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Bright week in the Slavic tradition. Bright week, bright week, Easter week - saints - history - catalog of articles - unconditional love

Bright week in folk tradition



Pre-revolutionary Easter postcard
Type	folk orthodox
otherwise	Greek week
Also	Holy Week (Christian)
noted	Eastern Slavs
In 2012	from 15 to 21 April
In 2013	from 5 to 11 May
Traditions	kindling fires, consecrating eggs and Easter cakes, commemorating ancestors, spring-summer festivities for boys and girls, swinging, viewing brides, visiting guests
Associated with	1st week after Easter

A festive week that lasted from Easter to Fomin Sunday. It was considered the beginning of the spring revival, the renewal of life.

Other week names

Easter, Wire (Belarusian), Gremyatskaya week (Chernigov), Red Christmas time, Holy week, Bright week, Great day week, Great week, Joyful week, Grevitskaya week, "Velitsidni" (woodland), Poroznaa week, Bright week ( Christ.) .

Rite of the week

F. Sychkov. Pile game.

A characteristic feature of the folk rituals of Bright Week was the remembrance of the departed ancestors. The commemoration of ancestors did not agree with the practice of church commemorations, as they contradicted the spirit of the holiday - joy on the occasion of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. However, according to folk beliefs, on Easter week, the souls of the dead temporarily return to earth in order to enjoy the spring holiday together with the living. memorial days This week was the first (in some places the second) day of Easter and Nava Thursday. On these days, it was supposed to visit the deceased relatives at the cemetery, christenate with them and invite them to a festive feast. They believed that the dead, having received an invitation, came to houses, sat down at the tables, ate and drank together with the living, stood in the church at the festive liturgy. These days the peasants left the doors of their houses unlocked for them; towels were hung on the windows so that the souls of the dead could find a home on them; they tried not to sew anything, so as not to sew up their eyes; they did not wash, so as not to muddy the waters in front of the dead; they did not lament and weep in the cemetery, so as not to prevent the dead from rejoicing at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and thereby destroy their hope for their own resurrection. The houses of the deceased left, according to popular beliefs, to Radunitsa, and the Earth to Ascension.

On Bright Week, which was considered the beginning of the spring rebirth, the renewal of life, many ritual actions were performed related to marriages. Their initiators and main participants were single youth and newlyweds. Spring-summer festivities for boys and girls began from Bright Week. Bright Week was also the time when bride reviews were held in Russian villages. This happened differently in different villages. For example, in the Pechora district of the Arkhangelsk province, girls, wearing the most beautiful outfit, went out into the countryside to play bacha. Bacha was a long, painted stick, with which it was necessary to knock down a wooden figure set on the ground. The game gathered a large number of people who wanted to look at the girls. In the Oryol province, girls, having put on women's clothes for the first time - poneva, went to the meadow to fry scrambled eggs and have fun without the participation of guys. In the Ryazan province, girls who had entered marriageable age were invited to the square in front of the church. There they stood for some time to show off to everyone, and then rode around the village on horseback. At the same time, they were “offered” as brides to every man they met. On Easter week, girls performed various magical actions aimed at bringing matchmaking and marriage closer. So, dreaming of getting married as soon as possible, the girl was supposed to be the first to get to the bell tower on Great Day and be the first to strike the bell. During the Bright Week, in many regions, reviews of the newlyweds were held, ceremonies were held that consolidated their new social status. In the Vladimir province, for example, newlyweds approached married women who had gathered at their house and gave them a pie and eggs as an “introductory” one. In the Kostroma province married women, having gathered in a group, they came to the house of the newlyweds and demanded that the newlywed let them in. She opened the door for them and said: “Neighbors, my dears, love me and favor me, take me as your girlfriend.” After that, everyone entered the house and treated themselves to festive food.

The whole Bright Week was devoted to entertainment: we went to visit each other, treated ourselves to good fast food. However, there were no excesses in food and drink, the great village-wide revelry with fights, characteristic of patronal holidays, during these bright days, as people called them. The festive meal was held cheerfully, joyfully, but at the same time decorously and dignifiedly. On Bright Week, a lot of people gathered on the village streets: they walked, demonstrating themselves, their children, their outfits, looking at other walkers, singing songs.

"Polivalny or Dragging Monday" (Ukrainian), "Hlopsky Volochevnik" (Belarusian), Mother of God (Slobozhan.)

Velikodensky hotel

On Monday after the Great Day, the godchildren went to visit their godparents, the grandchildren - to their grandmothers, bringing them gifts - pies and krashenki. The same gift (“drawing”) was given to them with them. The villagers went to each other, christened and exchanged Easter eggs or Easter eggs.

In Ukraine, companies of guys, according to custom, went from house to house and congratulated them on the holiday, for which they received eggs, festive bread, and money. All the money went to the treasury of youth groups and was spent, as a rule, on holding youth holidays in autumn and winter with the invitation of girls.

In some places, from Tuesday, and more often from Wednesday, the girls began to dance, so Wednesday was called the "round dance". Round dances continued from that day in the evenings until Trinity.

In Ukraine, on the third day of the “Great Yuletide”, the villagers gathered in a tavern “to the music” in order to spend Christmas time. These three days of the Great Day holidays were a happy time of “visiting”, youth games and fun. Adults were looking for ryast flowers these days, and when they found them, they trampled them, saying: “To wait for the ryast to trample on that year.”

Gradovaya Wednesday, Ice Day (Belarusian), Khorovodnitsa

The fourth day of Great Day in Belarus was called "hail Wednesday" "ice day". On this day, candles were lit in the church against hail. From Bright Wednesday, spring round dances begin in some places, continuing until Trinity Day - every evening.

Nava Thursday (Belarusian)

First Thursday after Easter. In Belarus, in some places, and especially among Catholics, there is a commemoration of the dead in the cemetery. Red eggs are laid on the graves, which the beggars collect the next day for their own benefit. “Nuski great day - a drunken day on the great tyzhny”, “Navsky great day to encourage the dead” (woodland). In Polissya on Easter “go to the cemetery on the first day and on Thursday. They put things in order at the cemetery, but at home they don’t do anything. They go first to the church, and then they go to the cemetery. Bread, colored eggs, Easter, wine. Women tie aprons, men - towels, and everyone - a ribbon.

The celebration was coming to an end, but there were still Easter cakes (paska), krashenka on the tables and sounded everywhere “Christ is risen!” So it was allowed to celebrate for 40 days - until the Ascension itself.

Friday - Forgiveness Day

On a forgiveness day in the Tula province, the father-in-law and mother-in-law of their relatives are called in for young beer. In the Kostroma and Vologda provinces, beer is brewed together. When pouring beer into the lagoons, young and old converge to drink the rest. Each of them, tasting beer, is obliged to say: "Beer is not a miracle, and honey is not praise, but everything is a head, that love is dear."

Saturday - Round dance

Saturday was also popularly called the “round dance”, as it was the height of youth fun. On the same day, in some Siberian villages, they went to “say goodbye to the bells”, since the Easter bell ringing, which had been unceasing all week, had ceased in the evening of that day.

On Easter Saturday in the Vladimir province. there was a custom to “appease the proud”: in the middle of the day, the young relatives visited the newlyweds’ house, while the relatives of the young, if the young woman was “suitable for the house”, tried to please them in everything and appease their desires. In the Yaroslavl province. young people, according to custom, had to stay that day with the parents of the young woman. After visiting their home by "hailers" (see Vyunishnik), the young went on a visit with their parents and close relatives of the young. In the house of the father-in-law, a treat was prepared for them, and the feast itself was called "vyuninami". "Vyunins" were an important transitional moment in the life of the newlyweds, they symbolically completed the rituals of the post-wedding period. Before them, the young man did not leave his wife, and after that he could leave home for a long time, go to seasonal work. After the celebration, the young woman was given the full burden of household duties, from which she was partially released in the previous period.

This day is the height of youthful fun. In the Chernihiv province, the custom of expelling or "seeing off" mermaids is timed to this day.

"Hailing the Young" on Saturday

Among the spring-summer amusements, a gathering of male youth stands out - “ hailing the young", Also called vines, vines, vines, youngsters, junins, vines. detailed picture it is presented in the description relating to the Gorokhovetsky district (Vladimir province). On Easter week, on Saturday on the eve of Krasnaya Gorka, before sunrise, parties of guys gathered in each village - 5, 10, 15 or more people. The hailers dressed in festive shirts, plush trousers, and the best bekeshi. It was supposed to call out to young people who got married after the previous Easter. They started from their own village, and then moved to others, not missing a single young couple. Under the windows of the young, the hailers sang. They danced while singing. The song was sung one and the same, directly related in content to the given custom. It described the very arrival of the hailers, emphasizing their many: "strength - the army brings down." After each couplet, as a chorus, friendly male choir(often very numerous) “called out” in the predawn silence: “Young bindweed, young bindweed!” - an appeal to the newlyweds. The song told about the Vyuntsovo courtyard, which stands "seven miles away", "on cast-iron poles, on copper chains, on silver hooks", surrounded by a white-stone fence with an iron backing, "where on each stamen a dome blooms", and "on each -then the nightingale sings on the dome, ”about a young wife (“she swept away the new hay, found a ringing harp, carried it under the coat, gave it to her husband”), about a youthful vine who amuses his young wife by playing the harp. He consoles her, crying, also with the fact that her relatives will come today: “Father and mother will come, uncle and aunt will come, dear brother will come with daughter-in-law, dear son-in-law will come with dear sister, grandfather will come and grandmother.”

This part of the song reflected a real custom: visiting by relatives of the young newlyweds on Saturday during the Easter week, in the middle of the day, after the arrival of the hailers. Local emphasized in the description the tendency clearly expressed here to “appease the proud,” that is, the wife’s relatives, after the wedding. “Especially if one approaches the house again, the husband and father-in-law, in order to more conveniently adapt her to themselves - to their family, do everything for her and for her relatives that she can please.” Reception of relatives on Saturday of Easter week is among the whole system of mutual visits and refreshments of related families during the first year after the wedding.

The motive of comforting the young with the forthcoming arrival of her relatives was replaced in the song of the hailers with advice, or rather an edification, to wean from her former family and get used to the new one. A detailed list of things followed that could please the father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law and husband. Here the theme of getting used to all relatives and more broadly “to my side” sounded. This part was central, the main one in the chorus called out and expressed the main content of the custom - the introduction of the young to a new life. It was followed by a merry list of what should be dressed up for those who came with a hail (they themselves were also called vines in the song), and it all ended with an expression of respect for the newlyweds.

"Hailing young people" brought refreshments to the hailers. By this description, these are pies, gingerbread, nuts, mash or vodka. The wealthy added money to the treat. The refreshments collected during the hail were exhibited at the evening feast of the youth.

In the Makhlovskaya volost of the Yuryevsky district, along with the male vines, there was a call of the young by the women's choir - "Women's vine".

In some places, the newlyweds were greeted during the day by two, three or more groups of calls, distributed according to the gender and age principle and coming out in a certain sequence. Early in the morning - children, from 12 o'clock - adult men, accompanied by smart girls and women as spectators (Rozhnovskaya volost of Semyonovsky district). In the morning and at noon - boys and girls aged 10-15, at 5-6 pm - the women's party, even later - the men's party (Yuryevets district). It is possible that there was also a performance of the vine by the whole village, led by the old people. It existed along with a purely masculine youth hail. Bypasses of the yards by young people, built according to the type of caroling, happened on Maslenitsa, Easter, Egoriev's Day, Semik. In some places, rounds of courtyards were also noted in the middle of Great Lent - on Wednesday and on the eve of Palm Sunday.

In Ukraine, also under the windows of the young, married for last year and who did not have children, guys under escort musical instruments sang Vyunitsky songs. In Galicia (Yavorovshchina), according to V. Gnatyuk, back in 1870 they performed "ryndzivki". On the second or third day, a company of guys went around late at night with the music of local young women who got married after Christmas and sang:

Greek panna, red Hanuneyka, Not by herself, with witz, with mother. Toby, Ganuneyko, rindzivka, And we have Easter egg kobivka. Toby, Ganuneiko, win, And we have a whole Easter egg. Tobi, Ganuneiko, red painting. And we have forty and six Easter eggs, And in the comoria on a kіlochka Hang Easter eggs in a rіzhochka: There is no one to get up, give Easter eggs

After the end of the song, the young woman carried out several Easter eggs and small money. Having thanked for the gifts, the gang went to the next newlyweds.

"Street"

From the Easter week, spring-summer festivities for boys and girls began. One of the most common entertainments for young people was "street" (in Ukraine) or "pyatak" (in southern Russia) - parties of guys and girls under open sky. The "street", as a rule, gathered in a conditional, predetermined place: in the square in the middle of the village, outside the outskirts, in a green meadow near the river - depending on the area.

The "street" began with Velikodnya and walked all summer - until Semyon the pilot (September 1). Before the start of field work, the youth gathered every evening, and when work began in the field, it was only on Sunday and holidays. Usually the "street" was fun and lively: with music, dancing, songs, flirting. The most respected on the "street" was the harmonist. In addition to songs, dances and round dances during the "street", there were also other fun amusements, which our youth knew a lot. Songs and dances were learned there, the folk tradition lived on, the best comradely qualities developed and true pure love was born.

Wake and matchmaking

A characteristic feature of the folk rituals of the Easter week in some places was the commemoration of the departed ancestors. The commemoration of the ancestors did not agree with the practice of church commemorations, which were not held on Easter week, as they contradicted the spirit of the holiday - joy on the occasion of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. However, according to folk beliefs, on Easter week the souls of the dead temporarily return to earth to enjoy the holiday together with the living. Memorial days of this week were the day of Easter and Easter Thursday. On these days, it was supposed to visit the deceased relatives at the cemetery, christenate with them and invite them to a festive feast. These days the peasants left the doors of their houses unlocked for them; towels were hung on the windows so that the souls of the dead could rest on them; they tried not to sew anything, so as not to sew up their eyes; they did not wash, so as not to muddy the waters in front of the dead; they did not lament and weep in the cemetery, so as not to prevent the dead from rejoicing at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and thereby destroy their hope for their own resurrection. The deceased left the earth, according to popular beliefs, on Fomino Sunday or on Radunitsa. According to others, the souls of those who died a natural death ascended to the Ascension, when "the doors of paradise are opened, the bonds of hell are loosed."

During the Easter week, in many areas, reviews of the newlyweds were held, rituals were held that consolidated their new social status.

On Easter week, which was considered the beginning of the rebirth, the renewal of life, many ritual actions were carried out related to the conclusion of marriages. Their initiators and main participants were single youth and newlyweds. Easter week was also the time when bride reviews were held in Russian villages.

On Easter week, girls performed various magical actions aimed at approaching matchmaking and marriage. So, dreaming of getting married as soon as possible, the girl had to be the first to get to the bell tower on Easter Day and be the first to strike the bell.

A week after Easter, spring weddings began to play from Krasnaya Gorka and Radonitsa.

Notes

Literature

Afanasiev A. N. Poetic views of the Slavs on nature, Volume 3 - M .: 1995.
Valachobnye songs / warehouse. G. A. Bartashevich, L. M. Salavey; stock. musical part of V.I. Yalatau; red. K. P. Kabashnikau; ceded article L. Salavey. - Minsk: Science and technology, 1980. - 560 p.
Vasilevich St. A. Belarusian folk calendar (Belarusian) // Paesia of the Belarusian earthworking calendar. Stock. Lis A.S.. - Mn. , 1992. - S. 554-612.
Gnatyuk V. Carols and schedrіvki. // Ethnographic collection. - Lviv, 1914.(ukr.)
Gromyko M. M. The world of the Russian village. - M .: Young Guard, 1991. - 446 p. - ISBN 5-235-01030-2
Zabylin M. Russian people, its customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry - M .: Book Printshop, 1990.
Ivanitskaya Z. Pysanka: 300 samples - M .: "Mir", 2001.
Hrushevsky M.S. History of Ukrainian Literature, V 6 v. 9 kn / Order. V. V. Yaremenko. - K. : Libid, 1993. - T. 1.(ukr.)
Kvilinkova E. N. Calendar customs and rituals of the Gagauz.
Klimishin I. A. Calendar and Chronology - M.: Nauka, 1990.
Korinfsky A. A. People's Rus'. - Smolensk: Rusich, 1995. - 656 p. - ISBN 5-88590-309-3
Krasavik // Cabinet-museum of the Belarusian culture of the philological faculty of the Belarusian State University.
Maksimov S.V.. - St. Petersburg. : Association of R. Golike and A. Vilvorg, 1903. - 529 p.
People's calendar of Belarusians, Abstract, Krupenko Yu. U. - Minsk: Belarusian National Technical University, 2002.
We celebrate Easter according to all the rules // Newspaper "Magic and Life" No. 7 (2-15.04.2007.) .
Easter / Comp. I.A. Pankeev - M.: OLMA-Press, 2001. 285 p. ISBN 5-224-02154-5
Easter week // Russian Ethnographic Museum.

The first week after Easter is called Bright. Each day of this period is dedicated to a certain activity and has its own name. Grad Wednesday after in Orthodoxy is one of such special days.

What date is hail Wednesday?

To understand what date the hail Wednesday will be in the coming year, you should find out when the Orthodox will celebrate Easter. The first Wednesday after this great holiday is hail, or, according to other sources, ice.

On this day, it is very useful to put a candle in the church and pray from such a misfortune as hail, which can completely destroy the crop and lead to famine. That is why the ancestors honored the hail environment especially. And contemporaries on this day can pray that there are no natural disasters - such an interpretation is more relevant today.

What can not be done in a hail environment?

One of the main questions regarding the hail environment is whether it is possible to work on this day. Since the Bright Week after Easter was devoted mainly to rest by the ancestors, it is undesirable to work during this period. Moreover, the period that was called the “round dance” usually began with the hail environment. Daily round dances, which young people began to lead from Wednesday, continued until another big holiday - the Trinity.

Noisy festivities during Bright Week are not only not prohibited, but also welcomed, the only restriction is on fights. This time was considered the most suitable for dating with the aim of creating. In many villages, various ceremonies were strictly observed to help attract your soul mate.

Bright week was often devoted to visiting not only living relatives, but also the dead. better days to visit the cemeteries were Monday and Thursday. These days it was possible to clean up the graves and decorate them, leaving treats - painted eggs, Easter cake, sweets.

Type: folk orthodox
Otherwise: Gremyatskaya
Also: Holy (Christian)
It is noted: Eastern Slavs
In 2012: from 15 to 21 April
In 2013: from 5 to 11 May
Traditions: kindling fires, consecrating eggs and Easter cakes, commemorating ancestors, spring-summer festivities for boys and girls, swinging, viewing brides, visiting guests.

Rite of the week

A characteristic feature of the folk rituals of Bright Week was the remembrance of the departed ancestors. The commemoration of ancestors did not agree with the practice of church commemorations, as they contradicted the spirit of the holiday - joy on the occasion of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. However, according to folk beliefs, on Easter week, the souls of the dead temporarily return to earth in order to enjoy the spring holiday together with the living. The memorial days of this week were the first (in some places the second) day of Easter and Nava Thursday. On these days, it was supposed to visit the deceased relatives at the cemetery, christenate with them and invite them to a festive feast. They believed that the dead, having received an invitation, came to houses, sat down at the tables, ate and drank together with the living, stood in the church at the festive liturgy. These days the peasants left the doors of their houses unlocked for them; towels were hung on the windows so that the souls of the dead could find a home on them; they tried not to sew anything, so as not to sew up their eyes; they did not wash, so as not to muddy the waters in front of the dead; they did not lament and weep in the cemetery, so as not to prevent the dead from rejoicing at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and thereby destroy their hope for their own resurrection. The houses of the deceased left, according to popular beliefs, to Radunitsa, and the Earth to Ascension.

"Irrigation or Dragging Monday" (Ukrainian)

Baths, Tuesday

The name "bath" is popularly associated with Tuesday. In the old days, there was a custom to pour cold water on those who slept through matins on this day. The Gustin chronicle spoke about this custom as a relic of ancient paganism, linking it with the deification of the Mother - Raw Earth.

hail environment

Nava Thursday (Belarusian)

First Thursday after Easter. In Belarus, in some places, and especially among Catholics, there is a commemoration of the dead in the cemetery. Red eggs are laid on the graves, which the beggars collect the next day for their own benefit. “Nuski great day - a drunken day on the great tyzhny”, “Navsky great day to encourage the dead” (woodland). In Polissya, on Easter, go to the cemetery on the first day and on Thursday. They put things in order at the cemetery, but at home they don’t do anything. They go first to the church, and then they go to the cemetery. Bread, colored eggs, Easter, wine. Women tie aprons, men - towels, and each - a ribbon.

Friday - Forgiveness Day

Saturday - Round dance

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bright Week (Easter Week)- a festive week that lasted from Easter to Krasnaya Gorka. It was considered the beginning of the spring revival, the renewal of life. In 2018, a continuous Bright Easter week from April 9 to April 14.

Grad Wednesday, Ice day (Belarus), Round dance

The fourth day of Great Day in Belarus was called "hail Wednesday" "ice day". On this day, they do not work, and in the church they put candles from hail, "so that the bread would not be beaten with hail." From Bright Wednesday, spring round dances begin in some places, continuing until Trinity Day - every evening.

In southeastern Bulgaria, the rite of Mara Lishanka was performed on this day, in order to bring rain and protect the fields from hail.

On Wednesdays of the "Great Yuletide" many villagers staged dances and fun. Both adults and children gathered "to the music" to spend Christmas time. These three days of the Great Day holidays were a happy time of visiting, youth games and fun. Adults were looking for ryast (corydalis) flowers these days, and when they found them, they trampled them, saying: "To wait for the ryast to trample on that year."

Sermons on the Days of Bright Week:

About Witnesses and False Witnesses

Light environment.(John 1:35-51; Acts 2:22-36)

Christ is Risen!

The gospel today speaks of the first disciples of the Lord, and the book of the Acts of the Apostles tells how they first went out to preach. Between these two events a little more than three years.

All this time the Apostles were inseparably with Christ, they heard a lot, saw a lot, and even themselves were worthy of the grace of God to heal the sick and cast out demons. But it cannot be said that they have changed noticeably in these three years. Either they have doubts, or bewilderment, or misunderstanding, or disputes. And later - and fear, and cowardice, and renunciation.

But a few more days pass, and the disciples boldly go out into the street and in front of crowd of thousands preach Christ. And these are other people. They do not look back, they are not afraid of threats or suffering. They don't care about death itself.

What happened during these few days?

—And what happened was what the divine services of Passion Week and subsequent bright days were dedicated to. The teacher was condemned, killed and buried, and suddenly, on the third day, he appeared resurrected! And not like the son of the widow of Nain, or like Lazarus, who received only a temporary reprieve. Christ is risen not to die forever; appeared in a new, spiritual body, to which nothing can harm.

“Having seen the Resurrection of Christ,” the Apostles undoubtedly believed in their own coming resurrection. They got rid of the fear of death that made them slaves. They went out all over the earth, proclaiming that "this Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses." For the Apostles, Christ was truly resurrected, and therefore they became truly different. Therefore, people believed them and answered: “Truly, Christ is risen!”

And when we say: “Christ is risen,” we hear in response: “If He is truly risen, then why don’t you yourself live according to His commandments?” We say: “Christ is risen,” and they answer us: “If He truly has risen, then why do you experience the death of your loved ones with such immeasurable sorrow?” We say: “Christ is risen,” and we answer: “If He has truly risen, then why are you no less attached to earthly things, to things that are corruptible, to the comforts of life, to things?”

And we have nothing to answer. We turn out to be liars before people, because we announce the greatest event, while we ourselves live as if it never happened.

Bishop Theophan the Recluse writes: “The words of the Angel “preach and preach to the world” in relation to us mean that live in such a way that your life is a single word: “Christ is risen”, and so that looking at you, all people can say: “Truly he is risen "- because apparently lives in His followers."

The article is based on materials from open Internet sources

Holy Pascha is celebrated in the most solemn way in all Christian countries. For the Orthodox, Easter is perhaps the most beloved religious holiday. Maybe because other holidays (for example, Christmas) are very serious and solemn, and Easter is always fun, and spring is in the yard. In addition, Easter was celebrated not only by believers. This is a national holiday originating from pre-Christian times. And in Soviet times people baked Easter cakes, painted eggs, prepared Easter.

Christian Easter is called from the Greek "paschein" - to suffer. For a worthy meeting of Easter, people are preparing for six weeks of Great Lent (during Lent, mainly animal products are excluded from the diet - meat, milk, butter, cheese, eggs, sometimes fish). Lent begins on a clean Wednesday and ends on Great Saturday, the day preceding the bright Sunday of Christ. From the first to the last day, the fast is dedicated to the memory of the forty-day fast of Jesus Christ in the wilderness.

The week leading up to Easter Palm Sunday and until the bright resurrection of Christ, is called passionate. On the days of Passion Week, services in churches remind and tell believers about last days the life of Christ on earth. Maundy Thursday, or, as it is otherwise called, Maundy Thursday, recalls the last communion. On Friday, Christ was crucified on the cross, and on the bright Sunday of Christ, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is celebrated.

At first, Easter was associated with the "Last Supper" and the subsequent sufferings of Christ, and from the 5th century it began to be celebrated as bright and joyful holiday"Resurrection of Christ".

The service to the Resurrection of Christ partly begins at Vespers before the Liturgy Great Saturday, in all the same triumph and idleness - in the morning, oversleeping which was considered an unforgivable sin.

The morning service in the churches at Easter, during which the parishioners meet the sunrise together, has its roots in the traditions of ancient pagan spring festivities held in honor of the rising luminary. On Easter Day, it is customary to wear new clothes as a symbol of new life. This tradition comes from the first Christians who were baptized at the dawn of the first Easter day of new converts to their faith. Those who were subject to baptism came to church that day, dressed up in new white shirts.

In the old days in Russia for all days of the week, starting from Monday, for common people swings, carousels, booths where comedians performed, and other spectacles were arranged. The rest of the population paid congratulatory visits to relatives and friends and rode in carriages. Each city or village was resounded with bells until vespers. Everyone who wished was allowed to practice the art of bell ringing.

Previously, during Easter, they were engaged in all kinds of games, but today the Easter procession is just a tribute to tradition. With regard to the relatively recent custom of visiting cemeteries on the first day of Holy Pascha, it is believed that this custom is removed from the consciousness of the church, because. this violates the tradition of sacred rites. On the day of Easter, it is supposed to celebrate and glorify the Bright Sunday of Christ. On Tuesday of the second week of the holiday, we communicate this news that "death is swallowed up in victory" to our departed, uniting with them in common joy. According to custom, native graves should be visited on the Sunday following Easter (on Krasnaya Gorka), on Tuesday morning or Monday evening, attend a funeral service, prayerfully remembering relatives and friends on the bright holiday of Radunitsa.

is the longest holiday of the year. Each day of the Easter holidays had its own ritual.

Monday and Tuesday- "bathing". They poured water over those who overslept the morning prayer.

Wednesday- "hail". "On Wednesday in Bright Week they do not work so that the bread is not beaten with hail."

Thursday- Easter of the dead, commemoration of deceased relatives.

Friday- "forgiveness day." Relatives and friends asked for forgiveness from each other. Father-in-law and mother-in-law invited young people who got married before Easter to visit.

Saturday- a round dancer.

Sunday- Red hill. Usually weddings were played, young people walked. This is a bright Easter week (Bright Week). During the entire Paschal week, the royal doors, the northern and southern doors in the altar are not closed. According to folk beliefs, the gates to paradise are opened in heaven during the Easter week, and anyone who dies at this time goes straight there.

The holiday was 40 days before the Ascension. This day ended the Easter celebrations. Then follows the everyday Fomin week.

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