To start brightly, Christmas must go according to all the rules. On the eve of the holiday of January 7, you must definitely go to church, confess and receive communion, and stand for the service. On Christmas Eve, traditional Lenten dishes are served on the table, and the meal begins with kutia. Then many go to bed, only to wake up in the morning with the news of the Nativity of Christ. But some, especially young girls, also tell fortunes on this night.
The whole point is that Christmastide should begin on January 6 and continue until January 18. This is the festive period from Christmas to Epiphany, when in Rus' it was customary to tell fortunes. This is how it will happen this year, Christmastide will begin on January 6 and will continue until Christmas Eve before Epiphany on January 18, followed by the big holiday on January 19, Epiphany according to the Orthodox calendar.
Christmas Holidays: what is it?
It should be noted right away that in Rus' the “Yuletide” period was festive, and the name Svyatki itself is short for Holy Days. The beginning of this wonderful period coincides with Christmas Eve, that is, Christmas Eve on January 6th. On this day, fasting is strict and it is recommended not to eat until the first star appears in the sky. The Nativity Fast itself, which began on November 28, will end on January 7 on the morning of the Nativity of Christ.
Christmastide never falls outside of summer; this festive period lasts a certain number of winter days. Christmastide always falls at the beginning of the year and has strict specific dates, which also do not change from year to year. That is, starting every year on January 6, Christmastide ends with Epiphany, which, according to the Orthodox calendar, is celebrated every year on January 19. During this holiday, you should try to avoid housework.
Wedding ceremonies are not held in churches; children can be baptized. As for fortune telling, the church is categorically opposed to it, but folk tradition says that Christmas time is the best period for fortune telling throughout the year.
Fortune telling for Christmastide
So, the church believes that fortune telling is a sin and deeply religious people try to avoid such rituals. But in Rus' some pagan traditions were preserved, which were later woven into Christian rituals and celebrations. As a result, it turned out that the Christmastide period is best time for carrying out various kinds of fortune-telling.
You can read more about how Christmas fortune-telling is carried out in a separate section. There are many proven methods among the people that correctly predict fate, but it is important to do everything correctly. The most popular are fortune telling with mirrors, wax, shoes and even bulbs. Christmastide ends on January 19 at Epiphany, then it is time to stop all fortune-telling.
Signs and traditions of Christmastide:
1. On January 6, before Christmas, on Christmas Eve, you need to observe strict fasting and not eat anything during the day, drink only water. On Christmas Eve you need to wait for the first star and only when the fast ends can you sit down to eat festive table.
2. At the beginning of the meal, the head of the family distributes bread soaked in honey to everyone with wishes for all the best in the new year.
3. On the table on Christmas Eve before Christmas there must be kutia (made from millet and rice with the addition of dried fruits, nuts and honey), as well as broth (made from dried fruits).
4. Before the festive table is covered with a tablecloth, a little hay should be placed on it as a symbol of the fact that Jesus’ manger was in a stable.
Fortune telling for Christmastide among Slavic peoples is traditionally carried out in January. Christmas fortune-telling in January begins on Christmas Eve and ends on Epiphany, that is, it takes place from January 6 to January 19.
The most favorable time for fortune telling among the Eastern Slavs was considered to be Christmas, Vasilyevsky and Epiphany evenings - turning points, the most dangerous, border periods, when the Yuletide evil spirits are especially strong. are rightfully considered the most truthful.
A huge variety of methods for Yuletide and Christmas fortune-telling have been invented in Rus', but the main theme of all Yuletide fortune-telling is Christmastide fortune-telling for the betrothed (groom).
This is understandable, because in ancient times, the fate of a girl depended entirely on how successfully she would get married, and therefore everyone was interested in how to tell fortunes for a girl at Christmas time.
Learning how to tell fortunes at Christmas time is very simple; you don’t need any special abilities.
Christmastide fortune telling for your betrothed using a mirror
If you decide to tell fortunes on Christmas Day, then for this fortune-telling you need two mirrors, and one of them should be twice or three times larger than the other. They need to be placed opposite each other in such a way that a kind of mirror corridor is formed.
You can tell fortunes about Christmas time using a mirror only after midnight. The fortune-telling girl needs to place candles on the sides of the small mirror, light them and sit behind it, then patiently look into the large mirror to see the image of her betrothed in the resulting mirrored corridor.
When this happens, take a previously prepared clean scarf and cover the mirror with it - the smaller one.
Fortune telling on a cherry branch for Christmas
If a girl wanted to find out whether she was destined to get married this year, she had to break a cherry twig in someone else's garden and put it in water. By how quickly she sprouted leaves and flowers, they could judge whether there would be a wedding in the near future.
If there are leaves for Christmas, the wedding will take place next year. If the leaves appear after Christmas, the groom will show up, but he will not rush into the wedding. If the leaves do not have time to appear, but are swollen, almost a wedding is likely by the end of the year.
If the twig throws out not only leaves, but also flowers, then this year the girl will not only become a wife, but will also have time to have offspring. But if the twig freezes and produces neither leaves nor flowers, you shouldn’t dream of marriage yet.
Christmas fortune telling by candles
Simple Christmas fortune telling involves the use of candles. Take wax or paraffin candles white(holiday colored candles are not suitable for fortune telling), place in a metal bowl, melt over a fire and immediately pour into a container with cold water.
The figure formed in this case will predict the future that awaits the fortuneteller.
What do figures formed from wax mean?
House - soon acquiring a new household; For a girl, this is primarily due to her marriage.
Shapeless ruins are a misfortune in the near future.
A pit, small cave or grotto is the most undesirable figure, since it symbolizes a burial place and predicts a serious illness or imminent death.
Trees - they can be interpreted in different ways: upward-pointing tree branches promise quick joy, drooping branches - sadness, melancholy and boredom.
A ring or candle definitely predicts an imminent wedding.
A pancake that has settled to the bottom, on the contrary, promises a long girlhood.
Christmas fortune telling for your future husband
To see their future husband, from time immemorial girls have resorted to the following fortune telling. On the night before Christmas, an unmarried girl should place scissors and bread under her pillow before going to bed.
After this, you cannot talk to anyone, but you must immediately go to bed. In your dream you will definitely see your future spouse.
And in order not to forget the dream in the morning, when you wake up, do not look out the window, but try to remember as clearly as possible the image of your betrothed in the dream.
Yuletide hair fortune telling
At midnight, pour water into a bowl and add a pinch of ash, a pinch of sugar and a pinch of salt. Mix the water thoroughly, and when it “calms down,” throw two hairs into it: one of yours, and the other of a loved one. Leave the bowl until the morning.
If the next morning the hair is intertwined, then the wedding is just around the corner. If the hairs are at some distance from each other, it means that the hour of separation is near.
A drowned hair predicts a serious illness, and possibly the death of the one to whom it belongs.
Christmas fortune telling with a ring
Take an ordinary glass with smooth walls, a flat bottom and no pattern, pour water into it 3/4 of the volume and carefully lower the wedding ring into the middle of the bottom.
The ring must be pre-washed in running water so that it does not carry the information of its owner.
Look closely at the very center of the ring, saying the words: “My betrothed, come to me,” you can see the betrothed. To see it, you may have to look into the ring for quite a long time.
Christmas fortune telling on four glasses
You will need four glasses, which need to be filled halfway with water. Add half a teaspoon of sugar to the first glass, the same amount of salt to the second, put bread in the third, and lower the ring into the fourth.
Then turn away, ask to be blindfolded, and turn around your axis 2 times. At this time, your friend or girlfriend should rearrange the glasses.
When you stop, choose one of them. If you take a glass of sugar, it means that the New Year will be rich in happy moments and will bring harmony in your personal life and success in the financial sphere.
If there is salt in the glass, be prepared to face difficulties in the new year; you will have to fight for success and achieve everything with your own labor.
A glass of bread promises good profits in the new year, the financial sector will be in perfect order. Well, the ring speaks of an imminent marriage or addition to the family.
Fortune telling on a wish for the Old New Year
A couple of minutes before the onset of the old New Year, write a wish on paper. When the chimes begin to strike, set the piece of paper on fire.
If it has time to burn out in the old year, the wish will certainly come true; if it burns out in the new year, it is unlikely to come true.
Yuletide fortune telling on logs
Approach the woodpile backwards and select a log by touch. If it is even, smooth, without knots, the spouse will come across with an ideal character:
- the log is thick and heavy - the husband will be wealthy,
- there are many knots - a family will have many children,
- crooked log - the husband will be askew and lame or angry,
- the log is even, with smooth thin bark - the husband is handsome and young,
- thick, rough bark - ugly husband,
- the bark on the log is peeled off in places or completely missing - the husband is poor,
- cracked log - the husband will come across old, pockmarked, with a physical disability,
- a large log is a strong, strong husband,
- a knotty log means the family will be large: each knot is a future child.
Christmas fortune telling for the Old New Year with a mirror and decanter
On the night of January 13-14, place a transparent glass carafe with water on a flat surface. Behind him there should be a mirror, and on the sides there should be three burning candles.
As soon as the clock strikes midnight, look closely at the mirror through the decanter. Most likely, you will see in it what awaits you next year.
Christmastide fortune telling by shadows
This type of fortune telling, due to its simplicity and clarity, is very common among modern girls. The girl sets fire to a sheet of paper crumpled by her hand, and then looks at the shadow of the burning paper on the wall - this is the first stage of fortune telling, even at this stage quite clear images can arise.
Everyone takes a blank sheet of paper, crumples it, puts it on a dish or on a large flat plate and sets it on fire.
When the sheet burns or almost burns, it is displayed on the wall with the help of a candle - this is the second and main stage. By carefully examining the shadows, they try to find out their future from the images of the shadows.
Christmastide fortune telling for the gender of the child
On Christmas Eve, pregnant women used simple fortune-telling to find out whether they were going to have a boy or a girl.
To do this, take a needle and thread a thread about twenty centimeters long into it. If the needle moves in a circle above your palm, it will be a girl. If it sways from side to side, expect a boy.
Christmas time is a special part winter holidays, which begin on Christmas Eve on the evening of January 6, and end with the Epiphany of the Lord, that is, January 19. The first week of the Yuletide holidays was considered holy, but the second was called terrible. But we will now find out why they thought so in Rus'.
Christmas time in 2016 - from January 6 to January 19
The Slavs always celebrated Christmastide, but after the Baptism of Rus', pagan and Christian cultures mixed. Because of this situation, during this period they wondered, and caroled what the church condemned, and prayed, and went to church, and much more.
Since ancient times, Christmastide was divided into three holidays - Christmas, Old New Year and the Baptism of the Lord. The entire celebration could last for several days and each of them was accompanied by its own special traditions, beliefs, customs and rituals. Well, let's look at each of them.
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve, or as it is also called Holy Evening, is celebrated on January 6, when the first star appears. On the eve of Holy Evening, all Orthodox Christians observe a strict Christmas fast for 4 days, and it ends on Christmas Eve. In addition to intensive preparations for Christmas, on this day it was customary to visit the temple where our ancestors received communion, confessed, and prayed. When the liturgy ended, the clergy usually took a candle to the center of the church and read the troparion to the Nativity of Christ.
They began to celebrate the holiday after the first star for a reason. According to legend, when Christ was born, the Magi saw the brightest star, and this was a sign that a king was born. Therefore, they decided to go to him and present gifts that can only be given to a king - gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Christmas Eve Traditions
The holiday began with a festive dinner. A new white tablecloth was always laid on the table, and hay was placed under it, which lay until the Generous (Vasiliev) evening. Dinner was quite plentiful - meat, fish, pickles, pies, pancakes and much more. Also, special cookies in the shape of goats, cockerels, cows and other animals were necessarily baked for the holiday.
By the way, the name of this holiday appeared for a reason. Before the appearance of the first star, it was possible to eat only so-called sochivo - soaked wheat grains, to which various fruits and honey were added. Today this tradition has changed a lot - instead of sochik, we prepare kutya and not from soaked wheat grains, but from rice.
In addition to the sheaf of hay that was placed under the tablecloth, the same sheaf (or Didukh) was placed in a vase in the most honorable place on the table, on which Lenten dishes were already generously displayed. In general, the tradition of introducing the Christmas didukh was quite solemn and is somewhat reminiscent of the installation of a festive tree today.
And after the first star appeared, they always lit the first candle and placed it on the table. At the end of the festive meal, all the treats were not removed, but were left for deceased relatives. After all, according to legend, they also came to the holiday.
On Holy Evening, the owner of the house shared prosvira or a slice of bread soaked in honey with each family member. Handing over this delicacy, he always said congratulations and wishes for all the best.
As we already mentioned, we spent most of our time preparing for Christmas. Therefore, even before dawn, it was necessary to burn seven logs and use them to cook twelve dishes for Christmas.
Nativity
There is no need to talk about the history of Christmas, because everyone knows it almost from the cradle. And about how the Virgin Mary and her husband went to Bethlehem, and about how King Herod pursued them, and about how the baby was miraculously saved. And after Christianity appeared, this day began to be celebrated in many countries around the world. Moreover, every culture has its own unique and unusual traditions. It is worth noting that most often such customs also have pagan roots, but now we will tell you about everything in order.
Traditions for Christmas
On the night of January 6-7, the whole family tried to stay awake and in their houses they made sure that the Christmas candle did not go out. And the service in honor of Christmas was not held in the morning, as in all Orthodox holidays, and at night. Even the children tried to stay awake and took some of the treats that were left over from Christmas Eve to their grandparents. In the morning, they didn’t leave the house again, only married couples had to visit their parents, telling all their friends that they were “bringing dinner to grandfather.”
Particular attention should be paid to Christmas dinner. As you know, there must be 12 dishes on the table according to the number of apostles. On Christmas, they usually set the richest table; in addition to these twelve dishes, housewives also prepared meat dishes, many pies, jellied meat, uzvar, and baked bread. And the main dish at the holiday was pork. In general, the table was bursting with an abundance of various treats. Another tradition was to place a lucky coin in a birthday cake. Whoever gets it will not know grief all year and will definitely catch luck by the tail.
Until the evening, the streets were usually empty, people spent this holiday at home family table. But after the festive meal, the villages became noticeably livelier, as they began to sing carols. Married couples usually stayed at home or simply went to visit someone’s home, but unmarried young people gathered at a temple or school, where they first chose Birch, that is, the most important one, who led the caroling. And then everyone else - the latkovsky - he collected lard and sausages, the bread bearer, the treasurer, the star (wears a star), bell ringers, dancers, violinists. After which they went caroling and this process could last for several nights in a row until they visited every house in the village.
And, of course, it could not be done without fortune-telling. For this purpose, as usual, the girls gathered after holiday celebrations from one person and began to guess about the betrothed.
old New Year
The Old New Year is another interesting feature in Slavic culture. In another way, it is also called Generous Evening, and all because, just like on Christmas Eve, on January 14 they prepared kutya, but this time it was not so lean, you could add butter or lard there.
On the night of January 13-14, it was believed that all evil spirits came out on Earth, which is why the second week of Christmastide was considered terrible. And in order to ward off evil spirits, at night teenage girls went around delivering kutya to houses, that is, they were generous and all this was necessarily accompanied by songs, otherwise it would not be possible to ward off the evil spirits. And the next morning the boys went home to sow seeds. After all, according to the sign, the man was supposed to be the first to enter the house on January 14th. Then the whole year will pass happy, carefree and joyful.
In the evening of the Old New Year, the whole family also gathered at the festive table, after which everyone solemnly went out into the courtyard to burn the Didukh. They immediately threw them into the same fire old clothes and tried to put on a new one. It was considered a symbol of renewal, good changes and getting rid of old problems.
On Generous Evening, kutia was prepared in a special way. For this purpose, the whole family gathered at exactly 2 am. After which, the eldest woman in the family always brought cereal, and the eldest man brought water. Then the stove was heated, but under no circumstances should you touch the cereal with water until it floods. The woman stirred the still raw porridge, saying special words, and put it in the oven with a bow. On this day, the whole family also makes dumplings, and one of them, or maybe several, contains a surprise. For the meal, everyone must be in clean clothes, or better yet, new ones. But after dinner, families usually went to visit their neighbors to ask for their forgiveness.
Another tradition that is associated with this holiday is matchmaking, or more precisely, a guy who was denied marriage can try his luck again and propose to the same girl twice.
Epiphany
This holiday was also previously called hungry kutya, because until the priest blessed the water it was impossible to eat. This is the last holiday of Christmastide and on this day the last time they prepared festive kutya. On Epiphany, a liturgy was celebrated from the very morning, after which everyone hurried to the nearest body of water to bless the water. On Christmas Eve, it was customary to put one spoonful of three dishes into a separate pot, which were eaten by the one who was the last to come from the river on Epiphany.
But old women and young girls were in a hurry to collect snow from stacks that day, each for their own purposes. Grandmothers believed that Epiphany snow could whiten their linen, and girls wanted to use it to whiten their skin. Before the festive dinner, the owner of the house always took the festive kutya and brought it to the window, addressing the winter frost: “since the frost does not come into the house, let it not come to the harvest.”
Signs for Christmastide
On Sechelnik, during meals, everyone tried to behave with restraint and talk as little as possible, otherwise the year would be extremely unsuccessful. And they tried not to seat unmarried and unmarried young people on the corner of the table, otherwise they would never find their family.
If it snows on Christmas Eve, then this year there will be a good harvest, and the capital in the family will only grow.
And when it’s frosty and cold at Christmas, there will be only harmony, love and mutual understanding in families.
To ensure that there was always something to eat in the house and no one was left hungry, our ancestors tried to eat at least one spoonful of each dish. At the same time, it was also impossible to eat everything at once, because then there would be hunger all year.
If the porridge on Old New Year turned out to be crumbly and tasty, then the year would pass successfully and happily, but if on the contrary, then they tried to throw it away as quickly as possible, otherwise trouble in the family would not be avoided.
You cannot lend anything on Old New Year's Day, otherwise you will spend the whole year as a debtor.
Probably never more than on Epiphany have we rejoiced over cloudy and humid weather, because it foretells a good and bountiful harvest in the summer. But if, on the contrary, the weather was clear and warm on December 19, then many were upset, because the summer would then be dry, which means the harvest would be poor.
If there are many stars in the sky on Epiphany, then this indicates not only a good harvest, but also a rich offspring of livestock. The fact that there will be a bountiful harvest in the coming year is also indicated by a lot of snow on this day.
Christmastide is a period of national winter holidays. In 2021, Christmastide begins on January 6 (on Christmas Eve, from the moment the first star rises in the sky) and ends on January 18 (on Epiphany Eve, after the blessing of Epiphany water). These holidays The Slavs call it “from the star to the water.” The name "Svyatki" comes from the verb "to sanctify". During this period, Orthodox Christians sanctify (glorify) Jesus Christ.
The content of the article
history of the holiday
The first mention of Christmastide dates back to the 4th century. During this period, Greek Christians held public festivities for two weeks after Christmas. In Rus', after the adoption of Christianity during the Yuletide period, the pagan rituals of mumming, fortune-telling, and dancing were preserved. Orthodox Church At first she did not support Slavic pagan rituals. Then representatives of the clergy came up with a “solution to the problem” - the tradition of dipping into an ice hole on a river or lake in the form of a cross on Epiphany. This ritual helped to wash away the sins that were committed during Christmas time.
Traditions and rituals of the holiday
On Christmastide, people go to churches for services and perform the sacrament of communion. These days it is customary to show mercy: visit hospitals and orphanages, give alms to the poor, and make charitable contributions. For young people, this period is associated with folk festivities. In rural areas, ancient traditions are honored: caroling, fortune telling for the future and the betrothed.
6th January. January 6th is Christmas Eve. On this day, after the rise of the first star in the sky, which symbolizes Star of Bethlehem, Christmas time begins.
Housewives prepare 12 Lenten dishes for the festive dinner, which represent the 12 apostles. The main dish is kutia (sochivo). The main drink of the festive table is uzvar made from dried fruits, rose hips and honey. Kutya and uzvar symbolize eternal life, the birth and death of Jesus Christ. Kutia is a dish used to commemorate the dead, and uzvar is prepared in honor of the birth of children.
After dinner, believers go to churches for an all-night vigil. At Christmas Eve services, festive chants are sung and bread, wheat, wine and oil (oil) are blessed. At the end of the service, the parishioners are anointed.
On the evening of January 6, young people organize caroling. Carolers dress up in skins, paint their faces, go from house to house and sing ritual songs in which they glorify Jesus Christ, members of the family of the owner of the house. For this they are given sweets and money.
On the evening of January 6, Christmas fortune-telling begins. On Christmas night it is customary to cast spells and make wishes.
Jan. 7. Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. On the morning of this day, people return home from night services. Those who adhered to the 40-day Nativity fast begin to break their fast. Housewives set a festive table, which includes modest dishes (containing meat and eggs). On January 7, people relax and visit each other.
13th of January. January 13th is Vasilyev's evening. On this day people read prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ. Housewives prepare kutya, dumplings, festive meat and fish dishes for a festive dinner, bake pancakes, pies, pies. In the corner of the room they place a sheaf of ears of straw - didukh, which is burned after the Christmas holidays. There is a widespread tradition among young people to be generous (caroling). The generous people go from house to house and sing ritual songs. For this, the owners reward them with money and sweets. On Vasilyev's evening, young girls gather in groups and arrange Christmas fortune-telling. On the night of January 14, it is customary to make wishes.
January 14. The Old New Year falls on January 14th. In the morning on this day, young boys go home, sow grain from their sleeves and sing sowing songs. After January 14, people remove Christmas trees and New Year's decorations from their homes.
January 18. Epiphany evening is celebrated on January 18th. On this holiday, believers attend the Divine Liturgy. In churches, a great consecration of water is carried out, which parishioners bring home, sprinkle their homes with it and store it all year round. On Epiphany evening, believers adhere to strict fasting. They start eating only after the first star rises in the sky. Sochivo and uzvar are always present on the tables.
People believe that on the night of January 18-19, devilry. To protect themselves from evil spirits, on this day they draw crosses with chalk on the doors of houses, barns and gates.
Fortune telling for Christmastide
Fortune telling is a favorite pastime during the Christmas season. With the help of magical rituals, people try to look into the future and find out what events to expect in the near future. Unmarried girls try to find out the wedding date or the name of the future groom. To perform rituals, they use special attributes: water, candles, mirrors, rings, needles, and household items.
Signs and beliefs
- During the Yuletide period, hunters should refrain from hunting, otherwise disaster may occur.
- From Christmas Eve (January 6) to the Old New Year (January 14), housewives are not allowed to sweep dirty linen in public. Then you need to sweep up all the garbage, take it out into the yard and burn it so that the year passes in peace and prosperity.
- At dinner on Christmas Eve (January 6), you need to taste all the dishes that are on the table so that there is prosperity and satiety in the house.
- If the weather is warm on Christmas Day (January 7), spring will be cold.
- If on Vasiliev's evening (January 13) the hostess managed to prepare crumbly and tasty kutya, then the family will be accompanied by good luck and happiness all year.
During Christmas time, an atmosphere of magic reigns on earth. During this period, dreams and magical rituals take on a special meaning. People try to have fun every Christmastide. On these holidays, they sled and skate, visit holiday fairs, and visit each other.
What is Christmas time? What date are they in 2020? How were Christmastide celebrated in Rus'? What were the traditions? Read about it in our article!
Christmas time in 2020
Christmastide begins immediately after the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
- Dates in 2020: from 7 to 17 January.
- Dates in 2021: January 7 to 17.
- Dates in 2022: from 7 to 17 January.
What are Christmastide?
What do we associate with Christmastide? With laughing rosy faces, sleigh rides, gifts and other simple, joyful and cheerful things. With only one caveat: as a rule, all these pictures are not painted for us. personal experience, but literary classics of past centuries. Heroes of Pushkin, Gogol, Tolstoy take part in the Christmas games, and they come from completely different walks of life. Our ancestors knew how to rejoice. Maybe we should learn from them?
How old are Christmastide?
The tradition of celebrating Christmastide is rooted in such ancient times that not even oral traditions remain from those times. When Prince Vladimir threw pagan idols into the Dnieper, the custom was already five hundred years old. And even when Rurik founded Novgorod, Christmastide was no longer young.
Employees of the Russian Ethnographic Museum claim that in pre-Christian Rus', Christmastide was associated with the name of the god Svyatovit. What kind of god this is and why he was given a special two-week holiday, scientists are still arguing. It is believed that “Svyatovit” is simply one of the names of the supreme god Perun. Be that as it may, the Slavs tried in every possible way to please this god, first of all, so that he would send a bountiful harvest. On Christmastide, Svyatovit was supposed to leave some festive food, which was thrown into the oven especially for him. The Slavs believed that at the beginning of winter, the spirits of the gods and the souls of ancestors descend to earth, and at this moment you can “beg” from them a bountiful harvest, a handsome husband, money, and in general anything you want.
The Christian tradition of celebrating Christmastide has also been known since ancient times. Back in the 4th century, Greek Christians rested, had fun and celebrated strictly for two weeks after (according to one version, the word “Yuletide” comes from the verb “to hallow”, since on Christmastide the people “sanctify”, that is, they glorify Christ and the Birth of Christ). Special attention The focus was on ensuring that everyone had a joyful mood: the poor, slaves, prisoners. In Byzantium, it became a custom at Christmas time to bring food and gifts to prisons and hospitals, and to help the poor. We find mention of Christmastide as a special post-Christmas celebration in Ambrose of Milan, Gregory of Nyssa and Ephraim the Syrian.
With the advent of Christianity, Christmastide in Rus' also began to be filled with new meaning. Nevertheless, the attitude of the Russian Church towards 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 resolution of the VI Ecumenical Council, which reads: “Those who resort to wizards or others like that in order to learn something secret from them, are subject to the rule of six years of penance ( i.e., they are excluded from Communion for six years)... we reject dances and rituals performed according to an ancient and alien to Christian life ritual and determine: none of the husbands should dress in women's clothing, not characteristic of a husband; don't wear masks." Then the supporters of Christmastide came up with an ingenious “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 plunged into it, washing away the sins committed on Christmastide.
Over time, the religious meaning of pagan traditions was completely forgotten, and Christmastide became a time when people especially glorify Christmas and the mercy of the Lord, who sent Jesus Christ to Earth. All that remains from the ancient pre-Christian Christmastide is winter, purely Russian irrepressible fun.
Christmastide in Rus'. About the tradition of celebrating Christmastide
Hooliganism sanctified by tradition
Christmastide has always been a national holiday, at this time class boundaries seemed to disappear, everyone was united by a common joy. According to the number of customs and folk signs Perhaps only Maslenitsa can compare with this period of the year.
In ancient, pre-Petrine times there was a custom on Christmas Day in every village to light a fire, which with its light in the darkness of the winter night symbolized the Star of Bethlehem and burned until baptism.
The people's favorite pastime during Christmas time is dressing up and caroling. In Rus', and then in the Russian Empire, young people gathered together on Christmas Eve, dressed up as animals or mythological characters like Ivan the Fool, and went caroling around the village or city. By the way, this is one of the few Yuletide traditions that survived in the post-Petrine era, despite the fact that most of the population moved to the cities. The main character among carolers has always been a bear. They tried to dress the fattest guy in the village or neighborhood with it. The mummers entered one by one each hut where the light was on. Teenagers and children sang Christmas troparion, spiritual songs, carols... Carols are something like Winnie the Pooh chants, in which the owner of the house is praised and through which treats are begged from this very owner. Songs were often composed on the spot, but there were traditional rules in this art that came from ancient times. The owner, for example, was called nothing less than “the bright month,” the hostess — “the red sun,” and their children — “pure stars.” However, those who knew how came up with more expressive dignifications: “The master of the house is like Adam in heaven; the mistress of the house is like pancakes with honey; Little children are like red-green grapes...” The carolers promised a rich harvest and a happy life to those who give treats, and all sorts of disasters to the stingy. Sometimes there were even threats in the songs: “Whoever doesn’t give me a pie, we’ll lead the cow by the horns, and if he doesn’t give me ham, we’ll split the cast iron...” All this, of course, was in jest. Sometimes they sang absolutely, even deliberately meaningless sentences. The owners received guests and gave whatever they could.
It is extremely difficult to establish where the word “kolyada” itself came from. IN different parts Russia has this word different meaning. In the north it is simply “Christmas Eve”, in the villages of the Novgorod region “kolyada” is gifts received at Christmas. In Belarus, “caroling” means “glorifying Christ.” But ethnographic scientists believe that the ancient Slavs used this word to call the winter solstice holiday.
Another Christmas custom is to get the whole family together in the evenings, invite guests (as many as possible), tell fairy tales and ask riddles (as complex as possible). This tradition, like caroling, lived not only in villages, but also among the urban nobility. Literary critic Yu. M. Lotman in his comments to “Eugene Onegin” writes that it was customary to separate “holy evenings” and “terrible evenings” (the first and second weeks after Christmas respectively). On “holy evenings” they held cheerful night gatherings, on “terrible evenings” they told fortunes. The young people were going to dance, during the day - to ride a sleigh, and play snowballs. By the way, after Christmas there were always a lot of weddings. “In gatherings, fortune-telling, games, songs, everything is aimed at one goal - to bring the betrothed closer together. Only on holy days do boys and girls easily sit hand in hand,” wrote folklorist I. Snegirev in the book “Songs of the Russian People.”
The most “antisocial” Yuletide tradition is “pampering.” Children and teenagers gathered in large groups at night and played as mischievously as they could. A classic joke was to nail up the outside gate of a house or to stir up a pile of firewood. Another entertainment is the ritual theft of something. You could steal anything, but always with noise and songs, and not secretly. In Soviet times, despite all the prohibitions, collective farm tractors were often “stolen.” Immediately after the holidays, of course, they were returned to their place.
The last days of Christmastide were devoted to preparing for Epiphany. The best village craftsmen cut a cross-shaped hole in frozen reservoirs and decorated it with patterns made of ice.
