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Rituals and customs that are practiced within each individual family are an amazing, unique and very powerful tool in terms of educating the younger generation.
A family that does not have its own customs is, fortunately, very rare.
Perhaps not everyone will be able to immediately list all the traditions existing in his family, but if he thinks a little, he will probably name several very special moments of life that are inherent specifically to his family.
Even the manner of saying hello in the morning or inviting relatives to the table is different in different families. Someone says: “Hello”, someone says: “ Good morning!”, and for some people it is customary to wake up and silently kiss their household members on the cheek.
Customs and rituals have come to us from time immemorial, but to this day they play a huge role in people’s lives, influence their characters, and sometimes even change their destinies.
There is a family - there is a custom
Family customs, rituals and traditions are the mental stock that yesterday’s children most often take with them into their adult lives.
Customs unite people, make them more tolerant of each other, give them a “shoulder feeling”, that is, support, and teach them mutual respect. 
Also, joint events contribute to the formation of trust, unite people, lay the foundation of family in children, and educate norms of behavior.
The basis of all existing ritual processes is work activity people, religion, way of life, ways to relax.
Customs are designed to teach people good things. They have a huge impact on the moral, social, labor and everyday appearance of a person, perform an educational function, also acquaint them with the foundations of their native people, and develop patriotism.
All family rituals and customs can be divided into several groups:
casual or regular- these include the greetings accepted in the family, the culture of eating, the manner of communication, etc.;
festive– include traditions of planning, organizing and carrying out holidays;
Sunday-weekends- these are customs that are accepted in the family on weekends (joint cleaning, Sunday cake, going to relatives, hosting guests, tea drinking, watching movies, theater - whatever);
mourning– funeral and memorial rites;
solemn family– traditions of celebrating big family anniversaries;
economic- these include shopping, harvesting, caring for pets, etc .;
household– housework, division of household responsibilities;
calendar– creation and observance of a set of rules for holding various calendar events.
On their wedding day, many young couples want their guests to new family not only children were born, but also family traditions.
And this is a very correct wish - that family, where there are traditions, is always stronger, in it people are more attached to each other and to the house.
Therefore, if your family does not yet have clear, recognizable and unique traditions, try to correct the situation as soon as possible and by all means come up with several customs that will be strictly observed and can be passed down from generation to generation.
The most common family traditions
Within a family, customs and rituals can be both generally accepted and unique, which can no longer be found in any home.
Here is a small list of various traditions, any of which anyone can take note of. The main thing in the custom is that all participants in the process follow it with pleasure.
1. Cooking a family favorite dish together - once a week or a month, for example. Baking together is considered a particularly pleasant and good tradition. It unites generations, gives joy and inspiration.
2. Cleaning, rearranging furniture, putting things in order in the local area and other household and household activities in which all family members could take part.
3. Annual creation of collages from the family photo archive.
4. Cultural leisure activities - Sunday cinemas, performances, concerts, exhibitions, fairs, etc.
5. The custom of spending holidays in an extraordinary way, for example: meeting them on a train / bus, going on a trip, going out into nature, preparing an unusual menu.
6. Unnoticedly throw small gifts to your family and friends. 
7. Organize themed evenings – board games, reading humorous stories, solving crossword puzzles, singing and dancing.
8. Family quests – they bring you closer together, relax you and give you positive emotions.
9. Night picnics, sleeping in a tent, fishing...
10. Traditions to meet New Year every time in a new place.
11. Obligatory Christmas lunch with kutya.
12. Baking Easter cakes.
13. Observance of memorial days.
14. Introduction of special greetings and farewells.
15. Harvest festival (after the harvest itself, of course).
16. Family dinners are a classic and therefore are a proven custom that can build trust and warm relationships in the family.
The list can go on for a long time. All traditions, apparently, are divided into generally accepted and consciously cultivated in the family.
Family tradition is like a little secret - it unites people around itself, makes them hold tightly to each other, appreciate and respect their neighbors. Do you have one?
Calendar holidays are associated with the change of seasons and the cycle of nature. Another group of holidays and rituals - family and everyday ones, are dedicated to the most important milestones of another cycle - the cycle of human life, reflecting a person’s life from birth to death, traditional life and family traditions.
These include: births, christenings, name days, housewarmings, weddings, funerals. It should be noted that family and calendar holidays and rituals are closely related to each other. Many scientists believe that agricultural and family rituals, especially wedding rituals, once formed a single whole, having one common goal - achieving well-being in the family and a good harvest. Not by chance great similarity is observed in calendar and wedding songs of an incantatory nature. A number of songs are performed at calendar holidays and weddings. One can often observe the transformation of agrarian-calendar rituals into family-domestic rituals (for example, bathing a newborn in a trough with cereal grains, meeting young mothers-in-law after the wedding in an inverted fur coat, ritual dishes of christening and funeral meals, etc.).
At the same time, being confined to the most striking events in the personal life of each person, and not constantly repeating dates due to the changing seasons, and, accordingly, other functions and other content make it possible to distinguish family holidays and rituals into a separate group. The sequence of implementation is objectively determined by human life itself. Therefore, we will begin our acquaintance with family and everyday holidays by considering maternity rituals.
Maternity rites
Customs and rituals of the maternity cycle have played a huge role since ancient times. We must not forget that the first form of social organization of people was the maternal clan, and under difficult living conditions and the short life expectancy of ancient man, the fulfillment by women of their natural function of childbearing was the main condition for the existence of the clan. Events related to this were elevated to a cult. Rituals of the maternity cycle have existed for millennia and are the oldest in human history. The main meaning of the maternity cycle was determined by concern for the birth of a healthy child and the preservation of the life and health of the mother. This led to the holding of magical rituals, almost not modified under the influence of the church.
There was a popular saying: “There are many children, but God does not send “extra” children to anyone.” And in the old days they said: “Whoever has many children is not forgotten by God.” People have always welcomed large families, condemned large families, and sympathized with the childless. In some places in Russia, precautions were taken already during the wedding to ensure the successful birth of a young woman. They often wore a superstitious connotation. N. Sumtsov "wrote that in the Nizhny Novgorod province, the newlyweds are taken out from the wedding table in such a way as to avoid walking in a circle, otherwise the young woman will not give birth. During the covering of the young woman's head, a little boy is placed on her lap in order to position the young woman for the birth of her first male child. gender.
Quite rich in various rituals, customs, and superstitions is period of bearing a child.
A pregnant woman in Rus' was the object of many superstitions, in which, however, one cannot help but see a rational grain. Some of them regulated her behavior, prohibited or, conversely, encouraged certain actions.
"Sumtsov N. People's view of a newborn child // Journal of the Ministry of Public Education. 1880. No. 11.-P.70-72.
These include:
Prohibitions on contact with certain objects. To avoid difficult childbirth, a pregnant woman was forbidden to step over a pole, shafts, collar, broom, axe, pitchfork, rake, climb over a fence, window, or step on the horse's trail. It was forbidden to pick up the rope or walk under it, so that the umbilical cord would not wrap around the child’s neck and strangle him. It was not recommended to look at the fire - the child would have a birthmark.
Temporal and spatial restrictions. Pregnant women were supposed to avoid “unclean places” and “unclean times.” They were forbidden to stand or sit on a threshold, on a log, on a boundary, to be at a crossroads, in a cemetery, to approach a house under construction, or to leave the house after sunset.
Prohibitions on drinking and eating. Pregnant women were forbidden to eat fish, otherwise the child will not speak for a long time, eat on the go - the child will become a crybaby, do not eat hare meat - she will give birth to a timid child, do not eat secretly, otherwise the child will become a thief, do not eat honey - otherwise the child will be “scrofulous”, not eat fused fruits - you will give birth to twins, do not drink wine - the child will become a drunkard.
Social prohibitions. During pregnancy, you cannot quarrel with neighbors, get irritated - so as not to spoil the child’s character, as well as steal, imitate someone, participate in rituals (being a godmother, matchmaker, groomsman at a wedding, attending a funeral, washing the deceased).
Prohibitions to look at everything unpleasant and without reward, because an object that disgusts a pregnant woman will certainly affect her child. It was not recommended to look at animals (otherwise the child will be born furry, with long claws), at ugly people, and especially those with some kind of defect - the child will be ugly. And vice versa, it was considered useful to contemplate the beautiful: flowers, the moon, beautiful children in reality and in various images - then the child would be born not only healthy, but also with a pleasant appearance.
The attitude of others towards the pregnant woman was also subject to certain regulation. So, a pregnant woman could not be denied food (after all, it is not she who asks, but the baby) - otherwise “the mice will gnaw the clothes”, do not fulfill her request (you yourself will not eat, but do not refuse the pregnant woman), you could not quarrel, shout, or speak loudly in front of her - you will scare the child
True, the attitude of the people towards the pregnant woman was twofold. On the one hand, she brought goodness and was the personification of fertility. The ability of a pregnant woman to magically transfer fertility was used in many ritual actions: to increase the fertility of livestock, poultry, increase grain yield, and fruit trees. During droughts, the expectant mother was doused with water to make it rain. During a fire, she walked around the house, which helped extinguish the flames. On the other hand, according to superstitious beliefs, danger came from a woman expecting a child. Obviously, this was due to the presence of two souls in her and her proximity to the border of life and death. (“To walk with your belly is to wear death on your collar”). And this caused various protective measures on the part of others and gave rise to certain superstitions. For example, they believed that meeting a pregnant woman brings misfortune.
At the same time, a woman expecting a child herself needed protection from evil forces that could harm her and her descendant. To protect against them, she always had with her objects - “amulets”: red woolen threads, rags, ribbons that she tied around her finger, arm or belt, bundles of multi-colored yarn tied in a “dead knot”, iron objects - a needle, a knife, as well as chips from a tree broken by lightning, coal, pieces of brick from a stove, salt.
Naturally, both the expectant mother and the whole family were very interested in the sex of the child. And not out of simple curiosity: the well-being of the family directly depended on this. The birth of a boy meant the appearance of an assistant and future breadwinner, while a girl was perceived as a ruiner who needed to prepare a dowry from an early age. And when she grows up and gets married, she will leave her home and work for someone else’s family. There were many ways to guess the sex of a child. An ancient Russian testimony about fortune-telling of this kind has been preserved: “... and pregnant wives give bread to the bear from their hands, but the maiden will roar, but the boy will be silent.” Having finished weaving, the expectant mother ran out into the street and waited for the first person she met; it was believed that his gender would correspond to the gender of the child. A boy should be expected when the last child in the family does not have a braid of hair on his neck, when the father of the unborn child finds a whip along the way, when a child seated at the wedding table chooses some of the man’s accessories, for example, a pipe rather than a scarf. or a thimble.
The next stage of maternity rituals is rituals accompanying the birth of a child. It should be noted that mainly women participated in these rituals: the midwife, relatives and neighbors. The participation of men was very limited. She acted as a kind of master of ceremonies for childbirth. grandmother-midwife. Not a single peasant family could do without a midwife. She not only dealt with childbirth, but, most importantly, knew how to perform the necessary, from the point of view of the peasants, procedures on the child and the woman in labor, accompanying them with magical actions. The main procedures were: cutting the umbilical cord, handling the afterbirth and bathing the child. All actions of the midwife with the newborn were united by one term - “baby”. A midwife is a person who is not elected by anyone, who voluntarily assumes certain responsibilities that are not written down anywhere, but are recognized by her. She could not refuse a request to come to the woman in labor, even if she really did not want to, she could not demand remuneration for her work, but was content with what she was given. The community made rather strict demands on the personality of the midwife. The role of midwife was usually played by an elderly woman (girls could not be midwives). She must be of impeccable behavior, be happy in family life, fearing God and devoutly observing all Orthodox rituals.
In some places it was believed that only widows, and not “husbands’ wives,” could midwife. The midwife was not supposed to wash the dead, otherwise the newborns she received would die. For the same reason, the midwife was forbidden to participate in getting rid of unwanted children:
She had to direct all her knowledge and skills only to preserve the life of the child. When choosing a midwife, they also paid attention to whether her own children or the children she midwifed had died.”
In accordance with all the requirements, the Russian peasant chose a midwife and called her into the house. Immediately after the birthing mother appeared in the house, the midwife lit the lamps near the icons and prayed. Then she took measures “from the evil eye”: she washed the woman “from the coal”, ordered her to wipe herself with her husband’s fur coat “from the evil eye”, and anointed her with “persuading oil”.
Then the midwife takes the woman in labor to the bathhouse (which is heated in advance) to steam and soften the bones. Having placed the woman in labor on the shelf, she rubs her with oil. Before going to bed or going to the bathhouse for childbirth, the mother in labor “says goodbye to her family,” turning first to her father-in-law, then to her mother-in-law, and then to the rest of the family.
In addition to their direct responsibilities associated with a number of symptomatic actions to facilitate childbirth, grandmothers constantly take care of protecting the woman in labor from evil spirits, using Christian paraphernalia: incense, holy water and prayers. In conspiracies, the midwife usually turns to various saints for help: Zosima and Savvatey, Anna the prophetess, Kuzma and Demyan, the Most Holy Theotokos and her main patron and helper - grandmother Solomonida (Solomeya, Solomonia).
"Listova T. A. Russian rituals, customs and beliefs associated with the midwife / Russians: family and social life. M: Nauka, 1989. P. 143.
According to popular beliefs, it was Solomea who performed all those actions with the infant Christ that the village midwife should have performed. It was to her that the midwife turned, asking: “Grandmother Solomonida, put your hands on the servant of God... (name of the woman in labor)” or: “Grandmother Solomonida, midwife of Christ - help!”
Husband of the woman in labor played a significant role during childbirth, although he obeyed unquestioningly all the midwife’s instructions. There was an extremely widespread belief among the people that childbirth was greatly facilitated if the husband was next to his wife in moments of suffering. The husband gave the woman in labor water from his right boot, untied her belt, pressed his knee on his wife's back - all these actions, according to popular belief, supposedly speeded up and made childbirth easier. Sometimes, for the same purpose, the midwife ordered the future father to break down the fence, sent him to the priest, etc.
Another fairly common way of alleviating the pains of childbirth was the custom of playing the role of a woman in labor with her husband. Thus, among the Belarusians of the Mogilev province and in the Elninsky and Smolensky districts, the husband dressed in women's clothing: a shirt or skirt, tied a scarf around his head and moaned during childbirth, as if sharing the suffering of his wife. It happened that the husband often began to feel seriously unwell, so successfully did he “get into character.”
To facilitate childbirth, they resorted to various kinds of techniques and manipulations, most of which had a magical meaning: they lit a consecrated wax candle and held it in front of the woman in labor, they knocked on the ceiling of the hut with a broom, turning to the “house spirit”, the patron saint of the family, for help. In many places in Russia, they open and untie everything that is closed and represents any obstacle that can interfere with the speed of childbirth: they unlock all the locks, chests, cabinets in the house, open doors and stove dampers, untie knots, unravel a braid, untie a belt and a scarf. on the woman in labor, remove her earrings and rings. During a difficult birth, they go to the priest with a request to open the Royal doors (gates), light the wedding candle, serving a prayer service to the Altar Mother of God, that is, to her icon, which is located behind the throne in the local church." It was believed that in such cases it helps a lot and the priest's belt, with which he was girded during the service. It was placed on the belly of the woman in labor. Almost everywhere, the woman in labor was led three times around the table, on the corners of which there was salt. The pregnant woman tasted it from each pile and, following the midwife, uttered a spell to facilitate childbirth: “You, "Salt, holy; you, salt, are salty; you, salt, are strong! Make way for the salt, let go of my ailments, what is in the animal bones, in the black blood; sweeten all the pains and pains in difficult times, and I rejoice!" ""
Once the birth is complete, the midwife brings the baby to the father and asks him to be baptized. The father baptizes the baby and goes to light a candle in front of the icons. Next, they watch the child, trying to guess his future fate. The lucky one is considered to be the one who appears “in a shirt” - an intact uterine lining. Everywhere the shirt was carefully preserved so that “happiness” would never leave its chosen one. Happiness was also prophesied for that newborn who, being female, looks like his father, and male - like his mother. Good luck awaits the baby if there was some profit in the house on the day of his birth, as well as the one who is born with hairs on his head, etc.
Much attention is paid to the day and time of birth. Thus, in the Vladimir province, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday were considered happy birthdays, while other days foreshadowed illness and poverty for a person. The happiest time of day for a birth is the morning “between mass and matins,” as they say in a Great Russian wedding song.
"Uspensky D.I. Birthplaces and christenings, care for the mother in labor and birth number // EO. 1895. No. 4.
"" Dmitriev V.V. Family rituals of the Vladimir village. Vladimir, 1995. P.9.
Night birth is considered unlucky. “Not a resident” is a baby born at the end of the month.
At the same time, measures were taken that could have a beneficial effect on the future fate of the baby. These include: cutting the umbilical cord, first bathing and baking of the baby.
In the Vladimir province, cutting a boy's umbilical cord was always done with a knife and some kind of carpenter's or joiner's tool. The peasants believed that only in this case the child would become a hard-working and business person. On the contrary, the girls' umbilical cord was cut with scissors, and in such a way that it fell on women's work (knitting, sewing, etc.). In this case, the newborn will certainly become a housewife. The umbilical cord, like the shirt, was dried and stored, or buried in the ground.
Great importance was also attached to the baby's first bath. The trough was filled with river water, barely heated, and sometimes ice-cold, to which grains of rye, oats, and buckwheat were added, and gold or silver coins were thrown in, which was supposed to contribute to the happiness and future wealth of the baby.
“Re-cooking” was used only for weakly born babies to give new strength for life. The baby was tied with a wet towel and thrust into the heated oven three times on a wooden shovel, quickly pulled out again. At the same time, the midwife uttered a spell, turning to the fire and asking it to “cook the bones, strengthen the child.” Thus, the child was, as it were, born again, but already healthy, his illnesses burned out in the cleansing fire.
The born child was most often wrapped in a shirt or other clothing of the father, taken directly from him. The mother's shirt is mentioned much less often. This custom demonstrated the symbolism of the father’s connection with the child, the wish for the child’s health, father’s love and care, as well as the transfer of positive paternal qualities to the child. The parent's shirt became not only the first clothing of the newborn, but also a talisman “against the evil eye.” Often, for this purpose, worn father's things were hung from the newborn's cradle. Clothes were not supposed to be washed, otherwise “a father’s love would be washed away.” The ritual of accepting a newborn into the clothes of the father thus constituted the act of adoption of the newborn by the father, recognition of the child. This is also the meaning of handing over a newborn to his father when he is taken out to the hut for the first time.
During this period, considerable importance was attached to protecting the child and mother from the “evil eye”, “suspense” and “ evil spirits". According to popular views, childbirth makes the mother and child “unclean”, so they are especially vulnerable to “evil spirits.” In addition, the baby has not yet been baptized and is therefore deprived of heavenly protection. The midwife takes protective measures: from time to time she baptizes windows, doors, the head of the child and the mother in labor. A woman in labor should not leave the house for nine days, and if she does, then with prayers and making the sign of the cross. From the moment of birth until baptism, the woman in labor and the newborn were not left alone in the room, so that evil spirits would not take possession of the soul of the unbaptized baby and harm the mother. In addition, an abandoned baby can be carried away by a brownie or a goblin. For protective purposes, the baby's cradle was arranged in a special way. “From the evil eye” aspen bark was used to ward off sorcerers. To deter evil spirits, a tuft of dog hair or sharp objects were placed “under the head” of a newborn child: a knife, fork, etc. Well, according to the peasant understanding, Thursday salt and an Epiphany candle helped in this case.
When all precautions had been taken, the floor in the hut was washed, and the doors were opened for visiting relatives and friends. The latter carried gifts with them - “tooth” - delicacies or bread with salt. Not visiting a woman in labor was considered shameful, the same as not remembering the deceased.
Baptismal rites - one of the most significant stages of maternity rituals. It should be noted that the time from birth to baptism of the baby was, as a rule, short. And that's why. The baby could die “not brought” to faith, and his innocent soul would go to the devil. The unbaptized one could easily be “jinxed”, “spell damage”, he was an easy prey for evil spirits. Baptism was carried out preferably on an empty stomach, without putting the baby to the mother's breast. According to church canons, they were baptized on the eighth or fortieth day. These dates were associated with significant dates in the infant life of Christ - Circumcision and Candlemas.
The main characters of the baptismal rites are: God-parents or receivers(i.e. receiving the child from the font). The Orthodox Church entrusted them with a guarantee before God upon the child’s entry into the fold of the church and with further care for their spiritual children. Among the people, foster parents were considered the child’s second parents, his guardians and patrons. For the most part, foster children became one of the close relatives - adults, respected and wealthy. But it happened that the recipient could be a random passer-by who met the midwife who was running to the river for water to bathe the baby. Thus, only one foster parent was invited even in cases where the children did not live with anyone. Sometimes priests were also invited to be foster parents, giving the baby his name. The godfathers not only became patrons of the godson, but also entered into a spiritual connection with each other and were called “godfather” and “godfather”.
The invitation of the godfather was made by the father of the newborn, who came to the house of the future godfather with bows and refreshments. An invitation was considered an honor, and refusal was a great sin. Adoption was associated with high costs. For baptism, the recipient bought a cross for the godson, paid the priest for the christening, gave gifts to the mother, and gave money to the midwife. Kuma carried the child's baptismal shirt; the mother was given a piece of chintz or canvas. In addition, the godfather had to give the priest a towel and wipe his hands after dipping the baby into the font. Before baptism, the midwife performed a series of magical actions on the child: she bathed him in a trough with running water, pronouncing incantations that would protect the child from the evil eye and evil spirits and should ensure good health. Then she dressed the child in a cut mother’s or father’s shirt, depending on the sex of the baby, and with prayer gave it to the “kuma” - the boy, “kuma” - the girl.
When leaving the house, the godfather and godfather should not turn around, speak loudly, or stumble over the threshold, otherwise it would be bad for the baby, and they themselves “would have no way - no road.” Baptism usually took place in church, but if the child was weak, they were baptized at home, but always not in the room where the birth took place, since it was considered desecrated. We will not consider the church sacrament of baptism. Let us dwell only on some of the superstitions that have developed among the people based on the elements of this strictly canonized rite. So, while the baby was immersed in the font, his behavior was observed. If he “stretched out” over the font and was silent, this meant that the baby would not stay long in this world. When the priest cut the hair on the head of a newly baptized baby, the recipients rolled it up in wax and threw it into the font. If the wax ball sank, then the baby will soon die; if it floats on the surface, it will live.
A number of superstitions were associated with the water used in the baptismal ceremony: it was necessary to fetch it without a rocker (otherwise the baby would be hunchbacked). After baptism, water should not be poured anywhere, into the dirt and especially into the slop, otherwise the child’s fate would be spoiled and would not work out. For this purpose, it was necessary to find a secluded place where people, and especially animals, would not walk. The newly baptized from the church were greeted with special rituals. Kumovyev and the child were greeted with bread and salt by the midwife. The child was placed on a fur coat, sheepskin turned upside down, or on a soft bedding, under which amulets were hidden. The fur coat was supposed to provide the child with wealth and well-being. The baby was placed on a bench under the icon or on the stove or brought to the outer opening of the stove and they turned to the brownie (and the stove was his home) with a request to accept the newborn into the house: “Dear, come, welcome the child, strengthen the house.” The godfathers and relatives congratulated the child’s parents on the “newly initiated.”
A special place in maternity and baptismal rituals was occupied by rituals symbolizing the acceptance of a new member into the family and community. These rituals were most clearly manifested in the ritual of approval of the so-called. table of the cross, a kind of home celebration of the birth and baptism of a newborn.
All family members gathered for the christening, and the godfather and mother were certainly invited. Guests brought gifts and treats with them in order to free the still fragile hostess from household chores. The midwife became the hostess of the table of the cross. She set the table, served dishes and prepared the main dish of the holiday - “baptismal porridge”. The porridge was cooked from millet and differed from the Lenten sochik served on Christmas or Epiphany Eve in that it was “rich,” that is, modest, filling and tasty. They did not eat this porridge just in a “pinch”, as if it were luscious, but they treated themselves to it to their heart’s content. When preparing porridge, the grandmother did not regret adding milk, butter, cream, and eggs to it. The finished porridge was decorated with halves of boiled eggs. Sometimes a chicken or a rooster was baked into the porridge, depending on who was born: a boy or a girl
Baptismal porridge was a ritual dish through which the birth of a baby was identified with the fertility of the land and livestock. The midwife, who placed a pot of porridge on the table (sometimes it was brought directly in a fur hat), said: “There are children on the shelf, calves under the shelf, piglets under the stove, chickens on the floor. And my grandson will grow high and high!” Or: “As much as there is in the market, there would be so much in this house, a little bread would be born, there would be livestock, and the baby would grow big and know happiness.”
The grandmother was the first to treat the newborn’s father, bringing him heavily salted porridge in a spoon: “Eat, father-parent, eat, and be more kind to your son (or daughter)!” “As it was salty for you, so it was salty for your wife to give birth!” Or: “The porridge was salty, and it was salty for the wife to give birth, and the father and mother will get even saltier children after!” The godfathers and then all those present are treated to the baby’s father.
Rituals with “baba’s porridge” necessarily included the collection of money, known in many places as “selling porridge.” Money and gifts were placed “to bite the bullet” either on a scarf that covered the pot, or directly into the porridge. The midwife took the money and gifts for herself, which was her reward for | work. The one who brought the most expensive gift (ransom) received the right to treat the guests to porridge. As a rule, this was the godfather. Thus, collecting money for the midwife represented a kind of collective payment for her activities, gratitude from the rural community for her work in relation to the new member of the team.
Introduction…………………………………………………………..………………...…3
Chapter 1. Family rituals and customs
1.1. Birth of a child…………………………………………………………….…………..4
1.2. Baptism…………………………………………………………….…………9
1.3. Angel Day……………………………………………………………..……..12
1.4. Wedding……………………………………………………………………………….……..15
1.4.1. Matchmaking…………………………………………………………..………16
1.4.2. Bride…………………………………………………………...….17
1.4.3. Handshake. Announcement of the wedding decision………………………….…….17
1.4.4. Preparing for the wedding day. Vytie………………………………...…..18
1.4.5. Rituals on the eve of the wedding day………………………………………….19
1.4.6. The first day of the wedding……………………………………………………………...…..20
1.4.7. Second wedding day……………………………………………………….23
1.5. Housewarming…………………………………………………………………………………...23
1.6. Russian Orthodox burial rite……………………………..25
1.6.1. Communion…………………………………………………………...….26
1.6.2. Unction……………………………………………………………...…26
1.6.3. Burial…………………………………………………………………………………..27
1.6.4.Commemoration of the deceased………………………………………………………………..……….27
Chapter 2. Orthodox holidays and rituals
2.1. Christmas………………………………………………………….28
2.1.1. Christmas post……………………………………………………………...…..30
2.2. Maslenitsa………………………………………………………………………………..31
2.3. Easter………………………………………………………………………………..…….33
Conclusion……………………………………………………………...…………38
List of references……………………………………………………….40
Introduction
Our country is rich in traditions and holidays. For centuries, the Russian people sacredly honored and preserved their traditions, passing them on from generation to generation. And today, after tens and even hundreds of years, many customs have still not lost interest for us. So, for example, on Maslenitsa, just like a hundred years ago, they burn an effigy, bake pancakes, and organize funny games. And during folk festivals and other days, the city continues to act out scenes from ancient Russian rituals. And this is understandable, because these traditions are part rich history Russian people, and you need to know the history of your country.
Each nation has its own views and customs regarding the conduct of rituals. The ritual is a complete folk play secret meaning, filled with great power, systematically repeated, is generally interesting, since it best illustrates the content of the people's consciousness. Here the old merges with the new, the religious with the folk, and the sad with the cheerful.
National culture is the national memory of a people, what distinguishes a given people from others, protects a person from depersonalization, allows him to feel the connection of times and generations, receive spiritual support and support in life.
In my test, I would like to talk about the main national customs and rituals of the Russian people that have developed over centuries.
Chapter 1. Family rituals and customs
1.1. Birth of a child
Caring for the child began long before his birth. From time immemorial, the Slavs tried to protect expectant mothers from all kinds of dangers.
If the husband was away, the young woman was advised to gird herself with his belt and cover herself with something from his clothes at night, so that the “strength” of the husband would guard and protect his wife.
In the last month before the birth, the pregnant woman was not recommended to leave the yard, but rather from the house, so that the brownie and the sacred fire of the hearth could always come to her aid.
To protect a pregnant woman, there was a special prayer that had to be read at night, so that sinful deeds committed (even accidentally) during the day would not affect the child being born. Protective amulets and amulets with incantations and prayers were hung to the bed of the woman in labor and the baby.
The pregnant woman had to observe a number of prohibitions, for example, avoiding looking at everything ugly in order to give birth to beautiful child; do not stroke cats, dogs, pigs - otherwise the child may be born dumb or will not speak for a long time; not to be present at the slaughter of animals - the baby will have a “birthmark”, etc.
During pregnancy, a woman could under no circumstances work church holidays- violation of this prohibition by a pregnant woman, as they believed, would inevitably have an effect on the newborn.
The pregnant woman should have consumed more milk, then, according to legend, the baby's skin will be white, like milk; she must eat red berries (lingonberries, cranberries) so that the baby is rosy.
Particularly important importance was attached to determining the sex of the child. The material well-being of a peasant family depended on whether a boy or a girl was born: with the birth of a boy, an assistant, a new owner, was expected; the birth of a girl often led to a decrease in material well-being - she needed a dowry.
Often peasant women generally paid little attention to pregnancy and worked until labor began.
In accordance with the beliefs about the “uncleanness” of a pregnant woman and women in labor, so that she would not “desecrate” a residential building, even in winter she would go away from her home to give birth - to a bathhouse, stable, barn.
Or, when childbirth occurred, all the people in the house said goodbye to the woman in labor and went to another hut or other place, without telling outsiders about what was happening (it was believed that childbirth is the more difficult the more people know about it).
Her husband and the called midwife remained with the woman in labor. The midwife and husband tried to ease the suffering of the woman in labor.
The midwife could not refuse a request to come to the woman in labor: her refusal was considered an unforgivable sin that could entail immediate punishment.
Peasants rarely turned to midwives, who appeared in villages in the second half of the 19th century. Peasant women preferred midwives, as they could immediately heal a hernia. And midwives; In most cases, girls could jinx the baby, people said, and besides, the use of obstetric instruments was considered a sin.
Midwives, if necessary, could baptize newborns. Not every woman could become a midwife. A village grandmother is always an elderly woman of impeccable behavior, not known to be unfaithful to her husband. In some places it was believed that only widows could midwife. They avoided inviting childless women or those whose children, or those adopted by her, had died.
When the woman in labor had recovered sufficiently and the grandmother considered it possible to leave, the purification of all those present and those who took any part in the birth took place. They lit a candle in front of the icons, prayed, and then with water into which they put hops, eggs and oats, they washed themselves and washed the baby.
Usually, mother and grandmother poured water, into which various objects carrying a certain semantic load, were poured three times on each other's hands and asked for mutual forgiveness. After this, the midwife could go to deliver the next child.
The rite of purification, or washing of hands, necessarily ended with the fact that the woman in labor gave the midwife a gift (soap and a towel). In the second half of the 19th, and especially at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century, the gift was supplemented with a small amount of money. The midwife was fed the best food, tea with sugar.
The midwife prepared or at least served the so-called woman's porridge. Rituals with Babina's porridge necessarily included collecting money (selling the porridge).
The midwife received the main monetary reward precisely “for porridge” from the guests and household members present (the woman in labor, who, even if she was present at the christening, did not participate in the collection of money).
There was one day in the year when a holiday was held especially for midwives - "babiny", or "baby porridge". This is the second day of Christmas - December 26, old style.
The last rite in which the midwife participated was the rite of girdling the baby on the eve of the fortieth day: the midwife reminded the woman in labor of the need to accept a cleansing prayer and performed the rite of girdling. The belt with which she tied the child was considered both as a magical amulet against evil forces and as a sign of longevity and health.
Playing the role of grandmother creates a certain relationship between her and the child, whom she calls her grandson from that moment on, and he calls her grandmother. Every year, such grandmothers bring the child a birthday present, they are invited to all the main events in the life of her “grandson” - both to the wedding and to the farewell to the army.
After giving birth, the mother in labor was taken to the bathhouse. Whatever the birth, the midwives prepared “water from lessons” in the bathhouse. The water used for this was necessarily river water; the grandmother specially went after it with a clean bucket and always scooped it up along the river flow. Returning from the river to the bathhouse and saying the Jesus Prayer, the midwife plunged her right hand into a bucket and, having scooped up a handful of water there, lowered it down her arm through her elbow into the prepared tub, whispering: “Just as water does not hold on the elbow, so it does not on the servant of God (the name of the woman in labor ) don’t stick to lessons or prizes.” At the same time, she counted to nine with a negative - not one, not two, not three, etc. In this way I scooped water onto my elbow three times.
With prayer, the grandmother lowered three red-hot coals into this water. Then, with a handful of her right hand through her left elbow, she poured this water three times onto the edge stone of the heater, then three times onto the door frame, holding the tool so that the spilled water flowed into it again. At the same time, the grandmother said every time: “Just as water does not hold on a stone (or bracket), so do not hold on to the servant of God (name) neither lessons nor prizes!”
After this, the water was considered so strongly enchanted that not a single sorcerer could destroy its healing power.
Then the grandmother made the woman in labor face east - if she could stand, otherwise she sat her on the threshold of the bathhouse and splashed the spoken water in her mouth three times, saying: “Just as water does not stay on the face, so it does not on the servant of God ( name) don’t stick to lessons or prizes!” Having poured the remaining water from the container onto the mother's head, the grandmother collected the water as it fell from her head into her right handful and splashed it onto the heater from under her left foot.
The husband often screamed and moaned instead of his wife, distracting the evil forces from the woman in labor.
During difficult births, a whole range of magical means of helping the woman in labor was used. It was believed, for example, that any isolation prevents childbirth, so they resorted to actions that symbolized or imitated the breaking of isolation: they untied all the knots on the clothes of the woman in labor and her husband, unlocked all the locks in the house, unraveled their braids, etc.
They also used the woman in labor to walk around the table three times, on the corners of which heaps of salt were poured.
When a woman had to suffer from childbirth for two or three days, they asked the priest to serve a prayer service for the female saints “pattern givers”, helpers during childbirth - the Great Martyr Catherine, the Most Holy Theotokos of Fedorov, or the Three-Handed Mother, or the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos. In some areas, they took a church belt from the priest to tie it around the woman in labor.
When a child was born, the boy’s umbilical cord was cut on an ax or arrow so that he would grow up to be a hunter and craftsman, while a girl’s umbilical cord would be cut on a spindle so that she would grow up to be a needlewoman. The navel was tied with linen thread woven with the hair of the mother and father. After the successful completion of the birth, the midwife buried children's place in some corner of the hut. Then she washed the newborn with heated water, into which silver coins were usually placed, wishing the baby wealth in the future.
Sometimes the midwife corrected the child's head. It was believed that she could make him chubby or long-faced.
Then the grandmother fussed around the mother: she steamed her in a bathhouse or in an oven, adjusted her stomach and squeezed her breasts to remove the first bad milk.
To keep the child calm, after birth he was wrapped in his father’s ports or when swaddling, thick threads, the so-called verchi, were used, and the top was covered with green material.
In general, the belt is like an amulet, a magical attribute played big role in paganism. This is reflected in many later religions. The belt symbolically divides the human body into two halves - earthly and heavenly, unclean and pure, and serves as protection against evil forces. The same protective role was played by the belt with which the godmother tied the child after six weeks from the day of his birth. It was believed that an ungirdled child could die.
Thus, the modern custom of tying a newborn, swaddled in a blanket, with a ribbon when leaving the maternity hospital - a boy with blue (blue), and a girl with red (pink) has an explanation. The royal house of Romanov had a custom of awarding a newborn boy the Order of St. Andrew the First-Called (blue sash), and a girl with the Order of St. Catherine (red sash).
The first diaper for a son was his father's shirt, for a daughter - her mother's: In general, all the very first actions with the baby (bathing, feeding, cutting hair) were surrounded by rituals.
On the fortieth day, the mother and the newborn, according to the rules of the church, entered the temple: the mother listened to a cleansing prayer, and the baby was churched, that is, introduced into the community of believers.
In the first postpartum days, women - relatives, neighbors, mostly of childbearing age - came to visit the woman in labor and brought her family various foods - bread, buns, pies, cookies.
Later, especially in the cities, this custom was transformed into an offering of money to the newborn “for teeth” and “for washing his feet.” It has survived to this day, most often in the form of gifts to a newborn from relatives and loved ones in the form of toys, children's clothing, etc.
1.2. Baptism
Wanting to introduce the newborn to the Christian faith, the parents carried him to church, where the priest baptized him, lowering him into a font of water. At the same time, his name was called.
Fearing the influence of evil spirits (belief in the evil eye, etc.), people sought to baptize the child as soon as possible. There were numerous stories among the peasants about the unfortunate fate of the souls of children who died unbaptized and, as a result, had no peace. The only way to calm them down was to give them a name. And such children were buried at crossroads, where passers-by could “baptize” them.
Before leaving for the church to perform the baptismal ceremony, the midwife performed a series of magical actions on the child: she bathed him in a trough filled with running water, accompanying the ablution with the recitation of incantations. Then she dressed the child in a cut father's or mother's shirt (according to the sex of the baby) and, bringing it to the father for blessing, handed the child over to the godfather if it was a boy, or to the godfather if it was a girl.
Godfathers were invited for the baptismal ceremony. The invitation of the adoptive parents was made by the father of the newborn.
The main characters during baptism are godparents or godparents (that is, those who receive the child from the font); they were popularly called godfather and godfather.
Among the people, adoptive parents were considered the child’s second parents, his guardians and patrons. They often chose one of the relatives - adults, respected and wealthy. Invitation to godparents was considered an honor, and refusal of nepotism was considered a sin. Those families in which children often died invited the first person they met to become godfathers, believing that his happiness would be passed on to the newborn.
The recipients sometimes incurred very significant expenses. The godfather bought the cross, paid the priest, the godfather had to bring the child a shirt and several arshins of cotton or canvas, as well as a towel for the priest to wipe his hands after immersing the child in the font. After six weeks, the godfather brought the child a belt.
The main role at the christening did not belong to the father of the newborn, who kept himself isolated, but to the godfather, the godfather. For many peoples, adoption was a hereditary affair, and the godfather remained a permanent person, that is, he baptized all the children of a given family.
In Russian wedding ceremonies in various localities, the installed father, who was usually the groom's godfather, was called a friend, or uncle, which he often was. As a matchmaker, he sometimes played a greater role than his own father in choosing a bride.
The custom of nepotism was not recognized by the Orthodox Church for a long time. Until the end of the 15th century, the participation of godfathers in the church ceremony was prohibited. Perception gave rise to relationships similar to kinship - nepotism. A quarrel with godfathers was considered a special sin; women were afraid to appear barefoot or bare-haired in front of godfathers. But they usually treated close relationships between godfather and godfather leniently; their cohabitation was not considered a special sin. Naturally, such popular practice was condemned by the Orthodox Church as contrary to religious morality. But the folk custom was persistently preserved, so the church made concessions and initially allowed one recipient, the godfather, to participate in the church baptismal ceremony. And much later, the godmother was introduced into the baptismal ritual, initially only for girls. The gender of the recipient had to match the gender of the child being baptized.
On the eighth day after birth or earlier - if the baby is weak - baptism was performed.
With a boy, the godfather (godfather, or godfather) must be Orthodox, and with a girl, an Orthodox godmother.
After baptism, the sacrament of chrismation takes place. If in the sacrament of baptism a person is born for a new life - spiritual, then in the sacrament of anointing he receives grace that strengthens the strength of the baptized person to go through this new life.
Upon returning from church after performing the baptismal rite, another rite, this time of a pagan nature, was performed in the peasant family. This is a rite of introduction of the child to the family hearth. The baby was placed on a bench under the icon on a sheepskin coat, as a symbol of wealth, sometimes on the stove or brought to the forehead (outer opening) of the stove, which was considered the home of the brownie - the owner of the house, and they turned to the brownie with a request to accept the newborn into the house.
After the christening, father and mother were congratulated on their son or daughter, godfathers on their godson or goddaughter, midwife on their new grandson or granddaughter, and so on. The godfather and godfather were seated at the table and treated to a snack and tea prepared for them, and the hero of the occasion was twisted and placed next to the mother in labor on a fur coat spread out with the wool facing up, thereby wishing him wealth. When the newborn was baptized at home, the father treated the priest, along with his godfather and godmother, to lunch.
Meanwhile, the owner of the house invited whomever he considered necessary from among his relatives and friends “to the baby for bread and salt and some porridge.”
The Orthodox rite of baptism was not only a rite of initiation of a newborn into the Orthodox faith, but also an official act of registration of the child.
One of the first cities where the naming ritual appeared was Leningrad. In 1965, the Malyutka Palace was opened in Leningrad, specially designed for this ceremony.
To the melody of Dunaevsky’s song “Fly, Doves,” the participants of the holiday entered the ritual hall. Then the presenter said that the Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies had entrusted the registration of a new citizen of the USSR in Leningrad in accordance with the Law Russian Federation about family and marriage. The National Anthem was sung in honor of the new citizen.
At the end of the ritual, the parents were congratulated by relatives and friends and presented with gifts to the song “Let there always be sunshine.”
1.3. Day Angel
According to the church charter, the child had to be given a name on the eighth day after his birth, but the church did not strictly adhere to this rule. It happened that the name was chosen both before the birth and on the day of the birth itself.
The naming was given to the priest. He chose the name according to the calendar in accordance with the honoring of one or another Orthodox saint, coinciding with the day of the child’s baptism or close to this day. Giving a name, the priest brought the child to the icon of the Mother of God and raised him in a cross shape in front of the icon, as if entrusting the new Christian to her protection.
Name day is not only the day of a specific person, but also the day of the saint in whose honor this person is named.
A guardian angel is an invisible spirit assigned by God to every person from the moment of baptism. This Guardian Angel is invisibly present with the Christian entrusted to him throughout his entire earthly life.
The name of a saint provides a person with his protection. An Orthodox Christian had to know the life of the saint in whose honor he is named, celebrate his name day every year, and follow the righteous life of his saint. The parents themselves were allowed to choose the name.
Many peoples believed in magical connection a person with his name. For a long time in Russia there was a custom of giving, in addition to a Christian name, a pagan one.
It was believed that a Christian name provided the protection of an angel. But in order for the attacks of harmful spirits to be directed at someone else, a person often became better known under a pagan name than under a Christian one. Often the parents themselves, especially in those families where children often died, gave the child offensive, teasing nicknames, ugly names, so that this name would scare away evil spirits.
To choose a lucky name, they guessed: they recognized the name in a dream or called out to the child - which name he responded to, that was the one they gave.
With the help of a name, it was believed that positive character traits of other people could be transferred to a newborn. Therefore, children were given the names of deceased older relatives. It is still traditional from generation to generation to name boys after their grandfathers, and girls after their grandmothers.
Spiritual birth among Christians has always been considered more significant than physical birth. Therefore, earlier the birthday remained unnoticed, many even forgot about it, but the day of the Angel, or name day, was celebrated by everyone whose financial condition allowed it.
In the morning, the birthday boy or girl sent out birthday cakes to the guests; the nobility of the person to whom the pie was sent was measured by the size of the pie sent. The pie served as a kind of invitation to the name day. The one who brought the pies put them on the table and said: “The birthday boy ordered them to bow with pies and asked them to eat bread.” Sweet pies were usually sent to the godfather and mother as a sign of special respect. In some provinces of Central Russia, instead of pies, so-called birthday cakes were sent to relatives - large buns without filling, studded with raisins on top. One such pie was brought to each house.
Gathering at the festive table, the guests brought gifts to the hero of the occasion; clergy blessed the birthday people with images, and secular people gave pieces of material, cups or money.
The kings had their own rules for celebrating name days. So, on the day of his name day, leaving the church from mass, the sovereign himself handed out birthday cakes. The queen did the same on her name days. Adult princes distributed the pies for themselves, and the king distributed the pies on behalf of the princess or the young prince. If the birthday boy was a boyar or a okolnichy, then he came to the king with pies; the king accepted the pies and asked the birthday boy about his health, then the birthday boy introduced himself to the queen and also brought her pies.
On the day of the Angel, gifts were presented to the king without fail. All trading people had to give the king gifts, which were sent to the state court and sold from the state court. It often happened that a merchant bought at the government yard the same thing that he had once given to the king, and now presented it to the sovereign for the second time.
At the birthday tables, the invited guests sang many years, and after the feast, the birthday king, for his part, presented gifts to the guests. After the feast, the guests danced, played cards, and sang.
1.4. Wedding
The Russian wedding ceremony is one of the most important family rituals.
A wedding ceremony consists of many elements, among them: ritual songs, chants, obligatory ritual actions of the bride, groomsmen and other participants.
Russian wedding rites vary greatly in different regions. Thus, in the north of Russia the “musical” part consists almost entirely of chants, and in the south - almost entirely of cheerful songs; the role of chants there is more formal. Moreover, the ritual is always not an arbitrary set of songs and ritual actions, but a very well-organized system.
The time of formation of the wedding ceremony is considered to be the 13th - 14th centuries. At the same time, in some regional traditions, pre-Christian origins are felt in the structure and some details of the ritual, and elements of magic are present.
Despite all the variability of the ritual, its general structure remains unchanged, including the following main components:
* Matchmaking
* Smotriny
* handshake
* Bachelorette / Bachelor party
* This is followed by the sacrament of wedding
* Walking
* Wedding feast
The rituals initially symbolized the transition of a girl from her father’s clan to her husband’s clan. This also entails a transition under the protection of masculine spirits. Such a transition was akin to death in one’s own family and birth in another. For example, howling is the same as wailing for a dead person. At a bachelorette party, going to the bathhouse is washing the dead. The bride is often led to church by the arms, thus symbolizing the lack of strength, lifelessness. The young woman leaves the church on her own. The groom brings the bride into the house in his arms in order to deceive the brownie, to force him to accept the girl as a newborn family member who did not enter the house, but ended up in the house. When the bride was being wooed, they put on a red sundress and said, "Your goods are a merchant," which meant that the girl was a "merchant" and the man was a "merchant."
1.4.1. Matchmaking
The matchmaker was usually the relatives of the groom - the father, brother, etc., less often - the mother, although the matchmaker could not be a relative. Matchmaking was preceded by a certain agreement between the parents of the bride and groom.
The matchmaker, having entered the bride's house, performed some ritual actions that determined his role. For example, in the Simbirsk province, the matchmaker sits under the mother, in the Vologda province the stove damper was supposed to rattle, etc.
Often the matchmaker did not speak directly about the purpose of his arrival, but recited some ritual text. The bride's parents answered him in the same manner. This was done in order to protect the ritual from the actions of evil spirits.
The bride's parents had to refuse for the first time, even if they were happy about the wedding. The matchmaker had to persuade them.
1.4.2. Bride
A few days after the matchmaking, the bride’s parents (or relatives, if the bride is an orphan) came to the groom’s house to look at his household. This part of the wedding was more “utilitarian” than all the others, and did not involve special rituals.
The groom was required to guarantee the prosperity of his future wife. Therefore, her parents inspected the farm very carefully. The main requirements for farming were an abundance of livestock and bread, clothing, and dishes. Often, after inspecting the farm, the bride's parents refused the groom.
After the matchmaking, the parents gave the matchmaker an answer. The girl’s consent was not required (if asked, it was a formality); sometimes even matchmaking could take place in the absence of the girl.
1.4.3. Handshake. Announcement of the wedding decision
If, after inspecting the groom’s household, the bride’s parents did not refuse him, a day was set for the public announcement of the wedding decision. IN different traditions this rite was called differently (“vaults”, “conspiracy”, “binge”, “sing” - from the word “sing”, “zaruchiny”, “zaporuki” - from the words “slap on the hands”, “betrothal”, “ vaults" and many other names), but in any tradition it was from this day that the wedding itself began. After the public announcement, only exceptional circumstances could upset the wedding (such as the escape of the bride).
Usually the “conspiracy” takes place about two weeks after the matchmaking.
The “conspiracy” took place in the bride’s house. Most of the villagers usually gathered for it, since the day of the "conspiracy" was determined after inspecting the groom's household, and a few days before the "conspiracy" itself, this news spread throughout the village.
At the “conspiracy” there was supposed to be refreshments for the guests. The parents of the bride and groom had to agree on the day of the wedding, who would be the boyfriend, etc.
Features in northern traditions. In the north, this ritual is usually called “zaporuki”, “zaruchini”. During this ceremony, the groom and matchmaker are present.
In the north, the ceremony of commissioning the bride was one of the most dramatic of all the rites of the wedding cycle. Even if the bride was happy about the marriage, she was supposed to lament. In addition, the bride performed a number of ritual actions. So, she had to put out the candle in front of the icons. Sometimes the bride hid and ran away from home. When they tried to lead her to her father, she struggled. The bride's friends had to catch her and take her to her father.
After this, the key action of the whole day took place - “hanging” the bride. The father covered the bride's face with a scarf. After this, the bride stopped struggling. The place of “hanging” varies (in different places of the hut or outside the hut).
1.4.4. Preparing for the wedding day. Vytie
The next period in some traditions was called a “week” (although it did not necessarily last exactly a week, sometimes up to two weeks). At this time, the dowry was being prepared. In northern traditions, the bride constantly wailed. In the south, every evening the groom and his friends came to the bride’s house (this was called “gatherings”, “parties”, etc.), sang and danced.
During the “week” the groom was supposed to arrive with gifts. In the northern tradition, all actions during the “week” are accompanied by the bride’s laments, including the arrival of the groom.
Dowry. The bride, with the help of her friends, had to prepare a large amount of dowry for the wedding. Basically, the dowry included things that the bride had previously made with her own hands.
The dowry usually included a bed (feather bed, pillow, blanket) and gifts for the groom and relatives: shirts, scarves, belts, patterned towels.
1.4.5. Rituals on the eve of the wedding day
On the eve and morning of the wedding day, the bride had to perform a number of ritual actions. Their set is not fixed (for example, in some regions the bride had to visit a cemetery), but there are mandatory rituals inherent in most regional traditions.
Bathhouse. The bride's going to the bathhouse is an indispensable attribute of most regional traditions. This ceremony could take place both on the eve of the wedding day, and on the wedding day itself in the morning.
Usually the bride did not go to the bathhouse alone, with friends or with her parents.
Going to the bath was accompanied by both special verses and songs, and a number of ritual actions, some of which were given magical significance. So, in the Vologda region, a healer went to the bathhouse with the bride, who collected her sweat in a special vial, and at the wedding feast it was poured into the beer of the groom.
Hen-party. A bachelorette party is a meeting between the bride and her friends before the wedding. This was their last meeting before the wedding, so there was a ritual farewell of the bride to her friends.
At the bachelorette party, the second key moment of the entire wedding ceremony (after the “hanging”) took place - the untwisting of the girl's braid. The bride's friends unbraided the braid. Unraveling the braid symbolizes the end of the girl’s former life. In many traditions, the untwisting of the braid is accompanied by a "farewell to the red beauty." “Red Beauty” is a ribbon or ribbons woven into a girl’s braid.
The bachelorette party is accompanied by jokes and special songs. Often the bride's lament sounds simultaneously with the song sung by the bridesmaids. At the same time, there is a contrast between the parable and the song - the parable sounds very dramatic, while it is accompanied by a cheerful song of girlfriends.
1.4.6. First wedding day
On the first day of the wedding, the following usually happens: the arrival of the groom, departure to the crown, the transfer of dowry, the arrival of the young at the groom's house, blessing, wedding feast.
However, in some northern traditions, the influence of a more archaic, apparently pre-Christian scheme of the rite is strongly influenced. So, in the Vologda region, the scheme of the ceremony is as follows: on the morning of the first day, a bathhouse and a meeting of friends, then the arrival of the groom, “bringing to the tables” (bringing the bride to the guests and the groom), treating the guests. At the same time, the main thing is the “conclusion in front of the tables”, since a number of magical actions are performed here, the bride is most elegantly dressed. At night, everyone stays in the bride's house, and the bride and groom are supposed to spend the night in the same room. This means that the wedding itself has already taken place. The next day there is a wedding and a feast at the groom's.
Druzhka. Druzhka (or friend) is one of the most important participants in the ritual. Although all the participants in the ceremony know him well (since this is not a performance, but a ceremony), the friend to a certain extent directs the ritual actions.
The friend must know the ritual very well, for example, at what point should wedding sentences be pronounced, etc. Often the friend is ritually blasphemed and scolded, and he must be able to adequately respond to such jokes addressed to him. The groom is almost a passive figure; on the wedding day he does not say ritual words.
Usually the groom is a relative of the groom (brother) or a close friend. Its attribute is embroidered towel(or two towels) tied over the shoulder.
In some traditions there may be not one friend, but two or even three. But still one of them dominates the others.
Arrival of the groom or ransom. In some traditions, on the morning of the wedding day, the groom must visit the bride's house and check if she is ready for the groom's arrival. When the groomsmen arrive, the bride should already be in her wedding clothes and sit in the red corner.
The groom with his groomsmen, friends and relatives make up the wedding train. As the train moved towards the bride's house, its participants (poezzhans) sang special “poezzhans” songs.
The arrival of the groom was accompanied by one or more ransoms. In most regional traditions, this is a purchase of the entrance to the house. A gate, a door, etc. can be redeemed. Both the groom himself and the groom can redeem.
Elements of magical actions in this part of the ritual are especially important. Road sweeping is common. This is done so that an object that could be damaged (hair, stone, etc.) is not thrown at the young people’s feet. The specific road that should be swept varies among different traditions. This could be the road in front of the bride’s house along which the groom’s train will travel, it could be the floor of the room along which the newlyweds will walk before leaving for the wedding, the road to the groom’s house after the wedding, etc.
An essential detail of the ritual, preserved in urban conditions, is the direct ransom of the bride. The bride can be bought either from her girlfriends or from her parents.
Sometimes there was ritual deception of the groom. The bride was brought out to him, covered with a scarf. For the first time, they might have brought out not the real bride, but another woman or even an old woman. In this case, the groom either had to go look for the bride, or buy her again.
Wedding. Before going to church, the bride's parents blessed the young with an icon and bread. Before the wedding, the bride was untwisted with a girl's braid, and after the young people were married, two “woman's” braids were braided for her and her hair was carefully covered with a female headdress (warrior). Sometimes this happened already at a wedding feast, but among the Old Believers they braided two braids and put on a warrior either between betrothal and wedding, or even before betrothal.
Arrival at the groom's house. After the wedding, the groom takes the bride to his home. Here they should be blessed by their parents. There is also a combination of Christian elements with pagan ones. In many traditions, the bride and groom were seated on a fur coat. The skin of the animal serves as a talisman. Bread in one form or another is required in the blessing ritual. Usually he is next to the icon during the blessing. In some traditions, both the groom and the bride are supposed to take a bite of bread. This bread was also credited with magical effects. In some regions, it was then fed to the cow so that it would produce more offspring.
Wedding feast. After the wedding, the bride never laments. From this moment the joyful and cheerful part of the ceremony begins. Next, the newlyweds go to the bride’s house to buy gifts.
Then the groom brings the bride to his house. There should already be a rich meal ready for the guests. The wedding feast begins.
During the feast, majestic songs are sung. In addition to the bride and groom, they named their parents and groomsmen.
The feast could last two or three days. On the second day, everyone must move to the bride’s house, and the feast continues there. If they feast for three days, on the third they return to the groom again.
“Putting down” and “waking up” the young . In the evening (or at night) the “laying of the newlyweds” took place - the matchmaker or the bed-maid prepared the wedding bed, which the groom had to buy. The feast often continued during this time. The next morning (sometimes only a few hours later), a friend, matchmaker or mother-in-law “woke up” the newlyweds. Often after waking up, guests were shown the bride’s “honor” - a shirt or sheet with traces of blood. In other places, the groom testified to the bride’s “honor” by eating a scrambled egg, pancake or pie from the middle or the edge, or by answering ritual questions like “Did you break the ice or trample the dirt?” If the bride turned out to be “dishonest,” her parents could be ridiculed, a collar hung around her neck, the gate covered with tar, etc.
1.4.7. Second wedding day
On the second day of the wedding, the bride usually performed some ritual actions. One of the most common rituals is the “search for the little one.”
This ritual is that the “little lamb” (that is, the lamb, the bride) is hiding somewhere in the house, and the “shepherd” (one of her relatives or all the guests) must find her.
It was also common for a “young woman” to fetch water with two oars on a yoke, scattering garbage, money, grain in the room - the young wife had to carefully sweep the floor, which was checked by the guests.
It is important for the groom to visit his mother-in-law. This ritual has many different names in different regions (“Khlibiny”, “yaishnya”, etc.). It consists in the fact that the mother-in-law gave the groom cooked food (pancakes, scrambled eggs, etc.). The plate was covered with a scarf. The son-in-law had to ransom her by putting money on a scarf (or wrapping it in it).
1.5. Housewarming
Crossing the threshold of a new home, a person seems to be entering new life. Whether this life will be prosperous depends on the new settlers observing many signs. It is believed that if you perform the necessary rituals when moving in, life in your new home will be happy.
In the old days, all construction projects started the same way. The eldest in the family was the first to start building a house: where the foundation of the dwelling would be, he poured grains, and placed a stone or log on top of them.
When the construction came to an end, a wreath woven from the simplest flowers and birch or spruce branches was hung on the roof ridge. The neighbors, seeing such a wreath, understood that the housewarming holiday was coming soon.
According to tradition, the eldest in the family not only started construction, but was also the first to cross the threshold of a new house.
During pagan times, people did not start life in a newly built house without receiving a divine blessing. To receive a blessing from the gods, it was necessary to appease them. And, as you know, the pagan gods could only be appeased by sacrifice. If there were old people in the family, then the eldest of them became this very sacrifice for the gods. The old man entered the house before everyone else. Because the pagans believed: the first one to enter the house will be the first to go to the kingdom of the dead.
Then paganism gave way to Christianity and customs also changed. The cat was the first to enter the house. Why her? It was believed that this beast was acquainted with all evil spirits. And in a newly built house, evil spirits can live, so you need to let someone in who is not afraid of them and to whom they will not do anything. And since the cat is connected with them, then she has nothing to fear. They also believed that the cat always finds the best corner in the house. Where the cat lay down, then the owner and mistress arranged their sleeping place or placed a crib.
IN new house It wasn't just the cat that was launched. The rooster was supposed to spend the first night in the constructed dwelling. People were afraid to be the first to spend the night in the house - they were afraid of evil spirits. But the rooster was just driving it out with his singing in the morning. But then an unenviable fate awaited him - a jelly was prepared from a rooster, which was served at the festive table.
And yet the cat and the rooster were not the best defenders from evil spirits. The most important guardian of the house was, of course, considered the brownie. When people moved from their old house, they invited him to come with them. They even lured us in with various treats. For example, porridge. It was cooked in the evening in the oven of the house they were about to leave. A little porridge was put in a bowl especially for the brownie, in order to appease him, to call him in this way to a new home. The owners themselves did not eat the prepared porridge, but saved it until the next day. They sat down for a meal only in the new house. Before sitting down to the table, an icon and a loaf of bread were brought into the house. The icon was placed in the so-called red corner.
If the owners wanted the brownie to move from their old home to a new one, they simply took a broom with them. It was believed that then the brownie would definitely come to a new place. Leaving a broom is a bad omen. After all, with this broom, the woman diligently swept all the rubbish out of the old house, which she then burned and scattered in the wind. This was done so that no one would spoil the left debris or ashes. The broom was later to be useful to the hostess again. She used it to sweep the new hut. Only after this the old broom was burned.
Now moving into a new house is celebrated as follows: first they arrange a holiday for the closest, and then for all acquaintances, neighbors and relatives. Perhaps the only built country house will not be the best place to celebrate. However, if you do not arrange a housewarming party, the brownie may be offended and leave you.
If you weren’t able to put things in proper order before the housewarming party and you weren’t able to set a chic table either, don’t worry. Housewarming treats can be the simplest. The most important thing is don't forget about the loaf. He's the one on festive table will become a symbol of wealth and a future happy life in a new home.
The Slavs assigned a special place to the housewarming loaf on the table - in the center. A lush loaf, decorated with rowan or viburnum berries, lay on red and green towels. After all, red is a symbol of well-being, and green is a symbol of longevity.
Guests must definitely bring bread with them. Or a small pie. This is necessary so that everyone in the new home is always well-fed and rich.
1.6. Russian Orthodox burial rite
Death is the last earthly destiny of every person; after death, the soul, separated from the body, appears before God's judgment. Believers in Christ do not want to die unrepentant, for in the afterlife sins will become a heavy, painful burden. The repose of the soul of the deceased depends on the correct implementation of the burial ritual, and therefore knowledge and observance of the smallest details of the funeral ritual is extremely important.
1.6.1. Communion
A priest must be invited to a seriously ill person, who will confess him, give him communion, and perform the sacrament of unction on him.
In the sacrament of confession (from the word to confess, i.e. to tell about oneself to another), the repentant is given absolution through the prayer of permission of the priest, who has received from Christ the grace to forgive sins on earth, so that they will be forgiven in heaven. A dying person who no longer speaks language and cannot confess can be absolved by a priest (forgiveness of sins) if the sick person himself ordered to call a confessor.
In the sacrament of communion, a person, under the guise of bread and wine, receives the Holy Mysteries - the Body and Blood of Christ, thus becoming involved in Christ. The Holy Mysteries are called the Holy Gifts - because They are the priceless Divine Gift of the Savior Christ to people. The sick are given communion at any time - the priest brings spare Gifts to the house, which are stored in the church.
1.6.2. Unction
Unction (originally performed by a meeting of priests), or consecration of oil, is a sacrament in which, with sevenfold anointing with consecrated oil ( vegetable oil) the grace of God descends on a sick person, healing his bodily and spiritual infirmities. If the priest managed to anoint the dying person at least once, the sacrament of unction is considered completed.
At the very moment of death, a person experiences a painful feeling of fear, vengeance. When leaving the body, the soul meets not only the Guardian Angel given to it in Holy Baptism, but also demons, the terrible appearance of which leaves one in awe. To pacify the restless soul, the relatives and friends of a person leaving this world can themselves read the prayer over him - in the Prayer Book this collection of songs and prayers is called “The Canon of Prayer for the Separation of the Soul from the Body.” The canon ends with a prayer from the priest/priest, spoken (read) for the exodus of the soul, about its release from all bonds, liberation from all oaths, forgiveness of sins and peace in the abodes of saints. This prayer is supposed to be read only by a priest, therefore, if the canon was read by lay people, the prayer is omitted.
1.6.3. Burial
Not a single people left the bodies of their dead without care - the law on burial and the corresponding rituals was sacred to everyone. The touching rites performed by the Orthodox Church over a deceased Christian are not just solemn ceremonies, often invented by human vanity and saying nothing to either the mind or the heart. On the contrary, they have a deep meaning and significance, since they are based on the revelations of the holy faith (that is, revealed, bequeathed by the Lord Himself), known from the apostles - the disciples and followers of Jesus Christ. The funeral rites of the Orthodox Church bring consolation and serve as symbols that express the idea of the general resurrection and future immortal life. The essence of the Orthodox burial rite lies in the Church’s view of the body as a temple of the soul consecrated by grace, of present life as a time of preparation for the future life, and of death as a dream, upon awakening from which eternal life will begin.
1.6.4.Commemoration of the dead
Commemoration is carried out on the third, ninth and fortieth day, since at the indicated time the soul of the deceased appears before the Lord. The first three days after death, the soul wanders the earth, visiting places where the deceased committed sins or righteous deeds. From the third to the ninth day, the soul wanders among the paradise. From the ninth to the fortieth day, she is in hell, watching the torment of sinners. On the fortieth day, the issue of determining the location of the soul in the afterlife is finally resolved.
Commemoration of the deceased is also carried out on the anniversary of death, on earthly birth days and on name days. The Church has established special days of remembrance - ecumenical memorial services:
The Saturday before meat-eating week (Meat-eating Saturday), two weeks before Lent - is celebrated as a commemoration of all those who died a sudden death - during floods, earthquakes, wars;
Trinity Saturday - on the fortieth day after Easter - for all Christians;
Dimitrovskaya Saturday (day of Dmitry Solunsky) - a week before November 8, established by Dmitry Donskoy in memory of those killed on the Kulikovo Field;
Second, third and fourth Saturdays of Great Lent;
Radonitsa (Tuesday of St. Thomas Week) when cemeteries are visited for the first time after Easter, where visitors bring colored eggs and where they tell the dead the news of the resurrection of Christ.
By decree of Catherine II of 1769 (during the war with the Turks and Poles), the all-Russian commemoration of all fallen soldiers is carried out on the day of the beheading of John the Baptist (September 11).
The canonical attributes of the funeral feast are: kutia, pancakes, jelly, milk.
2.1. Nativity
Christmas is not only a bright holiday of Orthodoxy.
Christmas is a holiday returned, reborn. The traditions of this
holiday filled with genuine humanity and kindness, high
moral ideals are being discovered and comprehended again these days.
Before Christmas, the house was thoroughly cleaned, the Christmas tree was put up and decorated, and preparations were made for the Christmas table. The whole week was festive. Children were always given gifts.
On the first day of the Nativity of Christ, the peasants had to celebrate the liturgy, then break their fast, and only after that they began to celebrate.
Arriving under the windows of the house, they sang first the troparion and kontakion for the holiday, and then the grapevine; Meanwhile, the star was constantly spinning in a circle. Having sung the grapes, the owner and hostess were congratulated on the holiday, and finally, they exclaimed to the glory of God, thereby asking for a donation. Then the owner allowed one of the famers to come into his house and gave him money.
Mummers walked from house to house. Fortune telling and other amusements were held, which were condemned by the secular and spiritual authorities. Everyone dressed up - young and old, men and women. They dressed up as a soldier, a peasant, a gypsy, a lady, a coachman, etc.
“Carols” were the name given to cookies that were baked in the form of figures of animals and birds—“cows,” “roes,” etc. The largest “carol” was taken to the barn and left there until Epiphany. At Epiphany, they crumbled it into holy water and fed it to the cattle so that it would not get sick, would bear fruit well, and would know a home. Komi-Permyaks kept bread “kozulka” in a shrine until Epiphany, and then also fed it to the animals that this or that “kozulka” represented.
The rest of the “carols” were awarded to the mummers and carolers who came to the house for their songs.
At Christmas it is customary to cook and eat poultry: duck, goose, chicken, turkey. This custom has very ancient origins. The bird was considered a symbol of life. Eating a bird means prolonging life.
The Christmas holiday came to Rus' along with Christianity in the 10th century and merged here with the ancient Slavic winter holiday - Christmastide, or carol.
Slavic Christmastide was a multi-day holiday. They started at the end of December and continued throughout the first week of January. Later, Christmastide, holy days, began to be called the 12 days of celebration from the Nativity of Christ to Epiphany. The first week was called Christmastide, and the second - terrible evenings.
Christmas time began with cleaning. People cleaned their houses, washed themselves, threw away or burned old things, driving away evil spirits with fire and smoke, and sprinkled water on their cattle.
During Christmas time, it was forbidden to quarrel, use foul language, mention death, or commit reprehensible acts. Everyone was obliged to do only nice things for each other.
At the same time, games were held, caroling, mummers walking around, fortune-telling, Christmas markets - auctions, bazaars.
2.1.1. Christmas post
The establishment of the Nativity Fast, as well as other multi-day fasts,
dates back to ancient Christian times.
The Nativity Fast (also Pentecost, Filippov Fast, in common parlance Filippovka) is an Orthodox forty-day fast established in honor of the Nativity of Christ, one of the four multi-day fasts of the church year. Serves as preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.
Observed from November 15 (28) to December 24 (January 6) inclusive and ends with the holiday of the Nativity of Christ. The conspiracy (the eve of fasting) - November 14 (27) - falls on the day of memory of the holy apostle Philip, therefore the fast is also called Filippov. If the spell falls on one-day fasts - Wednesday or Friday - then it moves to November 13 (26).
Initially, the Nativity Fast lasted seven days for some Christians, and a little longer for others. At the council of 1166, which was held at
Patriarch Luke of Constantinople and Byzantine Emperor Manuel ordered all Christians to fast for forty days before the great feast of the Nativity of Christ.
2.2. Maslenitsa
Maslenitsa was first an ancient Slavic pagan multi-day holiday of “farewell to winter,” which marked the transition to spring agricultural work. The Church included Maslenitsa among its holidays that precede Lent. In ancient times, this holiday consisted of various ritual actions of a magical-religious nature, which then turned into traditional folk customs and rituals.
In pagan times, the celebration of Maslenitsa was dedicated to the day spring equinox(March 22). The Christian Church left the main celebration of Spring, so as not to conflict with the traditions of the Russian people, but shifted the people’s favorite holiday of seeing off winter in time so that it would not contradict Lent. Therefore, after the baptism of Rus', Maslenitsa is celebrated in last week before Lent, seven weeks before Easter.
The name “Maslenitsa” arose because this week, according to Orthodox custom, meat was already excluded from food, and dairy products could still be consumed. To walk to your heart's content before seven weeks of fasting, which were strict in all respects - such was the spirit of this holiday. But it also absorbed very ancient traditions of festivities that were once celebrated on the verge of winter and spring.
Maslenitsa is a mischievous and cheerful farewell to winter and a welcome to spring, bringing revival in nature and the warmth of the sun. From time immemorial, people have perceived spring as the beginning of a new life and revered the Sun, which gives life and strength to all living things. In honor of the sun, unleavened flatbreads were first baked, and when they learned how to prepare leavened dough, they began to bake pancakes.
The ancients considered the pancake a symbol of the sun, since it, like the sun, is yellow, round and hot, and they believed that together with the pancake they eat a piece of its warmth and power.
With the introduction of Christianity, the celebration ritual also changed. Maslenitsa got its name from church calendar, because during this period of time - the last week before Lent, eating butter, dairy products and fish is allowed, otherwise this week in the Orthodox Church is called cheese week. The days of Maslenitsa change depending on when Lent begins.
Among the people, every day of Maslenitsa has its own name.
Monday- meeting. Mountains, swings, and booths were completed for this day. Those who were richer began to bake pancakes. The first pancake was given to the poor to commemorate the dead.
Tuesday- flirting. In the morning, young people were invited to ride from the mountains and eat pancakes. They called relatives and friends: “We have mountains ready, and pancakes are baked - please favor.”
Wednesday- gourmets. On this day, the son-in-law came “to his mother-in-law for pancakes.” In addition to the son-in-law, the mother-in-law invited other guests.
Thursday- wide revelry. From this day on, Maslenitsa unfolded in all its breadth. The people indulged in all kinds of fun: ice mountains, booths, swings, horseback riding, carnivals, fist fights, noisy revels.
Friday- Mother-in-law's evening. Sons-in-law invited their mothers-in-law to visit and treated them to pancakes.
Saturday- sister-in-law's get-togethers. Young daughters-in-law invited their sisters-in-law to visit them. The newlywed daughter-in-law had to give her sister-in-law some gift.
Last day of Maslenitsa- Forgiveness Sunday. In churches, at the evening service, the rite of forgiveness is performed (the rector asks for forgiveness from other clergy and parishioners). Then all the believers, bowing to each other, ask for forgiveness and, in response to the request, say "God will forgive." “Effigy of Maslenitsa” was ceremoniously burned
In the Orthodox Church, it is believed that the meaning of Cheese Week is reconciliation with neighbors, forgiveness of offenses, preparation for Great Lent - a time that needs to be devoted to good communication with neighbors, relatives, friends, and doing good. Lenten services begin to be held in churches. On Wednesday and Friday, the Divine Liturgy is not served, the Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim the Syrian is read.
On the last day of Maslenitsa week, the ritual of seeing off Maslenitsa took place, which in different provinces of Russia consisted both in burning an effigy of Maslenitsa and in its symbolic funeral.
The burning of an effigy was traditional for the northern, central and Volga provinces. The effigy of Maslenitsa was carried by the participants of the Maslenitsa train (sometimes there were several hundred horses in it). Traditional funeral food (pancakes, eggs, cakes) was thrown into a fire with a burning effigy.
2.3. Easter
Easter (Resurrection of Christ) - main holiday Orthodox calendar, established in memory of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Easter does not have a fixed date, but is calculated according to lunar calendar. The celebration begins on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. If the full moon falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday. Usually the holiday falls from March 22/April 4 to April 25/May 8.
The day of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ received its name from the Jewish holiday of Passover, dedicated to the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their liberation from slavery. The borrowing of the name of the Jewish holiday is explained by the fact that all the tragic events of the earthly life of Jesus Christ occurred before the Jewish Passover, and His Resurrection took place on the night of Passover.
In the Orthodox tradition, Easter is considered the “king of days,” “the holiday of all holidays, the triumph of all celebrations.” Throughout Russia, Easter was celebrated as a day of great joy. The main event of the celebration was the solemn service in the temple. The Easter service began on the night from Saturday to Sunday. Its first part was called the Midnight Office. It was held in memory of the night prayer of Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, which preceded his betrayal into the hands of the Pharisees. After reading prayers and chants, the priest, together with the clergy, brought the shroud from the middle of the temple to the altar, which remained there until the Ascension. At midnight, the bell ringing (blagovest) was heard, all the candles and chandeliers were lit at the same time, the priests in light vestments, with a cross, lamps and incense came out of the altar and, together with everyone present in the temple, sang the surplice: “Thy Resurrection, O Christ the Savior, the angels sing on heaven, and grant us on earth with a pure heart Glory to you,” and then, to the sound of bells, a religious procession around the church began. Upon returning to the temple, the priest sang the troparion of the holiday: “Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death.” Then the royal gates opened, which symbolized Christ’s opening of the gates of heaven, closed to people after the fall of Adam and Eve, and matins began. The canon was fulfilled: “Resurrection day, let us enlighten people...”, and then the eternal victory of Christ over death and hell was proclaimed: “Where is your sting, O death? Where the hell is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are cast down. Christ is risen and life lives. Christ is risen, and not one is dead in the tomb.” After Matins, the festive liturgy began, at the end of which the artos - special bread with the image of a cross and a crown of thorns - was illuminated.
The elegant decoration of the temple, many lit wax candles, light vestments of priests, the smell of incense, joyful chimes of bells, festive chants, a solemn religious procession, exclamations of “Christ is Risen!” - all this caused joy in believers, a feeling of participation in a miracle. After the end of the service, the parishioners congratulated each other on the bright holiday, kissed three times and said the words that the apostles said to each other after learning about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ: “Christ is Risen!” - “Truly he is risen!”, they exchanged eggs painted red.
On Easter, breaking the fast began after a long period of Lent. As a rule, this was a family meal at which no guests appeared. On the table covered with a white tablecloth, they placed colored eggs, kulich - tall bread made from butter dough and Easter (paska) - a sweet dish made from cottage cheese with raisins, consecrated in the church on Holy Saturday. Red egg in view Orthodox man symbolized the world, stained with the blood of Jesus Christ and through this reborn to new life. Kulich was associated with the body of the Lord, to which believers should partake. In the popular consciousness, the Christian understanding of Easter food was combined with pagan ideas about the egg as a symbol of rebirth and renewal, a sign of fertility and vitality, and about bread as a living being and even the incarnation of God. The pagan analogue of Easter cake was bread that was baked in the spring before the start of agricultural work and used in productive agricultural and pastoral rituals, as well as a wedding loaf, which, according to legend, could provide a married couple with numerous offspring. The first dish during the Easter meal was an egg, which was cut into pieces according to the number of people sitting at the table. After this, everyone received a piece of Easter cake and a spoonful of Easter cottage cheese. Then the rest of the holiday food prepared by the hostess was placed on the table, and a joyful feast began.
In folk tradition, Easter was celebrated as a holiday of renewal and rebirth of life. This was due not only to the Christian idea of the Resurrection of Christ and the associated prospect of eternal life, but also to the widespread existence among the people of pagan ideas about the spring awakening of nature after the winter sleep-death, about the death of the old and the beginning of a new time. According to widespread beliefs, every person was supposed to meet Easter renewed spiritually and physically, prepared for it during the long period of Lent. Before Easter, it was considered necessary to restore order in the house and on the street: wash the floors, ceilings, walls, benches, whitewash the stoves, update the icon case, repair the fences, put the wells in order, remove the garbage left after the winter. In addition, it was necessary to make new clothes for all family members and wash in the bathhouse. On Easter, a person had to discard all bad, unclean thoughts, forget evil and insults, not sin, not enter into marital relations that were perceived as sin.
There are many different beliefs associated with Easter. According to popular beliefs, the day of Easter is so pure and holy that devils and demons with the Easter gospel fall through the ground, and their cries and groans, caused by anger at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, can be heard during the Easter all-night vigil and the entire first day of Easter. The peasants believed that on this day something becomes visible that you cannot see on other days, and they are allowed to ask God for what they really want. It was believed that during the Easter service, if you turn the candle with the flame down, you can see the sorcerer: he will stand with his back to the altar, and horns will be visible on his head. And if you stand at the door with cottage cheese, it will be easy to identify the witch passing by and waving her little tail.
Russians associated Easter with the miraculous fulfillment of their desires. It was believed that on this day one could ensure success in business for the whole year. If, for example, a person comes home first after the Easter service, then the whole year will be successful for him. If an old man combs his hair on Easter Day, he will have as many grandchildren as there are hairs on his head. If during the liturgy a girl turns to God in a whisper: “Give me a good groom, in boots and galoshes, not on a cow, but on a horse,” then the groom will be wooed in the near future; gamblers, according to legend, could ask God for constant luck in cards: for this you had to take the ace of spades with you to church - “wine and, when the priest says “Christ is Risen!” for the first time, answer “The cards are here!”, the second time - “The Whip is here!”, and the third - “The aces are here!” Luck will not leave the blasphemer until he repents of what he has done. They believed that good luck would be ensured for a thief if he stole any item from people praying during Matins and did not get caught stealing.
The idea of resurrection from the dead formed the basis of the idea that on Easter night the souls of the dead come to earth. If they wish, people who grieve for the death of their loved ones can see them in church at the Easter service and listen to their requests and complaints. After the liturgy, Russian peasants, despite the prohibitions of the priests, went to the cemetery to celebrate Christ with the dead.
The continuation of Easter was Easter (bright) week, which lasted eight days, until St. Thomas Sunday inclusive.
Conclusion
In the Russian way of life there was a combination of extremes, a mixture of simplicity and primitive freshness of the virgin people with Asian effeminacy and Byzantine relaxation. When a noble person dressed all in gold and pearls, ate on silver and forced dozens of dishes to be served at a time, the village poor, during frequent crop failures, ate bread from straw or from quinoa, roots and tree bark. When noble women and girls did not even take care of the household and, condemned to inactivity, only to kill the tedious boredom, they took up the embroidery of church vestments, peasant women worked twice as much as their husbands. On the one hand, the dignity of every significant person was inactivity, effeminacy, immobility; on the other hand, the Russian people amazed foreigners with their patience, firmness, indifference to any deprivation of comforts in life. From childhood, Russians were accustomed to endure hunger and cold. Children were weaned at two months and fed roughage; the children ran in nothing but shirts without hats, barefoot in the snow in bitter cold. Fasts accustomed the people to coarse and meager food, consisting of roots and bad fish; surviving in cramped conditions and smoke, with chickens and calves, the Russian commoner acquired a strong, insensitive nature.
But no matter how opposite the lifestyle of the noble and the simple may seem, the nature of both was the same: let only the poor simpleton be blessed with happiness, and he will immediately arrange for himself to be immobile and heavy; but a noble and rich person, if circumstances force him, will easily get used to the harsh life and work.
The morals of the Russian people combined piety and superstition, ceremony in relations with society and rudeness and cruelty towards loved ones. The Russian character, formed under the influence of the cultures of neighboring peoples, absorbed many of their traditions and practices, some of which even contradicted each other. Merging together, these qualities made Russian culture special, amazing, unlike all others.
List of used literature
1. . G.Samitdinova, Z.A.Sharipova, Ya.T.Nagaeva “Native Bashkortostan”, publishing house: Bashkortostan Ufa, 1993;
2. L.I. Brudnaya, Z.M. Gurevich “Encyclopedia of Rituals and Customs”, St. Petersburg: “Respex”, 1997;
3. N.P. Stepanov “Folk holidays in Holy Rus'”, M.: Russian rarity, 1992; 4. Team of authors “Russians” folk holidays, rituals and customs”, Publisher: New Disk, 2005 - Electronic book; Internet resources:
5. M. Zabylin " Russian people. His customs, rituals, legends, superstitions and poetry”, M.: Publication by bookseller M. Berezin - the online version of the book is provided by the Folklorus website (http://folklorus.narod.ru);
6. http://lib.a-grande.ru/index.php - Website about the culture of the peoples of Bashkortostan; 7. http://ru.wikipedia.org/ - Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia.
Every person is accompanied throughout his life by all kinds of Russian traditions, rites and rituals. There are a lot of them and they are very different - for every day, for a holiday and for some special event in the family.
All family rituals are based on faith, work, life and recreation of people. And the emergence of rituals cannot be called accidental. It takes centuries before any ritual is recognized in society.
In all modern traditions that have survived to this day, three faith-cultures are embodied, represented by pagan, Christian and partially atheistic culture. All modern folk traditions are Christian, although some still show traces of paganism and atheism.
Family rituals of Belarusians are the living voice of the people.
They teach good things. Some Russian traditions were embedded in the norm of social behavior. They had a considerable influence on the moral, ethical, household or labor image of each of the people.
IN modern world There are a lot of different customs and rituals, and each of them can be conditionally divided into church-religious and secular. Church-religious rites among the people have a close connection with the church, while secular ones take place outside the church, and they exist separately, although they have a close connection.
In church rituals, you can find a lot of elements in the form of bread, water, incense, candles, willow branches, rings. The worldly, in turn, borrowed the holy image, icon, cross, bible, prayer from church rites. And the complex of family rituals itself is represented by ordinary, Sunday-holiday, solemn-family, mourning-funeral, calendar, household and economic.
Features of family rituals
All family rituals of Belarusians are based on the history and life of the people. Their development path is very long, and they managed to preserve traces of beliefs, worldviews, family and social structures. In family rituals one can find a reflection of the way of life, everyday norms and customs of the clan and family. All family rituals were distinguished by a clear structure, and each nation always and strictly observed them.
The main family traditions have always been and remain the sacrament of baptism, weddings, and funerals. Wedding rituals were represented by pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding parts. The funeral rite consisted of pre-funeral ritual actions, funeral rites and commemoration.
All folk rituals are still alive, they are permeated with earthly needs and spiritual ideas, symbols, they are endowed with feelings and rich images.
Character formation took place through family rituals family relations, psychology and human behavior.
All family rituals have an educational function, and for each nation, rituals are a sacred property that every person cherishes.
Types of family rituals
In Russians family traditions Belarusians from the time of paganism is a reflection of the full family cycle, consisting of their baptism, wedding and funeral. In the old days, every family ritual was endowed with magical properties who served reliable protection man from evil forces.
The sacrament of baptism. Already in the first months of life in Rus', the baptism of a child was an obligatory and strict rule.
Today, Baptism in the Orthodox Church is performed by immersing your head three times in a font of holy water with the words "In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."
When performing the sacrament of baptism, several ritual actions are performed, endowed with a symbolic spiritual meaning:
- first, the person being baptized turns to face the west - the symbol of darkness, this is done so that he renounces Satan;
- then the baby is anointed with oil before immersion in the font, which symbolizes invincibility in the fight against Satan;
- then the person being baptized is immersed in water and the Holy Spirit gives the seed of Life and cleansing from sins;
- after that, a cross is placed on the chest, so the baptized will constantly remember the cross as a symbol of salvation;
- then the Russian ritual of dressing in white clothes occurs, so the baptized person receives cleansing from sins, and from that moment his life should become pious;
- after dressing up, the baptized person walks around the font three times, which symbolizes eternity;
- Then the hair is cut, so the newly baptized surrenders to the will of the Lord.
Another important Russian tradition in the life of every person is the system of wedding rituals that serve to consolidate marriage. In Russia, this system appeared in the fifteenth century. At that time, boys got married at the age of twenty-four, and girls got married starting at the age of eighteen.
Conventionally, Russian wedding rituals are represented by pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding rituals:
- The beginning of Russian wedding rituals is matchmaking, in which a preliminary agreement is obtained from the bride’s relatives to perform the wedding;
- then there was a viewing party, when the groom and the groom's parents could see future bride and evaluate its positive and negative qualities;
- the final agreement regarding the wedding was reached through the ceremony of hand-clasping;
- this was followed by the Russian ritual of ritual crying - howling, the purpose of which was to show that in the bride’s house life was passing happily and now she had to say goodbye to him; through howling, the girl said goodbye to her friends, parents and her freedom;
- the day before the wedding, a bachelorette party was held, when friends came to the bride and helped sew gifts for the groom, the whole evening was accompanied by wedding songs;
- on the day of the wedding, it was customary to conduct a ransom ceremony, which has been preserved to this day, the groom was obliged to take the bride out of the house;
- after the ransom, the most important part of the wedding ceremonies took place - the wedding, in which the bride and groom received a Christian blessing and became husband and wife for the rest of their lives;
- the wedding ceremony was celebrated with a wedding feast, accompanied by food, drink and merry jokes;
- The final Russian wedding ceremony should be called “bread and salt”, with which the bride’s parents meet the newlyweds.
At the same time, the mother-in-law or mother-in-law offers the newlyweds a piece of the loaf. This rite is a symbol of the fact that from this moment the young become crumbs of one bread.
The final rite in the Orthodox tradition should be called the funeral. As shown in the established traditions, the deceased person was washed, dressed in clean clothes that he never wore, then the deceased was laid on the bench with his head towards the red corner where the icons were, covered with a white canvas, and his hands were folded on his chest. According to ancient Russian traditions, the funeral after the onset of death should be held on the third day.
The especially honored dead were carried in their arms all the way to the cemetery.
The entire funeral ceremony was accompanied by crying and lamentations. The end of the funeral was a commemoration or feast with special memorial dishes. Already at the cemetery the deceased had to be remembered with kutya. Almost all Russian funerals in Rus' were accompanied by pancakes.
The importance of family rituals in human life
Each family ritual that was observed by man for centuries had certain pedagogical functions. With their help, the younger generation became familiar with the economic responsibilities of each family member, with the rules of conduct in married life, with preparation for motherhood, with the moral standards of the people and with much more.
This transfer of knowledge was carried out not by lessons and instructions, but by clear examples of the behavior of adults, where no explanations were needed. Thus, each child adopted a model of one behavior or another, becoming a direct participant in the rituals.
All family rituals are connected primarily with life cycle person. In this regard, among family rituals the following types are distinguished:
- maternity and baptismal ritual complex;
- wedding ceremonies;
- funeral and memorial rites.
In addition, there are less significant rituals that are associated with various changes in the life of a family, for example, the construction of a new house or housewarming.
Maternity and baptismal family and household rituals
The birth of a child was considered a significant event for which they prepared very thoroughly. There were a number of beliefs regarding how a pregnant woman should behave in order to protect her child from the evil eye and various diseases.
The behavior of both the mother in labor and everyone in the house during childbirth was very strictly regulated. For example, it was believed that one should not talk about the fact that labor had begun, since the fewer people who knew about it, the easier it would be. There was also a belief according to which, in order to facilitate childbirth, it was necessary to open all the windows and doors in the house wide.
The birth was delivered by a special woman who had already passed the period of childbearing. It was customary to cut the umbilical cord using some kind of tool: for boys - on an ax handle, later - on a book, for girls - on a spindle. It was believed that thanks to this the child would grow up to be an excellent worker.
The child was baptized on the fortieth day after birth, since there was an opinion that after such a period of time the body acquires a soul. Sick and weak children were baptized on the eighth day.
Wedding ceremonies
Very important rituals of the family cycle are wedding traditions. In Rus', weddings were celebrated after the end of the harvest. Wedding rituals are quite complex and extended over time. It included the following stages:
- matchmaking;
- bridesmaids;
- handshake;
- the wedding itself with bride price and ritual dressing.
The conduct of each stage was strictly regulated. There were many rituals, the purpose of which was to ensure happiness and prosperity for the young, large offspring and long life.
Construction of a new house and housewarming
Our ancestors were wary of all important changes in life, including moving to a new home. The place for its construction was chosen carefully. Before laying, wheat was poured into the corners. If the next morning the piles remained intact, they began construction, but if the grain turned out to be scattered, they looked for another place.
Before entering a new house, a cat or a black rooster was allowed in, which was supposed to drive out the evil one.
Many elements of traditional ritual have been preserved in Russian culture to this day, but some have disappeared forever, having lost their original meaning.