Christmas holidays: divination, rituals of signs. “From Christmas Eve, the sun goes into summer, and winter into frost”

Russian Svyatki is a period of time usually dedicated to the so-called winter solstice. Usually they open the national solar year. Currently, Christmas time is celebrated throughout Russia and, as a rule, is considered a youth holiday. The favorite entertainment of young people during this period is carols and various fortune-telling. But how did young people in Russia spend their holy days? Let's talk about all this in more detail.

What kind of holiday is this - Christmas time?

What are holy days? This is a whole holiday complex of Slavic origin. The Christmas period consists of 12 (according to the number of months) and continues from the appearance of the first star (on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, in Kolyada) to the famous holiday of Christmas time has such a Christian tradition.

What is the Christian tradition in this case? Everything is simple! Under the influence of the Christian Church in Russia, the original Slavic holiday - Svyatki - merged with many January Christmas rites. All this led to the fact that it began to be celebrated according to the church calendar - from the Nativity of Christ (on the first star) to the Baptism of the Lord.

Christmas time in Russia has always been divided into 2 periods: and terrible evenings. The first period began with Christmas and lasted a week. The second began immediately after the first and continued until Epiphany. If everything is clear with holy evenings, then why did terrible evenings begin after them?

The fact is that in the old days, Russian peasants blindly believed in evil spirits. They believed that before the Baptism of the Lord, a dark force begins to walk on the ground so that the smoke goes in a yoke. True, not everyone understood that young boys and girls, who were actively mischievous on these holidays, acted as evil spirits. For example, at Svyatki it was customary to plug chimney pipes with something, as well as roll firewood around the yards of civilians.

How were Christmas holidays in Russia?

For a series of January holidays, the village youth in the old days began to prepare in advance. Girls and boys wanted to spend their time these days as much fun as possible. Their favorite pastime was, of course, the legendary caroling. By the way, we owe this custom to the ancient pagan god - Kolyada. So, how were the chants during the winter Christmas time?

In order for the carols to be successful, young people had to walk around the villages holding a star glued from silver paper in their hands. Girls and boys knocked at different houses, and when the doors were opened for them, they happily sang (carols) and congratulated the owners on the current holidays. In return, the guys received some edible (and not so) gifts.

In the old days, it was customary not only to give gifts to caroling young people, but also to hospitably invite young men and women to their home, seating them at their table and treating them to Christmas dishes. What can I say: it was a pleasant job - caroling at Christmas time!

What are holiday masquerades? Let's find out more about this.

Masquerades at Christmas time

On the second day after Christmas, the so-called Christmas masquerades began. Each of the guys tried to make some kind of original mask-mask. For example, young men dressed up as wolves and bears, and girls dressed up as chickens and goats. The essence of such a masquerade was to dress up as skillfully as possible: no one from the whole village was supposed to recognize you!

To do this, it was necessary not only to sew an animal costume, but also to prettyly make up. The guys rubbed their cheeks with black soot, tied a long washcloth to their chin, attached mustaches under their noses, fastened horns on their heads, cut fangs out of turnips, etc. Then a whole horde of disguised youth wandered through the villages, singing and dancing, frightening the children. Passers-by tried to see in them their acquaintances, children, grandchildren. Whoever was recognized, he was obliged to take off his mask-mask.

The most important activity on holy days

What else is famous for winter Christmas time? Of course, guesswork! You can't imagine a better time than this. As you know, the youth in Russia was reputed to be an enviable zeal for knowing their immediate future: young men and especially curious girls loved to open the veil of the secrets of their fate on holy days.

The girls, for example, were eager to know when their wedding day would come and who they were - their suitors. The guys, in turn, were interested in the character of the future bride, her external data. At this time, young people mainly accumulated in churches, in baths and at the so-called evenings, in a word, in places intended for fortune-telling.

Divination and spy songs

Christmas time in January is known for many fortune-telling, it is simply impossible to list all of them, so we will only talk about one. One of the brightest Christmas divinations was the so-called divination with sing-along songs. The girls had to dress up and sit down on benches along someone's hut. Across from them were the young men. Between them stood a table with a tablecloth laid on it. A huge dish of water was placed on it.

You had to throw your jewelry into this dish: earrings, rings, rings. When a girl threw, for example, a ring into the water, she had to make a wish and sing a song. Such songs were called subservient. When the song ended, the young men shook the dish, after which they pulled out any one decoration from there. According to the content of the sung song, they judged the future fate of the owner of this jewelry.

So, in this article, we learned what Christmas time was like: what this holiday is, how and when it was held. But there is something we don't know yet! For example, at one time in the Russian Empire there was a law according to which, on holy days, “playing according to old idolatrous legends” was strictly prohibited, as well as “dancing along the streets and singing seductive songs, dressing up in idol and demonic clothes.” Fortunately, now all this is a relic of the past.

Christmas time is the main winter holiday in Russia. Christmas time, holy days - two weeks of winter holidays, starting on Christmas Eve (January 6) and lasting until Epiphany (January 19), have always been the main winter holiday in Russia. In Svyatki, no one took up any work, fearing misfortune. According to legend, with the beginning of Christmas time, the souls of the dead return from the other world, the fun of evil spirits and witches begin, who celebrate the Sabbath and have fun with the unclean.

Before the adoption of Christianity, Christmas time was the celebration of Svyatovit (one of the names of the supreme god of heaven - Belbog). According to other sources, this word comes from the Old Slavonic "sviatka" - the soul of the ancestors. Christmas rituals in ancient times were spells for the whole year and divination about the future. A distinctive feature of Christmas time were magical rites, divination, signs. The purpose of divination is to learn about the future harvest.

Fortune-telling that accompanied pagan Christmas time has survived to this day

During the Christmas period, Kolyada took place, which was among the ancient Slavs the holiday of the sun that was born, the birthday of the solar year. On the night of Kolyada, bonfires were lit (in the ancient way they lit a sacred fire that burned for 12 days), they danced around, with sentences they rolled a burning wheel from the mountains. The youth, dressed in new shirts, gathered in a hut, danced, listened to fairy tales, exchanged riddles, and, most importantly, dressed up. Dressing is a symbol of the renewal of nature. At home, in the evening and at night, mummers walked - carolers, especially in order to receive ritual food from the owners and express good wishes to them in the coming year, the family's prosperity in the coming year, it was believed, directly depended on the degree of gifting carolers.
Later, the Kolyada feast was replaced by the great feast of the Nativity of Christ. The Church convinced of the sinfulness of many Christmastide rites, in particular, how dangerous fortune-telling is for the Orthodox. And yet, it is believed that in the period from Christmas to Epiphany, fortune-telling ceases to be a demonic act, but becomes just fun.

The main themes of Christmas games and performances are the themes of marriage and funerals.

The main holidays within the Christmas time were Christmas, New Year (Vasil's Day) and Epiphany. On the eve of these days, in the evening, solemn ritual meals were held in each peasant family, characterized by the presence of ritual food, the remains of which, after dinner, were left on the table for the souls of the dead who came at Christmas time and placed on the window or threshold to treat the frost. The ritual feeding of the deceased "parents", that is, all generations of ancestors, who, according to popular ideas, were already part of nature, also attached them to this endless movement of life. It was customary to separate "holy evenings" and "terrible evenings" (the first and second weeks after Christmas, respectively). On "holy evenings" they arranged cheerful nightly gatherings, on "terrible evenings" they guessed. The youth was going to dance, during the day - to ride a sleigh, play snowballs.

During Christmastime, a common family feast was of great importance.

The entire Christmas period was extremely rich in various rites and ritualized actions, in which all members of the village community were involved. With their help, they tried to ensure well-being for the whole year, to find out their fate, to appease the "parents" - deceased ancestors, to protect themselves from evil spirits. So, for example, in the hope of increasing the fertility of livestock on Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - they baked “goats” (“cows”) from dough - cookies in the form of figures of animals and birds. In the hope of a future happy life, they put a sheaf in the red corner of the hut, scattered straw on the floor, fed chickens with kutya, tied fruit trees with ribbons. The most striking ritual action, from which Christmas time began, was the rite of caroling, which was a theatrical spectacle, accompanied by the singing of songs - wishes, greatness to the owners. They usually caroled on the night of Christmas, on St. Basil's Day, on Epiphany Eve.

So, on the first day of Christmas, groups of children, boys and girls, and sometimes adult men performed a ceremony of glorifying Christ: they went to all the houses of the village with a Christmas star and sang special songs in which they glorified the holiday and congratulated their fellow villagers on it. Early in the morning on Christmas and New Year's Day, little boys performed a magical rite of sowing in every house: having entered the hut, the sower scattered grains of different crops, while singing a song congratulating the owners on the New Year. This roundabout rite was aimed at ensuring the harvest in the new agricultural season. The mummers entered in turn into each hut, where the light was on. Teenagers and children sang a Christmas troparion, spiritual songs, carols… The carolers promised a rich harvest and a happy life to those who give refreshments, and all sorts of disasters to the stingy.

Sign: if Christmas turns out without frost, then spring will be cold

Christmas time was celebrated throughout Russia and was considered a youth holiday. Especially bright and cheerful, filled with music, singing, games, they were in the villages of the northern and Central Russian provinces of European Russia, as well as in Siberia. In the Western Russian and South Russian provinces, their celebration was more restrained and calm.

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It was believed that God would punish those who worked at Christmas time: a person who weaves bast shoes on Christmas Eve would have crooked cattle, and a man who sewed clothes would be blinded. The one who is engaged in the manufacture of hoops, yokes, runners for sledges during Christmas time will not receive an offspring of livestock. On the third day after Christmas, the adult population of the village returned to their daily worries and chores, with the exception of those types of work that, according to popular belief, could not be done at Christmas time. The youth, on the other hand, was completely freed from any labor activity and devoted all their time to various entertainments.

The Christmas period can be called the time of active formation of marriage couples of the New Year, which was facilitated by the holding of youth games almost every evening, except for Christmas Eve. Here, boys and girls had the opportunity to look closely at each other. A kind of test of readiness for marriage was the ability of both boys and girls to behave correctly when mummers came to the game. Dressed in a wide variety of outfits and masks, the mummers involved in their numerous games everyone, without exception, who was present at the gathering. In the evenings, young people themselves often “mashkarovalsya” and walked around the village, disturbing and amusing the hosts in every house.

One of the striking features of Christmas time as a transitional period was various kinds of fortune-telling. In every peasant family or the whole community, on the eve of the main Christmas holidays, fortune-telling about the harvest was made. In the evenings, fortune-telling was arranged by the girls. Often, all the inhabitants of the village gathered to tell fortunes with the dish, so that everyone could find out their fate for the next year. Girls and, less often, boys, throughout Christmas time at midnight, performed a wide variety of fortune-telling, hoping to understand whether they would be able to get married or get married in the new year.

If you make a wish on the night before Christmas, it will certainly come true.

Blessing of water on Epiphany Christmas Eve and on Epiphany was also considered as one of the ways to expel evil spirits from rivers, lakes, ponds and wells.

“From Christmas Eve, the sun goes into summer, and winter into frost”

The name "holy evenings" also came from the tradition of not working during Christmas time.

With the advent of Christianity, Christmas time in Russia also began to take on a new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church to Christmas festivities 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 that is not characteristic of a 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 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.

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. Before Baptism, most of the evil spirits receded. In order to finally get rid of the troubles, the people arranged the Seeing off of Christmas time. Yelling, people beat with brooms in the corners, banged on fences, rode horses along the hill, and shot at the sky in the yards. And at the end they shouted: “Go already, carol, with God, and come back in a year!”

Svyatki is a Slavic folk holiday that falls in the winter. Holy week for Orthodox Christians lasts from January 7 to January 19, starting from the Nativity of Christ until the Baptism of the Lord. The Catholic holiday falls on the period from December 25 to January 6.

Story

This event has been celebrated since ancient times. In the 6th century, there was a scripture that speaks of holidays when it is not supposed to celebrate a wedding and bow. In 567, the Second Turonian Assembly celebrates the days from the Nativity of Christ to the Epiphany as holidays.

In the Roman Empire, the unspoken law on caroling and divination was often violated during this period, despite the rules of the Ecumenical Council. In Russia, there was even a law prohibiting ancient idolatry giving, various superstitious games and dressing up as idols to follow. Also in Russia during Christmas time it was forbidden to arrange grandiose festivities with songs and dances.

Traditions and customs

Despite the law, people celebrated Christmas time in their own way. On the first day of the holiday, it was customary to visit relatives and relatives, as well as to pay attention to the poor, disadvantaged and beggars. Many families in Russia helped the destitute by feeding them. They also visited orphanages, orphanages, and hospitals. Even the kings, disguised as commoners, visited prisoners in prisons and served alms on the street to those who begged.

There was a tradition of giving gifts that came from paganism - it echoed the offering of gifts to the Gods. People gave gifts to acquaintances and friends, ranging from penny souvenirs to expensive presents.

The key moment in the celebration of Christmas time was considered a family meal. Women got up early to prepare the table and clean the house. Various dishes were prepared: kutya, sweet pancakes, cookies with nuts, sbiten, poppy seeds, oatmeal jelly. The table was laid for all those present, adding additional appliances for relatives who died in the past year.

The completion of Christmas time was the preparation for Baptism. Tall men from all over the village gathered together and went to the reservoirs. They cut a hole for the upcoming ablution. Usually this was done on the last two days of Christmas time.

celebration

Fortune-telling was an invariable attribute of Christmas time, when young girls gathered and found out their future. The rituals were different, each village had its own divination rules and its own attributes necessary for the ritual. They mostly guessed at suitors, wanting to know the name of the betrothed, his age or appearance. Sometimes they guessed at the date of marriage and the number of children. Adults limited themselves to the signs by which they tried to determine the prosperity in the family in the new year.

Carols, where young people frolicked, were also an obligatory element. Guys and girls dressed up in new clothes, which were previously made before the holiday. During the day, they walked the streets, bawling carols or singing church hymns. They also looked into neighboring houses, where they received treats from hospitable hosts for the songs they performed. During Christmas time in Russia, there was a belief that the well-being of the family in the coming year directly depends on gifts to carolers. Therefore, the owners did not skimp on treats to uninvited guests: they gave sweets, homemade pies, cookies, and pastries. With the onset of night, gatherings were organized where they told each other stories, played the balalaika or accordion.

There were other activities during Christmas time, such as dressing up. Women sewed beautiful sundresses, men prepared the uniform of soldiers, polished their boots. On Christmas Eve, the great dressing up began - the men dressed in women's clothes, and the girls in uniform. The action was relevant for a trip to neighboring villages, where you could fool rustic guys or lure romantic people. Often, girls in military uniforms managed to seduce gullible young ladies from a neighboring village and even persuade them to marry. The jokes ended the next day, but for a whole year the youth then remembered their achievements and successes in dressing up during Christmas time.

Lonely women often rented out their huts for young guys and young ladies who want to have fun during the festivities. To prevent teenagers from going wild, elderly people were sent to such houses, whose task was to keep order. But the youth dodged, watered the elders and arranged fun to the fullest, with songs and dances until the morning.

The church never approved of such amusements, but it was useless to forbid. She struggled with excessive fun, recalling humility between the Nativity of Christ and Epiphany, but she could not completely eradicate folk festivals.

However, there were also “good” traditions – fasting and subbotniks. Fasting took place at the very beginning of Christmas time, when it was customary to pray with the whole family and cook kutya, grain porridge, as the main lenten dish for a meal, the grain of which symbolizes eternity. Subbotniks are ordinary bridesmaids for unmarried girls and free boys. All young people not burdened by marriage gathered in one hut. There, many got acquainted, started relationships and even got married after the subbotnik.

How to spend time between the most joyful winter holidays, what is Christmas time and how they are usually celebrated.

The winter series of holidays leaves no chance for boredom and despondency, the whole of December passes in the cycle of preparing and buying gifts, then with a glass of champagne we cheerfully celebrate the change of year, then Christmas, then Old New Year, then Epiphany, and then until Spring doesn't seem to be that far away.

Our ancestors had a whole tradition of celebrating a special winter period - Christmas time. At this time, it was very important to honor the memory of the departed and to find out the future with the help of divination. The most interesting and important about Christmas time.

Russian tradition of Christmas time

In Russian tradition, it was customary to call the word "Svyatki" a whole month - from December 19, when Nikolin's day was celebrated, or the celebration of St. Nicholas in winter, until January 19 - Epiphany. The very meaning of the word is associated primarily with the cult of the Sun (the sunny day begins to arrive again) and the cult of ancestors. The struggle of cold and heat, darkness and light necessarily ended in the victory of good and life - most of the actions of the period were devoted to this plot.

There is an opinion that in pre-Christian Russia, Christmas time was dedicated to the triumph of Svyatovit - one of the incarnations of the supreme god of heaven, Belbog. Some researchers believe that the word comes from the Old Slavonic "Christmas" - "the souls of the ancestors."

The week from Christmas to St. Basil's Day - the Old New Year - is "holy evenings" filled with goodness and light, and the second half until Epiphany - "terrible evenings" when the world is ruled by rampant forces of evil.

Church tradition of holidays

According to Orthodox customs, this period is noticeably shorter - Christmas time is given only 12 days between Christmas and Epiphany. In the church calendar, these days are dedicated to gospel events: the birth of Christ and his subsequent baptism in the Jordan River. You can't get married these days. These days were officially recognized as holidays at the Second Council of Turon in 567.

Christmas customs

These days it was customary to perform many actions - both cheerful, playful and even hooligan in nature, and quite serious, like magical rites for the well-being of the family and clan in the new year. The ancestors knew how to properly commemorate the departed, and how to guess at wealth, love and prosperity. All actions were carried out in the dark - although, given the longitude of the day, this is quite logical.

Visit with gifts from friends and the needy

In the first days of the holidays, it was always customary to visit friends and relatives, to give gifts - in memory of those gifts that the Magi brought to the Infant. Traditionally, it was considered right to show mercy: remember the poor and sick, help orphanages or shelters, hospital patients and prisoners. Even the kings in almost all Christian countries, disguised as commoners, visited prisons, hospitals and distributed alms and gifts.

Treats for Christmas

One of the main and obligatory moments of Christmas celebrations is a family meal, for which an odd number of dishes were certainly prepared. It was customary to put kutya on the table - a sweet porridge made from rice or soaked wheat grains, sbiten, nut cookies, pancakes and oatmeal jelly with herbs and spices. Be sure to put and additional devices for those family members who went to another world in the past year.

Costumed people and carols

Since ancient times, the Slavs have practiced the custom of dressing up, turning into someone else, putting on the guise of someone else - “okruty”, “skurat”. The spread of Christianity did not greatly affect this tradition, despite the official prohibition of the church.

Carolists in costumes - "praising" - sang songs and hymns, moving on Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve - from house to house, and the owners treated them to ritual food and sweets, after which everyone exchanged good wishes. Children and teenagers especially loved this wonderful tradition.

Ritual songs and games

In addition to carols, shedrovkas were sung - songs with the wishes of God's generosity to the owners of the house and Christoslav - from the name it is clear that these are religious chants. These songs could only be performed during Christmas time. This is the bright side of the holidays.

Dark, werewolf, consisted in games and songs of a different nature. For these rituals, completely different costumes, masks and images were used - disguise was considered a dangerous and sinful business, a disguised person seemed to lend his body and voice to the spirits of his ancestors and the ancient gods. Therefore, at Epiphany, it was imperative to wash off the traces of the celebration in Epiphany water, which is considered holy.

The youth arranged noisy gatherings - often not of the most harmless nature, sometimes there were very frivolous and largely cynical games and jokes, there were frequent fights for an insignificant reason, including well-known fisticuffs and “wall to wall”.

Divination for Christmas time

Fortune-telling can be treated as you like - the church tradition severely condemns such things, but our ancestors very willingly used some ways to look into the future. Fortune-telling was especially popular among girls - they found out whether they would be able to get married within a year, whether the husband would be rich and affectionate, what would be the health of all family members.

Divination on the mirror

This method is known to everyone from Ivan Zhukovsky's poem "Svetlana".

On any day of Christmas time, in the evening, taking a mirror, a candle and a towel with you, you need to go into an empty room alone. Concentrating, put everything on the table and sit in front of the mirror with the words “Betrothed, mummers, come to dinner with me.” Then you just need to look intently in the mirror, trying not to think about anything. After a while, the flame of the candle will begin to flicker, and the mirror will dim slightly.

At this moment, you will need to immediately wipe it with a towel - the groom will definitely appear over the shoulder of your reflection. It is advisable to consider it in order to recognize it later at a meeting, and then shout: “Step away from this place.” If you have the courage not to do this, then the groom, according to rumors, will sit down at the table and put some jewelry out of his pocket. Here, without options, you need to say “Chur!” - that is, to close the divination with a key word that calls for the help of the spirits of the ancestors. It is alleged that this is the gift you will receive in the future from this person. After divination, leave the room with your back forward, be sure to wash your face and hands in running water.

Divination on wax

Suitable for the whole family. Light a few candles on the table, take one in turn and drip melted wax into a bowl of water. Then look at what kind of figure is obtained on the shadow - it is she who will predict the future. When interpreting, include fantasy - as a rule, the “gift of divination” works best in children.

Divination on the ashes

Cut paper into small squares. Burn candles above the flame and look at the ashes in the same way as in the previous case - what kind of figure will be obtained on the shadow.

Divination by words

At midnight, a large group of girls go out into the street and overhear the words of passers-by in turn. It is they who will help to know the future. It is best to conduct the ceremony in silence - if you have fun and talk with might and main, you can listen to something important. Wish for these days - if you suddenly meet a flock of silent girls, say something pleasant and good. It doesn’t cost you anything, and someone may have one of their most cherished desires come true.

Divination on things

A very popular divination method. All those gathered give away one thing at a time - it is better to think over this issue in advance and choose items with a clear and positive symbolism. Rings, earrings, bracelets, small dolls, ribbons, writing pens, coins, small cakes, papers with good wishes - all this is folded under a towel. Then, at random, each one takes out an object for himself - and from it they determine their immediate fate.

Christmas time - this whole period, which begins on Christmas Eve and ends with the Epiphany of the Lord. A number of traditions, customs and signs are associated with this time.

Christmas time is primarily of religious significance. However, over time, Christian and pagan cultures mixed up, and thus many traditions, customs, and even signs were born. From and before Epiphany, people caroled, guessed and arranged noisy events, despite the fact that the church did not encourage such entertainment.

Christmas time has always been divided into three important events: Christmas, Old New Year and Epiphany, so we will consider the traditions, customs and signs of each of these holidays.

Christmas traditions and customs

The celebration of Christmas time began on the evening of January 6th. On this day, before the appearance of the first star, people did not eat anything, and after that, 12 main courses and other treats were traditionally served for dinner.

After the meal, believers went to church, where they could simply take part in worship or pray for themselves and their loved ones.

On Christmas Eve it was customary to finish all the hard work around the house. All day people cleaned up, threw out the trash and prepared to celebrate Christmas. At Christmas, it was necessary to devote as much time as possible to prayers and charitable deeds, so the housewives began to prepare festive dishes on January 6th.

In Russia, at Christmas, they put on the best clothes and went for festivities, and young girls loved to guess at future suitors. At this time, carols were the most common entertainment for young people. From the very morning, girls and boys dressed up, went out into the street, chose the chief, and then walked along the street and entertained passers-by with songs and dances.

Christmas omens

• If the weather is cold and snowy on Christmas Eve, then summer will come early.
• If there are many stars in the sky on the evening of January 6, then the year will be fruitful.
• Snow fell on Christmas - there will be a lot of money all year.
• Generally, warm weather is rare in winter, but if it is clear and sunny at Christmas, then spring will come late.

Traditions and customs of the Old New Year

The Old New Year always began to be celebrated on the evening of January 13th. On this day, they prepared kutya with the addition of butter and honey, and then invited guests and again saw off the outgoing year.

The second week of Christmas time was called terrible. It was believed that at this time, evil spirits roam the earth. To drive them away, on January 14, they prepared kutya and carried it around the houses, treating their friends and neighbors. Our ancestors believed that this is a good way to protect yourself from evil spirits.

The period of matchmaking began with the Old New Year. The young men came to the girls and invited them to the festivities. It was believed that the marriage concluded on January 14 would be eternal, and the love of the newlyweds would never fade away.

For a festive dinner, it was customary to cook a pig. After a long Christmas fast, believers could again treat themselves to meat dishes without any prohibitions or restrictions.

Signs of the Old New Year

• To make the year fruitful and the land fertile, on this day, gardeners shook off snow from apple trees.
• If on the night of January 13-14 the wind is south, then the year will be rich and fertile. East - there will be a lot of berries and fruits. Western - perhaps in the summer there will be a drought, and there will be no good harvest.
• If there are many stars in the sky at night, the year will be profitable.
• It was customary to serve pork dishes on the table, since it is this meat that symbolizes prosperity and well-being.

Traditions and customs of Baptism

On Epiphany Christmas Eve, it was customary to observe a strict fast. Of course, the owners invited guests to their house, but only Lenten dishes were served on the table. The most important dish on the table was kutya with honey, rice, bread and other food cooked without meat, milk and butter were also served.

Even John the Baptist called people to plunge into the waters of the Jordan and baptized them. That is why the rite of bathing in the hole has become popular in Russia. On Epiphany, water has beneficial properties, and, despite the cold, the most courageous people are ready to plunge into the water in order to ensure good health for the whole year.

The night from 18 to 19 January has always been considered special. To witness the miracle, people poured holy water into a bowl and waited for it to sway, and then ran into the courtyard to see the heavenly radiance.

If on Epiphany Christmas Eve you have to give up frills, then there will be no restrictions on the holiday itself. From this day on, the winter meat-eater begins, so there should be as many meat dishes as possible on the table.

Signs related to Baptism

• If there is a lot of snow on Epiphany Christmas Eve, then next year will be rich and fruitful.
• If snow falls on the morning of January 6, next year there will be a lot of buckwheat.
• If the stars are bright in the sky at night on Christmas Eve, there will be a good harvest of berries.
• On the morning of Epiphany, to hear a dog barking - there will be a lot of game.

Christmas time, as usual, ends with Epiphany. One of the fascinating traditions of any holiday is fortune telling. With their help, you can find out what changes will happen in your life in the near future. We wish you good mood and positive emotions, and don't forget to press the buttons and