with the exclamation “Christ is Risen!” accepted until the Feast of the Ascension, which is celebrated 40 days after Easter.

What to cook for Easter in 2018

Traditional holiday dishes Easter table- these are painted eggs, Easter cake and cottage cheese Easter. The customs associated with these treats date back to ancient times, and the first mentions of them can be found in early Christian sources that were not included in the canon.

Painted egg

The story, set out in ancient texts, tells of the meeting of the Roman Emperor Tiberius with Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, who addressed him with the words “Christ is Risen” and held out an egg (symbolizing the emergence of new life from the “coffin” shell) as a gift.

Mocking Mary Magdalene, in front of many eyewitnesses, Tiberius exclaimed that chicken eggs are not red, and the dead do not rise. At this moment the egg turned bright scarlet. This legend became widely known among Christians, and the custom of painting eggs scarlet and giving them to each other over time entered into holiday usage and turned into a religious tradition.

Easter cake

The tradition of baking Easter cakes also came to us from ancient times. In our area, Kulich is a sweet holiday bread made from yeast dough. According to legend, after the resurrection of Christ, he began to appear to the apostles during meals. They began to leave for Christ free place in the center of the table, and they placed the bread intended for Him on the table.

Over the years, the tradition arose in Byzantium of placing bread (on Greek the word "bread" sounds "artos") on the table during the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord, in memory of how Christ shared bread with the apostles. Then the bread was distributed to the poor.

Until now, in the church canon, the bread consecrated during Easter Week is called “artos”; it is placed on the lectern on the first day of Easter and throughout Bright Week.

And holiday bread round shape in Greek it is called "kollikion". This is where the name “Kulich” comes from. And when this tradition spread widely, its artos-kollikion, Easter cake, every family started baking for the holiday.

Curd Easter

If absolutely all Orthodox Christians prepare colored eggs and Easter cake for the holiday, then cottage cheese Easter is not a universal phenomenon.

This traditional treat is usually given the appearance of a truncated pyramid. Cottage cheese Easter symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher, where the Resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. The delicacy is always decorated with the letters “ХВ”, which mean “Christ is Risen!”

True, cottage cheese Easter is not known everywhere. In some regions of Russia and Ukraine, the familiar Easter cake is called “Easter”. And a dish made from cottage cheese is not at all part of the festive folk tradition.

When to come to church for Easter services

The church holds Easter services at night. You can come to the temple at any time, and the main events of the holiday take place after 23.00. Closer to midnight, the Midnight Office is served, and at exactly midnight Easter Matins begins, “the joy of the Resurrection of Our Lord from the dead.”

Just before midnight, a solemn bell announces the coming of the great minute of the Resurrection of Christ. In the altar, quiet singing begins, gaining strength: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the Angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth with a pure heart Glory to you." At this time, jubilant Easter peals flow from the height of the bell tower.

The procession of the cross, which takes place on Easter night, is a procession of the Church towards the risen Savior. The religious procession takes place around the temple with continuous pealing. Having walked around the temple, the procession stops in front of its closed doors, as if at the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher. Then the priest, holding a cross and a three-branched candlestick in his hands, makes the sign of the cross with them. closed doors temple, they open, and everyone, rejoicing, enters the church, where all the lamps and lamps are burning, and sing: “Christ is risen from the dead!”

Immediately after Matins, the Easter Liturgy (worship) is served, where the beginning of the Gospel of John is read. On Easter, all those who pray, if possible, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Before the end of the liturgy, Easter bread - artos - is blessed.

After the end of the festive service, Orthodox Christians usually break their fast with blessed colored eggs and Easter cakes at the temple or at home.

History of Easter celebration

The word "Easter" originates from the name of the Old Testament holiday of Passover, which was named so from the Hebrew word "passover" ("passes by") - in memory ancient event the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and from Egyptian slavery, when the angel who struck the Egyptian firstborn, at the sight of the blood of the Passover lamb on the doors of Jewish homes, passed by, leaving them untouched. Another ancient interpretation of the holiday connects it with the consonant Greek word for “suffering.”

In the Christian Church the name "Easter" was special meaning and began to signify the transition from death to eternal life with the Savior - from earth to heaven.

This ancient holiday Christian Church was established and celebrated in apostolic times. The ancient church, under the name of Easter, combined two memories - the suffering and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - and dedicated the days preceding and following the Resurrection to its celebration. To designate both parts of the holiday, special names were used - Easter of suffering, or Easter of the Cross, and Easter of the Resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ testifies that he was “risen like God.” It revealed the glory of His Divinity, previously hidden under the cover of humiliation, shameful for that time, death on the cross like the criminals and robbers who were executed along with him.

Having risen from the dead, the Savior sanctified, blessed and approved the general resurrection of all people who, according to Christian teaching, will also rise from the dead on the general day of resurrection, just as an ear of grain grows from a seed.

In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was celebrated in different churches in different time. In the East, in the churches of Asia Minor it was celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan (March - April), no matter what day of the week this date fell on. The Western Church celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. An attempt to establish agreement between the churches on this issue was made under Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, in the middle of the 2nd century. The First Ecumenical Council of 325 determined that Easter should be celebrated everywhere at the same time.

This continued until the 16th century, when the unity of Western and Eastern Christians in the celebration of Holy Easter and other holidays was disrupted by the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII.

Every year on the eve New Year's holidays and the Nativity of Christ, it is customary to serve a traditional Russian dish on the table - kutya. But few people know about the history of this dish, its symbolism, and the differences traditional recipes preparations for three celebrations.

History of a traditional dish

The origin of the word "kutya" dates back to Ancient Greece, (Greek Kukkia) - literally translated as boiled grain. As in Greece, in Russia the dish was originally associated with the traditional worship of the dead, and was served on the table on the eve of all religious holidays.

Among the many names for this dish, the most common are: kolivo, sochivo and kanun. Kutia is always present on the table at Christmas, Epiphany and others Orthodox holidays.

The word "sochivo" literally translates as "food". And one of the most ancient names for kuti is “kolivo” (Greek kolibo), which means offering grain and fruit to the spirits of ancestors. So Christmas Orthodox traditions originate from ancient pagan cults.

Is there a difference between Kutya and Sochiv

Sochivo is one of the many names for kutya. Among the cooking methods there are:

• sochivo - a thinner, watery porridge (from the words “juice” and “ooze”);
• Kolivo - dry and crumbly.

Many people believe that there is no difference in recipes between kutya, koliv and sochivo - they are all one dish, but the name kolivo is more ancient, and sochivo is modern, and it comes from the name of Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve. But this is a wrong opinion, since the holy evening received its name from the juicy butter cakes - sochniki. Previously, slits were made in them for the eyes, and they used to tell fortunes - they “considered” a person’s fate through them.

Varieties of kutya

For each holiday there is a different way to prepare the eve. Depending on the ingredients used, there are 3 types of dishes.

Generous kutia for the New Year

She is being prepared for New Year's table. Dairy products and butter are added to the dish, and various dried fruits and nuts are used. Original recipe cooking kutia in pumpkin will be a discovery for every housewife.

Rich or lean kutia for Christmas

It is prepared on Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve, therefore it is often called sochivom, regardless of the recipe. This kutia is usually prepared from rice or millet. It is customary to bring the dish to godparents and older relatives living separately.

Hungry kutia for Epiphany

The porridge is prepared lean - from cereals and sweetener. But it is not prohibited to use nuts and fruits. Lenten bulgur colivo with honey is especially tasty.

The dish can be prepared from any cereal (rice, buckwheat, millet, bulgur, pearl barley) with the addition of poppy seeds and sweetener. The recipes use nut kernels, raisins and various dried fruits.

Symbolism of kutya and its ingredients

The main component of koliva is grain, which is a symbol of eternal life and rebirth. Belief in the immortality of the soul and its reincarnation is the main symbolism of the eve. Like seeds, falling into the ground and being reborn, the human spirit is reborn in a new body after burial.

Grain is capable of “sleeping” for a long time, preserving life within itself, and then reproducing it again with the arrival of spring. By eating kutya, a person symbolically becomes a part of the endless cycle of life.

Poppy seeds or nut kernels in kutya mean fertility. By adding these products, a person programs himself for wealth, generosity and prosperity for the whole family. That is why kolivo is often prepared at weddings and at the birth or christening of a child.

Honey in Sochiva symbolizes pleasure and sweet life, but not earthly, but eternal, which awaits man in the kingdom of heaven. It is believed that the benefits of the afterlife are so great and beautiful that they exceed the wildest dreams and expectations.

Beliefs and fortune-telling at kutya

It has long been believed that the richer and more satisfying the juice, the more abundant the harvest and family wealth will be. Several ears of wheat were placed under a plate with koliv, which were then kept throughout the year as a talisman. Not only family members ate porridge; they also treated livestock and poultry. It was believed that in this way they would not get sick and would give good offspring.

Fortune telling for the harvest

Christmas fortune telling on Sochi is still popular today. The head of the family must take a spoonful of koliv and throw it up. How many grains of porridge stick to the ceiling, how many sheaves of grain are expected to be collected this year.

Fortune telling for the betrothed

Girl's fortune telling for her betrothed: unmarried girl scooped up the first spoon of kutya, wrapped it in men's pants and then hid it under the pillow. It was believed that on this night she should dream of her betrothed.

Secrets of preparing delicious kutia

Previously, kolivo was prepared mainly from whole grain wheat. To make the porridge tasty, you need to prepare its base correctly.

Kutya base

To do this, the grains should be lightly crushed in a mortar with the addition of a small volume of water, and the chaff should be removed. You can pre-soak the wheat for several hours, this will reduce the cooking time. The grains must be boiled until fully cooked and soft, then the juiciness will turn out excellent.

Most housewives prefer to use rice as a base. This cooking method is simpler and faster.

How to properly cook rice for kutya

• rinse the cereal well until the water becomes clear, without a powdery color;
• put 1 portion of rice in a pan and pour hot boiled water in a ratio of 1:1.5; put on the stove;
• Bring the porridge to a boil over high heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly;
• set the heat to medium and cook for another 6 minutes;
• at the end, reduce the heat to minimum, cook for another 3 minutes, do not forget to stir;
• then remove the pan from the heat, cover with a lid, and leave the porridge to brew for 15 minutes.

Rice prepared this way turns out very tender and crumbly. No spices are used during the cooking process, and the taste of the dish will depend on the dressing. Rice kutia with raisins, honey and almonds is the most popular and delicious recipe cooking kutia for Christmas.

Coliva dressing

Liquid melted honey or sweet uzvar are most often used as a dressing. Kolivo can be flavored with milk or cream. Often creamy or sunflower oil. You can also use diluted jam, jam or sugar syrup as a sweetener for the dish.

Other Ingredients

The third component of kutia is most often dried fruits, poppy seeds and nuts. You can use a variety of spices, frozen berries and fresh fruits. Before adding poppy seeds to the porridge, you must grind them well until smooth, or mince them several times. Raisins in kutia quickly swell and lose their taste, so it is recommended to add them before serving.

Bottom line

Kutia is not just a dish on the festive table, it is a combination of religious customs and traditions of the Russian people. Properly prepared kutia is a symbol of eternal life, wealth and prosperity. There are many Christmas fortune telling and superstitions associated with this dish. Behind family table with koliv they honor the spirits of their ancestors and recharge vital energy for the coming year.

There are many of them. And this is connected with amazing story our state, which is many, many centuries old. Some scientists count thirteen of them and date back to the reign of the Varangian Rurik. Officially, the 1153rd anniversary of Russia was celebrated in 2015. And the first mention of Rus' was discovered in chronicles dating back to 862. By the way, “Russia” is not an original Russian name: the Greeks named our ancient state with it. And somehow it naturally stuck with us. What is it Ancient Rus'? In addition to the main thing - powers, these are customs, traditions, beliefs and the like, which have developed over centuries and have taken root with us, even if against the backdrop of modernity they look archaic, divorced from reality, stuffed to the gills with technologies on a cosmic scale that our ancestors never dreamed of. .

Official holidays, state holidays

Of course, in Mother Russia they come first. And there are more than three hundred of them. To paraphrase the great Gogol, we can say: “Who among the Russians does not love good holidays?!" Among the popular and beloved state ones are International Day, May Day, and so on and so forth in order. Several years ago they were added to. And although it does not have official and state status, the holiday is declared a day off.

And how much do we have professional holidays! Let's start with peaceful professions - Dentist Day, Day Russian science, Transport Police Day, Cosmonautics Day, Geodesy and Cartography Workers Day. Let's continue - related to military historical and memorable events - Day Navy, Day engineering troops, Tankman's Day, Day missile forces and artillery, Day of the defeat of Nazi troops by Soviet troops in the Battle of Stalingrad (1943) Day of Military Glory - the list goes on. And there are, although purely professional, widely celebrated by the population - Workers' Day Agriculture, Trade Workers Day, Workers Day consumer services and housing and communal services - and the list goes on. There are 365 days in a year on the planet, in a leap year there are a day more, 366. And almost every day we celebrate something, celebrate something. This is how it happened in Russia!

National holidays stand apart

And so they, as races, are closely connected with faith (religion), customs and traditions. Let's take Easter for example. During the Soviet era, especially for communists and Komsomol members, celebrating it was not only not recommended, but strictly forbidden! "Religion is the opium of the people!" This expression, which later became popular, was first uttered by the English socialist Charles Kingsley (1819 - 1875). Then it was actively used by Lenin in the fight against religion. The result was that churches and temples were destroyed, and clergy were persecuted for their faith in God. It got to the point that the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was blown up in Moscow. But hard times passed and it was restored, including with money raised by the people. And Easter has now become one of everyone’s favorites national holidays and is celebrated widely, as in the old days - they paint eggs, bake Easter cakes, greet each other: “Christ is Risen” and answer: “Truly He is Risen!” Easter treats are illuminated in the church and generously distributed to relatives, friends, orphans, and the poor. This is the custom.

The custom of greeting the Old One has also taken root in Russia. New Year. All over the world people are very surprised by this. And for Russians, this is another reason to meet at the festive table, once again celebrate the onset of the New Year, and enjoy watching Eldar Ryazanov’s favorite sparkling comedy “The Irony of Fate, or light steam!”, and for some “Blue Light” - and you never know entertainment programs shown on Russian television during the Old New Year! The origin of this popular holiday is explained by the thirteen-day discrepancy between the Julian and Gregorian calendars. The latter is used throughout the world. This is where it came from - " old style"According to it, on January 13, we and many other countries celebrate the Old New Year. As, indeed, somewhat later - the New Year according to eastern calendar, which falls on the night of January 27-28.

Among the popular holidays are Trinity, Holy Week, Apple saved, Maslenitsa, Palm Week, Intercession Day, Clean Monday, Elijah's Day, Christmastide, Epiphany Christmas Eve, Day of Peter and Fevronia, Epiphany and others. Let's look at some of them in more detail.